Free Energy, No? - Lightening Hits 5 Mile Long Railroad Track

[MarcelloTruzzi]

Could railroad tracks be used to channel useful electricity?

 

Could someone explain what would happen if a lightening bolt

 

hits a railroad track that has been carefully insulated from

 

ground or connects ground say 5 miles down the line? Would

 

the electricity dissipate some into the iron track to the

 

point of saturation so that not enough could be absorbed and

 

then the rest be dissipated into the closest ground that the

 

lightening would seek? Would it not be possible to then incrementally

 

bleed off the massive voltage and amperage with successive

 

existing capacitor technology? See http://www.gizmag.com/laser-induced-plasma-channel/23117/ and http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/4/1/361/fulltext/

[SaxonViolence]

As a Former Railroad Track Repairman:

 

Rail is measured in Pounds per Yard.

 

Most modern Rail is 139 Pound Rail.

 

Find the resistance of a cylinder of Cast Iron that Weighs 46.3 Pounds per foot.

 

You will probably have to do Beaucoup Translating of units.

 

Of course, Rail isn't cylindrical, but on this scale I don't think that it would matter that much.

 

The load carrying power of 139 Pound Rail would be enormous, but you would probably have severe arcing erosion where the current hit.

 

What you are really asking though, is:

 

"What is the Capacitance of a 5 mile section of Rail?"

 

Barring some sort of super strong and super thin insulator, I would expect the Capacitance to be minuscule.

 

 

Saxon Violence

Edited May 26, 2013 by SaxonViolence