For years, San Francisco-based electrical engineer has harboured ambitious plans to build the biggest lightning generator in the world. When 快猫短视频 talked to him in 2006, he was planning to construct two giant Tesla coils that would launch electric arcs crackling across a space the size of a football stadium at an estimated cost of $8.9聽million.
Leyh鈥檚 hope of funding that project faded when the recession hit. Now he鈥檚 trying crowdsourcing to get it up and running within two years. He is for the , an equally impressive but lower-budget version costing about $350,000. 快猫短视频 asked him about his plans.
What is the Lightning Foundry?
It鈥檚 a project to create super-long electrical discharges like lightning. Two 10-storey-high Tesla coil towers will fill an area the size of a football field with lightning-like discharges hundreds of feet long. We鈥檒l possibly site it in Nevada, although that hasn鈥檛 been decided yet.
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What will visitors see at demonstrations?
As the machine ramps up, it鈥檒l start sounding like a chainsaw and you鈥檒l see electrical streamers increasing in length. When they鈥檙e long enough to reach from one tower to the other, you鈥檒l have an area hundreds of feet wide filled with electrical discharges jumping around. Hopefully we鈥檒l have enough funding to get some extra props to zap 鈥� one thing I鈥檇 like to do is recreate Franklin鈥檚 kite experiment.
Will it be safe?
We鈥檒l have to test it first to make sure. If the coils trigger a runaway breakdown of the air, they could generate wild arcs 鈥� that鈥檚 something we have to know very precisely before we show it to an audience. We鈥檙e breaking new ground here so we have to approach it carefully.
What scientific question will the project answer?
Lightning can break down air up to five times more easily than normal electric arcs [between two oppositely charged rods in the lab], using tricks we don鈥檛 yet understand. However, recent theories and a few tantalising experimental results suggest that normal arcs start to gain lightning-like abilities once they grow past about 60 metres in length. If we can build a machine this large, we鈥檒l very quickly arrive at a better understanding of what鈥檚 going on.
How can you do this on a low budget?
Rather than being a purpose-built, conservatively designed facility like the original concept, the Lightning Foundry is literally designed around 鈥渙btainium鈥� 鈥� used materials, scrap and salvaged equipment like generators and transformers. So many companies have folded, and a lot of their equipment ends up in scrapyards. There鈥檚 a lot of incredible obtainium out there these days.
What will your backers get in return?
There is a range of rewards. Pledge $75 or more and you鈥檒l get two tickets to a public performance. Other reward packages include electrical discharge sculptures [an electrically zapped piece of acrylic with a branching structure showing the path of the discharge] and the chance to personally throw 8-metre arcs at any item you wish to bring along.
