*Zap!*

[giza]

High voltage Sparks and Arcs page

Video of a 345 kV switch arcing

Video of a 500 kV switch arcing

Video of a transformer over heating, venting its mineral oil, and said oil going *BOOM* in a massive fireball!

Comments

[silverscalenaga.livejournal.com]

wtf?

[electropaw.livejournal.com]

All of the stuff listed above = what my paws can do to things :-P

That's the thing with working on high voltage stuff, it's the thrill of not being zapped (or burned) to death!

Ever seen a substation transformer blow up at night? It lights up the sky!

[tgeller.livejournal.com]

What is it with you and pyrotechnics lately? ;)

[giza.livejournal.com]

I'm reliving my childhood. ;-)

[was1.livejournal.com]

Wow, those are really impressive, especially the giant Jacob's Ladder from the switching station. I was amazed that the sparks would get that large. Freaking awesome!

[susandeer.livejournal.com]

To quote the guy at the end of the second video you site:

WHOO!

[taral.livejournal.com]

That's inductive load for ya.

[taral.livejournal.com]

O.o According to the page, the first one is capacitative (line is actually unloaded) -- unusual. :)

[zorinlynx.livejournal.com]

Not really.. This is alternating current. A power line acts as a capacitor, so if you put AC voltage on it, you'll charge the line on the upswing of the sinewave... then when the polarity reverses, the charge on the line will feed back to the source and it will charge with the other polarity.

In short, you end up with a current, but this load has zero power factor, pretty much, since it is entirely out of phase with the voltage. This current by itself uses no power, but you do lose a bit of power in the resistance of the lines.

When the switch opens, the tiny distance as it starts to open is short enough for the voltage to hop across (breakdown). This ionizes the air, and the ionized path continues to conduct electricity pretty well until either A) the gap becomes too large for the current to keep the air sufficiently ionized, or B) a phase-to-phase fault causes upstream equipment to trip out (as it did in one of these videos). When you're talking half a million volts, an arc is practically a short circuit.

-Zorin the armchair engineer }:)

[taral.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes. I meant unusual in that it's unusual for lines like that to be completely unloaded.

[nius.livejournal.com]

Hence the array of gigantic inductors on the right =^_^=

[taral.livejournal.com]

Are we talking about the same thing? I'm talking about the 345kV arc...

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Ahh.. Ain't Science GRAND!

[giza.livejournal.com]

Uh uh uh. Since we are unable to fully explain it, a greater power must have guided that arc through the air.

*ducks!*

[whyrl.livejournal.com]

For some reason I imagined that in a Professor Frink voice. :P

Regarding the Xformer blowup:

[electropaw.livejournal.com]

To power company: This is what happens when you make me pay a $500 electric bill! *giggles*

Re: Regarding the Xformer blowup:

[giza.livejournal.com]

I thought somebody just crossed the streams.

Re: Regarding the Xformer blowup:

[kellic.livejournal.com]

*just about snorts Mtn. Dew* Thanks a lot! :xP LOL!

[kellic.livejournal.com]

Obviously we are witnessing the firepower of a fully armed and operational battle station.

[taral.livejournal.com]

If only... }:>

[firedhusky.livejournal.com]

BEE UTIFULL !