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 …
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 …
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 …
America has been built on progress. Author C.S. Lewis once stated: “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” It could certainly be contended that the man who never has to turn …
The world is transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs). In order to do so, thousands of charging stations are needed. As with any emerging technology, a lot of new terminology and new processes must be learned. This article aims to simplify the world of EV charging with a deep dive into the terminology, statistics, and installation process for electric vehicle (EV) …
“People who are trying to change the world need to use checklists.” BUSINESSMAN AND AUTHOR GUY KAWASAKI Checklists and effective job briefings are important to ensure hazards that may exist when performing a task are addressed before starting the job. In addition, job briefings are important to ensure people understand their job roles and have a chance to speak up …
Mentoring has been a critical and foundational component in the electrical sector since its beginning. The basic tenants of electrical tradesperson apprenticeships and electrical engineers in training has always been coaching and mentoring by those with the interpersonal skills, relevant expertise, and knowledge to be able to pass it on. The electrical sector has always taken particularly great pride in …
It’s happened to nearly everyone. You go to use a simple electrical device…a flashlight, a voltmeter, a TV remote, or a child’s toy…and the battery is dead. It has become exhausted and must be replaced. Or worse, you open the device to find that the battery has corroded, possibly damaging or even destroying the contacts. In some critical respects, essentially …
In gas-insulated substations (GIS), the high-voltage elements, including conductors, circuit breaker interrupters, switches, current transformers (CTs), and voltage transformers, are encapsulated in SF6 gas inside grounded metal enclosures.[1] For that reason, direct access to circuit breaker (CB) main circuit terminals for testing purposes is not possible. The inaccessibility of main circuit terminals requires several actions to be taken before conducting …
Arc-flash reduction methods must be considered prior to working on energized electrical equipment for personnel safety. The idea behind energy reduction is to place energized electrical equipment in a state where less arc energy is available when an arcing fault occurs. These techniques range from the obvious (de-energize!) to more complex and costly engineering solutions. NEC Article 240.87-2011, initially titled …