The only way I can see someone get electrocuted *from the ground* is if there is an enormous electrical gradient. It would have to be something like 50V per ft. Which means that the 13kV would be flowing across a gap about 200 ft wide. Walking or lying at right angles to the gradient would not result in any PD across the body.
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK Remote Viewing classes in London
It happened to a horse used by the Orlando police department. Someone had taken down an old outdoor sign, and left the wires in the ground. A few years later someone turned the breaker back on, and the horse dropped dead when it walked near the end of the wire.
-- http://improve-usenet.org/index.html If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm Sporadic E is the Earth\'s aluminum foil beanie for the \'global warming\' sheep.
Happens with lightning strikes and cattle.
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK Remote Viewing classes in London
Amazing. Were the wires connected to the mains supply of 110 volts or thereabouts, or a ten or more kV at not many milliamps neon-sign transformer output?
I once saw a dog catch 750 V DC on its belly from the conductor rail and the earthed traction rail next to it, on the railway south of London. The animal jumped, looked for something or someone to bite, and yelped a bit, but it was able to run away.
Chris
a bit of sherlocking in this case
martin
I'd be tempted to up the turns of wire and add an inverter:-) Then disconnect from the mains.
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK Remote Viewing classes in London
Seems your 'Sherlocking' has revealed a somewhat different case altogether - no horse!
I'm surprised they couldn't have found a way of creating loops of negligible cross-section by stringing additional earth lines next to the affected cables - rather like what is done in the UK and many other countries for railway overhead electrification. The current returned to earth by the locomotive is forced into additional overhead wires by so-called 'booster' transformers, thereby reducing the cross sectional area of the EMI-making loop that is created when a train travels in that section of track/overhead line. Like the railway, they might have needed some 'common-mode chokes'.
There have always been those apocryphal stories about people living near to LW/MW broadcast transmitting stations running their houses from induced current. If true, I expect depressions in the radiation patterns or lost EMRP would have come to light eventually - no pun intended!
Chris
PS: in respect of the apparently repeating theme I might 'stick my neck out' and mention again that three-phase power supply hardly ever includes a neutral conductor - it doesn't need one, which is one of the advantages of using three-phase power, unless there is severe imbalance and then it's not really three-phase. Power in overhead lines above mains voltage always passes through a transformer before it is consumed in domestic and light-industrial premises, where a neutral is needed, and the neutral is provided at the secondary of that transformer. The earth wire or wires strung with high-voltage power lines is/are there to reduce the likelihood of lightning strikes on the power lines, in the same manner that lightning conductors work on buildings. Consequently, at least in the UK (132 kV and above), the earth wire is always the highest conductor.
Since it was fed from a circuit breaker inside the business, it would have to be either 120 or 277 (If they had 480 three phase).
-- http://improve-usenet.org/index.html If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm Sporadic E is the Earth\'s aluminum foil beanie for the \'global warming\' sheep.
On my road, there is only single phase power, and the neutral is shared along some parts with the low voltage 240 VAC from the pole pigs. The three phase power on the road at the nearby intersection has three lines and no apparent neutral, and it appears that the single phase is simply tapped off one of these lines. There must be a neutral somewhere, so I wonder if the three phase has one conductor grounded? In that case, there would only be two high voltage lines, and the third grounded conductor could be at the top and serve as a safer point for lightning to strike. I'll have to take a closer look at the connections up the road.
It can't be as bad as some of the following "Electric Nightmares", but I'll take my camera along just in case:
Paul
Where to begin to explain? No body dimensions are zero. There are much higher voltages running around in densely populated areas, up to
330,000 V phase to phase. Any insulation at 50 V/Ft will help, lying down will not (of course if you are unconscious you may not have choice as to orientation or body position.).
Unless the ground were uniformly saturated, there could be drier, less conductive areas that would have a gradient high enough to cause major problems. Maybe that is why there were so many high voltage manifestations inside the house. It seems that the safe way to traverse an area, where a live line is injecting current into the ground, would be to hop on one foot, or at least keep both feet close together. Running with only one foot on the ground would be safe, but long strides, or lying down, would be most dangerous.
I have heard that the voltage gradient below a high voltage transmission line can be high enough to cause a spark if a metal gas can is moved from a pickup truck bed or car trunk to the ground, creating a fire hazard. The following have some information about high voltage and the possibility of sparks in vehicles near the line:
Paul
Just speaking from my experience: 120/240 V has a grounded / neutral lead. 120/208 3-phase has a grounded neutral. 277/480 V 3 phase has a grounded neutral. In general 3-phase power distribution under 600 is wye configuration with a grounded neutral. When you get to the kilovolt range most is ungrounded delta configuration.
"A tourist who relieved himself over a live railway line at a south London station was electrocuted.
The Polish man died when an electric current connected with urine which had splashed on to the 750-volt line.
It is thought the married 41-year-old teacher was on a trip to London to improve his English.
Workers found his body slumped over a track at Vauxhall station after he was seen by staff at the station.
They had earlier spotted him on CCTV screens walking into a recess area but failing to reappear.
Rail workers fear the victim may not have known that some tracks in Britain are electrified.
It took police a week to identify the victim after the tragedy, which happened at around 5pm.
A source said: 'Perhaps because he was from Poland he had no idea the rail was electrified. His family back home is heartbroken.'
The station has no toilets, but there are public toilets nearby. "
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK Remote Viewing classes in London
Serves him right for wearing conductive shoes and standing on wet ballast, or another rail - otherwise how could it have happened? Maybe he got a bit of a shock and then fell into skin contact with the two adjacent rails, or maybe he was hit by a passing train. Whatever the case, might one wonder if there's more to it than reported by The Daily Mail?
Chris
Given that it was S London I wouldn't be surprised if he was pushed on the rail.
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK Remote Viewing classes in London
Not to mention he'd have to be damn close to the rail to get nipped. Urine breaks into droplets after a few decimeters.
Tim
-- Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk. Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
The station has no toilets, but there are public toilets nearby. "
Sad
martin
This is likely to be an urban myth. Go rent MYTHBUSTERS, Episode 3, DVD one, season one.
-- Guy Macon
Still, it was carried by all the major UK newspapers.
-- Dirk http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK Remote Viewing classes in London
Sadly, such is the nature of "journalism" today
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