Current on neutral

W

whatever

Member
Location
Florida
Occupation
Switchgear technician
What happens to the current on the neutral when it reaches the transformer? Is there any current at all since there isn't any potential?
 
Potential is always between two points. You can't talk about a conductor not having potential without specificying another conductor or point. The neutral has potential to the line conductors. It usually doesn't have potential to ground (or very little) only because it's usually grounded. It does not inherently lack potential to any particular other points.
 
jaggedben said:
Potential is always between two points. You can't talk about a conductor not having potential without specificying another conductor or point. The neutral has potential to the line conductors. It usually doesn't have potential to ground (or very little) only because it's usually grounded. It does not inherently lack potential to any particular other points.
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Well, in my head, the neutral to ground should be 0v or close because they are bonded. And incoming power to load then to neutral using Kirchoffs voltage law, the voltage should be 0v going on the neutral. I guess im just a little confused about how there is current on the neutral without hardly any voltage.
 
whatever said:
Well, in my head, the neutral to ground should be 0v or close because they are bonded. And incoming power to load then to neutral using Kirchoffs voltage law, the voltage should be 0v going on the neutral. I guess im just a little confused about how there is current on the neutral without hardly any voltage.
Click to expand...
First off, in regards to the transformer take the ground out of your head. Picture one electron, he runs along the phase wire, through a breaker, through a motor and then he runs back along the neutral through the panel and back along the neutral wire to the transformer and starts all over again. Along the way, there were a couple alternate paths. The GEC at the panel, it leads to earth and then after a struggle to another ground near the utility transformer, but that just looked too hard, so no way. Then at the transformer the other ground wire, but if I went that way it would loop back the way I came, so no path.
 
Strathead said:
First off, in regards to the transformer take the ground out of your head. Picture one electron, he runs along the phase wire, through a breaker, through a motor and then he runs back along the neutral through the panel and back along the neutral wire to the transformer and starts all over again. Along the way, there were a couple alternate paths. The GEC at the panel, it leads to earth and then after a struggle to another ground near the utility transformer, but that just looked too hard, so no way. Then at the transformer the other ground wire, but if I went that way it would loop back the way I came, so no path.
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I can almost picture an explanation now that has several electrons and several paths. Most take the easy path while a few take the scenic routes.
 
whatever said:
Well, in my head, the neutral to ground should be 0v or close because they are bonded. And incoming power to load then to neutral using Kirchoffs voltage law, the voltage should be 0v going on the neutral. I guess im just a little confused about how there is current on the neutral without hardly any voltage.
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Hint - use Kirchoff’s current law. Using a single phase example, the neutral current, I(N), is the difference between I(L1) and I(L2).
 
Strathead said:
First off, in regards to the transformer take the ground out of your head. Picture one electron, he runs along the phase wire, through a breaker, through a motor and then he runs back along the neutral through the panel and back along the neutral wire to the transformer and starts all over again. Along the way, there were a couple alternate paths. The GEC at the panel, it leads to earth and then after a struggle to another ground near the utility transformer, but that just looked too hard, so no way. Then at the transformer the other ground wire, but if I went that way it would loop back the way I came, so no path.
Click to expand...
Makes perfect sense I've never really thought of it that way thanks alot
 
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