Capacitor Energy per Bang
ECAP = 0.5 Co (VP / NLINE)2
Where:
ECAP = Energy Stored in
Single Capacitor per Bang (Joules)
Co = Capacitance of a
Single
Capacitor (Farads)
VP = Gap Firing Voltage
(Volts)
NLINE = Number of
Capacitors
per String
 
Internal Resistance of a Single
Capacitor
RCAP = TANd / (2 p Co F)
Where:
RCAP = Internal Real
Resistance
of a Single Capacitor (Ohms)
TANd
= Dissipation Factor
Co = Capacitance of a
Single
Capacitor (Farads)
F = Fundamental Frequency of Primary
Circuit (Hz)
F (kHz)    TANd
10           
0.0004
50           
0.0008
100         
0.0010
200         
0.0016
300         
0.0024
400         
0.0040
 
Power Dissipation per Small Capacitor
Wo = KSYNC BPS ECAP RCAP / (RCAP + RPRI)
Where:
Wo = Power Dissipation
per Small Capacitor (Watts)
KSYNC = 1 for Synchronous
Gap or 0.5 for Non-Synchronous Gap
BPS = Bangs per Second
ECAP = Energy Stored in
Single Capacitor per Bang (Joules)
RCAP = Internal Real
Resistance
of a Single Capacitor (Ohms)
RPRI = Primary Circuit
Equivalent Resistance (~3 Ohms)
 
Temperature Rise of Small
Capacitor
To = Wo Ko
Where:
To = Temperature Rise of
Small Capacitor (°
C)
Wo = Power Dissipation
per Small Capacitor (Watts)
Ko = Small Capacitor
Thermal
Dissipation Factor (°
C / Watt)
Lead Spacing
(mm)      
Ko
5                                   
250
7.5                                
167
10                                 
133
15                                 
83
22.5                              
67
27.5                              
40
37.5                              
33
 
Reliability
To (°
C)     Reliability
0 -
5         
Very Good
5 -
10       
Good
10
-15      
?
>
15          
Bad
 
Example:
Total Primary Capacitance = 28nF
Fundamental Frequency = 100 kHz
Firing Voltage = 21000 Volts (15000
VAC)
BPS = 120
Gap = Non-Synchronous
Primary Capacitor = 7 strings of 14
x 56nF small caps whose lead spacing is 27.5 mm and the AC voltage
rating
is 630 VAC.
How reliable would this be?
ECAP = 0.5 Co
(VP / NLINE)2
ECAP = (0.5) (56 x 10-9)
(21000 / 14)2
ECAP = 0.063 Joule
RCAP = TANd
/ (2 p Co
F)
RCAP = 0.0010 / (2 p
(56 x 10-9) 100000)
RCAP = 0.02842 Ohm
Wo = KSYNC
BPS
ECAP RCAP / (RCAP + RPRI)
Wo = (0.5) (120) (0.063)
(0.02842) / (0.02842 + 3)
Wo = 0.0355 Watt
To = Ko Wo
To = 40 x 0.0355
To = 1.42 °
C
 
The reliability should be "Very
Good".