Abstract
AT the present time electricians are interested in the problem of the change-over from direct current to alternating current systems of supply. Where new systems are being laid down in Great Britain the three-phase, four-wire alternating current system of supply is being taken as the standard, the pressure of supply from the three outers to the neutral main being 230 volts. There is still a large number of supply stations in Great Britain which do not use the standard system, and if they are to reap the benefits of standardisation they must change to a.c. In a paper by H. Blades and A. C. MacQueen, read to the Institution of Electrical Engineers on March 31, this change-over is discussed. They show that the problems arising in dealing with small towns and suburban and residential districts are different from those arising in industrial and city areas. In the former areas the change-over from d.c. systems to a.c. systems should take place at the earliest possible opportunity. As the life of a.e. low pressure cables is, as a rule, about twice as long as that of d.c. cables, the costs for renewals would be considerably diminished. Some eight years ago a supply undertaking replaced a large section of its direct current network with very satisfactory results. The total cost of the change-over was cheaper than the estimated cost of replacing the old d.c. system and the maintenance and development charges were appreciably reduced. The faults which frequently occurred in the mains when direct current was used now practically never occur. The best methods of carrying out the change-over are given in the paper, and the necessary arrangements that have to be made with the consumers explained. As the number of consumers who have radio receivers actuated from the mai ns is rapidly increasing, the change-over costs to the supply companies increases concurrently, and this in addition to the engineering and technical reasons makes an early change from d.c. to a.c. advisable. In industrial and city areas the best rate at which the change-over should occur depends on the demand and the condition of the direct current plant.
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Change-Over from Direct to Alternating Current. Nature 129, 644–645 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/129644e0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/129644e0