Sciencemadness Discussion Board

I am just beginning

paradoxlost - 21-12-2024 at 11:35

I am starting to do some exploring in the forums, but I figured I'd start with a thread and ask for either links to the right threads or some answer up front.

What kind of PSU would you recommend that can do both AC/DC as well as have variable frequency, amplitude, voltages, etc for generating electric fields between electrodes that are like 10ft apart?

Also, and safety information for something at that scale?

Rainwater - 21-12-2024 at 13:19

For those very wide specifications i would recommend a waveform generator
For something as simple as a -5 ~ +5v 500ma dc. Cost you 15 bucks on amazon.

For more voltage or current you would need an amplifier.
For any arbitrary waveform and frequency below say 1khz, a class a or class ab would be nice.
As the voltage/frequency/current/power increase, so does the price and safety considerations

To be of any help, you will have to narrow down exactly what your end goal is.

bnull - 21-12-2024 at 13:24

Welcome!

I recommend you read the Mad Science FAQ and the other FAQ. They pretty much cover what can and cannot be done here.

The Library is quite interesting. Two books from there that I recommend are Brauer's Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry and Vogel's Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry. Both are somewhat old (1960s or so), the availability of reagents may have changed for some if not most; still, they are valuable for the standard procedures and references they contain.

Pieters' Safety in the Chemical Laboratory, Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards and Leonid Lerner's Small-Scale Synthesis of Laboratory Reagents would be good complements to any other books you may have.

***


Now, to your question. You have to be more specific. If you have any idea of the maximum voltage and current requirements, it will help narrow down the list of possibilities. I suppose it is for electrochemistry. Electroplating perhaps?

Edit: Wrong button.

[Edited on 21-12-2024 by bnull]

paradoxlost - 27-12-2024 at 04:49

Quote: Originally posted by bnull  
Welcome!

I recommend you read the Mad Science FAQ and the other FAQ. They pretty much cover what can and cannot be done here.

The Library is quite interesting. Two books from there that I recommend are Brauer's Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry and Vogel's Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry. Both are somewhat old (1960s or so), the availability of reagents may have changed for some if not most; still, they are valuable for the standard procedures and references they contain.

Pieters' Safety in the Chemical Laboratory, Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards and Leonid Lerner's Small-Scale Synthesis of Laboratory Reagents would be good complements to any other books you may have.

***


Now, to your question. You have to be more specific. If you have any idea of the maximum voltage and current requirements, it will help narrow down the list of possibilities. I suppose it is for electrochemistry. Electroplating perhaps?

Edit: Wrong button.

[Edited on 21-12-2024 by bnull]


I do not know the maximum voltage I need, and I need to do some reading so I can figure out how to determine that. I have some need to do some oxidation catalysis, as well as eletrocoalescence. The distance to span would be about 10 feet if that helps

bnull - 27-12-2024 at 06:26

The distance between electrodes is not much useful without knowing voltage or current requirements and the substrate. With at least one of these we can do a little guesswork and come up with something suitable.

Sulaiman - 27-12-2024 at 08:02

I guess that the oxidation experiments are small scale so almost any bench variable dc power supply will suffice.
a typical 0 to 30V 10A version would cover most needs
maybe lower voltage and higher current would be more suitable.

it would be useful to have accurate data-logging of voltage and current, as well as temperature and other relevant parameters.

I had a very brief google of eletrocoalescence
I saw figures of 1kV dc and/or ac to 2.5kHz
at significant/hazardous power levels.
... high voltages and water - excitement guaranteed :)

the power supply that you want will not be cheap
so you need to be fairly precise with your requirements.
If in a commercial environment then the risk analysis will be fun - not.
if for personal use then there are quite a few members that can give useful suggestions
the more specific the requirement the better the answers.
the hard part is to not over-specify your requirements.

kilovolts at kilohertz can provide many interesting 'surprises'.
(due to I = C x dV/dt and dielectric losses)

(as you want electrostatics and no electrolysis,
I'd consider plastic or ceramic between liquids and electrodes, and living beings)

Twospoons - 27-12-2024 at 17:26

You will struggle to find a single PSU that meets all your requirements. Instead, focus on your main interest, work out what you NEED, and get that. Maybe you need 100's of amps, maybe you need 1000's of volts - you wont get both in one PSU without spending lots of money, if such a thing is available at all.

There are some very knowledgeable and helpful people here:HIgh Voltage Forum


[Edited on 28-12-2024 by Twospoons]