Elbe crossing 2
Encyclopedia
Elbe Crossing 2 is a group of pylon
s providing overhead lines for four 380 kV
three-phase
alternating current
(AC) circuits across the German
river Elbe
. It was constructed between 1976 and 1978 to supplement Elbe Crossing 1
, and consists of four towers:
The enormous height of the two carrying pylons ensures that the passage height requirement of 75 metres over the Elbe demanded by German authorities is met. The height requirement ensures that large ships are able to enter Hamburg
's deep-water port
.
Of the 12 power cables of the Elbe crossing 2, only six were used immediately after construction. The others were installed for future use but grounded at the two anchor masts of the Elbe crossing 2 because of the difficulties of pulling cables over the Elbe if more capacity were needed later. In the 1990s it was decided to electrify
Schleswig-Holstein's railways and to use some of the unused power lines to supply electric energy to those tracks. As a result four cables now carry 110 kV single-phase
AC for the Deutsche Bahn
.
This makes the pylons of Elbe Crossing 2 the tallest pylons used for carrying currents for traction current. However the tallest pylons exclusively carrying single-phase AC circuits are that of Bremen-Industriehafen Weser Powerline Crossing.
Electricity pylon
A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...
s providing overhead lines for four 380 kV
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
three-phase
Three-phase electric power
Three-phase electric power is a common method of alternating-current electric power generation, transmission, and distribution. It is a type of polyphase system and is the most common method used by grids worldwide to transfer power. It is also used to power large motors and other heavy loads...
alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
(AC) circuits across the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
river Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
. It was constructed between 1976 and 1978 to supplement Elbe Crossing 1
Elbe crossing 1
Elbe Crossing 1 is a group of masts providing an overhead crossing of a 220 kV three-phase alternating current electric powerline across the River Elbe. Constructed between 1959 and 1962 as part of the line from Stade to Hamburg north, it consists of four masts:* Each of the two portal masts...
, and consists of four towers:
- A 76-metre-tall anchor pylon located in Lower SaxonyLower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, on the Elbe's southern banks. - Two carrying pylons, each 227 metres tall. One is located on the island of LühesandLühesandLühesand is a small island 1.24 kilometres square in the river Elbe, 8 kilometres east of Stade in Lower Saxony, Germany. The island can only reached by ferry and contains a large camping site, on which many continuous campers stay. The southern carrying pylons of Elbe Crossing 1 and Elbe Crossing...
and the other is near HetlingenHetlingenHetlingen is a municipality in the district of Pinneberg in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.Hetlingen is the site of Elbe Crossing 1 and Elbe Crossing 2, two power line crossings across the river Elbe. The pylons of Elbe Crossing 2 are the highest pylons in Europe...
in Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, on the northern shore.
- These pylons are the tallest pylons in Europe and the sixth tallest of the world. They stand on 95 stakes because of the unfavorable building ground. The base of each pylon measures 45×45 metres and each pylon weighs 980 tons. Crossbeams, which hold up the power cables, are located at heights of 172, 190 and 208 metres. The crossbeams spanSpan (architecture)Span is the distance between two intermediate supports for a structure, e.g. a beam or a bridge.A span can be closed by a solid beam or of a rope...
56 meters (lowest crossbeam), 72 metres (middle crossbeam) and 57 metres (highest crossbeam). Each pylon has a self-propelled climbing elevatorElevatorAn elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
for maintenance of the aircraft warning lightsAircraft warning lightsAircraft warning lights are high-intensity lighting devices that are attached to tall structures and are used as collision avoidance measures. Such devices make structures more visible to passing aircraft and are usually used at night, although they may be used during the day as well...
; each elevator runs inside a steel tube in the centre of the mast, around which there is a spiral staircase.- A 62-metre-tall anchor pylon on the Schleswig-Holstein side.
The enormous height of the two carrying pylons ensures that the passage height requirement of 75 metres over the Elbe demanded by German authorities is met. The height requirement ensures that large ships are able to enter Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
's deep-water port
Hamburg Harbour
-External links:* * Port of Hamburg: Facts, figures, and outlook* * Currently under construction in the HafenCity* *...
.
Of the 12 power cables of the Elbe crossing 2, only six were used immediately after construction. The others were installed for future use but grounded at the two anchor masts of the Elbe crossing 2 because of the difficulties of pulling cables over the Elbe if more capacity were needed later. In the 1990s it was decided to electrify
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
Schleswig-Holstein's railways and to use some of the unused power lines to supply electric energy to those tracks. As a result four cables now carry 110 kV single-phase
Single-phase electric power
In electrical engineering, single-phase electric power refers to the distribution of alternating current electric power using a system in which all the voltages of the supply vary in unison. Single-phase distribution is used when loads are mostly lighting and heating, with few large electric motors...
AC for the Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
.
This makes the pylons of Elbe Crossing 2 the tallest pylons used for carrying currents for traction current. However the tallest pylons exclusively carrying single-phase AC circuits are that of Bremen-Industriehafen Weser Powerline Crossing.
External links
- http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b60894
- http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b41642
- http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b58848
- http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b60896
- http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Number/115223
- Google Maps: Pylon on Lühesand
- Google Maps: pylon on the shore of Schleswig-Holstein