The first thread I started on this site was on the war of currents, where I explored the idea on what might/would have been if rectifiers had appeared during the war of currents. I wondered if perhaps it would have ended differently if rectifiers had become available at that time.
So this time, let's look at utility frequency. At the time a number of utility frequencies were in use. But as A.C won, mains frequencies began to be standardised. Most of the Americas and parts of Asia (including Korea and West Japan) standardised on the same number of cycles per second as the number of seconds in a minute. That's actually one cycle per tierce, better known as 60Hz.
Yet the rest of the world standardised on a lower frequency, 50Hz, but eight times this frequency, 400Hz is used on-board aeroplanes and some ships. But suppose that 60Hz had become the standard for large power grids covering wide areas instead of any country using 50Hz instead, the number of cycles per second of the mains, everywhere in the world being the same as the number of seconds in a minute and minutes in an hour.
But before going into that, does anyone else here from a 50Hz country know how complicated, costly and disruptive it would be to change our mains frequency to 60Hz? I know that many appliances in my country and most others would need to be modified or simply replaced. I also imagine that many appliances with A.C motors, unless simply replaced, would need to be heavily modified. Not quite sure what would be done about substations, and not sure whether the power stations generators would simply spin faster, be modified or simply replaced.
So this time, let's look at utility frequency. At the time a number of utility frequencies were in use. But as A.C won, mains frequencies began to be standardised. Most of the Americas and parts of Asia (including Korea and West Japan) standardised on the same number of cycles per second as the number of seconds in a minute. That's actually one cycle per tierce, better known as 60Hz.
Yet the rest of the world standardised on a lower frequency, 50Hz, but eight times this frequency, 400Hz is used on-board aeroplanes and some ships. But suppose that 60Hz had become the standard for large power grids covering wide areas instead of any country using 50Hz instead, the number of cycles per second of the mains, everywhere in the world being the same as the number of seconds in a minute and minutes in an hour.
But before going into that, does anyone else here from a 50Hz country know how complicated, costly and disruptive it would be to change our mains frequency to 60Hz? I know that many appliances in my country and most others would need to be modified or simply replaced. I also imagine that many appliances with A.C motors, unless simply replaced, would need to be heavily modified. Not quite sure what would be done about substations, and not sure whether the power stations generators would simply spin faster, be modified or simply replaced.