What do you think these big boys were used for? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:11:28 pm
content: Noticed about 6 lots of these capacitors for sale a few hours from where I live. This particular lot is for quantity 32 of 850uF 11.0kV capacitors! And each of the other lots have approximately 30 capacitors with similar specs. For $400 I would be really tempted to buy them, but I imagine they weigh several hundred pounds each. Don't think I could haul 32 of them.https://www.govplanet.com/for-sale/Electrical-Distribution-Equipment-%2832%29-General-Atomics-32369-Energy-Discharge-Capacitors-Virginia/7838375?h=5000%2Cyr%7C%2Cl2%7CUSA-VA%2Cp_us%7C0%7C1000%2Csm%7C0%2Csort%7Cd+asc%2Cmf%7C1&rr=0.02128&hitprm=p_us%3D0%7C1000&pnLink=yes

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:15:51 pm
content: Power factor correction in a substation, I should think.

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:18:20 pm
content: Oh, that makes sense. I had assumed they wouldn't need to use pulse capacitors for that.

author: capt bullshot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:22:38 pm
content: As their name says "General Atomics 32369 Energy Discharge Capacitors" - Storage element for scientific or military high energy experiments, maybe a giant rail gun or initiator for fusion or fission, or supplyfor a big ass laser gun, simulation of explosions, coin shrinking, ...Just charge them, apply a short and have funPhotonicinduction used such kind of capacitors to blow a 5000 Amp fuse.400 money units is quite a bargain for them.

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:26:47 pm
content: In this case, PCB => "polychlorinated biphenyls", not "printed circuit board". (Photo says "contains no P.C.B.s".)

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:27:49 pm
content: It does say on the label "contains no P.C.Bs" Yeah, $400/32 works out to about $13 each. I would say I could sell them on ebay, but I imagine shipping them would be quite a nightmare.

author: unknownparticle
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:28:57 pm
content: Imagine the joules those mother lovers would deliver!!! Somebody do the calc please?! I would but have forgotten the formula

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:34:21 pm
content: Quote from: unknownparticle on November 02, 2022, 06:28:57 pmThey seem to be this line, perhaps a custom p/n.https://www.ga.com/capacitors/series-c-high-voltage-energy-storage-capacitors~40kJ, 100+kA peak current. Each.~35GW peak power output for the set of 32. If you buy 4 sets, you can exceed 121GW.

author: AndyBeez
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:35:19 pm
content: Back of envelope calculation, ~1.6 Mega Joule with all 32 wired in parallel. I think??? Well it's a big bang and a lot of ozone.Anyway, charged capacitors hurt, don't they Dave?

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:36:11 pm
content: Omg, I want one of those, with that energy one can even break rocks

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:38:49 pm
content: The other lots for sale are(32) 11.0kV, 818uF Maxwell Capacitors - $400(36) 11.0kV, 818uF Maxwell Capacitors - $450(32) 11.0kV, 850uF General Atomics Capacitors - $400(42) 11.3kV, 2103uF General Atomics Capacitors - $1050(48) 11.3kV, 2103uF General Atomics Capacitors - $250(40) 11.0kV, 830uF Maxwell Capacitors - $400For a grand total (combining all lots for sale) of 305,294uF of 11kV capacitors.The energy is 1/2*C*V^2, so if I bought all lots ($2950) I could store a grand total of 18.4 MEGA JOULES of electricity.The energy in one of those 11.0kV, 850uF caps is 51.4kJ

author: unknownparticle
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:40:54 pm
content: Now thats a super cap!!And I love that name, General Atomics!! This reminds of that movie, This Island Earth, where there was that alien technology, the interocitor, or, Forbidden Planet, the Krell with infinite power!!!

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 06:50:50 pm
content: 18.4 Mega Joules of energy sounds a lot less impressive when you realize that gasoline has 44 Mega Joules of energy per liter.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 08:30:17 pm
content: Quote from: longh on November 02, 2022, 06:50:50 pmBut try licking your fingers and then touching both contacts on a liter of fuel.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 08:38:42 pm
content: Quote from: longh on November 02, 2022, 06:50:50 pmGasoline has a lot of energy but you typically can't burn it in a few milliseconds. 18.4MJ is ~5kG of TNT.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 08:49:59 pm
content: It's little disconcerting that they don't have shorting leads fitted. Dielectric absorbtion is a thing - in some cases, like this, abigthing!Quote from: sokoloff on November 02, 2022, 06:26:47 pmThe label says Castor oil - those things are capable of giving you the 'runs' on several levels.

author: SmallCog
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2022, 09:04:47 pm
content: Quote from: unknownparticle on November 02, 2022, 06:40:54 pmOnce upon a time they used to fly me to and from work in a little business jet way out in the middle of nowhere (here in Australia)

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2022, 03:17:17 am
content: Someone mentioned breaking rocks, might not be far off. I just realized that they are listed under the category: Home Page / Quarry & Aggregate / Electrical Distribution Equipment / :Misc. Electrical Distribution Equipment. So maybe somehow used with "Quarry & Aggregate" stuff? Not sure.

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2022, 03:26:43 am
content: Or maybe they are from Hitachi Transformer Manufacturing plant also in South Boston, VA?https://www.hitachienergy.com/us/en/news/press-releases/2022/10/hitachi-energy-invests-us-37-million-to-expand-transformer-manufacturing-facility-in-south-boston-virginia

author: Wallace Gasiewicz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2022, 11:16:04 am
content: A few uses come to mindPerhaps they could be used to create lightening to test airplane durabilityMake a controllable EMP??Maybe used for a "Central" source of joules in hospital for cardio-version. But this would mean lots of really expensive wire.But I think that with the advent of Jurassic Park like genetics and with someone trying to re create a Woolly Mammoth ( I read somewhere that some geneticists were trying to do this) they could be used in the final animation of the beast just like Dr Frankenstein's Machine. This way they would not have to count on lightening being available for the final step.

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 08:01:13 am
content: Quote from: longh on November 03, 2022, 03:17:17 amYes, it's a method and there are a lot of patents on this for different uses. The high voltage creates a plasma and different liquids/solids can be used to create more gas output and increase the pressure.https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/8a/a3/68/edc96220e2fa27/US5106164.pdf

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 08:30:23 am
content: They’re designed in the past by a forward-thinking engineer, who knew that at some point in the future, someone would take photos of them and someone else would ask “what were these used for?”. Said engineer subsequently bought shares in the CDN company which hosts the image, and gets commission every time this image is viewed.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 02:17:31 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on November 02, 2022, 08:49:59 pmLook again:

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2022, 06:43:57 pm
content: Jefferson National Lab is nearby.Steve

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 08:18:17 pm
content: What about this big boy?

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 08:26:07 pm
content: That's a criminal price..You might as well build up a proper naval railgun with those, well, if not for the sheer volume of copper you need to wire everything together...!Tim

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 03:48:55 pm
content: More insane stuff for sale near me. This one from Jefferson Labhttps://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=3196044Maybe I could use a new power supply, 830V ok maybe I could find a use for that.Wait, 320A! This is a 256.6KW power supply....

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 03:58:55 pm
content: Looks like pool heaters: flow rate 32l/min, temp increase 10C

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 04:01:52 pm
content: General Atomics is a big deal in San Diego. They do a lot of research on fusion reactions. At one time, they were spinning a large motor and used the stored energy of the rotor to create a pulse by shorting the windings. The lab setup was pretty interesting.So, now they use capacitors, no doubt trying the same type of experiment.https://www.ga.com/

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 04:06:08 pm
content: Lol, there are 8 of these power supplies and the bid is $100. Also, they weigh 1300kg each.I wish the picture showed more than just the dataplate.So we are talking about 10,400kg of power supplies for sale. With copper $3/lb now I bet someone with a truck capable of moving them could make a lot of money.-Hunter

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 04:07:59 pm
content: Oh cool, there is a schematic and presentation about them on Jefferson Lab's website:https://halldweb.jlab.org/wiki/images/e/e5/Danfysik_Supplies.pdf

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 04:09:36 pm
content: Quote from: longh on January 24, 2023, 03:48:55 pmBuild your own Tesla supercharger!

author: longh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 04:14:16 pm
content: Apparently the supplies can regulate current to 10ppm. Here is the schematic.It is tempting, but my pickup could only carry the weight of 1 at a time. Not sure about their volume. But it is like 2 hours away from me. And taking them straight to a local scrapyard seems sad.

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2023, 08:47:52 pm
content: Damn , those Danphysik psu's are only 25 minutes away from my house...Unfortunately too heavy for my car.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 27, 2023, 11:32:14 am
content: Hire a truck.

author: H713
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2023, 04:43:02 am
content: Just a guess, but ~800 V at 320 A is probably a magnet power supply.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2023, 12:47:13 am
content: This could be a proper starting point for the worlds larges coin shrinker.What about this:only on a really big scale ...

author: kinero
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2024, 04:32:36 pm
content: Hi longh,Did you wind up buying these?