Electrical arc flash caused by overloaded transformer

[hocksandhorns]

Why in the hell would you have the cover off the transformer and cabinet doors open when equipment is energized? Can you say OSHA violation? Not only that but just plain STUPIDITY!

[fedorauser1003]

If you look closely, you can see a slight hint of smoke rising from the top of the transformer enclosure after about 35 seconds.

[karlz3r]

1:12, just to save your time..

[TheSyncopator]

Hey, I think it's broken.

[narcoti]

that transformer was NOT happy :)

[davidrobert2007]

Shit man that is some seious energy right there

[TheKevinChannel1]

Just a little electrical tape and it should work lol.

[albduke1]

Need to engineer in some limit position control so system wont try to start in wrong thruster position or whatever

[FoneBone1828]

I think someone thought they heard a subway, but you can definitely hear some kind of large machine winding down. I was thinking a large chiller (HVAC unit), but the poster said something about a shipboard maneuvering impeller? Is this on a cruise ship? Tanker? Warship? Just curious.

[Nicholas10901]

Well there's your problem…

[isilder]

This was not melting, the transformer didnt actually enter "overload". Something else somewhere give up. It was like the ignition system of a car ; turning off the current through the inductor caused a huge voltage, far higher than the isolation in the design. So this huge voltage then arced to ground, creating a conducting path through which the power surged for a bit ,creating a brilliantly hot gas.. plasma.. until someone or something turned it off..



[djdavirus]

@isilder half of the winding was melted i will post a video with pictures and was 440V 60Hz and 3 generators capable of 1.4MW each in the busbar nominal current 1700A each generator so you can calculate the shortcircuit current for each generator and multiply by 3 and theoreticali somewhere a lots of amps there

[jsoftj]

What on earth was the transformer powering?

[Katalist1]

How can it explode?!

I meanning its just a piece of iron/magnet with some wires around it.

[quantumbits]

@Katalist1 Well not just that. There are also lots of witty bitty electrons.

[EricM1180]

@Katalist1 LoL why would words explain it better to you the a actual video of it happing. Electricity is a extremely powerful force. Did you see the molten copper dripping afterwords.

[UltimatePwnageNL]

@Katalist1 given enough energy, everything will explode. rapid expansion = explosion.

[CWM880]

@UltimatePwnageNL everything as in the whole control panel would of caught on fire is that what you mean?

[CWM880]

@UltimatePwnageNL I ment that when you say "everything " would of been all three of those capacitors blowing?

[UltimatePwnageNL]

@CWM880 if you put 2.000.000 volts and 5000 amps on that thing there will be nothing left of it, maybe a molten heap of unrecognizable material. i'm not talking about that thing. i mean, with enough energy, every possible item you expose to it will explode. some things just need more energy to explode than others. (a block of pure carbon fiber would need a whole lot of energy to explode!)

[CWM880]

@UltimatePwnageNL everything its exposed to --- meaning whatever is plugged into it or whatever this thing is I think its a transformer?

[WizzRacing]

@UltimatePwnageNL You should know as voltage increases amperage falls and as Amperage increases voltage falls. So your never going to get 2M volts and 5K amps out of anything. Even a lighting bolt can't produce it.

[UltimatePwnageNL]

@WizzRacing i know. just a great big out of whack example.

[pateenlectrician]

@CWM880 They're not capacitors, they're the cores of the transformer and the windings. This is three phase.

[djkatsiris]

@Katalist1 And that magnetic field has a lot of energy. If, for example, the connection across the "wires wrapped around it" is shorted, all that energy will create an arc with temperatures that could be several times the heat of the sun and energies of more than a few sticks of dynamite.

[BankaiIchigo12345]

I expected to see smoke pouring out of it from the overload condition before the arc flash, but nothing gave any warning at all, then ZAP BOOM!!!!!!

[sonconmas]

Why didn't it set off the fire alarm?

[cheeseshoes]

Usually you can tell something is wrong but it happens so fast its impossible to get out of the way. Once someone fucks up and doesn't follow regulations of just general safety it becomes a game of luck. Will I be there or will I be 3 feet to the right and its my friend right in front

[djdavirus]

@cheeseshoes yep mate that`s our job in this case this was the control panel for starting the motor of a bowthruster with ajustable pitch impeller wich supposed to start in the 0 position without overloading the transformer unfortunately the impeller was angled and the starting of motor overloaded the transformer and also damaged 2 generators (on board ship)

[stupidgrandfather]

@cheeseshoes

How come xfmr cover is missing? Flammable material in front of xfmr is nice touch.

Xfmr core would have heated up considerably beforehand. Xfmr overheat/ temperature rate-of-rise sensor was on back order?

Be careful out there, and go home the same way you left your families.

[djdavirus]

No it`s industrial frequency so it`s 60Hz maibe you mean 440V

[Snoep76239]

@djdavirus He probably did mean 400Hz. It's used on some airplanes and maybe some ships. The purpose is to lessen the weight of transformers.

[kc5vgw]

was that 400 Hz?

[Sheilaaliens]

so how did this happen, exactly? great video, btw