Electrical Substations

Substation Automation

Enhance Data Center Security

How utilities can protect operations from penetration BY MICHAEL STUBER, Itron For utilities deploying Smart Grid solutions, the major security concern is often the field devices. Utilities and vendors have long understood that field devices such as meters, switches, routers, and concentrators...

Substation Technologies

Cybersecurity in Modern Substations: Protecting the Grid from Emerging Threats

As substations become more interconnected and automated, they are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. These critical nodes of the power grid are essential for ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply, making their protection paramount. Strengthening substation automation controls is key to...

Physical Security & Monitoring

Utilities Await New Physical Security Standard

U.S. regulator takes next step in approving physical security standard BY PHILL FELTHAM, Editor-in-Chief Electricity Today Magazine Recently, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced a proposal to approve the physical security reliability standard (CIP-014-1), submitted by the...

Substation Protection

Selecting Substation Medium-Voltage Switchgear: GIS vs. AIS

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,...

Lightning Protection

Lightning Strikes

In Canada, lightning flashes occur about 2.34 million times a year; with the highest levels of concentration during the summer months. While most lightning on earth is ground-to-cloud, recent research has identified that the majority of lightning events to tall structures, such as wind...

Breakers & Relays

Dynamic Resistance Measurement

Condition testing of circuit breaker’s arcing contacts BY BUDO MILOVIC, DV-Power The preventive maintenance on a high-voltage (HV) breaker consists of several routine tests. The timing and motion tests are methods used to assess the breaker’s mechanical condition. When the timing and motion...

Home Transformation Electrical Substations

Power Factor Testing of Circuit Breakers

Detecting contamination and deterioration in SF6 breakers to ensure longevity

BY LINDA NOWAK, Doble Engineering Company

The purpose of “Doble testing”, or power factor testing, SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) circuit breakers is to detect the presence of contamination and/or deterioration of the breaker’s insulating system. This process will allow corrective actions to be taken to ensure the integrity of the breaker.

The Doble test is completed by measuring the insulation’s dielectric-loss and capacitance and...