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Electricity

DAMN!!!

Thats crazy, hell of a lot of power. The explosion in the last one was HUGE. :eek:
 
:eek: I have seen the second one before, but the last one :shock:
 
Could someone explain what's happening there. We've all seen electric arcs, but this looks more like electric fire.
 
swek said:
Could someone explain what's happening there. We've all seen electric arcs, but this looks more like electric fire.
Click to expand...

After some research I managed to find an article named:
" Combustion of Fire-Extinguishing Powders Based on Potassium Nitrate"

Here's the link:

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maik/dopc/2002/00000382/F0030004/00372747

So I guess that's what happened in the third vid. They tried to kill the fire with Potassium Nitrate and it combusted under extreeme conditions.
I would have had more info if the above article didn't require a $40,00 to read!!!

\edit\ follow up:
"In a vain attempt to prevent the transformer's tank from exploding, pressure release valves vent clouds of superheated oil vapor which subsequently ignites and explodes in a ball of flame. A phase to phase short circuit occurs, perhaps caused by a flashover within the flames or a heat induced fault in the transformer. This causes an expulsion fuse to blow with a flash and a resounding BANG, finally killing power to the substation. "
 
Thanks for the explanation, but I meant the first two links. The electricity behaves completly different from anything I've seen in my Physics class. I thought current always produces a semi-stable elictric arc, but especially in the second vid you can see that it behaves completly irrational.
 
Hmmm...gimme a sec. :)

So...the arc happened because there was a malfunction in the SF6 interrupters, the spark jumps through the air ionizing it and also heating it up.
Since this air is already ionised it is now the path of least resistance for the electricity (voltage this high turns air into superhot plasma, you can't see it because the arc encompases it), and since hot air rises up the arc goes upwards creating an even longer arc.
This particular arc (its called the Jacon's Ladder) is very high voltage, thus somewhat more extreeme in its path, but those are the main guiding lines.
 
I don't take physics at all, but maybe the energy created here is so intense and powerful that it reacts sort of like lightning does.
 
2nd link makes me download the 1st one again :?

last one is fucking impressive
 
The last was like whoa. :blink:

Seen the 500kw one before, and 345kw one was nice :)
 
Wow. Amazing that these links show up on the same day that a substation in North Waterloo goes down.

All I gotta say is WOW :shock:
 
Seen the 500 one before and holy crap at the last one.

These work the same way a Jacob's Ladder does: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jacobsladder.JPG

IIRC, the electricity arcing heats and ionizes the air. That air is then a better conductor than the air around it and so the electricity keeps using it to arc. The air is warm and so it rises, taking the electricity with it until the distance (and resistance) is too great or in the case of a Jacob's Ladder, until the resisteance is less at the bottom of it than arcing through the ionized air above.

Wikipedia [ [url said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_gap[/url] ]]A Jacob's ladder is a device for producing large sparks. The spark gap is formed by two wires, approximately vertical but gradually diverging away from each other towards the top. When high voltage is applied to the gap, a spark forms across the bottom of the wires, rapidly changing to an electric arc. The arc behaves almost as a short circuit, drawing as much current as the electrical power supply can deliver, and the heavy load dramatically reduces the voltage across the gap. The heated, ionized air rises, carrying the current path with it. As the trail of ionization gets longer, it becomes more unstable, finally breaking. The voltage then rises and the spark re-forms at the bottom of the device. This cycle leads to an exotic-looking display of electric cyan or blue sparks which is often seen in movies about mad scientists.
Click to expand...
 
Wooptidoop said:
Hmmm...gimme a sec. :)

So...the arc happened because there was a malfunction in the SF6 interrupters, the spark jumps through the air ionizing it and also heating it up.
Since this air is already ionised it is now the path of least resistance for the electricity (voltage this high turns air into superhot plasma, you can't see it because the arc encompases it), and since hot air rises up the arc goes upwards creating an even longer arc.
This particular arc (its called the Jacon's Ladder) is very high voltage, thus somewhat more extreeme in its path, but those are the main guiding lines.
Click to expand...

WOOOOOOO I love it when people talk my talk! haha... sorry... engineering nerd over here 8)
 
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