On Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:23:51 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

krw wrote:
Another interesting fact from my electrical engineer friend who works
for a huge electric producer...
Those giant electric turbine generators are cooled with direct water
immersion. Turns out pure H2O doesn't conduct electricity. It's all the
minerals and other stuff in water that does.

The water going through turbines is hardly pure. I doubt water
touches the generator windings themselves.

I'm not talking about the water running through the tubes from a dam,
that spin the turbines.
He was specifically referring to steam powered generators, btw.

I was thinking more about hydro-electric turbines, which are also
water cooled.

And yes, he said they use pure H2O.

Nothing is pure. ;-) In this case it has to be as close as possible
because of the process. If there were any impurities they would be
deposited in the "boiler". Not a good thing in a nuke, either. ;-)