42 mpg in a TJ

[Cooper Smith]

$189.
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/eaton-electronics-division/XTM-18R0626-R/10461229

Actually not too crazy. We have some caps from the 50's where I work that are about the size of 4 barrels. Used to correct power factor in a hypersonic test facility. Don't know their capacitance though

 

[Steel City 06]

Actually not too crazy. We have some caps from the 50's where I work that are about the size of 4 barrels. Used to correct power factor in a hypersonic test facility. Don't know their capacitance though

Very common in industry. A lot of them are part of static VAR compensators:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_VAR_compensator

As opposed to a STATCOM or a Synchronous Condenser

Basically gives you real-time power factor correction so you don't get billed for awful power factor by the utility. Doesn't really provide anything in the way of short-circuit ride-through, unlike a capacitor on a DC circuit (or a synchronous condenser on 3-phase AC).

Even more off-topic: Synchronous condensers were sort of considered to be ancient near-obsolete technology up until very recently. Due to the proliferation of non-synchronous generation (especially photovoltaic inverters and inductive wind turbines), there simply isn't enough rotational inertia in the grid to keep things stable in some extreme cases. So now utilities are going back to ancient technology and now also adding giant flywheels to them for extra inertia.

Functionally speaking, a synchronous condenser serves the same function for AC as a capacitor does for DC.

 

[Cooper Smith]

Very common in industry. A lot of them are part of static VAR compensators:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_VAR_compensator

As opposed to a STATCOM or a Synchronous Condenser

Basically gives you real-time power factor correction so you don't get billed for awful power factor by the utility. Doesn't really provide anything in the way of short-circuit ride-through, unlike a capacitor on a DC circuit (or a synchronous condenser on 3-phase AC).

Even more off-topic: Synchronous condensers were sort of considered to be ancient near-obsolete technology up until very recently. Due to the proliferation of non-synchronous generation (especially photovoltaic inverters and inductive wind turbines), there simply isn't enough rotational inertia in the grid to keep things stable in some extreme cases. So now utilities are going back to ancient technology and now also adding giant flywheels to them for extra inertia. Functionally speaking, a synchronous condenser serves the same function for AC as a capacitor does for DC.

If we ran under certain conditions, the inductive and capacitive reactance would actually make our power consumption read negative on our facility’s meter. They used to test aircraft components under hypersonic forces, then they hacked the place up for testing electric aircraft motors, and now DOD is moving in to start testing hypersonic equipment again…

This was back in the 50’s and 60’s though. WAY before my time.

NASA used to do amazing shit. Still do, but the engineering they did back then was incredible for the time.

Okay, I’ve had too much fun in this thread lol.