User:Golferdrew

A water capacitor is a device that uses water as its dielectric insulating medium. Conventional capacitors use materials such as glass or ceramic as their insulating medium to store an electrical charge. Water capacitors were created mainly as a novelty item and can be made with little materials. Water has been shown not to be a very reliable substance to store electric charge. More reliable materials are used for capacitors in industrial applications.

History
Capacitors can originally be traced back to a device called a Leyden jar, created by the Dutch physicist Pieter van Musschenbroek. The Leyden jar consisted of a glass jar with tin foil layers on the inside and outside of the jar. A rod electrode was directly connected to the inlayer of foil by means of a small chain or wire. This device stored static electricity created when amber and wool where rubbed together. Although the design and materials used in capacitors have changed greatly throughout history, the basic fundamentals remain the same. In general, capacitors are very simple electrical devices which can have many uses in today’s technologically advanced world. A modern capacitor usually consists of two conducting plates sandwiched around an insulator. Nicola Tesla described capacitors as the “electrical equivalent of dynamite.”

Overview
A capacitor is a device in which electrical energy is introduced and can be stored for a later time. A capacitor consists of two conductors separated by a non-conductive region. The non-conductive region is called the dielectric or electrical insulator. Examples of dielectric mediums are air, paper, and certain semiconductors. A capacitor is self-contained system and is isolated with no net electric charge and no influence from any external electric field. The conductors must hold equal and opposite charges on their facing surfaces.

Energy Storage
A simple type of water capacitor is created by using water filled glass jars and some form of insulating material to cover the ends of the jar. Water capacitors are not widely used in the industrial community due to their inefficient ability to store electrical current. The conductivity of water can change very quickly and is unpredictable if left in an open setting. Many variables such as pH levels and salinity have been shown to alter conductivity in water. As a result, many researchers have discredited this method of power storage. A capacitor is designed to store electric energy when disconnected from its charging source. It acts similar to that of a battery. Capacitors have many uses in the field of electronics as they can be used in both small and large devices. They also possess many beneficial uses such as power factor correction and harmonic balancing in electrical circuits. Capacitors can act as a gateway to let “clean” AC current in a circuit while scrubbing out bad DC current. Nonetheless, water capacitors are currently not stable enough to produce the level of versatility that has been achieved by industrial capacitors. It is not possible to create the level of capacitance needed to be used in high demand applications. Capacitance can be aided by the addition of electrolytes and minerals the water. This can only be beneficial until the water reaches its saturation point.

Hazards and Safety
Capacitors may retain a charge long after power is removed from a circuit. This charge can cause dangerous, or even potentially fatal, shocks or damage connected equipment. Water capacitors, however, usually cannot store enough electrical power to cause residual serious bodily injury. Unlike many large industrial capacitors, water capacitors do not use oil. Oil found in many capacitors can be toxic to both animals and humans. If a capacitor breaks open and its oil is released, the oil often finds its way into the water table which can cause health problems overtime.