NETA Membership Meeting Charts Progress and Looks Ahead to 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2022

NETANETA News, Trending News, Winter 2021 NETA News

The NETA Board of Directors and NETA staff met face-to-face in mid-September for the first time since March 2020. The NETA Membership Meeting took place at the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. The agenda included a comprehensive Board Report and strategy updates in specific areas such as membership growth and efforts to grow industry awareness. A …

Advancements in the Industry: Traveling Wave Relay Application, Commissioning, and Initial Experience

Fari Elhaj and Scott Cooper, OMICRON electronics, and Anthony Savesind and Francisco J. Sanchez, Salt River ProjectCorporate Alliance Corner, Winter 2021 CAP Corner

Traditional line protection incorporates elements in the phasor domain. Phasor-based line protection uses a full cycle of data and is subject to CT accuracy limitations, limiting operating speed and fault location accuracy. However, new advances in protective relay technology have facilitated the introduction of relays that operate in the time domain. By detecting and time-stamping the arrival of traveling waves …

CAP Spotlight: A-Rent: Quality Equipment and Responsive Service

NETACorporate Alliance Corner, Winter 2021 CAP Corner

NETA’s Corporate Alliance Partners (CAPs) are a group of industry-leading companies that have joined forces with NETA to work together toward a common aim: improving quality, safety, and electrical system reliability. Our continuing CAP Spotlight series highlights some of their individual successes as NETA World interviews A-Rent CEO Paul Seppanen. NWJ: Please briefly describe A-Rent Seppanen: A-Rent specializes in electrical …

An Intelligent System for Condition Assessment of Power Transformers

Mohamed Khalil, PhD, Doble Engineering CompanyIndustry Topics, Winter 2021 Industry Topics

The health index (HI) approach has been adopted widely as a tool to help asset managers prioritize their plans and actions. However, the conventional computation of HI, which is based on scoring and ranking, has several drawbacks. In this work, the fuzzy logic approach is used to build up an intelligent HI system to assess the condition of power transformers …

Understanding High-Voltage Circuit Breaker Nameplates

Volney Naranjo, MeggerIndustry Topics, Winter 2021 Industry Topics

Along the extensive and complex electrical system infrastructure from generation to transmission and distribution, the wide variety of medium- and high-voltage circuit breakers (MV/HV CB) vary in size, interrupting medium, number of breaks per phase, and various other attributes. To help classify breakers and their attributes, they are all shipped with a nameplate stating the minimum information about specific mechanical, …

Grounding and Bonding Meter Sockets

Jeffrey R. Jowett, MeggerColumns, Tech Tips, Winter 2021 Columns

In an actual reported case, a severe storm blew down a large tree that struck a residence. A meter that should have been reporting 240 V reported a phase-phase voltage of 124 V. The falling tree had pulled down the service, which had then been re-attached by a service crew. A routine voltmeter check revealed 118 V between the left hot leg and neutral, …

The Life and History of James (Jim) R. White

Virginia Balitski, Magna IV EngineeringColumns, Tech Quiz, Winter 2021 Columns

Jim White’s prolific career in the electrical field expanded across many decades with a particular focus on training, education, and safety. Jim was Vice President of Training Services at Shermco Industries, a NFPA Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional, a NETA Level 4 Senior Technician, and a dedicated and well-respected professional. Jim’s contribution to the electrical industry was immeasurable, and he …

Always Remember: Your Work Is Essential

Eric Beckman, National Field Services, NETA PresidentColumns, Fall 2021 Columns, President's Desk

I want to start by thanking all NETA members and Board members for their support and trust to help lead the organization as I step into my term as President. It truly is an honor to be part of such a first-class organization that’s so well-respected all across the world and to be able to represent and lead it is …

Virginia Balitski: Safety First — Succession Planning Next

NETAFall 2021 Insights & Inspiration, Insights & Inspiration

With over 15 years’ experience at Magna IV Engineering in Edmonton, AB, Canada, this technician-turned-trainer explains why preserving our legacy knowledge is the best way to keep people safe. NW: What attracted you to the electrical testing profession? Balitski: In high school, I excelled in math and physics, so one of my instructors encouraged me to explore engineering. My father …