Why are power transmission lines and electric pylons not short-circuited when it rains?

Some of us know that electricity and water are two things that are never allowed to be close to each other, especially if you still want to enjoy life.

From an early age, we have all been taught to never plug in when hands, plugs or power outlets get wet, because water and electricity have never been and never been close friends. However, if this is the case, why are high-voltage power lines and pylons not electrified in the thunderstorm when they are drenched in water?

Before solving that problem, we need to understand the following basics.

What is short circuit?

Short circuit is a low resistance connection between two conductors that transmit electricity to any circuit; In other words, short circuits cause the current to flow through an unwanted path, where there is no or low resistance. People often use the term "short circuit" to refer to any electrical problem, but in fact, electrical failures can occur for many reasons, and short circuits are just one of them.

A short circuit causes the current to flow through an unwanted path where there is no or low resistance.

Why does water cause a short circuit?

Most liquids that come in contact with electrical circuits are water-based, so it's important to understand why water and electricity can never be close friends.

You can recall the physics lessons in high school that water is a conducting medium. In fact, pure water did not conduct electricity.

You are reading right.Pure water does not conduct electricity.

However, water exposed to electrical circuits is rarely pure water, as they often contain impurities. These impurities are what make water conductive and are therefore dangerous when in direct contact with electrical circuits.

Because water is a conducting medium, it is possible to create connections (electricity) in places (inside the circuit) you don't want them to appear. Once the water has entered the circuit, they can lead the current through an unwanted path, and boom! Your circuit is shorted!

How are high voltage poles against short-circuiting?

There are many reasons to help ensure that power transmission posts are not short-circuited.

First , as mentioned earlier, pure water does not conduct electricity, and rainwater is almost pure (considering its conductivity). To conduct electricity, there must be ions in the water, and rainwater lacks this. So the rain caused short-circuiting very rarely.

Furthermore, insulators are added to keep the circuits separate , ie, to prevent electrical circuits from touching each other. These insulators are materials that do not allow or allow very little current to flow when they are affected by an electric field. Insulators commonly used on high voltage poles are made of ceramics, a poor conductor of electricity. In other large power systems, other insulating materials are also used, such as glass, vacuum, gas cable rings, etc.

Insulators are added to keep the circuits separate.

These insulators not only prevent short circuits but also have many other benefits. They have many bell-shaped structures, preventing rainwater from flowing into the inner surfaces, so that the formation of a complete water layer (a complete layer of water capable of creating a pathway) Unexpected power in the circuit).

Another thing power companies do is to plan wire lines far away from each other , so rainwater cannot cause electric arc between phases. They also perform regular maintenance operations on these poles, such as cleaning insulating materials by spraying ions with deionized water on them, to ensure that they always keep the ability to conduct electricity.

These are the main reasons why you do not see high voltage electric posts damaged by short circuits when it rains.