FYI - It hertz when you do that – power grid to stop regulating 60 Hz frequency

[EverydayCat]

I found this interesting and thought I would post it here...
Thanks...

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/06/25/it-hertz-when-you-do-that-power-grid-to-stop-regulating-60-hz-frequency/

 

[R. Croswell]

Another brilliant government idea - take something that's worked well for decades and fix it.

I guess it could open up a new market for small highly accurate frequency controlled inverters to power older frequency sensative devices and clocks.

 

[Steven Thornberry]

Here is a thread in the Electric Clocks forum with a link that addresses the same thing.

 

[MARK A. BUTTERWORTH]

I think there was an article in Friday's edition of USA Today as well.

 

[shutterbug]

I think they're expecting about 15 seconds a week. Hey, I've got mechanical clocks that will do that! Maybe this will start a come-back
If only we could make it effect quartz too!

 

[Dean Williams]

Great. So, can we (Americans) officially call ourselves a third world country, now?
What a boner of an idea.

 

[shutterbug]

Great. So, can we (Americans) officially call ourselves a third world country, now?
What a boner of an idea.

Nope. Most of them use 220 volts. I'm surprised they don't have electrocution issues too ..... or maybe they do

 

[flatlander10]

Nope. Most of them use 220 volts. I'm surprised they don't have electrocution issues too ..... or maybe they do

A telephone line when it's ringing will give a jolt. Ask me how I know.
Europe may use 220volts it may be a good reason to balance out the buildings power system within their grid. Also they run things at 50hz too.
You're not anymore likely to get jolted with 220v than 120v. Also remember it's really not the voltage that kills, it's the current which can be just a few miliamps to do it.

I really can't rationalize how this change would make our grid system anymore reliable than what it already is. No matter what they change it to, it will be susceptible to the sun's solar flares, Atomic Explosion EMP.

I can already see expensive electric motor replacements that are dependent on 60hz. Electronic design that was developed with 60hz in mind such as AC transformer and Motors will also suffer.

If it works don't fix it!:bang:

Flatlander10

 

[Scottie-TX]

I'm just not good at doomsday prophecy because basically I'm waaay too optimistic, not a bandwagoneer, and don't embrace the fragility theories.
Yeah, it's 'otter'n 'ell 'ere today. But it probably was also in 2011B.C.
First, it probly won't happen. Second, motors don't care about two or three cycle shifts in frequency. I believe I understand the thinking behind 220V. mains. Smaller transformers on the poles, lower cost transmission, etc. Power, after all is the product of amperage and voltage. If voltage is double, current can be half to produce equal power. Nice tradeoffs and biggest drawback of course is being bitten by 220. OUCH!

 

[leeinv66]

I'm just not good at doomsday prophecy because basically I'm waaay too optimistic, not a bandwagoneer, and don't embrace the fragility theories.
Yeah, it's 'otter'n 'ell 'ere today. But it probably was also in 2011B.C.
First, it probly won't happen. Second, motors don't care about two or three cycle shifts in frequency. I believe I understand the thinking behind 220V. mains. Smaller transformers on the poles, lower cost transmission, etc. Power, after all is the product of amperage and voltage. If voltage is double, current can be half to produce equal power. Nice tradeoffs and biggest drawback of course is being bitten by 220. OUCH!

It's 240 down here. Why? Because if we are going to get bit, we want to remember it Besides, everything either bits or eats you down here anyway

 

[Scottie-TX]

I've never bin bitten by an emeu, emu, or roo. I s'pose they're quite painful matey!

 

[R. Croswell]

.........I believe I understand the thinking behind 220V. mains. Smaller transformers on the poles, lower cost transmission, etc. Power, after all is the product of amperage and voltage. If voltage is double, current can be half to produce equal power. Nice tradeoffs and biggest drawback of course is being bitten by 220. OUCH!

The only benefits come after the line to 240 volt transformer (pole to house and inside the house). On my street the primary voltage on the pole is 7200 volts. The transformer would deliver the same power in watts (amps x volts) and would be the same physical size regardless of the secondary voltage. The advantage to 240 volts is derived from Ohm's law e=ir. Voltage loss in the wiring (e) is equal to the current "i" passing through the wire times the resistance (r) of the wire. "r" is dependent on the size of the wire - the smaller the wire the greater the resistance. With a 240 volt system one can use smaller (less expensive) wire because the amps are half in a 240 volt system (compared to a 120 volt system). Switch contacts carry only half the amps and the list goes on.

The disadvantage is that insulation has to be better and of course it has a bigger bite. True, it’s the amps that kill but it takes the voltage to drive the amps home (Ohm’s law again). A flashlight battery is capable of producing more than enough amps to kill a person but the voltage is too low to overcome the natural resistance (r) of the skin. 240 volts will easily overcome the resistance of even dry skin. 480 volts is even worse in that respect but I don’t believe that is used in homes. Would be nice if the whole world would use the same volts and frequency, but it ain't gonna happen!

 

[leeinv66]

I've never bin bitten by an emeu, emu, or roo. I s'pose they're quite painful matey!

Yea, they both look cute and cuddly Scottie, but don't ever get either of them trapped in a corner!

 

[Mike Phelan]

I believe I understand the thinking behind 220V. mains. Smaller transformers on the poles, lower cost transmission, etc.

That's it. Most of the planet does use 240v now. Here, power lines are usually 132,000. Then it's reduced to 33,000 or 11,000. Appliance cable is thinner and cheaper.
The 480v three-phase is then distributed to houses by selecting one phase and neutral, which is earthed. Industrial supplies use all phases.

Power, after all is the product of amperage and voltage.

Only if it's DC. You can have "wattless power" on AC if the equipment has significant inductance or capacitance.
The supply companies don't like that as we get free electricity! Hence the power-correction capacitors in fluorescent lights to offset the choke inductance.

(UK=current, US=amperage)

 

[Scottie-TX]

Yeah; I'm still a little more than chapped about this deal:
Why we're charged for the use of electricity and water?
We don't "use" either. We simply draw it from it's source and return it to it's source.
So, much like beer, I s'pose we're being charged for the cost of recycling.
SHEESH.