Self regulating ramped voltage oscillator?

[Ragnor]

Howdy,
I am wondering if anyone knows of a (cheap) device or can show me what is required to produce a device that will accomplish the following task.

Lets say you have two plates with a gap between them. The gap could be filled with any manner of dielectric fluid including air. Now you start at a low voltage and rapidly ramp up the voltage until the current overcomes the resistance of the dielectric fluid and completes the circuit between the plates. This current leak needs to be detected immediately. The voltage is reset to the low state and immediately resumes the process of ramping up until it once again overcomes the dielectric resistance and completes the circuit and the process repeats over and over and over again creating a self regulating oscillator.

Hopefully I described that well enough.

I would like to be able to vary the voltage and amperage to adjust ramp up times etc to fine tune the system.

Does anyone know an off the shelf cheap circuit to accomplish this? Or do i need to put something together?
Sure i could figure it out eventually, but having help from guys who specialize in this sort of thinking is a great novelty.
Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[duke37]

Sound like a spark transmitter. Not socially acceptable.
Arc over is not consistent and the contacts burn away.

 

[AnalogKid]

I would like to be able to vary the voltage and amperage to adjust ramp up times etc to fine tune the system.

Why?

ak

 

[(*steve*)]

I would imagine some insulation test equipment would be capable of something like this.

but yeah, "why" is a good question.

 

[Alec_t]

You do realise that for even a 'small' gap, the voltage required to produce noticeable conduction in a dielectric material is going to be 'very high' and hence dangerous?

 

[Ragnor]

Sound like a spark transmitter. Not socially acceptable.
Arc over is not consistent and the contacts burn away.

The idea is more to detect the moment just before the arc occurs and drop the voltage/amperage to zero or near zero and reset.

If I wanted a spark gap or a plasma field I could do that easily. I want to avoid both.

 

[Ragnor]

I would imagine some insulation test equipment would be capable of something like this.

but yeah, "why" is a good question.

Why? to cause an self regulating, cascading oscillation in a dielectric fluid.

 

[Ragnor]

You do realise that for even a 'small' gap, the voltage required to produce noticeable conduction in a dielectric material is going to be 'very high' and hence dangerous?

I understand.

 

[Ragnor]

Why?

ak

I want to shake the crap out of a dielectric fluid =). Resonance experiment.