Two phase power

[kwired]

Are there 2 phase VFDs available?

I am pretty sure Beseoker can build you one if you needed it.

 

[kwired]

They can't make the customers change out the old 2Ø, 5W lighting panels (even though the customer really should!). Peco jumps at the chance to get rid of old phase changers though, whenever someone applies for new service.

No they can't make customer change out the panels, but what is to stop them from continuing to supply two phase service, or add on fees that make it more desirable to the customer to want to make some changes? Customer can always find a way to derive two phase if they want to utilize it.

 

[JoeStillman]

No they can't make customer change out the panels, but what is to stop them from continuing to supply two phase service, or add on fees that make it more desirable to the customer to want to make some changes? Customer can always find a way to derive two phase if they want to utilize it.

They're pretty good at convincing the PA PUC that they deserve to be paid for their legacy "sunk costs". My wife started her career at PECO and got some stock that never lets her down.

 

[just the cowboy]

I went to school in Phila.

I went to school in Phila.

I went to a Voc-Tec high school and majored in industrial electric, my teacher got us all kinds of old two phase equipment to work with as it was getting removed from factory’s. This was in early 70's we had single, two and three phase in our shop.

 

[norcal]

I was recently commissioned to survey an old factory in North Philly where the old 2300V, 2Ø service had been upgraded to 13.2 kV, 3Ø. The customer owned his own primary distribution so there was access to the old equipment. Here are some pictures I took with my phone. (Don't worry, it was all de-energized.)

This is the 13.2 kV to 2300 V phase changer in a vault with a bunch of other dead oil pots.
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Here's a vault with the two banks of old 2300V to 120/240V 2Ø oil-filled transformers. Note the 3-pole oil switches on the primaries. Don't be fooled! it really was 2Ø.
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On the load side of these old pots was a bunch of 4-pole switches like these. (I-T-E was quite popular in Philly, back in the day!)
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The I-T-E Imperial Corp.(purchased in 1976 by Gould Inc.) was headquartered in Spring House, PA, which I suspect is a Philadelphia suburb.

 

[JoeStillman]

The I-T-E Imperial Corp.(purchased in 1976 by Gould Inc.) was headquartered in Spring House, PA, which I suspect is a Philadelphia suburb.

I think they still had a factory in the city when they moved the offices to Spring House. Different parts of the company were sold off to different competitors. Molded case breakers, panels and safety switches were the predecessors of Siemens/USA. Your Siemens "Speedfax" book used to be an I-T-E Speedfax. The old K-Line power circuit breakers were sold to ABB, who I understand still makes them. The AIC's of the K-Lines were ridiculously low compared to modern power breakers. You had to go with the fused version - K-Don - for anything over about 35 kA. They were a Bell of PA standard ages ago and I'm sure there are still a lot of them in service.

I don't know what happened to their old High Voltage air breakers.