How come u can't run a single phase in each conduit in parallel feeds?

[winnie]

And voltage drop are losses that cost the owner money if the installation is on the load side of the meter.

Not quite true. A _reactive_ voltage drop temporarily stores and releases energy. This can result in loads actually drawing more current and real additional losses, but the actual power loss is generally much less than suggested by the 'voltage drop'.

A transformer with a 5% impedance, for example, does not represent 5% additional losses.

-Jon

 

[LarryFine]

Not quite true. A _reactive_ voltage drop temporarily stores and releases energy. This can result in loads actually drawing more current and real additional losses, but the actual power loss is generally much less than suggested by the 'voltage drop'.

Yes, but the result is still less power available to the load for a given conductor size, because the conductors must carry both the real and reactive power without overheating.

That's why power-factor-correction closer to the offending load allows for smaller supply conductors and/or less waste lost to heat in the conductors. If I'm understanding it.

 

[Ground Loop Guru]

What hasn't been mentioned yet specifically is the creation of very strong magnetic fields as the distance between a phase conductor and its return path (neutral) is increased. These fields are kept quite weak when phase and neutral are in the same conduit. Fields that would result from 12-inch spacing could be easily strong enough to cause malfunction of any nearby electronic equipment or systems. The fields could easily add hum to the output of every electric guitar within a hundred yards!!