At a transformer inside an electrical substation in Boulder, Colorado at 75th and Lookout Road

As you can hear from the crewmember I'm talking with, onsite, I learned that this particular substation is "fed" by power from the Fort St. Vrain Power Station natural gas-fired plant and the Valmont coal-fired plant. There are 230,000 volts coming into the substation with these transformers stepping it down to 13,000 volts.

Although I don't know much about power generation and distribution I still find it all fascinating - and a necessary evil despite the health and environmental hazards. Nevertheless, it appears a lot of thought and planning goes into these substations so that we'll all have electricity!

In another related video I mention that Fort St. Vrain may have been a nuclear plant at one time. A quick search reveals that it was, indeed, a nuclear plant but the first commercial one in our nation's history to be decommissioned!

Here's my personal web page about solar power:
http://www.rogerwendell.com/solar.html

Here's my personal web page about wind power:
http://www.rogerwendell.com/wind.html

Here's my personal web page about nuclear power:
http://www.rogerwendell.com/nukes.html

03-13-2009

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• transformer
• electrical
• power
• substation
• 230
• kv
• boulder
• colorado
• 75th
• and
• lookout
• road

[ConePuncher420]

why do they wanna step down the power to 13k?

[zeekzilch]

@ConePuncher420

My guess is that they need to step the voltage down to something more reasonable that can be safely delivered to each neighborhood. 230,000 volts is probably much too high to run through residential or even business areas but 13,000 volts is more manageable. Of course once it's in your backyard they drop it down to 220 volts and then cut that in half for regular household use. Maybe somebody more knowledgeable out there can give us a better answer?

[nabeelhayat]

I can hear the humming sound.... U must have felt that :)

[zeekzilch]

@nabeelhayat

You're right - I did!

[volatileacid]

kool upload. Don't understand why some nupties didn't like the vid.

[zeekzilch]

@volatileacid

Thanks for the support!

[rojblake82]

This humming from the electric transformer, sounds onimous and the humming is like the electronic voices of the Cybermen in the 60s stories very electronic and harsh in sound.

[ConePuncher420]

@zeekzilch i understand, thanks very much, i knew it was something like that, im still learning the ways of the trade :)

[zeekzilch]

@lexichronicle2

Thank you for the information/explanation!

[lexichronicle2]

@zeekzilch "I'd be curious as to why aerospace would desire 400 Hz?"

Off the grid, there are actually countless power supplies working at thousands or millions of Hz. As a few others have pointed out, using higher frequencies reduces the size of the magnetics (transformers / inductors).

Really high frequencies are used in switch mode power supplies, in mobile phones for example, so the magnetics can be minute but carry lots of power more efficiently. Your PC has a SMPS power supply.