The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®) revised its NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace in 2018 “to assist OSHA in preparing an electrical safety standard that would serve OSHA’s needs and that could be expeditiously promulgated through the provisions of…the Occupational Safety and Health Act.” Responsible electrical test instrumentation manufacturers accept 70E as a valuable guideline as …
Many companies and people rely on NFPA 70E to guide them as they develop and implement electrical safe work practices. They look at a line or possibly a paragraph or two and believe they have the gist of the issue. Maybe, but they often misinterpret what they read or implement it incorrectly. Unfortunately, there’s a plethora of misleading or incorrect …
It was great seeing everyone at Power Test 2019 in Texas! The event went very well, and that’s due to our sponsors, Corporate Alliance Partners, trade show vendors, and most important — the hard work and dedication of the NETA Staff. Mark your calendars for PowerTest 2020 in Chicago February 24 – 28, 2020, and make plans to join us …
A numerical protection relay provides multiple functions and typically uses algorithms that do not work on the same principles as older electromechanical relays. Numerical relays are often still tested using old techniques developed long ago for electromechanical relays. One such common technique is referred to as a “static test.” Fault voltage and/or fault current are injected to see whether the …
Sulfur hexafluoride, also known as SF6 gas, is a commonly used and excellent insulator found in many medium to large circuit breakers protecting transmission and distribution equipment. It has been argued that gas-filled breakers are superior to those filled with oil, air, or a vacuum. They operate cooler and with no noise or gas emissions and are considered relatively low …
Sulphur hexafluoride circuit breakers used to be the domain of utilities, but they are liable to be used now by any large- or medium-size industrial. This Tech Quiz will review some of the NETA standard requirements for these circuit breakers. 1. In ANSI/NETA ATS, which ANSI/IEEE standard is referred to if manufacturer’s data is not available? a. C57.04 b. C57.11 …
Since its inception in the early 20th century, testing grounded electrodes has been grounded on one technique and technology only: Fall of Potential. The test instrument made contact with the earth through long leads and driven probes, injected a current between the electrode being tested and a remote probe, and measured the voltage drop caused by earth resistance to another …
The 2021 NFPA 70E cycle started last year, and the Second Draft Meeting will convene July 14–19, 2019. One interesting benefit of being on the committee is the information that is shared with us. Some of it is obviously presented to serve one purpose or another, but some of it is put forward by well-known, independent laboratories that have no …
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that’s what we are shooting for — huge venue, huge attendance, many vendors, and great presentations. That’s why I always look forward to PowerTest. It is without question the best place to be if you are in our industry or use our services. It’s great to see old friends and make new …