A high-voltage arc caused by a 500kV Switch opening up in the Nevada Desert. An enormous Jacob's Ladder
Greg Laden's Blog
Evolution, Life Sciences, Science Education, Human Evolution, and Stuff
Looking for stuff about birds?
Learn more about Charles Darwin and his work.
Lean more about lions
An archaeological expedition to the Congo
The Skeptical Search Engine
The contents of Greg Laden's Blog are copyrighted by Greg Laden.
Recent Comments
- Donald Iljazi on What is Markdown and why use it?
- freewebcoach.org on Changing the rep of Fungi one mushroom-based robot thingie-builder at a time
- Greg Laden on The grey squirrel from a birder's point of view
- Charles on The grey squirrel from a birder's point of view
- Greg Laden on The grey squirrel from a birder's point of view
- Greg Laden on Seismic Activity at Yellowstone
- Connie Davis on Who has a higher IQ, cats or dogs?
- lynda on Seismic Activity at Yellowstone
- lynda on Seismic Activity at Yellowstone
- Don Parnell on The grey squirrel from a birder's point of view
Search
Profile
Click on "About" for the big picture, and "Archives" for the details.
Recent Posts
- Looking for stuff about birds?
- Environmentally Friendly Hard Drive Case
- Charles Darwin February 12, 1809 - April 19, 1882
- Whitney Houston has died
- Lions!
- Changing the rep of Fungi one mushroom-based robot thingie-builder at a time
- More Mississippi Meanderings
- Is climate change a leftist scientific conspiracy to destroy America?
- Oldest Animals Discovered in Namibia
- Wild Mississippi
Blogroll
If you don't see yourself on my blogroll, just drop me a line and let me know. I'll add you.*- 10,000 Birds
- Alpha Meme
- a Nadder!
- Angry by Choice
- Armchair Dissident
- (((Billy))) The Atheist
- blogfish
- blogSci
- Blond Nonbeliever
- Blue Lion Blog
- Bug Girl's Blog
- Camels with Hammers
- Catalogue of Oganisms
- Cassandra's Tears
- Class M Planet
- Cocktail Party Physics
- Counter Minds
- Cranky Linguist, The
- Crowded Head, Cozy Bed
- Dead Racist Society
- Deep Sea News
- Dispersal of Darwin
- Divine Afflatus
- Dread Tomato Addiction
- Evil is Underrated
- Evolved and Rational
- Evolving in Kansas
- Evolving Thoughts
- Fellman Studio Blog
- Flying Trilobite
- Further Thoughts
- Hoxful Monsters
- ICBS Everywhere
- Illusory Tenant
- It's Alive!!
- Jafcisa
- Letters from a Broad
- Life Before Death
- Looking For Detachment
- Matharu's Rants and Raves
- Mors dei
- Natural Reckonings
- Nature Blog Network
- Providentia
- Qeyḥ bāḥrī
- Quiche Moraine
- Religion, Sets, and Politics
- Sandwalk
- Sarah Zielinski
- Science Notes
- The Seething Primate
- Skepchick
- Spanish Inquisitor
- Splendid Elles
- Survival Machine
- Synapostasy
- TalkOrigins
- Tangled Up in Blue Guy
- Tetrapod Zoology
- The Flying Trilobite
- The Inoculated Mind
- The Intersection
- The Loom (new)
- The Scientific Activist
- The Unexamined Life..
- The Zone
- Thinking for Free
- Think Progress
- Three Toed Sloth
- Toomanytribbles
- Traumatized by Truth
- Truth Is a Woman
- udreamofjanie
- Uncommon Liberty
- View from the Pond
- Vickie Henderson Art
- When Pigs Fly Returns
- Writer's Daily Grind
Archives
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
« Creationist-Kootied Origin Comes to the Twin Cities | Main | Artificial Intelligence on Collective Imagination ... »
Electricity Gone Wild
Posted on: November 20, 2009 2:17 PM, by Greg Laden
TrackBacks
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/124761
Comments
I've seen that one before. The arc was caused by the failure of a circuit breaker to open before the switch opened.
At ordinary end-user voltages, a switch is designed to interrupt normal load current, while a circuit breaker is designed to interrupt fault current (which can be several orders of magnitude greater than normal load current).
At transmission line voltages, a switch isn't intended to interrupt any current at all; this is the task of a circuit breaker. In that service, a switch is used solely to change the configuration of a network. First, you trip out the breakers to de-energize the circuit, then set switches to the desired positions, and finally reclose the circuit breakers to re-energize the circuit.
Posted by: Ktesibios | November 20, 2009 3:33 PM
No time to get the marshmallows, dagnabbit.
Posted by: NewEnglandBob | November 20, 2009 3:40 PM
Like Ktesibios says this is not a normal arc for this type of equipment.
Seeing that my knowledge of electricity goes about as far as don't touch it and it powers my PC I did a little search and found someone who analyzed this video and explained what went wrong.
www.wiseguysynth.com/larry/day.htm
Posted by: Who Cares | November 20, 2009 4:12 PM
This story makes me want to set up a Jacob's Ladder in our yard. I haven't talked it over with Jodi yet, but I'm sure she'll be just fine with it!
Posted by: Jason Thibeault | November 20, 2009 4:54 PM
Jason, Ben set one up for Halloween a few years ago. Indoors, though, so the parents couldn't get all stupid and touch it.
Posted by: Stephanie Z | November 20, 2009 6:46 PM
Neon transformers are the best to use for small Jacob's ladders since they are designed to limit short circuit current. I used to have a few 12KV transformers lying around (from certain radio equipment) and accidentally struck a spark one day - that was not pleasant. But even neon transformers need the rabbit ears etc. safely away from where people can touch them; these transformers are still lethal.
I like the gigantic 3-phase ladders that you can see at some places.
Also keep in mind that the electric arc 'fixes' nitrogen, producing N2O and nitric acid; if you have a well sealed enclosure you'll see a lot of corrosion from the acid; on the other hand ventilating the enclosure screws with your spark.
Posted by: MadScientist | November 22, 2009 12:59 AM
At my old workplace, a fellow worker had many stories from his time working at a power company. My favorite was the time he had come to a substation to investigate a major failure. There had been flames and sparks and everyone had gotten out of there fast (thankfully). He was interviewing the people who'd been there, and was talking to the supervisor.
"So, what happened?"
"Well, there was an explosion, a lot of arcing, and we all ran for the door."
"And you fell down, right?"
"What? No, I just ran right out with everyone else."
"You're sure you didn't trip or anything?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Why?"
"Because there's a footprint on the back of your shirt."
Posted by: Ray Ingles | November 24, 2009 11:43 AM
Saint Elmo's Footprint.
Posted by: Greg Laden | November 24, 2009 11:54 AM