Sorry it was Mike Holt videos. NOT Bob!

Max.

 

Earth is a bad conductor.

If that is so, why do they use an earth conductor at a power generating plant?

 

Try something... Ignore, erase, delete the connection to earth from the transformer secondary centre tap on post #4.
It does not exist now. Your motor, heater, stereo, whatever is still connected to the points marked "+" and central tap.

 

You see I am also told that the white wire from the house that goes to that center tap has zero current. Have you read all the comments here?
.

Read post #58 again!
This is not the Earth conductor. It is the neutral.
The wire down the pole to earth is the ground conductor.
Max.

 

Read post #58 again!
This is not the Earth conductor. It is the neutral.
The wire down the pole to earth is the ground conductor.
Max.

 

I am also told that the white wire from the house that goes to that center tap has zero current.

Only rarely true.
It carries the difference current between the top and bottom outputs of the transformer.
For example if the top 120V tap had a 5A load, and the bottom 120V tap had an 8A load, the neutral (white wire) would be carrying 3A.

But a 240A dryer load would have no neutral current.

 

If that is so, why do they use an earth conductor at a power generating plant?

It's usually a poor/bad conductor to transmit large amounts of power unless it's well engineered for that job instead of safety.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_DC_Intertie

The grounding system at Celilo consists of 1,067 cast iron anodes buried in a two-foot trench of petroleum coke, which behaves as an electrode, arranged in a ring of 2.02 mi (3,250.87 m) circumference at Rice Flats (near Rice, Oregon), which is 6.6 mi (10.6 km) SSE of Celilo. It is connected to the converter station by two aerial 644 mm2 ACSR (aluminum conductor, steel reinforced) conductors, which end at a "dead-end" tower situated at

45.497586°N 121.064620°W.

The Sylmar grounding system is a line of 24 silicon-iron alloy electrodes submerged in the Pacific Ocean at Will Rogers State Beach[4] suspended in concrete enclosures about one meter above the ocean floor. The grounding array, which is 30 mi (48 km) from the converter station and is connected by a pair of 644 mm2 ACSR conductors, which are in the sections north of Kenter Canyon Terminal Tower at

34°04′04.99″N 118°29′18.5″W installed instead of the ground conductors on the pylons. It runs from Kenter Canyon Terminal Tower, via DWP Receiving Station U (Tarzana; a former switching station), Receiving Station J (Northridge) and Rinaldi Receiving Station (also a former switching station) to Sylmar Converter Station. On the section between Receiving Stations J and Rinaldi, one of the two shielding conductors on each of two parallel-running 230 kV transmission lines is used as electrode line conductor.

https://www.circlingthenews.com/terminus-of-sylmar-ground-return-system-being-replaced/

The earth return path instead of the normal bipolar lines are only used for emergencies or during line maintenance because there are still large losses even with this massive grounding system.

Oregon grounding station.
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.2768646,-120.6316687,89a,35y,39.56t/data=!3m1!1e3

Speed of electrons:
https://webcache.googleusercontent....+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=iceweasel-a

 

If that is so, why do they use an earth conductor at a power generating plant?

Conductor for what current?

 

Only rarely true.
It carries the difference current between the top and bottom outputs of the transformer.
For example if the top 120V tap had a 5A load, and the bottom 120V tap had an 8A load, the neutral (white wire) would be carrying 3A.

But a 240A dryer load would have no neutral current.

 

"Only rarely true" I guess 3 amps is nothing.
Let's see.
Assume on my breaker panel inside my house I turn off all the switches to one side; say I turn off L-2.
All the L-1 is running, both the dryer ( 240 vols) and my window air conditioner. My air compressor at 10 amps, surging to 15 A at startup.
I got my two TVs on and everything else is off due to L-2 being all off.
Let me think, that center tap neutral wire is rarely on if at all. Nobody does it, either deliberately or by mere coincidence, especially in older homes. That is why they call it neutral, it is just for looks,

Just for looks.

Spoiler

 

Yeah, I'm beginning to think this is a wind up.
OK I'm a bit slow!
Max.

 

All the L-1 is running, both the dryer ( 240 vols) and my window air conditioner.

Nope... those wouldn't run at all, since they need both L1 and L2 as sources to work at 240VAC.

Only the 120VAC appliances connected to L1 and neutral would work, whilst the 120VAC appliances connected to L2 and neutral would not.

 

An electric Dryer is a bad example. The 240 V 3-wire versions are badly wired. Ground is current carrying. Now, they should be 4 wire L1, L2, N and G.

 

hyuj firor

 

"Only rarely true" I guess 3 amps is nothing.

What does that mean?
My reply was to your statement that the neutral carries no current, which is seldom true.
So 3 amps is certainly something.

All the L-1 is running, both the dryer ( 240 vols) and my window air conditioner.

All 240V appliances require L-1 and L-2.
L-1 only gives you 120V.

Is it really this difficult for you to understand this simple concept, or are you being a troll?

 

What does that mean?
My reply was to your statement that the neutral carries no current, which is seldom true.
So 3 amps is certainly something.
All 240V appliances require L-1 and L-2.
L-1 only gives you 120V.

Is it really this difficult for you to understand this simple concept, or are you being a troll?

Indeed ... after reading through this thread, I too am beginning to get the vague feeling that we're being trolled...

 

How neutral is that neutral wire that is uninsulated from my house to CT of the transformer?.
Here is a live demonstration. I have placed this video at the right time frame so you don't have to listen to the whole video, although quite informative. The neutral bare wire can easily become charge carrying real conductor.

OK I will try one more time.
The neutral 'un-insulated' wire and also used as a catenary, is un-insulated because it is at zero potential WRT earth ground, although it is a current carrying conductor.

Max.

 

See Post #75

 

OK I will try one more time.
The neutral 'un-insulated' wire and also used as a catenary, is un-insulated because it is at zero potential WRT earth ground, although it is a current carrying conductor.

Max.

Maybe that's what the TS is missing, that the the neutral has zero voltage with respect to ground even though it's carrying current because it's referenced to ground.

 

Indeed ... after reading through this thread, I too am beginning to get the vague feeling that we're being trolled...

This is the craziest thing ever.