TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Power outlets

THE STORY OF ELECTRICITY FROM THE BEGINING

IT ALL STARTED WITH THE SUN

LET ME EXPLAIN, MANY YEARS AGO A MAN DANGLED A KEY FROM A KITE SUPPORTED BY A WIRE INSTEAD OF A STRING.

HE DANGLED THIS KEY DURING A LIGHTENING STORM AND GOT THE SURPRISE OF HIS LIFE. HE WITNESSED A LIGHTENING STRIKE WHICH GAVE HIM THE IDEAS OF ELECTRICITY, HIS NAME WAS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

THE STORM WAS STARTED BY THE SUN HEATING THE AIR WHICH THEN CAUSED WIND TO BLOW, AND IN THE CORRECT AIR HUMIDITY CAUSE\S  WHAT WE KNOW NOW AS STATIC ELECTRICITY. RAIN CLOWDS ARE FORMED DUE TO THE INCREASE IN WATER VAPOUR IN THE AIR. THIS IS A RESULT OF THE MOISTURE BEING EVAPORATED FROM THE WATER MASSES ON THE GROUND AND FROM THE OCEANS. SO WE GET STORM CLOUDS AND THE THUNDER AS A RESULT OF THE LIGHTENING AND RAIN.

HEY WHERE DOES THE WATER COME FROM TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY IN THE HYDRO ELECTRIC SCHEME?

WHERE DOES THE WIND COME FROM TO TURN THE WIND TURBINES?

WHERE DOES THE ELECTRICITY COME FROM IN THE SOLAR CELLS?

WHAT CAUSES THE WAVES THEY ARE TRYING TO USE AS WAVE ENERGY TURBINES?

AH HA WHAT ABOUT COAL POWERED POWER STATIONS? YUK!!!!!!!

HOW DID THE TREES GROW IN THE FIRST PLACE?

HOW DID THE DINOSOARS GROW WITHOUT FOOD?

SO YOU SEE ALL ELECTRICITY COMES FROM THE SUN AT SOME STAGE OR OTHER.

CHAPTER ONE

TYPES AND SCOURCES OF ELECTRICITY

ALTERNATING VOLTAGE COMMONLY KNOWN AS AC.

AND DIRECT VOLTAGE COMMONLY KNOWN AS DC.

THESE TWO TYPES OF ELECTICITY SHARE THE COMMON FACT THAT THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS IF TREATED CARELESSLY. PRECAUTION NEED TO BE TAKEN, GENERALLY THE HIGHER THE VOLTAGE THE MORE CARE REQUIRED.

I WILL COMMENCE WITH THE TYPE OF VOLTAGE ( FROM THE WORD VOLTAIRE ) CALLED AC. ACTUALLY THIS TERM RELATES TO THE CURRENT THAT FLOWS BECAUSE A CIRCUIT IS AVAILABLE FOR THE VOLTAGE TO FLOW, THUS WE HAVE THE TERM ALTERNATING CURRENT.

AC AS WE KNOW IT AND USE IT FROM OUR POWER OTLETS STARTS OFF FROM A GENERATING SOURCE. THESE CAN BE FROM HYDROELECTRIC WATER STORAGE DAMS ALLOWING THIS WATER TO FLOW FROM THE DAM DOWN THROUGH PIPES BEING DIRECTED THROUGH THE TURBIME BLADES OF THE MASSIVE GENERATORS. THIS TURNS THE STATOR WHICH SIMPLY PUT IS A COIL OF WIRE IMMERSED IN A MAGNETIC FIELD, AS THE WIRE CUTS THROUGH THIS MAGNETIC FIELD A VOLTAGE IS PRODUCED. THE SPEED AT WHICH THIS STATOR IS ALLOWED TO ROTATE IN AUSTRALIA IS APPROXIMATELY 50 ROTATIONS PER SECOND. THIS IS WHERE WE GET THE FREQUENCY OF THE AC 50 CYCLES PER SECOND OR AS WE NOW USE 50 HETRZ.

THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE IS THEN FED TO TRANFORMERS THAT ELEVATE THE VOLTAGE TO A SUITABLE LEVEL FOR TRANSMISSION ALONG THE POWER LINES EG 330KV. ENGINEERS FOUND THIS A VERY SUITABLE VOLTAGE THAT IS MOST EFFICIENT TO REDUCE POWER LOSSES CAUSED BY THE IMPEDANCE OF THE POWER LINE. IMPEDANCE IS A COMBINATION OF THE RESISTANCE OF THE WIRES, THE MAGNETIC RESISTANCE EFFECT OF THE WIRES AND THE CAPACITIVE RESISTANCE EFFECT OF THE WIRES TO THE GROUND AND EACH OF THE CONDUCTORS INSULATORS AND SUPPORTING POLES.

WE FIND THESE HIGH VOLTAGE WIRES ALL OVER THE LANDSCAPE, USUALLY THE REALLY HIGH VOLTAGE ONES ARE KEPT A GOOD DISTANCE FROM THE PUBLIC FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH THE RADIATION THEY HAVE CAN BE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS TO HUMAN HEALTH IF EXPOSED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

THE HIGH VOLTAGE WE SEE IN THE SUBURBAN STREETS ARE USUALY AROUND 11000 VOLTS, THIS IS THE TRANSFORMED DOWN TO A MORE USABLE LEVEL OF 240 BEFORE IT ENTERS THE HOUSE AND FACTORIES. WHEN YOU COMBINE THREE OF THE VOTAGES IN A FORM CALLED THREE PHASE THE RESULTANT IS CALLED 415 VOLTS. USED WHERE HIGH POWER IS REQUIRED.

AFTER THIS 240VOLTS ENTERS THE HOME OR OFFICE IT THEN CAN BE MODIFIED BY RECTIFICATION AND FILTERING TO BECOME ANY NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DC VOLTAGES USED IN DEVICES LIKE MODEMS, CHARGERS, TELEPHONE SYSTEMS. THESE VOLTAGES GENERALLY VARY FROM 3VOLTS UP TO 15 VOLTS. AND THE CURRENT VARIES FROM MILLIAMPS UP TO 5 AMPS.

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