Electrical Power Reliability Systems

wildfire hazard

January 31, 2023

Live online event hosted by The Electricity Forum.

The reliability of the electric power system is critical to North America's economic vitality and social well-being. Today, that reliability is being challenged. As incidences of severe weather and other threats to the system increase, transmission and distribution grid infrastructure ages are put at risk of failure. To help address these challenges, Electricity Today T&D magazine has organized a live online forum that will focus on this important subject. The focus of this live online forum is the next generation of grid reliability-enhancing technologies, systems, and management approaches.

45 minutes presentation includes 10 minutes of Q&A.

9:00am - 9:45am

GRID2020

Reality 2.0 - Maximizing the Grid

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  1. Transitioning from "Keeping the Lights on", to Maximizing Grid Value
  2. Proactively Addressing EV Charging Station & DER Concerns
  3. Avoiding Transformer Shortage Impacts
  4. Using the Grid to Elevate Wildfire Mitigation to a New Level
  5. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  6. Uncovering the Next Important, Justifiable CapEx Initiative

 

 

9:45am - 10:30am

Commonwealth Associates Inc.

A Deep Dive into BESS Arc Flash
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Arc flash is an industry concern for most everyone. But with the recent increase in BESS projects across the US, how do Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) owners deal with arc flash concerns? BESS using the current prevailing Li-Ion technology, can result in extremely high short-circuit currents on the DC side of the inverter. This is particularly true when using large DC battery density to achieve long maximum output discharge scenarios. Commonwealth will detail real situations, and dive into engineering analysis on how to better address arc flash concerns to help protect site workers.
 

 

10:30am - 11:15am

IRISS Group

Improving Your Maintenance Program Through Operator-Driven Reliability

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11:15am  – 12:00pm

Zensol Automation, Inc.

Vibro-Acoustic as a Fast Diagnostic Tool for On Load Tap Changers


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The functioning of an On-Load Tap Changer (OLTC) is complex, since a lot of mechanisms are operating at the same time. Classic testing techniques give very little information on mechanical problems occurring inside an OLTC while in service.
This presentation shows how the vibroacoustic method is used as a fast diagnosis tool to easily detect mechanical problems in Tap Changers ON-LINE or OFF-LINE, before they create an outage.
We will show also how simultaneous correlation of signals recorded by Vibroacoustic, Motor Current and Dynamic Resistance Measurement (DRM) allows a fast understanding of the internal movements of an OLTC. Each of these tests provides a piece of information that creates a complete picture of the OLTC's condition.
Finally, we will present a real case showing how the electric utility New Brunswick Power uses this tool to properly adjust an OLTC.

 

Alan Snook

President

GRID20/20, Inc.

Alan Snook is co-founder and President of GRID20/20, Inc. since 2011. Under Alan's leadership, the company is now transitioning toward Public Safety Protection Solutions. The company's leading initiative is GRIDWIDE FIRE-SPY™; a wildfire mitigation solution that leverages existing grid architecture and capitalizes on the company's lengthy intra-grid sensor history. GRIDWIDE FIRE-SPY represents an emerging subsidiary movement. The company's foundational work includes the development and commercialization of Advanced Transformer Infrastructure (ATI)®. The ATI technology presents a turnkey intra-grid monitoring solution designed to provide electric utility operators with proactive grid-edge conditions visibility, and automated alerts capability; thereby improving grid Reliability, ensuring safe Distributed Energy Resources adoption, facilitating Electric Vehicle charging stations deployment awareness, helping to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, while also assisting with ongoing grid planning, systems operations, and asset management practices of utility operators.

Ian Hutt, P.E. PMP

Project Manager

Commonwealth Associates Inc.

IAN HUTT, PE, PMP, is an industry published leader and expert in renewable technologies, particularly solar, BESS, and microgrids. As an experienced project manager in electrical power systems, he specializes in relay protection engineering, coordination, arc flash analysis, short circuit analysis, transmission planning, electromagnetic field analysis, and automatic generation control using CAPE, ASPEN, CYME, PSCAD, EMTP-RV, ETAP, SKM Power Tools, EasyPower, CDEGS, AcSELerator QuickSet, PowerBase, PSS/E and TRANSMISSION 2000®. Ian presented "A deep dive into BESS arc flash" for a CIGRE webinar in 2022, "Battery Storage Integration with Renewable Energy: Future of BESS" at the 2020 Experience Power Conference and "Current Challenges in BESS" at IDEA2021 Conference in 2021. Mr. Hutt holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Business Administration from Central Michigan University.

Jody Dado

Business Development Manager - Northwest US & Canada

IRISS Group

Jody Dado has an extensive background in engineering, technical service, and sales. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology, as well as being a CAT-1 Certified Thermographer, Jody brings a wealth of support and resources to the electrical industry and manages clients throughout North America.

Dr. Fouad Brikci

President

Zensol Automation, Inc.

Fouad Brikci obtained a Doctorate in Electronics in 1977 and a master's degree in Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Automation in 1975 both from the University of Bordeaux, France. During his 40 years and more of experience, he was a lecturer at the Ecole Polytechnique in Algiers, Algeria and a researcher at CNRS-LAAS, Toulouse, France. He is currently the President of Zensol Automation, Inc., a company founded in 1990 and located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Zensol is a world leader in the field of acoustic diagnostics for circuit breakers and on-line tap changers (OLTC). Zensol also has extensive expertise in conventional maintenance testing applied to high-voltage circuit breakers.

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