Detecting and avoiding preventable failures
BY JAY GARNETT, Doble Engineering Company
While metal clad switchgear can be very reliable, sometimes operating for over 50 years, throughout the aging process, this group of electrical disconnect switches, fuses and circuit breakers can experience issues such as moisture ingress, animal intrusion, enclosure rusting, and insulation deterioration. One efficient approach to detect incipient failures is partial discharge (PD), a leading indicator of various failure modes. Using both acoustic and...
Switching gears in the underground BY PETR RUDENKO AND PETER GLAUBITZ, Siemens As demand for energy continues to rise, an increased number of locations around the world require suitable energy solutions that fulfill unique demands. Cities are growing, and so is the demand for power. Urban areas...
Understanding differences between GIS and AIS in five points BY GAETAN DJENANE, Schneider Electric, Inc. Many considerations must be taken into account before selecting the electrical medium-voltage (MV) switchgear that best meets a user’s needs. From a management perspective,...
To fully assess the functionality of medium and high voltage circuit breakers, various mechanical and electrical parameters must be tested. Gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) in particular poses unique and special challenges, including the connection of the test equipment. In today‘s world, where...
Determining mechanical condition of high-voltage circuit breakers BY JOZEF LEVI, Doble Engineering Company Life expectancy of a newly installed high-voltage circuit breaker is approximately 40 years. Throughout its life, under normal circuit conditions, the circuit breaker will operate less than...
A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...
In a significant move that underscores the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy to power the expanding digital infrastructure, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved an interconnection agreement between Talen Energy, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Exelon. This...
Same day switching avoids the extended outages and human and equipment costs associated with inoperable and broken switches.The vast majority of air break disconnect and ground switches in electric power networks typically receive no appreciable maintenance. This invariably results in the inability...
To fully assess the functionality of medium and high voltage circuit breakers, various mechanical and electrical parameters must be tested. Gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) in particular poses unique and special challenges, including the connection of the test equipment. In today‘s world, where...
When it comes to medium and high voltage circuit breakers, there is no better electrical insulator than sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The manufactured gas is most commonly used to fill circuit breakers within utility substations to prevent and quench arcing events. SF6's impeccable dielectric...
INTRODUCTIONIn most large electrical systems, generators and power transformers are the two most expensive pieces of equipment. In addition to the capital cost of purchase, these two key devices are also the most critical to continuous and reliable operation of the system.Consider, for example, the...
