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Re: power-grid physics



Robert,
Is this what you were envisioning:

Generate dc power, convert to AC, step up the voltage for the transmission
lines, and use a step-down transformer at the other end?




Steven T. Ratliff
Professor of Physics
Northwestern College
3003 Snelling Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55113-1598
U. S. A.

Internet: stratliff@nwc.edu




Robert Cohen <Robert.Cohen@PO-BOX.ESU.EDU>
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08/22/2003 02:01 PM
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Re: power-grid physics






This discussion has got me thinking about whether Nikola Tesla's DC
setup would have any advantages over Thomas Edison's AC setup. Would
such a blackout as what happened last week be less likely with a DC
setup?

____________________________________________________
Robert Cohen; 570-422-3428; www.esu.edu/~bbq
East Stroudsburg University; E. Stroudsburg, PA 18301

On Thursday, August 21, 2003 1:18 PM, James R. Frysinger wrote:

In a DC circuit that is what is done and that is
intuitively obvious. In an AC circuit, it's a whole lot more
complicated and I cannot think of a simple, emailable,
written explanation that would explain that.

On Thursday, August 21, 2003 6:11 PM, John S. Denker wrote:

If we had a DC system, it's clear how this would
be handled: The increased load would cause the
voltage to drop. An op-amp would notice this,
and would inform the generators to increase their
output. This is easy to arrange, by increasing
the excitation in the field coils.

You might imagine that the AC system works the
same way, but it doesn't.