Things to Know About Electrical Power Systems
A network of electrical components hooked together, and used to supply, or transmit, electricity to a designated device or area is the definition of electrical power systems. There are large networks that provide electricity for large regions that are known as a grid. The grid can then be divided into the different generators that supply the actual current.
Electrical Power Systems and Grids
On the large electrical power systems, it takes generators to supply the juice for the grids, and then there is a transmission system that carries the current from the generators to what is called the load centers, and from there the juice goes to the distribution system that feeds the appropriate amount of power to the different homes and businesses on that grid. This sounds pretty complicated and actually it does take a lot of different components all working together simultaneously to make this work.
Smaller electrical power systems are designed to supply the current needed in places like hospitals, commercial buildings, and even in homes. Most of these systems will be a three phase AC power. The three phase AC power is the standard for the large scale power transmission. This three phase AC power transmission and distribution is currently used in the majority of the world.
There are certain specialty types of electrical power systems that do not rely on the three phase technology. Most of the time, you will see these types of systems being used in aircraft, on electrical rail systems like the subways use, and on ocean liners, and even in automobiles. These systems are self-contained and provide power for very small areas and they do not always make use of three phase design to do this.
Voltage and Current, Electrical Power Systems
Basically speaking electricity is divided up into voltage and current. The quantities of these two can vary as with AC power or they can be maintained at a constant like you get when you use DC power. The majority of major appliances use DC power. Now you are thinking DC power is just battery operated devices like flashlights. The truth is these devices have internal converters to switch the AC power you provide to the appliance into DC current that will operate the actual device.
Electricity has been one of the main sources of power that we have used since 1881 when two electricians in England constructed the first power supply system. The entire system they constructed was powered by a station that had two waterwheels that produced an alternating current. They supplied electricity to seven arc lamps that required 250 volts each and thirty four incandescent lamps that used 40 volts each with this power house.
Since that time we have continuously increased our appetite for electricity and we now even drive automobiles that are almost completely operated by this fuel source. We cool our homes with it, we heat our homes with it, we light our homes with it, and we even cook with it and heat our water supply with it. We have become a nation and a world that is totally dependent on this source of power.
