Digital Substation LAN Design and Testing

Steel McCreery, OMICRON electronics Canada Corp Features, Summer 2023 Features

Ethernet is considered a fast, reliable, and scalable local area network (LAN) technology that has become predominant within electrical utility substations. Unlike information technology (IT) LANs, which are used to move general non-critical information, operational technology (OT) LANs carry information that is used to directly perform critical control functions such as tripping, blocking, and interlocks.  To ensure that electrical utility …

A Tsunami of Funding Affecting Fiber Optic Projects

Jim Hayes, Fiber Optic Association Features, Summer 2023 Features

The tsunami of funding stemming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has the fiber optic industry in a frenzy, partially because sufficient workforce to build networks is lacking and supply chain problems are causing long delivery times for basic components like fiber optic cable. The need for broadband was brought to the forefront during the pandemic when work, …

Distribution Automation Networks — Application & Testing

Abel Gonzalez, Megger Features, Summer 2023 Features

Reclosers play an important role in distribution networks, where their primary role is to automatically reclose following a trip operation due to a fault. This ensures that power restoration causes only a momentary disruption to customers, rather than an extended outage.  Over the years, distribution networks have been automated to enhance system performance. Network automation involves communication between the devices …

New For 2023: NFPA 70B

Dave Huffman, Power Systems Testing Company, and Ron Widup, Shermco Industries Features, Summer 2023 Features

It was late in 2017 when the notice for the Second Draft meeting for the 2019 edition of NFPA 70B, Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance came out, and within the agenda was an item to discuss the 2023 edition. COVID-19 wasn’t even a thought for any of us. Social distancing, masking up, and quarantine were unheard of, and  Teams/Zoom …

What Does Insulation Thermal Class Mean for Electrical Machines?

Kevin Alewine, Shermco Industries Features, Spring 2023 Features

How hot is too hot? Motors and transformers have maximum operating conditions, but can I exceed those ratings on occasion and not damage the equipment?  In my years as an electrical insulation application consultant, the most common questions posed by end users regard insulation thermal classes and what effect they have on machinery reliability and life expectancy. Many articles have …

Electromagnetic Imperfection Measurements for Stator Core Condition Assessment

Fabian Oettl, OMICRON Technologies Italia, GmbH, and Mathieu Lachance, OMICRON electronics Canada Features, Spring 2023 Features

The stator core of a rotating machine is composed of multiple stacked layers to minimize eddy current losses. A short between two or more layers leads to higher local eddy currents. This in turn can lead to local hot spots, which in a worst-case scenario can cause a partial core melt and eventually damage the machine. A ring flux (or …

New Method to Inspect Motor/Generator Windings for Electrical Integrity

Edis Osmanbasic, DV Power, Sweden, and Normen Kaemena, Siemens Gamesa, Germany Features, Spring 2023 Features

Measuring the winding resistance of generators and motors is one of the essential tests used in factory acceptance testing and during periodic routine testing procedures. This test can detect various problems in rotating machine windings, including a turn-to-turn short circuit in windings, which reduces a motor/generator’s ability to produce a balanced magnetic field, and a phase-to-phase short circuit, which in …

On-Line Cable PD Testing

William G. Higinbotham, EA Technology, LLC Features, Winter 2022 Features

Imagine this: A new hyper-scale data center is built in rural New Jersey. It has more than 100 25 KV cables. Six months into operation, a cable termination fails catastrophically, and the forensic investigation determines that termination workmanship was lacking. Partial discharge caused tracking, and the cable flashed over. But that’s not the nightmare scenario. The nightmare scenario is that the …

Detecting Partial Discharge on Medium-Voltage Cable Accessories

Michel Trepanier and Claude Tremblay, Hydro-Quebec; Lionel Reynaud, Hydro-Quebec Research Institute; and Mathieu Lachance, OMICRON electronics Canada Features, Winter 2022 Features

Hydro-Quebec (HQ) is a major Canadian utility that manages the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity to more than 3.8 million customers. Its distribution network includes over 12,000 km (7,456 miles) of medium-voltage underground distribution cables and more than 600,000 accessories — each with potential for failure. Medium-voltage (MV) underground cable systems are a critical part of the distribution network …

Acceptance and Maintenance Testing for Medium-Voltage Electrical Power Cables – Part 1 of 3

Thomas D. Sandri, Protec Equipment Resources Features, Winter 2022 Features

As time progresses and a cable system ages, the system’s bulk dielectric strength degrades. During this aging process, artifacts such as water trees, delamination, voids, and shield corrosion raise the local stress placed on the cable during normal operation. The exact way in which the strength of a device degrades will depend upon many factors including voltage, thermal stresses, maintenance …