On 6/26/11 6:29 PM, Thomas A Frank wrote:
On Jun 25, 2011, at 7:31 PM, Jim Lux wrote:
although it's a lot easier if one of the links is down and they're running with
the ocean return path.
Ocean return path? Please say more.
I picture a gigantic carbon electrode stuck in the ocean by a power station - rather like
the core of a really large "D" cell.
Not far from the truth, actually.. cast iron electrodes at the north
end buried in a 2 mile diameter ring. iron alloy electrodes in concrete
in the ocean at the south end..
Electrodes :
At Celilo : the ground electrode is located 10.6 km from
the converter station, in Rice Flates. The electrode is designed as a
ring type 3255 m circumference, 1067 cast iron anodes, and 2' X 2' coke
backfill is used. Total resistance in 2 parallel electrode lines and
ground electrode = 0.43 ohms.
At Sylmar : the sea electrode is located 48 km from the
converter station, in the Pacific Ocean and consists of a linear array
of 24 horizontal electrode elements made up of silicon-iron alloy rods
suspended 0.5 to 1 m above the ocean bottom and located within concrete
enclosures. Total resistance in 2 parallel electrode lines and sea
electrode = 1.13 ohms.
That sounds like a recipe for excitement - DC current into seawater should
generate hydrogen on one and and oxygen on the other electrode. At 3000 amps,
rather a lot of it.
I imagine they keep the current density low enough that the gas is
absorbed into the water as it's evolved. But yes.. a fascinating concept.
And I'm curious where, exactly, that DC line to the ocean runs. (since
I live between Sylmar and the ocean, as do about 10 million other people)
I guess I can draw a circle of radius 48km from Sylmar..
At Sylmar : 2 X 644 mm2 ACSR conductors in parallel are used for the
first 35 km, supported by the 230 kV line towers. For the remaining 13
km, two parallel paper-insulated underground cables are used, each with
a 633 mm2 Cu-conductor.
I just have to look for a set of towers with a single duplex cable.
(actually a bit of googling found a report
www.kentercanyon.org/index.php/download-public-docs/doc/25/raw
)
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