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Re: Central Office Emergency Power [WAS Re: [PLUG] Re: FIOS]
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William H. Magill wrote:
> On 01 May, 2006, at 10:38, TuskenTower wrote:
>> While reading articles about emergency recovery (after Hurican
>> Katrina), I came across some interesting information about the power
>> capacity of the local central offices that serve telephone lines.
>> Central offices are equipped with battery backups and (maybe) backup
>> generators. During an emergency, without power these COs can last for
>> a some days (I'm hoping some is more than 7 days).
>>
>> Maybe we should be asking for FIOS _and_ POTS (plain old telephone
>> service).
>
> I don't know exact numbers these days for ALL CO's, however primary
> switching centers
> maintained a full set of batteries and standby-generators with 7 day
> fuel supply on site and 15-30 day supply within a 6 hour delivery
> distance.
> [Historically they were 9th and race and 24th and South, but I also
> know that Evergreen (38th and Chestnut) is similarly equipped now.]
>
> The classic POTS system carries 48v DC on the lines - virtually all
> the time. There is, or at least there was, a special number one
> could dial which would allow tapping the battery directly, used
> routinely by field linemen back in the days of Ma Bell for powering
> soldering irons while up on a pole! This 48 volt current is supplied
> by the batteries "in the basement." They are on-line all the time,
> under constant "trickle charge" -- basically a submarine system. In
> the event of a mains outage, a stand-by generator would kick-in and
> spin up within 15 minutes to keep the charge up. (We're talking
> about a stand-by generator here the size of a 40 foot trailer.)
> Historically, 9th and race simply would pull the plug on the Mains
> once a month and run on the Stand-by system for a 4-12 hour period
> as part of "standard operating procedures."
>
> How those systems have evolved over the past 25 years is hard to
> say. Minimally, if one takes Evergereen as an example, the power
> requirements went from powering equipment spread out over 6 floors
> to powering equipment on less than one floor. So, theoretically, the
> generator and tanks they have installed there will last a LOT longer
> than in the past. (Note that the Verizon Mobile operation at 40th
> and Chestnut has a completely separate stand-by generator capacity.)
>
> The real question about Fibre based systems is how is the equipment
> "in the loop" powered. Any kind of repeater, switch or similar
> device in the loop outside the CO needs to be powered.
>
> I know that one can buy 48v DC powered gear from Cisco and other
> vendors. DEC used to sell a 48v powered Alpha (the 1000) which only
> just last year (2005) went off the "able to purchase replacement
> units" list from HP.
>
> One interesting question about FIOS would be -- how does it (if it
> does) qualify for "life-line" service? "Life-line" service is a
> specific tariff with the PUC available to elderly, disabled and
> similarly defined individuals. I don't know the specifics of the
> tariff, and it may be only a "low-cost," not "level of service"
> definition.
>
> T.T.F.N.
> William H. Magill
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> magill@mcgillsociety.org
> magill@acm.org
> magill@mac.com
> whmagill@gmail.com
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________________________
>
> Philadelphia Linux Users Group --
> http://www.phillylinux.org
> Announcements -
> http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
> General Discussion --
> http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
>
40th and Chestnut also has battery backup on a trickle charge. A whole
room full of them. The batterys have a clear [glass] I believe
housing, open top, stacked in racks 2 high. Never counted , but there
are many of them.
10 years ago I installed and upgraded their AC plant. I have noticed
that they have put an addition on since then, but I`m sure the
batterys and generator are still there
Stewart
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___________________________________________________________________________
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