Re: Modern Marvels on History Channel
Todd, you are stuck in the low voltage applications. They are dealing with high voltage. I am guessing that the secondary of the transformers are indeed configured in a wye and only static lines are taken to cover the phase conductors. We know that the power is always trying to get back to the source which is the substation transformer. At that voltage, that path will be
through the ground when a ground fault occurs.
Even medium voltage will work with the earth used for a fault current return path. Our distribution voltage is 13.2Y/7.62 kV, plug 7620 volts into ohms law.
The bottom line is, for line work, that
electricity will take the least resistive path to ground, be it a copper wire or a human body.