It hertz when you do that – power grid to stop regulating 60 Hz frequency

Watts Up With That? ^ | June 25,2011 | Anthony Watts

[brityank]

It hertz when you do that – power grid to stop regulating 60 Hz frequency

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Anthony Watts

“Experiment” on the US power grid will change the way some clocks and other equipment function.

A 60 hertz sine wave, over one cycle (360°). The dashed line represents the root mean square (RMS) value at about 0.707 Image: Wikipedia)

Story submitted by Joe Ryan

The AP has released an “exclusive” story concerning the nationwide “experiment” that will be conducted on the US power grid. The experiment will relieve the power providers from the duty of regulating the frequency of power on the line.

Normally the power stations condition their power to a frequency of 60 cycles a second, a frequency that many old clocks use to maintain their time. With the new standard, or lack of standard, these clocks will stop keeping time properly.

But the problem is more than that.

First, we have this gem from Joe McLelland who heads the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (from AP article):

“Is anyone using the grid to keep track of time?” McClelland said. “Let’s see if anyone complains if we eliminate it.”

… forgive me for not getting warm fuzzies from this. Likewise, Demetrios Matsakis, head of the time service department at the U.S. Naval Observatory, had this to say (AP Article again):

“A lot of people are going to have things break and they’re not going to know why,”

So, we have what appears to be an untested, for the hell of it, “experimental” major change to the US electrical grid coming in a few weeks and those in charge aren’t really sure how it will work or if it may break something?

Not only is this what a LAB is for, but it is also something that the Federal Government should be TELLING people about in advance, and not in an AP “exclusive” press release.

[Melas]

It’s not going to hurt your alarm clock. That’s the problem with a story like this: So few people are going to truly understand it when they read it. Unless you are using an ancient digital (looking) alarm clock that flips the numbers into place with a motor, you’re in good shape.

[brityank]

I see this as designed decay of our infrastructure, things we should be able to rely on being pristine, above being tinkered with, none the less being marginalized to ‘save money’.

I believe we've all seen how our governments "save money" - Mississippi Levees, Bridges and Roadways, Dams and Raceways, ad nauseum!

[HiTech RedNeck]

The standard design for 60 Hz (and 50 Hz) powered digital clocks is to use a phase locked loop to tie the internal oscillator frequency to the line frequency. If these clocks have battery backup, the oscillator runs open loop when it goes on battery and can easily gain/lose minutes per hour — chintzy engineers didn’t care. Anyhow, if the line frequency can no longer be relied upon, neither can anything that follows it.

[nuke rocketeer]

It will also wreck the generators and any synchrnous motors turned on at the time. This story has more of an Onion flavor to it.

[DivineMomentsOfTruth]

Is this intended to be able to accommodate dirt-cheap solar power stations, windmills, and other corner-cutting power generator designs that can’t bother to look to a super-accurate standard like the cesium clock at WWV to keep cumulative cycle counts “going down the middle”?

I believe so. I shudder to imagine what is being done under the radar.

[MindBender26]

Many electronic devices depend on 60 Hertz power for speed regualtion, tape players, record players. This is idiocy.

[Melas]

How about the equipment in the hospitals or in homes that rely on that frequency for timing for monitoring or medications? Electric motors in your home appliances will have to work harder - creating more heat leading to earlier breakdowns.

There is no equipment in the hospital that uses the cycle from the socket to dispense medication. Nor will your appliances have to work harder creating more heat.

All the hospital equipment is keeping time internally using individual crystals. Using the cycle from the socket is ancient technology that barely exists today. Chances are good that you haven't seen a clock that runs directly off of unconverted AC power in 30 years or more. Likewise the medi-pumps the hospitals use are also converting the AC from the socket to DC power.

[Second Amendment First]

I had seen the AP article yesterday. The reason to do this is to accommodate the fluctuations in the grid when solar panels and pinwheels suddenly stop. The less backup you have results in more fluctuations in frequency.

This is basically remaking the power grid to accommodate the deficiencies of alternative production from wind and solar.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Drifts in frequency across what is supposed to be a unified grid will also randomly pop circuit breakers and make emergency power routing (say in the event of storm damage) more difficult or impossible.

[Ole Okie]

This is gonna affect my Acoustics Research turntable, with its synchronous motor. Gonna hear a little more flutter, I suspect.

[HiTech RedNeck]

How does the hospital equipment double check that an individual internal crystal timebase has not “gone rogue”?

[Iron Munro]

America has proven to be too resilient and isn’t crumbling fast enough for the Obamites.

They have to speed up the deterioration of our infrastructure with more direct action if they are going to get us down to 3d world status before Obama is thrown into Traitors Prison.

With only a year and a half left in this term and no certainty of reelection Obama himself must be starting to panic. Can he complete the job?

[reformedliberal]

For the electrically-challenged among us, including myself, can you elaborate on which household appliances would be affected. Washing machines? dryers? Microwaves? Timers on pools or spas? Gas powered generators? Freezers with power-up/power-down cycles? Water pumps?

Is there any remediation available, especially for those with older motors on their property?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Probably more wow or just being off frequency for a prolonged time, than flutter

[driftdiver]

“That’s the problem with a story like this: So few people are going to truly understand it when they read it. “

No the problem with this is the people making the decision don’t know the impact nor do they care.

Its not my job to be an expert on everything.

[bvw]

I think it’s a great idea. The whole idea of timers run off of the power cycle has always been engineering bastardy. Bad design, bad engineering.

[Free Vulcan]

These kind of allowed fluctuations will kill industry in this country.

[livius]

This is basically remaking the power grid to accommodate the deficiencies of alternative production from wind and solar.

Probably very true. I read this yesterday and I was wondering what had changed to make this suddenly "necessary." Unreliable alternative production would certainly explain it.

[Bockscar]

Reply to posts 14 and 20

Thank you. That is my thought too. Most, if not all, electric motors are 'optimized' for 60hz (Back in my day we said 60 cycle) are they not?
That means your refrigerator and other such appliances will cease to operate properly.

[Doe Eyes]

How about the equipment in the hospitals or in homes that rely on that frequency for timing for monitoring or medications? Electric motors in your home appliances will have to work harder - creating more heat leading to earlier breakdowns.

From what I can tell, the worst case variance for 60 Hz power would be about .01 Hz. So the frequency could vary from 60.01 to 59.99 Hz. I cannot imagine that the medical industry designs equipment that cannot deal with this level of frequency variance. I also cannot see how this would adversely affect home appliances.