The Electrical Engr.

L ightning followed by a thunderbolt is a common phenomenon while it's raining heavily or when it is tending to rain. Lightning strikes are one of the many natural causes common for so many deaths or injuries around the world. About 240,000 cases of lightning strike happen every year around the world and about 6000 people lose their lives every year. As of June 2020, nearly 100-120 people have already lost their lives in northern India due to lightning. But what induces these lightning strikes? Why they are lethal and common? In this article, I will try to explain the cause of lightning in a simple manner and also how to avoid it. Lightning is an electrical discharge phenomenon. Any such thing happens between two opposite electrical charges separated by a distance. The hot air from the ground rises up and cools down to form water and eventually to smaller pieces of ice (due to the freezing temperatures in the upper atmosphere). These water droplets and ice al...

Harmonics in an Electrical Machine is a great problem as it affects the maximum torque in an AC motor and maximum generated EMF in case of an Alternator. Harmonics is generated because of the non-linear behavior of the core material (the material that carries the magnetic field flux) evident from the B-H curve.  Hence elimination or mitigation of Harmonics from the machine is important. This can be done by suitably designing the machine. One such design aspect is the Distribution Factor.  There are two types of winding in an Electrical Machine, Concentrated Winding and Distributed Winding . The term 'Distribution Factor' comes from Distributed type of winding. Let's understand the difference between the two and how Distribution Factor in a Distributed Winding can help in eliminating Harmonics of nth order. Download PDF Another Design aspect responsible for mitigation of Harmonics is Pitch Factor. Click here to know more about Pitch Factor.

Harmonics is a big problem in any Electrical Machine as it affects the torque of a motor or lowers the effective Electrical power from a generator. But it can be removed effectively by taking care of a winding parameter known as "Pitch Factor". What is pitch factor and how it reduces the harmonic content in the waveform? Let's find out...

Switching off lights for 9 mins would have resulted in a blackout but Why? What's the impact of sudden unloading on Power Plants and how was it managed then? Let's find out...

Why 'mains(M)' & 'common(C)' terminals in a Wattmeter aren't connected internally by manufacturers even though in all practical applications, these terminals are required to be connected externally for measuring power and energy consumption? Know the reasons behind it.

Working of a Fluorescent Tube Light explained in Hindi in English

So, I was repairing this old LED light which had a defect in its filter capacitor. In the meantime, I wanted to find out what happens if I connect a fluorescent lamp starter with this LED circuit in series just as it is in case of a Fluorescent Lamp? So, I broke the plastic cover and took out this actual starter inside which has a capacitor* connected in parallel to. Here's what I found.     *Note: The capacitor that you see in parallel to the starter is there to force high voltage across the bimetallic strip to make the entire process faster. In a fluorescent tube, fast starting is very much important to create a huge voltage across the lamp filaments and help it getting ignited. Video on working of a Fluorescent Lamp Tube: https://youtu.be/whMsyZmwEGU Subscribe to My YouTube Channel to get more interesting and informative videos on Electrical/Electronics Engineering.