Line to Line or Line to Neutral Short Question

[pegggu]

hi,
just wondering what happens when in a 120/240V system if the hot & neutral were to come in direct contact, this would create a short? Where would the current want to go?
and in a 3-phase system, 347/600 or 230/400V system, what happens if two hots touch eachother, this would create a short and where would the current want to go?

i understand when there is a hot to ground fault, there's a huge rush of current ( I = V/R, very small resistance, huge current) that wants to go through the ground, but am not exactly sure when two hots or hot and neutral come in contact, as to where the current would want to go in this situation.

 

[Besoeker]

hi,
just wondering what happens when in a 120/240V system if the hot & neutral were to come in direct contact, this would create a short? Where would the current want to go?
and in a 3-phase system, 347/600 or 230/400V system, what happens if two hots touch eachother, this would create a short and where would the current want to go?

In the conductors that are shorted together.
Unless I'm missing something terribly obvious.

 

[Smart $]

Consider where the current goes when a load is connected between these conductors. The load acts to impede current flow from one conductor to the other. Now take the load out of the picture and connect the two wires that powered it. Current still flows the same... just no load to impede the current flow. A fault is no different.

 

[jim dungar]

... when there is a hot to ground fault, there's a huge rush of current ( I = V/R, very small resistance, huge current) that wants to go through the ground, but am not exactly sure when two hots or hot and neutral come in contact, as to where the current would want to go in this situation.

Current does not want to 'go through the ground', actually it wants to get back to its source. It will flow through any conductor that creates a path to the source. If the source is not connected to the conductor (e.g. it is ungrounded) then fault current will not flow on it.
Your formula "I=V/R" applies to all of the faults you mentioned.

 

[iwire]

The 'ground' be it the earth or a wire conductor is only an alternate route back to the source assuming a grounded / bonded system as most all 120/240 supplies are.

Keep in mind that for current to flow that there must be a complete circuit from the source, out through the load and back to the same source.

During a short circuit or ground-fault the only load might be the impedance of the circuit conductors themselves.