Wonder if they use baluns for this application <grin>? After all, the
transformer and load (people's homes) is balanced, and the HT distribution
system is obviously unbalanced (hard to believe the soil resistance equals
the 1-conductor copper wire resistance)...maybe they use a beefed-up BN-86?
-WB2WIK/6
> I can't help but wonder if guys running the big amps in these places
> (below) have big-time voltage regulation problems. More info on this earth
>
> return goofyness:
>
> At:
>
> http://csf.colorado.edu/archive/1996/energy/0757.html
>
> Is the following:
>
> <<START QUOTE
>
> From: Andrew McIver <Andrew.McIver@eng.monash.edu.au>
>
>
> > From: Ian Woofenden <ppc@pacificrim.net>
> >
> > At 08:04 AM 10/29/96, you wrote:
> >
> > >You may not believe this, but in many parts of rural Alberta (Canada)
> > >there are single phase AC systems which run with one (1) wire only.
> The
> > >AC neutral is (you guessed it) the Ground. Line voltages are typically
> > >14.4 kV for such systems.
> > >
> > >Jason Edworthy
> > >President, Nor'wester Energy Systems Ltd.
> >
> > What are the applications?
>
>
> This is the standard distribution method in rural Australia. It's
> known as single wire earth return (SWER) and supplies most rural
> customers. It is generally designed for a total feeder load of around
> 1-5MW with individual loads of up to 250kW. Usually, the 12.8kV
> supply is stepped down to 240V for the customer using a pole mounted
> transformer.
>
>
> I can only assume that the grounding for the earth return is very
> good since even in the dry soils of Australia, I've never heard of
> anyone getting hurt by it.
>
>
> Cheers
> Andrew
>
> END QUOTE>>
>
> At 07:07 PM 12/20/2001 -0500, Jerry Flanders wrote:
>
> >Talk of canadian pole pigs reminds me of something strange I saw in
> Canada
> >a few years ago and verified again last summer: Some places in central
> >Canada (I think it was MB or perhaps the contiguous province west of it)
> >have soil conductivity so high that the local power company uses earth as
>
> >the return conductor for AC power distribution!
> SNIP
>
>
> --
> FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/amps
> Submissions: amps@contesting.com
> Administrative requests: amps-REQUEST@contesting.com
> Problems: owner-amps@contesting.com
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/amps
Submissions: amps@contesting.com
Administrative requests: amps-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-amps@contesting.com
|