How might electronics be different if AC voltage was 72V at 45 Hz?

[AlexB23]

Hey guys. I have a question related to electricity and alternating current. Say an alien fictional society developed electricity, and settled on a standard like 73V AC current at 46 Hz. How would appliances be designed, and what impact would the lower frequency and voltage have on transformers, wiring, TVs, computers, LEDs, motors, and heating, assuming the laws of physics and technology are the same as on Earth?

 

[Baluncore]

Say an alien fictional society developed electricity, and settled on a standard like 73V AC current at 46 Hz.

Instead of 115V 60Hz or 230V 50Hz ?

For the same power, currents would be higher, wires would need to be significantly heavier. Buy shares in the copper industry on Earth. Their home planet would need to have plenty of conductive metals on the surface.

Power poles would not be needed for voltage isolation, the heavy cables used for distribution would be buried underground in a suburb.

Insulation could be thinner, but not by much. Switches would be heavier since they carry more current, but have less voltage to sustain an arc when turning that current off. More switches would have mercury wetted contacts.

Transformers would be inefficient and heavy, with more core and windings. Motors would run slower.

 

[AlexB23]

Instead of 115V 60Hz or 230V 50Hz ?

For the same power, currents would be higher, wires would need to be significantly heavier. Buy shares in the copper industry on Earth. Their home planet would need to have plenty of conductive metals on the surface.

Power poles would not be needed for voltage isolation, the heavy cables used for distribution would be buried underground in a suburb.

Insulation could be thinner, but not by much. Switches would be heavier since they carry more current, but have less voltage to sustain an arc when turning that current off. More switches would have mercury wetted contacts.

Transformers would be inefficient and heavy, with more core and windings. Motors would run slower.

Yeah. So, could aluminum or steel wiring work? Of course, the high voltage lines would be in the dozens to hundreds of kV, so those can be in the sky, but then the home voltage can be 70-ish volts. So, how would a washing machine spin 1400 RPM? Would it need inverters?

 

[Borek]

Washing machines use transmission belts to get the required speed, so in this particular case the main difference would be just a different gear ratio.

Broadly speaking differences wouldn't be that large, I doubt they would be easy to spot for a layman.

 

[AlexB23]

Washing machines use transmission belts to get the required speed, so in this particular case the main difference would be just a different gear ratio.

Broadly speaking differences wouldn't be that large, I doubt they would be easy to spot for a layman.

Nice. Mine is direct drive, and inverter type.

 

[Baluncore]

Yeah. So, could aluminum or steel wiring work?

Because wiring heat losses are W = I²·R, aluminium wire would work, but never steel for the conductors, more likely copper or silver.

 

[Baluncore]

Say an alien fictional society developed electricity, and settled on a standard like 73V AC current at 46 Hz.

If they were so silly as to standardise on such a low voltage and high current system, I doubt they would have advanced electrical technology very far. They would need to have a very different resource availability to justify that choice.
1 kW = 230V, 4.35A.
1 kW = 115V, 8.70A.
1 kW = 73V, 13.70A.

 

[AlexB23]

Because wiring heat losses are W = I²·R, aluminium wire would work, but never steel for the conductors, more likely copper or silver.

Nice. I am getting this now. Maybe for home usage, 73V works, while for business then maybe 146V.