What's on this pole?

[Ironcrow]

Any linemen here? What are these squarish things?

 

[exranger06]

Those are current transformers for primary metering. You see these in industrial areas where the customer owns their own transformers to bring the high voltage down to their utilization voltage. The utility measures the current on the high voltage lines using these current transformers for metering and billing.

 

[Bert_]

Yup usually done on large spread out properties. It isn't practical to run low voltage (120/240 or even 480) long distances, voltage drop becomes a huge problem.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

u guys beat me to it.

High voltage CTs.

In residential service panels over 400a and commercial and industrial panels, CT metering is used as well. However, the CTs look like donuts with wires coming out of the side. One CT is placed around the conductor(s) of each phase. CTs are used instead of feed through meters for high amperage services. The meter gets a lower amperage load that is then muliplied by a ratio so the PoCo knows the actual amount of KwH that is being used.

 

[nick2010tundra]

Exranger is correct.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Well this has been figured out pretty quickly

 

[rburke65]

That was an easy one Ironcrow! Got another question to try and stump us?

 

[Ironcrow]

Cool! I guess everybody knows what these are except me.

 

[exranger06]

I only know what they are because I work for an electric utility. Before I started this job, I couldn't identify hardly any piece of pole top equipment.

 

[rburke65]

No not very one......some electricians.....

 

[nehog]

there are six transformers. Likely three are current (as others say) and three are voltage.