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  4. Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
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Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?

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Offline claudiu (OP)

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Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« on: 28/06/2021 20:33:01 »
A few days ago my laptop charger has broke and i didn't had what to do else and it came to me this idea to build a coil from plasma since plasma can conduct electricity and to make the shape of the coil using magnetic fields after that to insert a powerful current through it like in a conductor. Would it be possible? This coil could create a very powerful magnetic field perhaps even artificial gravity if it is spinned. Since it is made out of plasma it would not melt. Also how much current could a plasma carry?
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Offline Bored chemist

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #1 on: 28/06/2021 20:39:43 »
Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?

Yes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashtube#/media/File:Xenon-flash.gif
but they don't do anything magical.
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Offline claudiu (OP)

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #2 on: 28/06/2021 21:38:35 »
Quote from: Bored chemist on 28/06/2021 20:39:43
If you replace the glass with a magnetic field won't you be able to put as much current as you want in it since it won't melt?
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Offline Bored chemist

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #3 on: 28/06/2021 21:44:30 »
How do you make a magnetic field that shape?
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Offline claudiu (OP)

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #4 on: 28/06/2021 22:04:42 »
Quote from: Bored chemist on 28/06/2021 21:44:30
How do you make a magnetic field that shape?
You use coils to bend the plasma. The question is if we put high current in the plasma would it need a more powerful magnetic field to hold it in that shape than the magnetic field generated by the plasma coil or less?
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Offline Petrochemicals

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #5 on: 28/06/2021 22:08:49 »
Quote from: claudiu on 28/06/2021 20:33:01
A few days ago my laptop charger has broke and i didn't had what to do else and it came to me this idea to build a coil from plasma since plasma can conduct electricity and to make the shape of the coil using magnetic fields after that to insert a powerful current through it like in a conductor. Would it be possible? This coil could create a very powerful magnetic field perhaps even artificial gravity if it is spinned. Since it is made out of plasma it would not melt. Also how much current could a plasma carry?
Are you describing a transformer winding out of a plasma coil? If so the magnetic field holding the plasma would need to be generated by metal windings, thus rendering the exercise Pointless. I am sure the windings in the magnetic field would render the plasma magnetism nil and void due to the conservation laws, basically things have to balance out and the external magnetic field of the winding would render the plasma non registering.

To do as you suggest you would need a way to create a plasma coil without conventional windings for the magnetism holding it in place. Unless you can prescribe gravity I cannot see how this can be done.

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Offline Bored chemist

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #6 on: 28/06/2021 22:13:42 »
Why bother?
There's nothing magical about a plasma.
It produces the same magnetic field that you would get from a wire carrying the same current.
OK, you can't "melt" a  coil made from plasma, but you would melt the wires that fed current to it.
So you need to do something clever.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_Pulsed_Power_Facility

Quote from: Petrochemicals on 28/06/2021 22:08:49
I cannot see how this can be done.
That's a long list...
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Offline wolfekeeper

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #7 on: 28/06/2021 22:14:54 »
Dunno about generating huge magnetic fields that way, but this is a proof of concept for doing it at all:

https://edisontechcenter.org/InductionLamps.html
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Offline claudiu (OP)

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #8 on: 28/06/2021 22:33:55 »
Quote from: Bored chemist on 28/06/2021 22:13:42
Why bother?
There's nothing magical about a plasma.
It produces the same magnetic field that you would get from a wire carrying the same current.
OK, you can't "melt" a  coil made from plasma, but you would melt the wires that fed current to it.
So you need to do something clever.


Quote from: Petrochemicals on 28/06/2021 22:08:49
I cannot see how this can be done.
That's a long list...

Yes but you could use many wires perpendicular on the plasma and put a big amount of current in it
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Offline evan_au

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Re: Would it be possible to build a coil out of plasma?
« Reply #9 on: 28/06/2021 23:25:36 »
The Tokamak-style fusion generators use the plasma as a 1-turn coil, so they can pump energy into the plasma.

The problem of "Magnetohydrodynamic instability" has plagued all such machines - if you try to contain a hot plasma (>100 Million K), it wriggles and squirms violently, forcing its way out of the containing magnetic field, and often scorching the inside of the vacuum chamber.

As long as the plasma is not too hot, you can contain it inside a glass tube, like a fluorescent lamp.

PS: In "Jacob's ladder" (often seen in science museums), the plasma forms a half-turn of the coil. Magnetic and thermal forces cause the arc to move up the "ladder".

Start at 20 seconds:
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