Martin_RB t1_ixu5bhb wrote on November 26, 2022 at 10:59 AM

Reply to comment by Krunch007 in Covering a cylinder with a magnetic coil triples its energy output in nuclear fusion test by Gari_305

That's true (and I don't see steam turbines going away anytime soon) but more of our distribution system is becoming DC every year, particular high voltage transmission lines.

So over time the advantage of inherently produce three-phase power will reduce, maybe even becoming a drawback.

Krunch007 t1_ixu67a6 wrote on November 26, 2022 at 11:12 AM

Doubtful, you still need to convert to AC to transform power to high enough voltages for transmission. Transformers only work in AC after all. There are ways to convert DC power to a higher voltage, like the boost converter, but those aren't really applicable at the kinds of voltages you need for power transmission, 100kV to 800kV... Far too high for any solid state converters.

So if we have to use a transformer to raise the voltage for transmission and then convert to DC, it won't make a difference if we have to feed it AC as the supply anyway. I don't think it will ever become a drawback, just maybe DC power generation will become as advantageous as AC is now.

AC power is incredibly convenient and has served us well for decades, its only drawback really is that you need to sync AC transmission systems so that they're in phase. That is something HVDC transmission does address, but aside from that, power generation in AC is likely to still be more convenient, if only for local distribution.

Penisanthonydoubs t1_ixu92w8 wrote on November 26, 2022 at 11:53 AM

Solid state transformers use converters from LVDC to high frequency AC, which uses a much smaller transformer for transforming, then back to HVDC. Best of both worlds, but not really applicable to an AC grid without unnecessary rectification first.