Cutting a high-voltage power line - video

[Jon]

Cutting a high-voltage power line. 43-second video:

More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_gap

Previously: Lichtenberg figure woodworking

[mklotz]

WTF! Cutting an energized line? What kind of electric utility endangers their employees by not switching the line out before they attempt something like that?

[Gary A. Wills]

There are times cutting power isn't feasible. The other lineman holding it first is the SAFTEY ground and separator. As its cut free it will try to maintain its path till broken. Very high voltage can and will jump very long distances with differing weather . Bad stuff to mess with . That's why those giant towers , they hum extremely loudly kind of like a freight train down a track.

[mklotz]

There are times cutting power isn't feasible.

My father worked for a major power company for many years as a substation operator. One of his frequently recurring jobs was to remotely operate the switches to remove power from a line before work was done on it. I never once heard him speak of working a line hot. In fact, he would tell stories about how fearful the crews were of unwittingly opening a hot line.

It's puzzling. The workers obviously know the line is hot, hence the stand-off cutter. Also, they've placed an insulating boot (red) on the nearby line. It could be there in case the cut line falls down on it or they're concerned about contacting it with the cherry picker.

[olderdan]

I found a video which explains how and why they work this way.

[Toolmaker51]

Yes Marv, WTF is exactly right. Impressive on one hand, ie the long ratchet cutter. But barely long enough, I note...Gives story 'arc' an all new meaning.
The yeehaw from the linesman indicates he expected something perhaps less electrifying...

I expect the common undertakings of utility companies isn't for the faint-of-heart, like hot-tapping natural gas lines. I just drove back from Reno, NV. On I-80 Eastbound, mile marker 207 to 231 or so, are an uncountable number of the large variety wind-driven generators. With prevailing weather, distance and other conditions in that part of Kansas, the next many miles were occupied with thoughts of 'how in hell' so much infrastructure gets in place.

[Frank S]

thoughts of 'how in hell' so much infrastructure gets in place. One piece at a time.
Every week it seems that a complete wing generator passes through the town neatest where I live 3 trucks hauling the blades 1 hauling the turbine hub 1 hauling the Nacell ( the main body ) I don't know if the generator and all of the switch gear is inside or not, 1 truck hauling the top of the tower that has the swivel and 5 to 6 hauling the tower sections
""Wind power in Texas consists of many wind farms with a total installed nameplate capacity of 21,044 MW[1][2] from over 40 different projects. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state.[3] Wind power accounted for 12.63% of the electricity generated in Texas in the 12 months ending Oct 2016.[1]""

[Toolmaker51]

thoughts of 'how in hell' so much infrastructure gets in place. One piece at a time.
Every week it seems that a complete wing generator passes through the town neatest where I live 3 trucks hauling the blades 1 hauling the turbine hub 1 hauling the Nacell ( the main body ) I don't know if the generator and all of the switch gear is inside or not, 1 truck hauling the top of the tower that has the swivel and 5 to 6 hauling the tower sections
""Wind power in Texas consists of many wind farms with a total installed nameplate capacity of 21,044 MW[1][2] from over 40 different projects. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state.[3] Wind power accounted for 12.63% of the electricity generated in Texas in the 12 months ending Oct 2016.[1]""

Agreed 100%, Frank S. Yet in the last 150 miles of my trip, after recalling what I've seen hauled overland in respect to the generator components, many other supporting actions came to mind. Excavators, graders, concrete and forms, cranes, rigging, all those operators, electricians and who knows how many other labor contributions...When these generators were first prototyped, the blades were spar-milled a lot like spars of aircraft wings. Few were made, realizing power consumed to do so, delayed offset of coal fired electric power. Hand laid fiberglass was next, I believe also first large scale use of carbon-fiber materials shortly thereafter.

When I taught middle and high school STEM presentations, tying facets of STEM together around manufacturing, we would list as many operations they could conceive needed to produce and market an item; shoes, inkpen, cell phone, ream of paper, breakfast cereal, whatever they chose to unravel. It would run through the entire day, concurrent with other discussions, where Science, Technology, Engineering, (or) Math were covered. So, would end up with dozens of considerations in their "all-encompassing" itemization. As facilitators we'd offer those too, but not in excess detail, just to trigger another flurry of 'what about' this or that.
Somewhere, not too close to days end, I'd field something like "There just can't be anything else?" "Right?" Often they emit sighs of relief or NO WAY! at that.
A favorite comeback of mine was "...so didn't someone make paint spraying equipment, for enough wheels of an entire fleet of delivery trucks...". The NO WAY became even louder.
Few things mean more to me, than being a cog in this machine we know as "Manufacturing".

And I'll side with Marv; Judge Judy doesn't warrant the risk to high-voltage wire men; but at the same time USA is a gold-medalist when it comes to certain utilities and respective codes, especially NEC, UPC, & NFPA.

[Terer]

какое отношение имеет данный видеоролик к Домашним Инструментам, это простои флуд.

[Frank S]

You guys might also be interested in this half million volt work