Network power distribution for cities

[zbang]

Breaking this off from the excellent topic of the NYC outage-

How common is it to have such a network distribution system as NYC? How did it evolve? Was the DC system also massively parallel? This is far outside my expertise, and while I understand the principles, the level of engineering is way above my pay grade :lol:.

I assume there are breakers not shown in the other topic's images that can cut out smaller network areas for maintenance. Yes?

 

[Tony S]

You may find this interesting.

FUN networks

 

[petersonra]

Breaking this off from the excellent topic of the NYC outage-

How common is it to have such a network distribution system as NYC? How did it evolve? Was the DC system also massively parallel? This is far outside my expertise, and while I understand the principles, the level of engineering is way above my pay grade :lol:.

I assume there are breakers not shown in the other topic's images that can cut out smaller network areas for maintenance. Yes?

I was chatting with a Comed engineer one time after a club I belonged to went through its third or fourth power outage in a couple of months. He told me that the the power grid where the club was located had been scheduled to have the UG cables replaced but they just hadn't gotten around to it so what they decided to do was connect up the other end of the line that fed the club to another source so it was fed from both ends. He said it was no guarantee that UG cable faults would not interrupt our power again but it should reduce the chances of an outage to the segment of cable that is actually faulted.

 

[electrofelon]

Breaking this off from the excellent topic of the NYC outage-

How common is it to have such a network distribution system as NYC? How did it evolve? Was the DC system also massively parallel? This is far outside my expertise, and while I understand the principles, the level of engineering is way above my pay grade :lol:.

I assume there are breakers not shown in the other topic's images that can cut out smaller network areas for maintenance. Yes?

Also curious too. If I may add a question into the mix:. What makes a network system desirable over a "regular" distribution system?

I know downtown Seattle has network distribution. Clearly it seems to have to do with dense populations, nits not really clear why. Maybe more efficient use of transformer resources?

 

[ron]

Was the DC system also massively parallel?

https://ethw.org/Pearl_Street_Station
The original DC systems in NYC were 110V and 100kW was considered a large generator. Protection was archaic, so there was no networks at that time from what I've read, and the distance of coverage due to voltage drop and system capacities were close radius.

 

[zbang]

The original DC systems in NYC were 110V and 100kW was considered a large generator. Protection was archaic, so there was no networks at that time from what I've read, and the distance of coverage due to voltage drop and system capacities were close radius.

I'm thinking about the DC system in the '20s-'50s, when it was in full swing but they hadn't really started working to turn it off. By that point, I assume it was entire fed by either rotary converters or mercury-arc rectifiers and the controls would have evolved a fair bit from the late 1800s.

(I read in a theater magazine that one of the last set of large loads were the Broadway theaters- all of the stage lighting power was DC into the 1970's. My guess is loads probably approaching 150KW. I'll have to look into this more. Chorus Line was the first B-way show to use a computerized lighting system w/ SCR dimmers and the Shubert Theater had to bring in AC power specifically for it.)