I found a new creative way silver has been used in industrial apps.

Most experts agree that silver is considered the best metal conductor for electricity. I work in a chemical plant and am currently involved in an electrical upgrade project. Below is a picture of flexible bus bar. It comes in a roll and is very heavy. The length that is needed is simply cut from the roll. This bar is used to transfer 480 volt power to a motor control center. The bar pictured below is capable of safely handling 1000 volts. It is made of silver coated copper sheets that slide on each other when bent. Think of a leaf spring in your car. I took a picture yesterday of a piece of left over scrap. Anyways, I thought it would be fun to share this with cointalk.

 

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"Most experts agree"? If anyone says silver is not the best conductor of electricity, they are no expert. Its a simple fact.

Interesting pic. I have never seen silver coated for something as low as 480 volts. Of course its not the volts that matter, its the amps I believe. As a kid I saw one of the largest cables in the world being run in Des Moines. A special team from West Germany were hired to pull a copper cable about as big around as a basketball under the river from the main power plan/distribution center to downtown. My father was an electrician and took me there special just to see it. Six huge trucks were hooked in tandem to pull it.

 

Interesting, thank you for sharing.

 

I have some beeeeeeeeeg stacks of silver dimes. They slide over each other real good. They cost about $20 per foot. Got silver?

 

Fascinating, very cool.

 

Oh I know. I just didn't want someone to chime in about some obscure cryogenic superconductor being "better" than silver.

Here is a pic of another piece of bus that I found in a huge 13,800 volt main feeder substation. Its a solid piece of silver coated copper. It weighs about 2 lbs. This is the first time in 12 years I've been able to explore the high voltage electrical aspects of my unit. Its pretty interesting so far.

Here is a thread I made a few years ago. its once again catalyst change time
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/my...h-silver-in-an-industrial-environment.128351/

Edit, the catalyst link is dead in my linked post. Here is an updated link if you would like to see a picture of our catalyst. http://www.cricatalyst.com/catalysts/ethylene-oxide.html

 

Very interesting, and thanks for sharing. Just one comment:

I clicked on your link, and as you are describing what you do, you mention this: "I am a process operator (think Homer Simpson)"....LOL You might want to edit that, as any real fan of 'The Simpson's', well, we could spend the rest of the day/evening, thinking of all the ways Homer could make us laugh while TRYING to do his job, always unsuccessfully!!! LOL (still laughing, out loud, at just ONE way!! lol...now I have to turn on FXX to get a fix!).

 

Being a subject matter expert on superconductivity, I would agree with the comment that silver (at room temperature) is a great conductor (11% better than copper).
During WWII, the Manhattan Project needed to make magnetic separators to purify the isotope U-235. Since copper was a strategic material, the Manhattan Project borrowed many(!) tons of silver to make the electromagnets. After the end of WWII, the silver magnet wire was melted down and returned to the US Mint.

 

I wish I had a picture of our substation when a snake tried to act as its own bus bar. Needless to say, it was not silver plated. It took us about a week to get back on line. I never realized how dark an office could get.

 

If y'all would like some more pictures of cool high voltage equipment just let me know. Currently (pun intended) I am involved with high voltage/amperage operations in this catalyst change/turn around. I was warned last year to not post pictures on Facebook of the unit so some of the pictures may have equipment id's and proprietary info blurred out.

 

One of my roommates world for Ma Bell back in the day and told me about a co-worker of his who dropped a crescent wrench across some bus bars. Vaporized the wrench and took out phone service for a small city for a couple of days.
Moral of the story: High voltages or amperages may not be your friend

 

I was working with a fellow who got hit with 4160. It put a nice hole in his chest and a long stint in the hospital. He was never really the same thereafter.

 

Holy crud man. I got hit with 220 before and didn't like it. I couldn't imagine such voltage. I am assuming rubber soles etc so little amperage, but still.......

 

Same here, with getting hit with 220! THAT knocked me a good 10 feet, and I think I .......(I was out, not a clue what happened once I knew the 'sizzle' was about to commence...NOT a great feeling)! After knowing how THAT felt, though, DAMN, 4160, I'd imagine I'd just be hoping for the 'big one' from too much juice! Jeesh, the 220 hurt...I STILL can't fathom getting lit up with 4160 (and you ARE getting lit up with that much voltage)!!! Not making it a 'religious post', but the only explanation for your fellow worker still breathing is the Good Lord was definitely looking down on him that day. 100% of his faculties or not, he's one VERY LUCKY dude to not be 6 ft under, or on a tube!!

 

He was all decked out as he should be and the breaker was OFF. I am still not sure I understand how it happened, but he is living because of his safety equipment.

 

Many of yall have probably seen this video before. It shows a high voltage breaker being racked to or from the bus. Scroll to 1:10 mark.


We (operations) are allowed to operate breakers up to 480 volts with no extra protection besides our normal flash resistant work uniform and hardhat/glasses. I/E techs are permitted to throw the higher voltage breakers and are required to wear the arc suit.

 

isnt that a norm for a MCC ( Motor Control Center ) at 480V .... ??? most have an interesting configuration on the PLC ( Programming Logic Controller ) than ... =0)

 

Here are some more pictures. No precious metals this time, just copper.

13,200 volt breaker for compressor


This is what is located inside the door of the previous picture. In this picture the breaker is physically racked off of the bus and locked in that position for safety. I am responsible for making sure the breaker remains locked out.


This grounding breaker was on the floor. I/E guys put this breaker in when they want to work on the high voltage line to ensure no voltage gets accidentaly put on the lines. You can see where the copper fingers grab onto the bus bars.


Closer shot


Fuses for smaller 2400 volt motors


This solid coper bar runs along the entire ceiling and walls for grounding purposes.


Battery bank



enjoy!

 

Dang, what size compressors do you have there? We had 5 500 HP and 3 1500 HP, but they were all 4160 volts. All Ingersoll-Rand, BTW, and that incident mentioned previously did not happen in our plant.

 

9,000 horsepower at 1,800 rpm Its a big boy.