Electrical Transmission - What is this??

[PinkertonD]

Hi All,

Local power company has been doing some upgrades on the delivery systems and they have this curly thing on all of the wires. It is NOT connected to anything and it is placed about 12" from the insulators. It is about 18" long. Appears to be 1/4" aluminum rod, but that's a guess.

The angle of the pic makes it looks like the black wire is connected but it is very muddy after recent snow melt, so I could not get into a better position to take the pic. I assure they are not connected, just wrapped around the main wires. Out on the main run they are all on one one end between each pole.

"There is no crime in not knowing, the crime is in not wanting to know." Prof. Julius Sumner Miller, I think Archimedes was the originator of the quotation, but I heard it first from the Prof, probably in the 60s and loved it.

[CCR5600Design]

Just curious...

The folks who installed these... where they wearing tinfoil hats?






Ron

[PinkertonD]

The folks who installed these... where they wearing tinfoil hats?

Not sure, they had yellow helmets on and they were doing it live. No sure of the feeder voltage to my mains-transformer on the pole, but they are often pretty cavalier, but have not seen any sparks or bodies falling out of cherry-pickers -- yet.

I am thinking they may be some kind of harmonic vibration dampener as we get a lot of wind here.

Electric company is applying to increase rates again so I guess I will be paying for whatever they are.

[jboggs]

I am thinking they may be some kind of harmonic vibration dampener as we get a lot of wind here.

I like that. Makes sense to me.

(But what do I know. I'm no sparky, just a gearhead.)

[PinkertonD]

Or, maybe to distribute the bending flexing point over a larger length of cable than at the insulator connection?

[Kelly_Bramble]

Lightening rod or arrestor?

[jboggs]

I thought that too.

Also asked an electrical guy that works with me. He said it probably is some kind of vibration damper. Said that he used to live in an area of high winds and that sometimes those things could whip themselves right in two. He said that the utility company there used some kind of big flags at each end of the wire that apparently caught the wind and served the same purpose.

[PinkertonD]

They have those "flags" or used to, I will check on the next drive into town. They are a sheet of metal about 12" square with a single 90-deg bend at the diagonal points. They install them in the middle of each cable between poles and it breaks the Bernoulli lift. I am guessing it is the Bernoulli effect anyway.

In strong winds the "flags" fly the cable horizontally with no whipping. It is just steady rise and fall of the cable with wind speed.

[CCR5600Design]

They have those "flags" or used to, I will check on the next drive into town. They are a sheet of metal about 12" square with a single 90-deg bend at the diagonal points. They install them in the middle of each cable between poles and it breaks the Bernoulli lift. I am guessing it is the Bernoulli effect anyway.

In strong winds the "flags" fly the cable horizontally with no whipping. It is just steady rise and fall of the cable with wind speed.

It was once explained to me that these flags also help to de-ice power lines by twisting them as the wind blows, thus fracturing any ice buildup and relieving the lines of the excess weight of the ice. Around my neck of the woods, ice buildup is a nasty problem and downs many power lines per year.

Ron

[PinkertonD]

Good point Ron. However, a trip into town has revealed they have all been removed around here, so I am guessing it is a wind related thing for this locale.

[PinkertonD]

Well, it looks like they are to prevent broken strands from unwinding...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA9oBEHRLqQ

The true hero in this is the Pilot. Not sure if any of you have flown a helicopter, but two hands and two feet constantly in motion is a minimum requirement. Awesome piloting.

[Kelly_Bramble]

Ah ha!, that's what it is for...

[PinkertonD]

I can't find the "Solved" button Kelly.

[msec123]

Electrical transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to electrical substations located near demand centers. This is distinct from the local wiring between high-voltage substations and customers, which is typically referred to as electric power distribution. Transmission lines, when interconnected with each other, become transmission networks.

[JAlberts]

More media misinformation! The connecting pole charges the helicopter to the same voltage as the power line. There is no electric current "flowing through the helicopter". I know I am nitpicking but it really frustrates me to see a constant flow of misinformation from the media when it comes to technology.

Addendum: To be fully accurate, this is an AC power line so there will be some current flow into and out of the helicopter structure in matching the alternating line voltage; but, this is not the same as what is implied by the media statement.