gfretwell@aol.com wrote in   
   news:qha73epqa9krsb5t1itll0rvcir13b819g@4ax.com:   
      
   > On Mon, 7 Jan 2019 12:18:37 -0500, "J.B. Wood"   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >>On 1/7/19 11:12 AM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> If the neutral was not bonded and you did have a short to the   
   >>> EGC, I still do not see the fault path, even in the frame was   
   >>> grounded.   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >>Hello, and that's because in that case there wouldn't be a fault   
   >>path with a floating/unbonded neutral (not counting capacitive   
   >>coupling, which is presumed to be inconsequential (but can be an   
   >>issue on Navy ships, but that's another story).  Sincerely,   
   >   
   > I am familiar with navy ships. I suppose that is why they use   
   > ungrounded delta for most if their distribution. They call the   
   > 120v "the deadly shipmate" because the neutral is bonded to the   
   > hull of the ship .   
   >   
      
     Consider this scenario:   
      
     Your device is a machine with a metallic case and that case is   
   tied the what would be the neutral side of the 120V line cord.  The   
   third conductor in the line cord is what the industry terms as "the   
   fault return line" and is designed to carry currents from an   
   accidental "hot to case" failure mode inside the product during use.   
   That is either supposed to cause a circuit breaker trip in the feed   
   for the branch you are connected to, or at the very least clamp the   
   voltage that would suddnely be [resent on the case with respect to   
   Earth ground, where that power feed ties its "nuetral" side   
   connection to earth.  This protects users of AC powered electrical   
   shock.  It ONLY does this BECAUSE of the fact that the grid and all   
   power has ground based fault return systems built in to the design.   
      
    A portable generator, ON THE OTHER HAND, does NOT tie either leg of   
   its NON center tapped 240 AC feed to ground.  It generates a fully   
   floating AC power 'signal'.  If there was a case where, as in the   
   above example, a device with its "nuetral" attached to its case,   
   experiences a situation where its internally connected "hot side"   
   makes contact with the device case, and thereby the operator of the   
   device.  With no connection to earth, where is the danger that the   
   operator is going to have a "hot" in one contact point and the earth   
   in another (bare feet on concrete).  Without the ground fault tie in   
   this case, there would be no path to cause harm to the operator.   
   Earth ground is not noly NOT a path for said fault, it is also not a   
   path for the power feed, and is thereforee not how ANY gen set   
   ground fault could or should be handled.  Any that do will ALSO have   
   a full transfer switch set up to the grid and standard AC power   
   system.   
      
     For the most part if one side of the pair touches the other in a   
   dead short (product case fault), the generator circuit interruptor   
   should instantly trip.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)