APO S2E23 Back Online! Season Finale!

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[@cgirten]

I love that you found coworkers that will just run with you and your mouth. That's a rare and precious gift.

[@Thefreakyfreek]

He dous have a way with words Honestly tho friends that insult you when you are tere speak highly of you when you are not

[@cheeseburgerbeefcake]

What do you mean? That's toned down for a proper shop

[@Physicsduck]

These gentlemen are awesome. It's not that they tolerate me, it's that I have to work to keep up with THEM. Millbillies are depraved, filthy, perverts and wholly uncouth bastards. I'm honoured to be among them.

[@RBMK1500]

but still funny to see the switch from engineer to cowboy 😂

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

The subjugation of manager over employee sounds like "Good morning Mr. Jenkins, how was your weekend?" The respect of colleagues and equals sounds like 'HEY PIGFUCKER!"

[@Doctorbasss]

5:34 My Favorite quote: "DONT DRINK AND DRIVE INTO THE CANAL OF AN HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANT"

[@ChrisAbbey]

Woah, woah… hold up here just 60 cycles…. We get all the way to the point of it working again before we hear a single throw away line about why y’all got the opportunity to do a full tear down rebuild?! Did I miss an APO somewhere with pulling the car out of the intake or the rest of the story? In any case, congrats on getting it back online… awesome to see it synced up at exactly 60 too…. Not 59 and change like so many of the old videos showed.

[@sgartner]

Yeah, they buried the lede a little there.

[@matthewmiller6068]

Yeah, I kinda wanna hear some more about what happened...and how something got thru all the grates and stuff to mess it up

[@Physicsduck]

Contrary to what I'd LIKE to show on here, sometimes you guys don't get to see the whole story. Drunk guy didn't come out of the water alive, and I'm not going to put that on the internet. He's got a family, and I'm not heartless. A million hits isn't worth my psyche. I understand being curious, but really, it was just sad.

[@ChrisAbbey]

@@Physicsduck oofdah. Yeah. Totally understandable with that added info.

[@Physicsduck]

:) Thank you for understanding that. I appreciate You :)

[@vvijkumar]

240KW.. When you realize that just barely enough power to fast charge a modern EV

[@Physicsduck]

Yes, but this generator has been making that power with better than 99% uptime for over a century. ;)

[@tenkarausa5294]

Ive got a 30mw bess site with about 10mw of availability, id much rather work on this…

[@williamgreen5575]

​@@tenkarausa5294I'm sure you mean Mw and not mw. There is a HUGE difference.

[@ZiggyTheHamster]

yeah but you can charge car after car after car just by letting water slosh around, and that's pretty cool

[@tbix1963]

Just discovered your channel, hopefully it’s not abandoned in place. Looking forward to working my way thru your videos. Looking forward to seeing more if your still able to make more content. The company I retired from stopped allowing cameras probably 15 years back or so. Always enjoyed whenever pictures of our faculties came thru the e-mail. Probably one of the things I miss most being retired. We took over management of some small hydros back in the 80’s and the company running them prior definitely did not own them. All the windows were smashed out with about 2-3 feet of pigeon leavings thru out the entire plant along with every oil bottle ever emptied within it. They were 9MW plant’s and to speed up refurbishment they built a new two unit plant next to the existing 4 units. After the new plants took over maintaining stream flows they fixed the windows, cleaned and then refurbished the existing units. The only updates to the old plants was the addition of remote shutdown. Was talking with one of the traveling operators once and he mentioned that the units were pre sync scope, had 3 light bulbs and three knife switches that they closed with an insulated hook to sync the units on when needed for peaking. Just curious what job position you are in? I was a senior power system operator when I retired.

[@Physicsduck]

Hi there! Welcome to my tiny little corner of the internet. I'm glad you found it :) There are indeed new videos coming out (lots of them). I'm back in action and there's already a bunch of Shorts released, and a fair bit of "member's only" content for the people that join my channel. There's also an active Discord chat that's free to anyone who dares wander in there. I also do livestreams from my workshop on a regular basis and talk about everything from powerplants, to high voltage/high energy engineering, to robotics, lasers, steam engines, and all manner of other fun things. My job is Director of Engineering for North East Operations, but this week it's more "Control Panel Coating Technician". I prefer being in the field to being in the office, and enjoy getting my hands dirty. Our company has a "no cameras" policy as well, but based on my history I was granted a special permission. It was in fact a condition of my taking the job that I be allowed to make videos about it, so long as I respect certain common sense security requirements (which I was involved with establishing). More companies should be doing this. The terrorists aren't going to destroy America, the lack of smart, young, motivated people being exposed to this incredible industry.....that's a problem. The entire point of this series is to Educate, Inspire, and Entertain in the hopes of helping get a new generation of people interested in learning about Science and Engineering. We need the next generation of electrical industry workers, and it starts by showing them the awesome things we get to do every day at our jobs. :) You have a lifetime of experience and great stories to share. I'm sincerely honoured that you're here to be a part of this. Thank you :)

[@martindelp5665]

Yeah, thats great news for my ears and my diaphragm 😂

[@SeanBZA]

Glad to see the big toaster is back in action, nice and clean, and ready to go another century of making things work.

[@SamSitar]

how is it a big toaster?

[@SeanBZA]

@@SamSitar Unavoidable losses in the core, the windings and the rotor, so there is a big fan to keep these parts cool, and thus heat up the entire room.

[@mfbfreak]

@@SamSitar If it delivers 250kW of power, with an efficiency of 90 percent, it'll generate 25kW of heat and that would make things nice and toasty in there. I have no idea what's the efficiency of this thing but i reckon it's between 85 and 95 percent. In all cases it'll get nice and warm.

[@mrfanman2u]

Can't wait for Chris to get out of prison and start making videos again.

[@Physicsduck]

Already working on it. :) New videos drop in a few weeks.

[@BarneyBarnett]

Prison?

[@Physicsduck]

Federal Prison to be exact. I'm a hardcore supercriminal, basically a Bond villain at this point, a reckless degenerate hell bent on world domination through media saturation, just wanting to watch the world learn. I'm a government certified weapon of mass instruction.

[@MysteryClown]

Oh, he was the one who drove that car into the river drunk Ass fuck?

[@WoodsyGerm49]

@@BarneyBarnettyeah my boy is considered a gangster 😎

[@samuelarcher9236]

1.) Did you figure out what the leads coming out the side of the case are for? Would you tell us? 2.) The hub carrying the slip-ring contacts appears to be still eccentric. You announced that. Was it adjusted any? 3.) I agree with the criticism about disrespect for one's tools. I am a poor man who cannot afford to abuse his equipment, so I keep mine picked up and protected. 4.) Without all those eddy currents in the stator, the alternator may not be quite such an effective space heater as it once was. Pax vobiscum.

[@Physicsduck]

That's a lot, but let's see. 1. No actually. I'd forgotten about it, but I'll figure this out and there will be a video with your answer on this one. 2. It was adjusted a bit, but this is as good as it's going to get. A bit of eccentricity is actually a good thing (within reason). It keeps the brushes from clogging up. Remember, we run at only about 200RPM so this is ok for us. 3. You'll get to see a lot more of MY tools in Season 4. You can note the differences in how I care for my stuff compared to the Millbillies. You and I agree on this. ;) 4. You are correct, but it's still good enough to keep it nice in the winter. Thank you for watching and asking excellent questions! :) I appreciate you!

[@ocsrc]

That's actually something that happened more than once at the power plant in my town. People driving into the canal of the intake of the power plant and sometimes it was upstream and no one knew the car and the body was still in there till they had to do maintenance and shut the gates and the canal emptied

[@Physicsduck]

This one was discovered pretty quickly. The car caused a large enough obstruction to break things.

[@chrism4621]

"Wet straw on steel. Worst idea ever." Certainly not a good idea, but I don't think it makes my, or your top 10 bad ideas. Great series. I now have a vague clue what happen in a hydro plant.

[@Thefreakyfreek]

I can think of worse onse way worse

[@Physicsduck]

I'm sincerely glad you enjoy them. Thank you for being a part of this! :)

[@MichaelRBaron]

Like swearing and calling people pigf*cker? Lol I love this guy.

[@mrbigfellanz]

I'm so glad I found your channel. My dad was a civil engineer that worked designing hydro schemes.

[@Physicsduck]

That's awesome! :) I'm thankful you're here and I'm glad you enjoy the videos! :)

[@Bryan-Hensley]

It's pretty wild that it takes more than this generator is producing to supercharge two Teslas at the same time.

[@Physicsduck]

The tradeoff is that these little hundred-year-old generators are way more fun to work on, and they're small enough that I get to make videos about actual infrastructure without getting in trouble for security stuff. It's a very rare opportunity, and I'm thankful to get to be a part of it. :)

[@economicprisoner]

@@Bobo-ox7fj This plant can slow charge 31 EVs overnight (7.7kW each).

[@williamgreen5575]

​@jamesphillips2285 that's the point. It takes a whole power plant (albeit small) for just 31 cars, and they want millions of EV's on the road! This sort of puts things in perspective. It's a useless endeavour and we are not even close to anywhere ready for full EV usage and our government (UK here) want to phase out ICE vehicles by 2030. Just no way it can happen.

[@russlehman2070]

@@williamgreen5575 I think we're doing it backwards anyway. As long as the grid is powered primarily by fossil fuels, converting to EV's doesn't accomplish a whole lot. There are some minor gains in efficiency, but that's it. It seems we need to get electrical generation converted to renewables and nuclear first, then maybe convert to electric vehicles (or maybe make fuel for combustion engines using renewables and nuclear).

[@dgSolidarity]

In case anyone needs to copy/paste for ... purposes: Other injuries may also include, but are not limited to: blindness, deafness, irradiation, cancer, forced amputations, loud noises, hearing loss, splinters, paper cuts, slow and painful death, quick and painful death, exposure to natural and man made elements, full or partial lobotomy, loss of various bodily functions or capacities, tetanus, suffocation, stunted growth, electrical shock or electrocution, sleep loss, hair loss, exposure to toxic substances or relationships, chemicals, or gases, mutations, birth defects, sharp edges, anxiety, convulsions, exposure to asbestos, exposure to electromagnetic radiation, fire, burns, smoke inhalation, loss or theft, drowning, noxious fumes, sterility, mauling by furry animals or people, malnutrition, cannibalism, food poisoning, allergic reaction, communicable diseases, cravings, Zombie apocalypse, bludgeoning, lasers, critical thinking, being required to properly cite all of your sources, impalement, death by robot, slippery floors, falling or launched objects, being crushed by heavy objects, explosions or ejaculations, explosive diarrhea, name Calling, humiliation, divorce, stress, profanity, cursing like a sailor, strobe lights, motion sickness, irreverent humor, or any one of a million other bad, scary things that could happen to you, your loved ones, pets, or others.

[@Physicsduck]

lol, thank you! Because SO MANY PEOPLE asked about it and love the disclaimer joke, I just released it as its own video.

[@dh-1399]

I was hesitant to ask Chris any questions about safety around the intake but since it has now been pointed out (in elegant fashion as always).... has anyone ever fell in front of the intakes while operating at full power? It seems like there is a slight upward angle on the screens but I assume you would immediately be pulled to the bottom regardless? I wont bother asking about falling through the stop log doors. The fish will eat well. Thank you as always.. these videos are incredible.

[@mikecowen6507]

It appears that the stop log openings are designed for cover plates. Do the plates still exist, or do they need to be fabricated?

[@blahfasel2000]

Why would you be pulled to the bottom? At the intake screens the water is still moving horizontally, just like flowing down a river. The redirection to vertical movement into the turbine happens after the intake screen. So I'd expect stuff to just get pinned against the screen by the dynamic pressure of the flowing water at whatever depth it happens to hit it, especially stuff that has almost neutral buoyancy like a human body. Remember that a power plant isn't a vacuum cleaner (the episode about the residual flow sucking cold air into the building notwithstanding), the water just freely flows into the intake following the channel's slope. At a flow velocity of 1m/s (from what I can find typical flow velocities at the intake screens of hydropower plants are around 0.3-1m/s or 1-3ft/s) the dynamic force pushing an adult human against the bars (assuming they are flat against them for maximum surface area) would be around 50-75kg (as a rough comparison it would be as if you were laying on the floor and another adult is laying on top of you pushing you down). So if you are conscious and act immediately you'd still have a reasonable chance of overcoming the pressure and getting to the top (I definitely wouldn't risk it on purpose though).

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you for watching! :) To answer your question, there's about 400,000 Cubic Feet of water flowing through there every second. So, if you fell in against the grates the Delta-P is going to kill you. This has never happened at any of our plants from someone falling in. The guy who got drunk and drove into the canal did end up with his car pinned to the intake.....he didn't make it. The steel plates you see us walking on ARE the cover plates for the stoplog holes. The plates are just moved out of the way so that we can lower the stoplogs into place. Normally, they're covered.

[@mfbfreak]

What happens when the grid goes down and the main breaker (i presume) trips? Is there an auxilliary transformer so the generator makes its own power to safely shut the gates, so the (unloaded) generator doesn't spin itself to bits?

[@sgartner]

My guess is that they don't need a generator, they can just use the grid power. I guess there could be an issue if the grid goes down. I'd rig it so that the brake is being held back under load and if the load goes away the brake kicks in automatically (but what do I know).

[@charlesdeilke8364]

Governor has a accumulator tank that will dump pressure to close wicket gates and stop generator.

[@Physicsduck]

That is a rockstar question, thank you! It's such a good question that I'm going to do a whole video going into detail on that one. But here's a short-form answer. In the event of the grid failing, the generator will trip out and automatically shutdown. We won't have any electricity, so things have to be built to account for that. Solenoids fail without power and actuate under spring pressure. The wickets are closed hydraulically, and since there's no pump to move the oil, it's pressurized by a tank of Nitrogen. The entire process happens in seconds.

[@RNMSC]

@@Physicsduck I imagine this is one of the few ways that the generators are subject to flooding, as stopping the flow of the volume of water going through the turbine and wickets at full load, is likely to briefly come close to filling the hole. I realize that at almost the same time as the wickets have closed, the water heading for the canal is likely to bypass it, but that's still a lot of moving mass in the canal.

[@sethrice9939]

I so desperately want to work with personalities like you all. This is just my happy place of back and forth. Have only had it maybe once on a team.

[@davidbudka1298]

I LOVE your little hydroelectric plant! Don’t you know low-head hydros were susceptible to flooding? I once crawled all over the Barneston Dam in Southeast Nebraska when it was covered in ice! Two unit, 800,000-watt power plant.

[@lecookie4396]

When will we get to see more of your content ? You're so gosh dang amazing!

[@LtKernelPanic]

Damn man what did they do to the plant?! Imagine what it'll look like when you return from sabbatical? Better bring a shovel! Joking aside I'm going to miss this series but am looking forward to its eventual return.

[@cgirten]

Shovel? He'll be lucky if the crater is still there.

[@Physicsduck]

I'm *just* getting back. I've been at Site-1 working on a big control panel project, but I'll wander out to Site-3 (the place in this video) and get you an update on how she's looking at present.

[@leeanncotrone8369]

AWESOME. Thank you pleasure watching 🥰🥰🥰⚡️⚡️⚡️👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@ZoeyTaylor1994]

I’m a coal plant operator in alaska, these videos have been pretty neat to watch. Met a few hydro operators in Virginia, seems like a pretty cool way to produce power.

[@Physicsduck]

That's gotta be a cool job up there too. What do you do? How big is your plant? I've toured a coal plant, the whole boiler side of things is just nuts. I like the low-pressure life. ;)

[@ZoeyTaylor1994]

@@PhysicsduckI’m the plant operator, so Homer Simpson sitting at the distribution control screen and operating the various set points and pieces of equipment to maintain generational requirements and emission compliance. Two units, kind of fused together now. 26MW and 62MW plants. They are coal fired, and sit mine to mouth which is extremely convenient for everyone here. I’ll see if I can find the link we are on KZbin as well

[@Physicsduck]

Now that's a mental picture that's going to stay in my head for years. lol You're certainly someone I'd love to get to have a real conversation with. Consider yourself personally invited to hang out in the Discord. You've got STORIES to tell and I want to hear them! :) discord.gg/FNduudaBCw Just one of your units makes more power than all of my plants put together. :) You're playing with BIG toys. Hell my 200kW generator here would perhaps power the Exciter on one of your units.

[@AxelC2020]

I'm most impressed by the marker inscriptions on the control panel :)

[@Physicsduck]

You're going to love Season 4 then. Control panel is getting a serious makeover.

[@hessdominguez170]

I love the energy you guys got. That’s how we are at work. Keep up the good work and the videos🤙🏽

[@clarkwg247]

Comment at the end about the heat finally being on was awesome 🤣

[@Physicsduck]

It gets soulcrushingly cold in here with the generator off.

[@smithno41]

I really enjoyed this series. Can't wait to see what season 3 will bring.

[@TravisJansma]

Chris is on hiatus at the moment. Not sure when he will be doing anymore.

[@mina47879]

@@TravisJansma that's a nice way of saying he's in prison for money laundering

[@adamt4417]

@@mina47879 Huh? What happened? It seems like you cant find info anywhere about what happened to Chris but you two seem to know something. I wondered why he stopped uploading. Care to enlighten us?

[@Physicsduck]

He's not wrong. I actually did go to prison for a while. Two different ones actually (we get moved around a lot in Federal Prison). I sold Bitcoin without a license and got made an example of. The whole story will be coming out in one of my future books. Thankfully I did my time and now I'm back to work. Season 4 Episode 1 is already in Post production. :)

[@xl000]

Thank you I have the same in my backyard and this channel helps me solve problems I encounter on it

[@Lydirius]

Chris: "Hey, Boss? The water is on this side of the room now" Boss: "Cool." LMAO 🤣 😂

[@vaggkara4535]

For some reason i spent 2 minutes reading this amazing disclaimer 😂

[@Physicsduck]

Check the latest longform video on this channel. ;)

[@explorerone3752]

when will there be more? love your vids!

[@Physicsduck]

New videos are already posting for members (behind the scenes stuff as I'm now back in production). Official videos are in post production and will be released soon. :)

[@peterdefrankrijker]

Chris: It’s may eleventh. We haven’t been grid tied since before Christmas. How long is that? Other guy: I don’t know, two and a half, three months? Me: you’re right, buddy. You don’t know.

[@testkeylog5117]

Love that. im a student of electrical power. Thank you sir.

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you for being here! If you're interested in learning about Electricity, this is certainly a good place to hang out!

[@rottonm7470]

Where have you been?

[@Physicsduck]

I was on sabbatical at Oxford.

[@rottonm7470]

@@Physicsduck ha ha

[@si1entdave]

My dude, it's excellent to have it back in the grid, well done all.

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you sir!

[@misters2837]

Your Laugh at "We Lowered the Fucking River" was great!

[@CozyMoose]

Great videos, man! Question for you - once you sync with the grid, how does your equipment *stay* in sync? If you have a heavy rain event, wouldn’t the additional water cause the turbine to spin faster? Especially loved the synchroscope video- really cool that engineers had the foresight to do dual lamps to circumvent a blown bulb!

[@TroyOnymous]

Generators which are tied together on the grid keep one another in sync by using power flowing between them, if they were all perfectly synced then no power should flow, but once one starts to drift there becomes some power flow between generators which then acts either to boost or retard the generator that is drifting. I.E. if there was a sudden increase in water trying to spin this generator faster then as soon as its frequency starts to drift above the others on the system then power starts flowing towards other generators which then act as a load, thus putting more load on the generator trying to speed up which will keep it from being able to do so. Likewise if a generator starts slowing down, it will start pulling power from other generators which can boost its own speed. Remember generators are also motors and they can both create power as well as consume it.

[@garrettmillard525]

@@TroyOnymous How can a slowing generator, still producing power but at a dropping frequency, both consume and produce power instantaneously? The other synchronized generators do act as a "load", but only in the mechanical sense. The real electrical load is still exactly the same (except for incredibly small increases in losses due to the slightly higher frequency), synchronization only serves to stabilize the frequency at which other inertial generators output power. Thus the increased real power output resulting from the drifting will still be applied to (consumed by) real loads on the grid, not the other generators. The other generators simply "share" the increased power output by increasing their frequency. Real power is consumed in increasing the speed of other generators ever so slightly, but this real power is then instantaneously generated back onto the grid. The only real "load" would be reactive power, no?

[@johnhonda93]

Its so crazy to me that the speed of the turbine is what determines the frequency of the electricity. And it doesnt need to be adjusted when youre tied to the grid because the grid frequency will hold that generator at the right rpm. Bur you can change the amps by changine the current in the Exciter coils.

[@48lewi]

Glad you're back from your sabbatical Chris ! 😀

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! Glad to BE back :) And I'm thankful that you're here too!

[@HighTorCreations]

The head bleed sentiments here I can 1000% relate to. OMG seeing tools in the water and all the hazards *AARRGGGHHH!!!!

[@jvmoye]

I thought you guys would have made the commutator on top run a little truer and more centered. Isn't it going to ware out the carbon brush holders moving so much like that?

[@SeanBZA]

Not really, shaft top is slightly bent from old damage, and so long as the brush springs are running below fatigue limit no real wear, the brush sliding on the copper will wear them out long before the sides wear out on the holder. After all carbon is a lubricant.

[@marionette5968]

A little bit of wobble helps keep the brush holders from clogging with crud, and prevents stuck brushes. There is a whole video about it. It was also mentioned they were going to get it running a bit more true as they continue finishing up their work.

[@b43xoit]

"Wear."

[@skyrunner021]

This video was delivered to you in 30fps, as stated in the disclaimer, and that's pretty cool!

[@worshamiii]

Great Video, Thanks again for taking your time to provide this

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you for taking the time to watch it! I appreciate you a hell of a lot!

[@nixxonnor]

Well done! Looking forward to S3E1

[@Physicsduck]

A bit late on this reply, but S4E1 is in post production now :)

[@Soundhound101]

I enjoyed this series. Please make a playlist I can share with others.

[@Physicsduck]

Ohhhhh that's a good idea!

[@Viktor-hh7kj]

Ok but I'm reading and laughing at the disclaimer for 30+ minutes now

[@FractalToroid]

This must be your last video before being a Science Gangster! I miss good shop talk.

[@lifeoftekki]

Did something happen to the Captain ?

[@user-tf1yo6ou4p]

Jail

[@Physicsduck]

Jail is for amateurs, I was in Federal Prison.

[@Larsdk9021989]

Oh HELL yeah. Good to see it all pay off.

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! I'll get you an update soon and we'll see how the repairs and cleaning held up. :)

[@marionette5968]

How much more power is it making since you cleaned it?

[@Physicsduck]

The output increased so much that they had to change the scale by which they measured it! I'm very proud of this :)

[@Jdirtadventures]

Wow very fascinating, so much power! I run my e bike at 7kw of power thinking that is a lot, not compared to this

[@SamSitar]

i learned a lot during the series.

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! I'm glad you like the series! You have a 7kW eBike?! That's massive! Mine is only 1kW.

[@Jdirtadventures]

@@Physicsduck my buddy is running 12kw on his. It’s insane

[@DidNotKnowICouldDoThat]

"quarter million watts space heater" 😂

[@deefdragon]

These were so much fun to binge, but I gotta ask, can you please put them into a playlist? It was really hard to find them all because of the numbering on some but not on others. And I ahve yet to even attempt to watch season 1.

[@Physicsduck]

Certainly! I'll see if I can put a playlist together.

[@zovisapphire]

This video seems to be missing from the playlist@@Physicsduck

[@adricklynn8882]

Everyone you work with is fucking hilarious. Bootsie reminds me of a mechanic from my worksite.

[@Physicsduck]

Bootsie is an exceptional human being, and I am continually thankful to get to work with him. He's also a stubborn twat, but he's worth it.

[@VirtualJMills]

Completely missed a chance for "Hey, Bootsy!" … "Big wheel keep on turning'!"

[@b43xoit]

You're always at Site 3. Does the plant have any other sites?

[@Physicsduck]

We do indeed. Season 4 begins with a big tour of the control panel at Site 2. At the moment, I'm doing a major overhaul of the monstor control panel of Site 1. You'll get to see them all!

[@rustblade5021]

they didn't fix the runout, still wobbles like shit

[@Physicsduck]

At 210RPM we can get away with a lot more than the Steam guys can at 1800-3600RPM.

[@matthewcooley9418]

Hey Chris, do you know what those smaller slip rings on top are for?

[@Physicsduck]

The set at the very top is for the overspeed sensor (it's a mercury switch). The slightly larger set below that is for the Exciter connection. The entire spinning part (the Rotor) is a massive DC electromagnet running at 120VDC and drawing about 50A. That spinning magnet moves inside the Stator (the outer coils) and those generate the >200,000 Watts of 2400 Volts AC.

[@matthewcooley9418]

@Physicsduck Very cool, thanks for the reply. We run synchronous motors in a pumping plant, very similar to your machines, but we just have the one set of slip rings for excitation, no governor equipment.

[@Physicsduck]

Sorry it took a minute to reply, I was held up for a bit. I imagine your speed control is maintained by Frequency (since you mentioned Synchronous motors)?

[@matthewcooley9418]

@Physicsduck Yes sir, our units run at a fixed speed based off the 60 Hz line. And depending on the number of poles on the rotor (there's a few different sized motors in our plants) they run at different RPM.

[@Karjis]

What in earth is K. W. On that user interface?

[@msx0406]

"I think" "no you dont"

[@HamiltonMechanical]

dude, this was the funniest one i watched yet!!

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! Season 4 is opening soon! :)

[@bluerisentv]

2:02 Donus one thing worked😂

[@JATmatic]

230kW space heater. :D

[@Physicsduck]

YES, it stays 80 in there in the winter...

[@Ormathon]

So i got 2 questions. When you try and sync up to the grid, if you are at 60hz but out of sync by going to slow, to fast or flat out 120 degrees out of sync. And the safety stuff doesnt trigger or work that disconnect you from the grid, what can happen to the turbine/rotor/stator at the 3 different stages when you connect up. Worst case. Also, can the grid feed power into the turbine/rotor/stator? So if you dont generate power and feed it out fast enough when synced properly and you dont get disconnected, can the grid think your rotor is a engine and start to drive it in a random direction? O.o

[@tom-sn4gd]

If the generator does not output enough power, yes it would still spin because grid power would backfeed. Ac generator are in some way a big motor that we accelerate with water / steam / etc to input power to the grid (in europe it need to spin at 1500 rpm to be at 50hZ). But since it is synchronised it can be moved by the grid, but you don't want that to happen because energy will be wasted this way to rotate the generator

[@Physicsduck]

Worst case, the moment you tie in the generator absolutely WILL sync to the grid. Of this, there is no doubt at all. The problem is when it has to suddenly be in a very different position....instantly. To get there, it will turn itself inside out. In a worst case this typically results in killing the generator and everyone in the room. It happens in the blink of an eye, lots of people die, rotors get flung through walls and roofs.....and it's generally considered bad form. It doesn't happen often anymore (technology got a lot better), but it does happen. With old systems like this, it happens a lot more often.

[@MrNerdHair]

What would happen if you tied in at 0V with the exciter off? Could you turn it up slowly to bring the system into sync?

[@MegaMobass]

Hey Chris, I’ve got a question, is it really that much of a task starting just that one gen? I work at a station where we maintain 2 generators plus the spillway. Starting both our gens is mostly a flick of the wrist.

[@Physicsduck]

I'm guessing yours are much more modern and have things like an Automated Sync system?

[@MegaMobass]

@@Physicsduckone is, and the other isn’t, still has a syncroscope. It’s pain to start by yourself since the switchgear is about 3 feet away from the gate control.

[@Physicsduck]

You're going to laugh like hell when you see the overhaul I'm currently working on for the Site-1 Control Panel. It sounds like a similar setup to yours, only all of our units are fully manual control for startup.

[@bearbear1aps]

I feel sorry for drunk dude's insurance. That wasn't a cheap insurance claim.

[@Physicsduck]

Yeah, he broke expensive things.

[@bluerisentv]

0:31 thats like swiming pool😂😂😂

[@lohphat]

I can feel ya about a messy workplace. It's an OSHA wet-dream. Clean as you go. Hell, I learned that working grill at McD's at 16.

[@Physicsduck]

YES! YOU GET IT!

[@cyoungso]

What is the first video showing this plant? How did you get involved?

[@Physicsduck]

A buddy of mine works there and I asked if I could make some videos teaching people about it. Somewhere along the way he suckered me into working there. That was years ago, and now I'm the Director of Engineering.

[@cyoungso]

@@Physicsduck Id love to se that whole video on making the engines. Looks like from the 70s

[@Physicsduck]

It's a tiny bit older than that. I'm from the 70s. The generator is from the 20s. ;)

[@cyoungso]

@@Physicsduck I mean the video of the factory. The dt466 started production in the early 70s. Can you post that video?

[@AkkerKid]

Selling 200kWH in my neighborhood would retail for $22 USD per hour. Wholesale would be closer to $6 per hour. That's only $52k per year. How is that level of maintenance profitable?

[@Ubya_]

i guess this was an extraordinary event

[@Physicsduck]

We have months where it's not profitable, they're not uncommon. We operate on the thinnest of margins.

[@nixxonnor]

569... That's the number of days we all have been waiting for the next video... 22,500 subscribers have been waiting for 81 weeks. That is 1,829,000 subscriber waiting weeks... One million eight hundred and twenty nine... and counting...

[@Physicsduck]

You're absolutely right, and I'm hard at work making the new videos for Season 4 already. :) I'm sorry it took a minute, but I do have a very good reason for not being here. I was being held prisoner in Wisconsin.

[@nixxonnor]

@@Physicsduck That is great news! :D

[@Physicsduck]

I assure you, it was *way* longer for me. The past two years were the longest decade of my life.

[@nixxonnor]

@@Physicsduck I just discovered the last sentence in your previous reply. The one about Wisconsin. Is it true? I hope you are ok and eager to carry on your awesome work.

[@chrism4008]

No no, the water is to raise your ESG score

[@wizzkidelectronics]

GREAT SERIES !!!!

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Season 4 starts soon! :)

[@HuntingWolf193]

How is the power output of the plant actually measured? Is it hooked up to a dummy load bank? Is it synchronised to the grid and you're seeing the actual real time power draw by customers? Or are you able to calculate the actual power output without putting the turbine under load?

[@hansmuller1625]

The measured output is the actual output to grid. On this scale this is usually done with an instrument with inputs of both voltage and current transformers.

[@mikecowen6507]

ISTR seeing a video showing current transformers for measuring the true output to the grid.

[@pascha4527]

In another startup video, the plant power is displayed only when it is connected to the grid. So I presume its the actual power consumption of the grid on the hydro plant.

[@stephanweinberger]

That's the power *delivered* to the grid, i.e. the turbine *is* under load. In the other videos where he shows synchronizing to the grid you can actually see the power meter resting at 0 while the turbine spins up; only once it's synchronized and connected to the grid the power meter goes up.

[@uploadJ]

He (Chris) covers how the output (or input in some cases!) power is measured in another video .. basically it involves "Potential transformers" and current sense transformers and I times E times cosine(phase angle) gives the power output.

[@bobderpenstein6117]

Wow, and i thought the guys in my shop were messy

[@Physicsduck]

I'm trying, so very hard, to instill the concept of cleanliness in the Millbillies. It's not going well.

[@nickbavera362]

did anyone try to read the disclaimer section? funny AF

[@minimax34]

I’m wondering. Do you own this or?

[@Physicsduck]

Nope, I just work here. I'm an Engineer.

[@markhodgson2348]

Good to see your still able to make videos

[@joshmcdevitt190]

Where have you been the last year? You don’t realize how helpful you are. I’ve used videos of yours to explain to apprentices, and naval personnel, how and why, generators have to be synched /phased to work. A 15 minute video of you on the hydro damn synching to the grid is sooooo much better than 2-3 hours of questions and explanations to new techs learning It from a book. Ship/shore. While ships are being commissioned. Then after sea trial and commissioning explaining it to sailors. If there is a paralleling video, that should be required education too.

[@Physicsduck]

I had to go spend a minute in the brig, but I'm back now and a whole new season 4 is in the works. :) Ask questions and I'll make videos! :)

[@joshmcdevitt190]

I unfortunately know what I’m doing. The folks I’m teaching… nor so much. We typically work with 3, 3MW machines at 460-ish. Lots of going to shore power. Soon to be 3/4MW 4160 rigs. Maybe a video of what happens when you go against the utility without setting the machine to diff and droop. Instead of isochcrynous. Without breaking parts. Or what happens when you try and parallel in more than 15ish degrees either side. If you can do it safe,y. Not drooping a machine and going against the power company is a real wake up. Voltage within 20v at 480 isn’t much. Closing in after 11 or 1 o clock and the machines don’t take it so well. They’re set 15* either side 12. Sorry. Trying not to get tooo specific for a few reasons. Just think of something 500’ long and 45’ wide that may have 9MW capacity. The third generator is an oh shit back up. Typically run split plant between two 3MW machines in parallel. Roughly 1.5 meg on each. Your hydro synch videos made so much more sense from an iPad screen. Than the manual some folks get. And verbal instruction while being taught. You do a great job with them. The swearing may turn some off, but I’ve yet to see a construction worker not swear, and wished more than one of the EEs I deal with swore to make a point. Don’t say it’s fabricobbled. Just say it, it’s fucked😂

[@Physicsduck]

You sir are absolutely someone I would love to be talking to in realtime. Consider yourself personally invited to my Discord server. I'd like to see if we can work together to help make some videos that will help you teach your students some useful stuff. :) discord.gg/FNduudaBCw

[@MrRandomposter]

Yay!! I’m a simp for Boden.

[@Physicsduck]

*twitch*

[@ocsrc]

Water and 300 megawatt of high voltage ⚡⚡⚡ 3-phase electricity I wouldn't be anywhere near that place

[@mikecowen6507]

Are you seeing the same thumbnail the rest of us are? *That meter tops out at 1MW.* How do you get 300MW?

[@pascha4527]

its more like 300 KW, about a dozen houses.

[@Physicsduck]

I don't want to see your electric bill if you think that's a dozen houses.

[@mechguy83]

I wish you could do an amp hour with dave jones

[@Physicsduck]

I'd love to. Tell him to reach out to me and I'd be happy to talk with him. Dave is awesome.

[@ToasterTR]

may i suggest SOME FUCKING STEEL GRATES over that intake im getting anxiety just by watching the video

[@Physicsduck]

The steel plates we're standing on ARE the covers. They just had to be opened to put the stoplogs down in there. Normally, the openings are covered.

[@EarthMurph]

You don’t keep a pair of muck-lucks in yer stripy car? Gonna ruin the sneaks.

[@loganofnorth880]

how many dollars does a 1/4 million watts make?

[@Physicsduck]

At this plant, today, it's $0.065 per kWH. That's about $390 a day.

[@tkallinen1234]

are you a contractor or do you work for the utlity?

[@Physicsduck]

I am the Director of Engineering for the North American Region. At least until I get fired for making videos.

[@fatman123526]

Nice little baby generator.

[@Physicsduck]

Maybe to you... ;)

[@si1entdave]

Small detail though, you've got two S2E22...

[@Physicsduck]

Did I really screw that up? LMFAO. I was a bit distracted at the time. Let's see if I can do better with Season 4.

[@madasxyz]

BTW you haven't added this to the end of the playlist

[@darthrevan2063]

Is it sad that I would fit right in with these guys with the Amount of cussing going on lol.

[@Physicsduck]

I tried to edit it out once....and there wasn't enough left to understand. This is just how we talk.

[@BeezyKing99]

🤣🤣 you're too hilarious.

[@Physicsduck]

SEE MOM! I *AM* FUNNY!

[@SMGPERFORMANCE16]

Where did you go!?!?

[@Physicsduck]

I was TDY'd to be a government contractor in a highly secure federal facility. It was a great gig, we lived in an elite gated community located in beautiful countryside, had free gym membership, and even a meal program. I'm back now, and new episodes are in production as I type this.

[@SMGPERFORMANCE16]

Heck yeah!! It’s not often you find someone who makes this stuff interesting. Wish I had you in collage 🤣 thanks for all the great info!@@Physicsduck

[@Physicsduck]

Thanks for BEING here. :) I appreciate you!

[@box420]

NPR intro 😂

[@Physicsduck]

I mean....you're not wrong........that wasn't the intent.....but you're not wrong.

[@killertomate1000]

Wait why do you count the two gates one and two in german? 🤣

[@Physicsduck]

Meine Liebe ist Deutsch. She taught me a tiny bit.

[@BVN-TEXAS]

Ya ate someone’s car eh ? Any pictures of the CARnage?

[@stevenormandin2059]

COOL i love it awesome :) and SMOOTH as silk too

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! :) I'm glad you liked it! It's so freaky at how quiet such a giant spinning thing can be.

[@imabee_]

You are making enough to fast charge 6 electric cars.

[@somerandomguy3868]

Sounds great

[@Physicsduck]

Thank you! :)

[@mechguy83]

I hope you do a summary video

[@g1expert102]

Some day i wish to be a "professional"

[@Physicsduck]

If someone pays you to do it, you're a professional. Allegedly.

[@sybergoosejr]

congrats you can supercharge one tesla from that.

[@norbert099]

Dude how's this even legal or accepted? Wild stuff, looks more like a abandoned Hydro Plant.

[@Physicsduck]

Perspective is everything. You're seeing this from the 21st century, looking back with the luxury of the future in your pocket. Take a moment and realize that back when this facility was built the majority of traffic on the road outside was Horses, not Cars. There's equipment in here from every decade since, and it's still working just fine. The automation stuff started being installed in the 70's, our PLC is from the 90's. Yes, it's far out of date, but the systemic requirements for control that this plant had in 1990 are the same as today. Nothing changed, so there was no need for a more modern system. It's only very recently that the technology has evolved far enough to make things inexpensive enough to have a compelling reason to do serious upgrades.