The Hindenburg disaster was a tragic event that occurred on May 6, 1937 when the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to dock at the Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey. The disaster claimed the lives of 35 of the 97 people on board and one member of the ground crew. But what if such a horrific tragedy could have been avoided? An alternate wiring method proposed years earlier by the prolific American inventor Thomas Edison may have prevented the ignition of the Hindenburg's flammable hydrogen gas cells and averted catastrophe.
Edison's Three-Wire Distribution System
Long before the Hindenburg era, Thomas Edison pioneered the use of electricity for illumination in the late 1800s. One of Edison's key innovations in electrical engineering was the development of a three-wire distribution system for electric power. This system allowed efficient distribution of electricity to multiple users from a central source, dramatically expanding public access to electric lighting.
Here's how it worked:
- Edison ran three parallel wires from the central power plant - two outer wires carrying 110 volts each, and a middle neutral wire carrying 220 volts.
- The two 110V wires were out of phase with each other by 180 degrees.
- This meant that the voltage difference between either 110V outer wire and the 220V neutral wire was 110V.
- Users could tap electricity from either 110V outer wire and the 220V neutral to get 110V power.
- The system balanced the load and minimized power loss along the wires.
This three-wire system revolutionized electrical distribution and was a vast improvement over existing direct current (DC) systems which could only economically deliver electricity over short distances.
Key Benefits of Edison's Three-Wire System
- Efficiency - By tapping electricity from 110V wires and a 220V neutral, significant power was delivered while minimizing transmission losses.
- Capacity - Could meet high electricity demands from many customers.
- Safety - Lower 110V voltage reduced hazards compared to higher 220V.
- Flexibility - Users had two 110V wires to choose from. System kept operating if one wire failed.
Edison's ingenious approach allowed efficient delivery of electricity to homes, businesses and industries. His three-wire distribution system became a widespread standard still used today.
How It Could Have Prevented the Hindenburg Disaster
The Hindenburg airship was powered by four 1200hp diesel engines, each connected to an electrical generator. Wires distributed this electrical power to operate the ship's controls, lighting, communications and more. But Hindenburg used a traditional two-wire DC electrical system rather than Edison's advanced three-wire concept.
Key Factors in the Hindenburg's Destruction:
- Use of flammable hydrogen gas in its lifting cells made it prone to combustion.
- Build up of electrostatic charge on the airship's skin created stray sparks.
- The two-wire DC system had a grounded negative pole and a hot positive pole at high voltage.
- A short circuit or broken wire allowed the hot positive pole to ignite leaking hydrogen.
Here's how Edison's three-wire system may have averted disaster:
- The lower 110V wires would have been much less likely to create a spark that could ignite the hydrogen.
- If one 110V wire shorted or broke, the other would still deliver power in a redundant setup.
- With no grounded negative pole, the wires had symmetric voltage so leaks were less likely to ignite.
In essence, Edison's approach would have provided a safer, lower voltage electrical system with built-in redundancy. This may have prevented ignition of the Hindenburg and saved dozens of lives. While we cannot change the past, this example demonstrates the power of progressive thinking and superior engineering to advance human welfare into the future. Edison's innovations quite literally enlightened the world during the Industrial Revolution - perhaps his wiring could have avoided darkening it on that fateful day above New Jersey.