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Breakers & Relays


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...

Substation Automation


3-D Design for Electrical Substations

Exploring 3-D design techniques for electrical substations BY MIKE MINELLI, & HAROLD HARKONEN, Nordmin Engineering Since the 1970s, engineering consulting firms typically have been designing substations using two-dimensional computer aided design software (CAD). This common technique produces...

Lightning Protection


Pennsylvania’s Yaw Bill

In a significant move for Pennsylvania’s energy sector, State Senator Gene Yaw has introduced a transformative piece of legislation aimed at modernizing the state's approach to power plant development and capacity management. The bill, which has been the subject of considerable discussion,...

Substation Protection


Substation Focused on Environmental Design

One of the important trends in design of new overhead lines over the past 20 years has been development of structures and designs that are less obtrusive and more pleasing visually. Much the same process has also been going on at substations. For example, even 25 years ago, efforts had already been...

Substation Technologies


New data suggests real-time pricing can help customers save money

Most utility customers now pay an average price for electricity that changes little (if at all) over the course of the year. Average, flat-rate, real-time pricing is akin to a form of insurance, where a premium is paid to hedge against market volatility and price spikes. Yet this approach misses...

Substation Testing & Maintenance


Electrical Substations

Wireless Networks and Substation Automation

Fitting wireless networks into substation automation applications

BY ADAM GUGLIELMO, ABB Tropos Wireless Communication Systems

As with all Smart Grid applications, two-way communication is foundational to substation automation. To enable monitoring and control, substation computers, as well as computers located in utility operation centers, must exchange information with intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) throughout the substation yard. For new substations, both wired and wireless communications are options because the incremental cost of trenching to run cabling...

Electrical Substations Articles