First illustration.
Lord Kelvin Water drop experiment also see modified Lord Kelvin device 1892 Lord Kelvin performed the following experiment. In it he was able to demonstrate, that he was able to produce static electricity charges from the dripping water.
In the experiment, he suspended a metal tank filled with distilled water approx 250mm in width and 600mm from the base. Underneath this tank he inserted two taps to control the flow of the dripping water.
Below each tap were two metal cans that collected the water and were insulated from the base .
A copper loop was connected to the opposing cans.
The theory is as the water drops through the air towards the collection can they obtain a small static charge from the air by means of friction.
As each droplet is different, one becomes positive and the other negative. Over a period of time the charges built up to flash point. A neon bulb could be connected in series with one of the wire loops to enable flash to be better indicated.
A Forgotten Experiment
At the beginning of the century the University of Vienna performed the following exercise.
A jet of water under the pressure of 5 times atomosphereic (73psi) is forced down a pipe with the bottom diameter of 0.2 to .3 mm
Apparently the higher the pressure the better the result. although this may not be the case
At about 30 to 40 cm in direct line with the pressurized jet there was a metal container insulated with paraffin wax on the outside and covering the lip.
It was important to have the can insulated from the ground. A wire led from the can to the electoscope to indicate when an elctrostatic was present.
Another piece of paraffin wax in a block form was postioned at angle a short distance from then thin water flow.
When the water flowed the meter registered a charge of 10 thousand volts
A Swedish research group performed an experiment with simularities to the Lord Kelvin experiment as perviously mentioned above.
They tried the Vienna experiment and added a second jet at about 60 cm from the first. The result was a double charge. They crossed it with loops as described with Lord Kelvin experiment. They also found the loop had to be in a horizontal plane and in a particular height to be found by experimentation for it to work successfully. They noticed as soon as the static field reach a certain intensity the water stream split and rose back upwards even with 73 pound per square inch pressure behind it.
A simple experiment to try for yourself.
Go to the bathroom and turn a tap only slowly. Get a plastic comb and rub it with a woolen article. Bring the comb in contract with the water stream. When both are close together but not touching you should be able to bend the water flow.
Alvin M. Marks of the United States of America has invented an electrical generator unit the size of a large ball that uses no magnetic fields ,no moving parts. The unit required a jet of water vapour and a electrostatic field. He was hoping to build a unit in the 10,000 watt range.
This inventor has used similar principles in building a anti car pollution device.
Second illustration
We all can remember seeing solar panels on spacecraft and now on watches and calculators.
Nicola Tesla had an idea for collection of free energy too.
Nicola Tesla's panel consisted of a shiny metal panel with a transparent coating which now days could be the clear plastic you can get from a spray cans.
This Panel had advantage over the others in that it would be used at night as well as the day.
The bigger the shiny metal surface area and the higher up the better the output.
The metal plate was to connect one end of capacitor and the other side to a good earth connection.
To get the power output the condensor would be switched into a load at intervals to transfer the power stored in the capacitor.
At any given height above the ground there is an electrical plus potential the higher up the more stronger and a negative one at ground level.
The capacitor that was to be used was to had have a considerable electrostatic capacity and a very good dialectic preferable mica.
When asked what he felt the potential of his ideal would be , he thought it would be a thousands of times more powerful than the crookes radiometer.
Unfortunately for Tesla and us he ran out of funds and the device was never constructed or tested.
Third illustration.
This is the only design of a device of it kind , I have see that gives a high electro static charge on demand and has some thing similar to the make up of electrets used in microphones.
The instructions given me to are below
If you have a high voltage source available such as a Van De Graff or wimhurst machine you can make one.
If requires you to get a square of lucite [ I suspect that is also called perspex here in Australia but am not sure maybe someone can enlighten me.
About 5 inches in square should be sufficient.
You will then need to get two pieces of aluminium foil the same size and place one piece below and above the lucite.
Connect the top foil to high voltage static generator source connect the bottom to a good earth connection
Now place it on a stand that will enable you to put a heat source under the sandwich and heat the lucite to a soft form
A good heat source is a barbecue bickete or bunsen burner
Switch on the electro static generator
Set alight to the brickette and melt the lucite square. Leave the electro static generator on until brickette has burnt out and lucite has cooled to solid mass again.
When cooled disconnect the leads and test unit by shorting out the foil covering, there should be a spark. The beauty of this device is you can continue to do this, and when you finish playing with it, be sure to wrap the entire battery in tin foil, to preserve the charge in the same sort of manner as you do with a magnet, when you provide a magnetic pathway between the two poles to keep the magnetism strong.
I have never actually made this so you may need to experiment
Question
Is this why some plastic packaging material seems to have a static charge or is very clingy, Is there something in the manufacturing process that promotes the forming of a charge.
