×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

MgCl on highways

MgCl on highways

MgCl on highways

(OP)
Has anyone looked at the spray distance of MgCl salt in relation the highway speeds?

Or is the problem more related to locations with lessor perciption?

RE: MgCl on highways

I don't get the connection to Electric Power Transmission and Distribution. Wrong forum perhaps?


"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe." -- Abraham Lincoln  
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies  

RE: MgCl on highways

(OP)
Apperently you don't deal with over head subtransmission and distribution lines. Or you don't know about salt accumulation on insulators.

At issue is the pole fires that occur because of the tracking. If we had some idea how far to expect the salt to spray, then we would know what areas we need to change the insulators on.

RE: MgCl on highways

I see your March post on the same subject also didn't find any info, so you might try phrasing your question differently, or asking other sources.

I must admit I had to use Wikipedia to understand what you were talking about, here is the Wiki info I found:

A number of state highway departments throughout the United States have decreased the use of rock salt and sand on roadways and have increased the use of solutions of magnesium chloride (often called "liquid magnesium chloride") as a de-icer or anti-icer. Magnesium chloride is much less toxic to plant life surrounding highways and airports, and is less corrosive to concrete and steel (and other iron alloys) than sodium chloride. The liquid magnesium chloride is sprayed on dry pavement (tarmac) prior to precipitation or wet pavement prior to freezing temperatures in the winter months to prevent snow and ice from adhering and bonding to the roadway. The application of anti-icers is utilized in an effort to improve highway safety. Magnesium chloride is also sold in crystal form for household and business use to de-ice sidewalks and driveways. In these applications, the compound is applied after precipitation has fallen or ice has formed, instead of previously.

The use of this compound seems to show an improvement in driving conditions during and after freezing precipitation, but it can damage electric utilities. This occurs in two ways: contamination of insulators, causing tracking and arcing across them, and corrosion of steel and aluminium poles and pole hardware.
 

RE: MgCl on highways

(OP)
What an issue, and so few people understand the impacts. The utilities get the blame for the fires and outages, whilt the highway departments get credit for keeping the highways clear.

The problem is at times with a lack or percipitation, the insulators don't wash off.

And it hard to believe that on this forum, so few people know anything about the problems.

The question is simple, has anyone else found something we haven't?

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources