1200kV Circuit Breaker

[Homer J Simpson]

[TerraHertz]

Both impressive and very frustrating at the same time. Couldn't they at least make an attempt to describe the operation?

It would make for an interesting tear-down video. Not that a used one is likely to turn up on ebay.

I wonder what system requires a 1.2 MV circuit breaker?

And can it be reset? That big coil spring seemed to need to be compressed before the unit was mounted.

[continuo]

I wonder what system requires a 1.2 MV circuit breaker?

HVDC line would be my guess... 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-voltage_direct_current

[c4757p]

Both impressive and very frustrating at the same time. Couldn't they at least make an attempt to describe the operation?

Indeed. The breaker was impressive, but the video......not so much. I wonder how many marketing people masturbated to that.

[PA0PBZ]

Both impressive and very frustrating at the same time. Couldn't they at least make an attempt to describe the operation?

I was hoping for some (destructive) testing, but no... 

[TerraHertz]

Both impressive and very frustrating at the same time. Couldn't they at least make an attempt to describe the operation?

I was hoping for some (destructive) testing, but no... 

When someone tries to build a space elevator, that will be the circuit breaker to blow to pieces using the elevator cable. When they get it to reach from the ionosphere to the ground. Oh boy I hope I get to see that before I die. I just KNOW none of the space elevator design team will think about the electrical effects.

[Artlav]

I just KNOW none of the space elevator design team will think about the electrical effects.

I'll try not to forget to mention it to the folks at Copernicus.

[TerraHertz]

I'll try not to forget to mention it to the folks at Copernicus.

Nooooo! Spoilsport! Please don't tell them. I'm serious; I want to see what happens when they short out the biggest Leyden Jar on the planet - because it is the planet.

Space is a very good electrical conductor, since it isn't actually a total vacuum, but rather a thin plasma.
The Earth's atmosphere otoh, is a pretty good insulator. Google the estimated potential difference between 'space' (ionosphere, solar wind, etc) and the Earth's crust, oceans & bulk.

Also, with the tether sticking out well past geosynchronous orbit, and presumably being conductive, the upper end will make a really really excellent corona discharge point, into the interplanetary electrostatic environment. I soooo want to see what happens. I suspect it will be splendidly spectacular. Second best will be the expressions on the engineer's faces at the surprise. If they are standing within a hundred miles of the space elevator ground anchor point when the surprise starts happening, I hope the video feed holds out long enough that we can see them react.

Maybe someone there will live to post in the eevblog "what electric shocks have you had" thread.

[Red Squirrel]

Pretty impressive, I wonder if it comes in DIN mount format.

[calexanian]

That looks more to me like a recruiting video, or a we don't mistreat our workers from India video. Not so much a this is what Siemens can do video.