* In a message originally to Drew Hohmann, Terry Smith said:
 > -> For a really big power amp, why not direct rectify the 13.8 kV lines? 
>
 > It's possibly to make some several hundred kW amps with just
 > pairs of -> tubes as finals using those voltages.  
 > DH> I never thought of that!  What the heck would you use for power lines
 > DH> though?  The same ones that are strung along the road?  Of course, we
 > Yes.  Without two extra intermediate transformers, transient
 > current delivery should be enhanced. 
 > DH> are talking about just a *LITTLE* overkill here.  It's not like any
 > DH> speaker could handle that power.  In fact, I try and stay well away
 > from
 > Of course, but Eimac makes tubes where two pairs could be
 > used to build a stereo 2 MW per channel amp.  They can build
 > speakers to match, can't they?  
 > DH> that much power!  It's quite lethal if handled inappropriately.  Of
 > DH> course, so is 120v & 100A, but it's just not in the same class as
 > 13.8kV
 > DH> & thousands of amps.
 > 600 A 3 phase should do it at that voltage, for one stereo
 > amp.
If you are talking about the hydro lines, a city is supplied by 13.8 kv at 
max of 1,000 amperes, mostly 600 amperes.  Our house has 2 line types in 
front of it, 13.8 kv, and 44.2 kv.  The top 44.2kv lines belong to provincial 
hydro, or state hydro as you would call it.  The 13.8 belongs to municipal 
hydro, or the local city hydro.  I checked out the ratings of these, they get 
tens of thousands of amperes from 600 or so amperes by stepping down the 
power, the more it's stepped down, the more current gain flows in.  Also 
depends on the kva capacity of the transformer as well.  A 2kva 10:1 ratio 
transformer can supply ten times the current on it's low voltage secondaries, 
i have a 2kva 120 volt/12 volt transformer here, it's huge, and it can supply 
150 continuous amperes on the secondary while only drawing 15 to 20 amperes 
of current.  When you short the transformer like i did, i blew a hole in the 
drywall where the 6 guage wires were running and had a weakness, and the 
spark blinded me for 2 days back in 1990.  So hydro current capacity for a 
600 ampere 13.8 kv line can power up hundreds of houses assuming 200 ampere 
services loaded at 100 amperes at the most.  I have yet to see someone load a 
200 ampere household service continuously at it's full rating.
Laszlo Sokolai
Team ANTI-Windows95/PRO-OS2/PRO-UNIX/PRO-XENIX/PRO-DOS
lsokolai@bbs42.com
lsokolai@albedo.net
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