The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-10-02
TULSA DAILY WORLD, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1921

leaves 80 much stili to- be solved be-
fore lines Of that type can become
cmmcrCially possible. Much appa-
ratus must still be perfected Tor use
az that unheRrd OF potential now in
sulations must be built for wires go
ing out of transformers and entering
thom, disconnccting switches and
circuit breakers must all be adjusted
and perfected long before the wires
can he strung over Hill and dale.
The air about q high-tonston wire
is broken down by the escaping cir
cult" said MIR RushmorC. The oNy-
gen IN converted into ozone, and the
nitrogen Is also broken down, nitrous
oxide formed and from itnitric acid.
The sharper the curvature of sur
face, the more easily does an cloctri
cal current leave Il. That Is why
wires of large diameter are used ON
high vultagcs, not 20 increase their
carrying capacity. hut to increase
their ability 90 Withstand high po-
tcntials, which they do hvcaus" their
surface has less curvature. II sucn
Nircs were solid. m1dC uf copper
throughout for example, their cost
would be prohihitiyr. hut II is not
would be well, TN fact. Co use q thin
sheet pipe. hut this could not sup
port itself between the steel towVrs
| and would collapse. So the steel
core cable was introduced. with the
conducting wires wound around the
outside.
. Insulation Becomes q Problem.
ia difficult 20 insulatc the high.
tension wires from the steel towers
that support them, and 81 * don,
T by series OF porcelain disks, Tho
greater the voltage, the more in
/ VOWED become these precautions and
that is where high tension placc'
an economic limit ON itself Not
only must the wires bc insulated
from their supports, but also from
themselves Air. a wonderful insu'
lator cannot stand against a mil
lion volts The wires must hc strung
nt safe distances apart and also at a
safe distance from the earth. 90
prevent the current from lcnpinH
from one to another or 60 the earth
There must be n foot between wires
for every 10000 volts. Wires car
rying 100000 volts would have Ia
/ be nearly TOO feet apart, and also
very high from the earth. II Is easy
/ 10 see what cost in construction OF
lofty towers would be thus cntailod
/ ulgh-teusion lines are valuable
. only when they are commercially
necessary, II II Is cheaper TO carry
coal than TO send a current over the
wires. then there Is no use for the
. latter. within certain limits II u
/ always cheaper to send current
. by high voltage than by low volt
age. Theoretically there Is no limit
10 the voltage which can bc pro-
duced. and to the distance over which
current may be transmitted. There
was an old rule which II still Consid
cred To hold good with minor corrcc'
tions, that said, 1000 volts per mile.
I 4 mllllon-vult line could transmit
current for I 900 miles. These Ions
/ distances are perfectly feasible as
/ far as the electricity Is concerned, but
/ from the standpoint Of economics u
/ hardly pays now over AGO miles.
There are many peculiar as
poets Of the question when IT comes
/ to handling such voltage. The more
rarofiod air becomes, the better II
conducts. At high altitude It II
, easier for the current To use the ali
as "A conductor and break away from
the wire in a larger corona. This
could be overcome by increasing th'
diameters of the wires Mt high alti'
tudcs until they included the co
roma. but az yet the attitudes en-
countcred and the voltagcs used have
not made this I'ccssary and thi
Idiametors OF the cable remain III,
same throughout the line The por