High Voltage Power Lines in Russia

[powerlineman]

Hello, I need some help in finding pictures of high voltage power lines in Russia. There is a transmission power line that is rated at 1150kV(kilovolts) and is supposed to have the highest voltage in the world but you cant find pictures for it anywhere. Is there anyone I could contact that could get some pics? It is called the Ekibastuz-Kokshetau 1150kV line.

[Marcelle]

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...r-transmission


I live near this, kinda sorta...it is interesting:

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomfr...Fi%2FCA4977%2F

[Voyager13b]

Thats interesting. I didn't know that Russia was using such high voltages, but it makes sense considering the vast distances that are involved there. My info might be out of date, but last I heard, the long distance transmission lines in the US run about 750 KV, and need insulators over twelve feet long to prevent arcover to the tower structure.

Higher voltage generally translates into lower construction cost due to the smaller and lighter conducting lines required, but after a point, the large size of the the towers and insulators needed to keep the lines from arcing over take a serious toll on the construction budget. Also, air itself starts to break down at some point, and corona loss becomes an expensive, though spectacular point of energy loss.

I would love to see pictures of the Russin transmission line that operates at over 1 million volts potential. The tower structures and insulators must be HUGE in order to keep the energy contained within the conductors in all kinds of weather. I wouldn't be surprised if certain conditions made parts of the line light up with corona discharge at night. If I can find any pics of the system, I'll post them here.

Voyager