Wire and Cable
Reducing Partial Vacuum Induced Flashovers in 25 kV Class Loadbreak Separable Connectors
Insulation Resistance Test
Wire and Cable
Ethernet Cable Selection for Utilities
Electric utilities are constantly searching for the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective methods to deliver electricity to customers. A vision for accomplishing this is the migration of the electrical grid from a reliable, but inflexible system to the Smart Grid, which promises adaptability and efficiency.
One definition of the Smart Grid, based on work from the U.S. Department of Energy, is: "A modernized electrical grid that uses information and communications technology to gather and act on information in an automated fashion…to improve the efficiency, reliability, economics, and sustainability of the production and distribution of electricity".
The promises of the Smart Grid are exciting on many fronts...
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Insulation Resistance Test
Insulation Resistance (IR) test, often called Megger test, is more than 100 years old and assumed to be a very straightforward test. During my inspection and testing work in the past 15 years in Canada, US, and internationally, I have seen different practices of performing and interpretation of IR...
Utility Proactively Tests Underground Cable
Distribution companies are continually looking for ways to improve system reliability, all while conserving capital investments and operational costs. With an aging infrastructure, one of the main issues that utilities face is a way to assess the actual condition of their capital assets. With...
Cable Cleats Testing - Crucial to Cable Management
Essentially, cable cleats are devices designed to secure cables and to ensure the retention and support of them, reducing the load that the cable may be exposed to under its own weight. They are also designed to contain the cables under fault conditions, protecting the cables and the cable...
The Evolution / Revolution of Overhead Conductors... and why it matters
Brief Background: In the early 1900’s Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) conductor was developed to replace copper wires, due to the war effort when copper was needed for munitions. In the 1970’s growing demand for electricity inspired the development of higher capacity...
Cable Cleats Testing - Crucial to Cable Management
Essentially, cable cleats are devices designed to secure cables and to ensure the retention and support of them, reducing the load that the cable may be exposed to under its own weight. They are also designed to contain the cables under fault conditions, protecting the cables and the cable...
Reconducting Existing Transmission Lines Enables Low-Cost Grid Decarbonization
To support decarbonization mandates in the U.S., many utilities and transco's have proposed new transmission lines to link load centers with new renewable generation assets and move power from one region to another over vast distances. While the U.S. government continues to struggle to find ways to...
The Evolution / Revolution of Overhead Conductors... and why it matters
Brief Background: In the early 1900’s Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) conductor was developed to replace copper wires, due to the war effort when copper was needed for munitions. In the 1970’s growing demand for electricity inspired the development of higher capacity...
How Modern Conductors are Improving Grid Reliability and Much More
Reflections: Nearly twenty years ago when I got into the energy business, reliability was a second-tier design objective for most transmission engineers. Safety factors had already been established and the materials we used for structures and powerline wires (conductors) were well known. While...
United Power Installs Hendrix Aerial Spacer Cable Solution to Address Fire Mitigation Needs
Based in Brighton, CO, United Power Inc. is the 2nd largest electric cooperative in Colorado. With over 5,000 miles of power lines and nearly 83,000 meters, they serve over 200,000 customers along the north central range of the Colorado Rockies. A section of the United Power service area also heads...
Reducing Partial Vacuum Induced Flashovers in 25 kV Class Loadbreak Separable Connectors
The 25 kV Class 200 Ampere loadbreak separable insulated connector system didn't always have today's reputation for safety and reliability. As 25 kV Class loadbreak connectors increased in popularity in the 1980's and 1990's, utilities reported unacceptably high numbers of flashovers...