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Need help identifying a capacitor

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Sparrow338

Sat Feb 19 2011, 02:28AM

Registered Member #661 Joined: Sat Apr 21 2007, 03:17AM
Location: Ventura, CA
Posts: 41

Ok so I got this capacitor from an EE friend about a year ago and didn't really pay any attention to it. Recently I "rediscovered" it and decided I'd try to find out more about it. After several unsuccessful google searches I decided that I might get better luck posting it up here and seeing if anyone recognized it.

Itâ€™s got an ID plate on the side of it that reads: General Electric, Pyranol Capacitor, No. T57607, Cat. 18F268, Volts 3000 DC Max, uf 120, CONN. DIA., Contains 1.9 Gal non-flammable liquid, N.P. 57910-D, Hudson Falls N.Y., Made In USA

Other wise itâ€™s about 13.5â€x13â€x5.25â€ weights around 50 pounds. Seems to be a welded steel can. Two terminals both with ceramic standoffs.
When I first got it I went over the entire thing pretty carefully and didnâ€™t find any cracks, punctures, rust spots, leaks, etc. Hopefully the thing isnâ€™t full of PCBâ€™s, but I think itâ€™s possible. Looked over a couple lists of PCB containing capacitors and couldnâ€™t find it on there, but Iâ€™m still treating it as if it could.

Anyways, any help IDing it further or helping me better understand what I have would be great.

-Sparrow

1298082047 661 FT1630 Img 2498

[Edit]: Hmm pictures seem a bit small. Here's a link to some larger, clickable, ones:

testtest

Sat Feb 19 2011, 03:03AM

Registered Member #3271 Joined: Mon Oct 04 2010, 02:29AM
Location: Canada
Posts: 159

Read the last bit about Pyranol

haxor5354

Sat Feb 19 2011, 06:04AM

Registered Member #2063 Joined: Sat Apr 04 2009, 03:16PM
Location: Toronto
Posts: 352

did u test it out to see if it still works?

Sulaiman

Sat Feb 19 2011, 08:32AM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

Pyranol is a GE trade name for a pcb.
Don't worry about it though as disposing of the capacitor now is no easier than later, and whilst sealed there's no danger. The casing looks to be in good condition but cleaning of any rust and re-painting to prevent corrosion/rust would be a good idea.
Since the pcb oil is non-flammable and low volatility even if it leaks there will be little danger to you if cleaned up promptly, the main danger is of the pcbs entering the aquifer. Under typical operating conditions there is little danger of explosion, I think this is a dc storage capacitor but if you monitor the temperature you can use it for ac or pulse duty, though there is a chance that you may blow open a connection inside if you use too high a current.

Last but most important, 120 uF at 3000 V is a lethal charge, and a 540 Joules discharge may damage your hearing.

Patrick

Sat Feb 19 2011, 10:47PM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

I would get rid of this especially if you are a US resident, the EPA wont like you. PCB's have one of the longest lived aqueaous life spans of anyknown chemical. ppb concentrations in the human blood can cause noticeable health effects, and I would wash your hands every time after handling this device, and again before eating.

EDIT: I see you are living in the Communist State of California. Be careful the NKVD Green secret police may come to get you in the night.

I seem to remember a small wrecking yard buissness that had a similar device show up, without thier knowledge, then a forklift rubbed up against it, they called EPA of CA to find out what to do... and a $40,000 bill and a 9 day shutdown for thier business was ordered. I wish I could find this article to post , but I cant at the moment.

If you are determined to keep this device, then find out what the laws are here in California, and the federal law too. You may be exposing yourself to legal liability if you dont.

My advice would be for you to wait for that "once-a-year, no questions asked, resisdential toxic waste drop off." that we are fortunate to have here in CA, and ditch that device.

Well, this is 2011 not the 1950's, and they don't make capacitors like they used to, and its a good thing too.

Sparrow338

Sun Feb 20 2011, 02:18AM

Registered Member #661 Joined: Sat Apr 21 2007, 03:17AM
Location: Ventura, CA
Posts: 41

Thanks for all the information guys.

My advice would be for you to wait for that "once-a-year, no questions asked, resisdential toxic waste drop off." that we are fortunate to have here in CA, and ditch that device.

Yea that's defiantly what I'm going to do. Thanks for alerting me to the existence of such programs.

Is this http://www.cityofventura.net/event/household-hazardous-waste-collection what your talking about Patrick? They say no electronic wastes but I'm gonna give them a call this week and see if this capacitor perhaps doesn't fall under their 'definition' of electronic waste. Although they say Gold Coast will take electronic wastes I know they don't take hazardous materials.

-Sparrow

Patrick

Sun Feb 20 2011, 02:46AM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

I dont know if your local one will take it. But if you call, tell them its the chemistry youre worried about, dont tell them its electrical.

quicksilver

Sun Feb 20 2011, 09:18PM

Registered Member #1408 Joined: Fri Mar 21 2008, 03:49PM
Location: Oracle, AZ
Posts: 679

I ran into something that is very confusing with this issue.
I got some Chicago Condensor Group 10Kv 2uf caps termed "type D-39 CMP"
The best date I can come up with is 1980- something but that COULD be for a check of functionality or a date of disposal of the pumping switch
I searched: they still make them:

These come from the Ion Pump devices made by Varian for Los Alamos and Sandia labs. Since the dates are not too old and they appear to still be made I'm hoping I don't have a PCB issue: I somewhat doubt it. However I am concerned as to the breadth of their application.
However in their description, Chicago does explain that they have a "broad range" of application from laser discharge to filer. In a marketing description would a pulse rated cap have that spelled out?

Opinions? Thoughts?

Thank you.

James

Mon Mar 07 2011, 11:35PM

Registered Member #3610 Joined: Thu Jan 13 2011, 03:29AM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 506

I would just keep the thing so long as it isn't leaking. Nobody is going to break down your door looking for PCB containing items. There are still lots of old fluorescent and HID ballasts with PCB filled capacitors in use out there, especially in more economically depressed areas where lighting installed in the 50s-60s is still in use. Seems like the stories you hear of businesses getting huge fines are usually when they tried to do the right thing and notified somebody.

I wonder sometimes how much more contamination has resulted from paranoid people needlessly disposing of equipment rather than just continuing to use it. It's good that they phased out this stuff so that we don't have hundreds of gallons of it sitting in leak prone transformer vaults but small quantities in capacitors and such are mostly inert and harmless if left alone.

Patrick

Tue Mar 08 2011, 01:29AM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

James wrote ...

Seems like the stories you hear of businesses getting huge fines are usually when they tried to do the right thing and notified somebody.

I think your right.

James wrote ...

I wonder sometimes how much more contamination has resulted from paranoid people ....

many enviromental policies make many cases much worse then they need to have been.

I think, senators, congressmen, activists think to themselves:

"Well, if phasing out is good, the banning and removal must be better. Ooooo everybody look how much more I care than you do!"

And thus well but misguided intent causes more damage then is directly visible. And so the politicians and advocates meddle in matters which they now nothing about.

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