Hello. I was wondering about something. Actually I had a few questions
What is the higest possible electrical voltage which can be achieved through conventional means (transformers and multipliers and such), as opposed to using electrostatic means?
What is the highest voltage which can be generated before the electricity stops acting like electricity and starts acting like a particle beam?
What is the highest voltage which can be achieved before it becomes impossible to contain or insulate the electricity?
Thanks
Steve
The only real limitations are practical ones. By increasing insulation thickness, spacing components farther apart, using stronger dielectric materials and other design considerations, it’s possible to generate any arbitrarily large voltage. The limits are how much money you have to throw at it and how much space you have to work with. The highest voltage generated to date was 321.5 megavolts in 1979 by the National Electrostatics Corporation.
I’m not entirely sure what you mean by this. If I’m understanding you correctly, then it’s less a matter of voltage and more a matter of conditions; primarily high vacuum. Particle beams don’t work well in air, regardless of voltage.
Again, it’s a practical matter. The thicker your insulation, the higher the voltage it can withstand before breaking down. In theory, you could separate your points of potential difference in outer space by any arbitrarily large distance and have any voltage you want between them with nearly zero current flow.