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Re: [Amps] liquid cooled Amplifier coolant recommendations

To: sub1@rogerhalstead.com, fletchv3@comcast.net
Subject: Re: [Amps] liquid cooled Amplifier coolant recommendations
From: TexasRF@aol.com
Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 15:31:29 EDT
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
But, but, but, In a design with a grounded screen, there will be screen  
current showing due to the dc current generated from plate voltage flowing  
through the water to ground.
 
With say, 3kvdc, and 50,000 ohms, the current would be 60mA. So, it seems a  
resistivity of 5 Megohms or more might be desirable.
 
73,
Gerald K5GW
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 5/16/2008 2:18:42 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
sub1@rogerhalstead.com writes:

F.  Veitch wrote:

I used  and have worked with water cooled amps and  oscillators for 
years.  We used De Ionized (DI) water for years with  systems up to 
multi-hundred KW.  Either DI or distilled water should  work fine.  Most 
tap water is far too conductive.  Just put your  ohm meter on the high 
scale and stick the probes in a half inch to one  inch apart.  As long as 
it shows 50-100K it should be  fine.   I used a probe that had 1 CM 
square plates separated by  1 CM to measure Ohms per cubic CM , or 
resistivity.

The only thing  to remember about DI and Distilled water is they are 
corrosive to copper  and brass.  However the amount of flow in 
intermittent amateur  service should show no degradation in years of 
use.  You might need  to replace the water every now and then as it picks 
up ions from the metal  in the system.  Others have commented on how they 
monitor this.   If there are no indications of lower conductivity there 
is no need to  replace the water.   In systems that ran almost steady 24 
X 7 we  had to replace copper and particularly brass fittings every 3 or 
4  years.  Based on that I'd expect the normal amateur system to last a  
lifetime.  Water replacement which was around a thousand gallons was  
about twice a year, but it ran through a lot of equipment and in an  
industrial environment.   I'd hate to tell all the stuff that  went into 
that, but a half a salt shaker in a thousand gallons shut the  whole 
system down.  That was expensive in the 100's of thousands of  dollar 
range, but we never did find out who did it we were fairly certain.  Just 
rumors from the crews running all that equipment. Word was someone  
remarked, "I never thought that little would do that much".  <:-))

Look into "Vapor Phase" cooling as well. 

73

And  good luck,

Roger  (K8RI)
> I am in the process of getting a  water cooled GS-15B cavity on line and I
> wonder if the group has any  recommendations on coolants.  Distilled water 
is
> typically of  unknown provence, so you are never sure if it is really low
>  conductivity unless you measure it. Somehow the idea of 1700-2000V on  
water
> of unknown conductivity just bothers me. (silly me!)  I  have heard that 
some
> Radar systems and high power lasers use a special  ethylene glycol for a
> coolant.  I wonder if anyone in the group  has any experience with such
> coolants and if they can recommend a  source for same.
>
> Thanks and regards 
> Fletch 
>  K3JYD 
> FM18 
>
>  _______________________________________________
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> Amps@contesting.com
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>
>    

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