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Manage the overall life-cycle of your critical electrical assets 5-14-12

WEIDMANN DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTIONS INC. provides the vital knowledge you need to help you lower risk and improve your electrical system’s reliability.  They provide actionable information through their range of products and services. WEIDMANN DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTIONS is a leader in developing condition assessment methods for all fluid-filled electrical equipment, such as OCB’s, LTC’s, regulators, reactors and network units.

The below information regarding the upgrade of WEIDMANN’s laboratory test report has been provided by Zachariah Hatch, Director of Operations, WEIDMANN Diagnostic Solutions Inc.

As part of WEIDMANN’s continuing efforts to improve how we provide actionable information to help you manage the overall life-cycle of your critical electrical assets, we have completed an upgrade of our laboratory test report. We believe the new format is easier to interpret, and the additional information contained in the report will further assist you in your critical decision making.

Among the revisions are:

• More equipment and customer specific information has been added to report.
• New Dynamicreport shows only tests completed within the last five samples history. Blank test results are no longer included.
• Key Gas section now reports all combustible gases plus carbon dioxide.
• Conforms to ISO 17025 requirements for test reports. More information to follow regarding WEIDMANN’s pending ISO 17025 Accreditation.
• Historical information has been added to the Furanic Compound section.
• Laboratory personnel signature has been added; documenting the QC review.

An example of the report can be found at:

http://www.weidmann-diagnostics.com/images/stories/dynamicreport.pdf.

We are excited about how this revision will serve you better and we welcome your feedback. Please contact us at Power Equipment Specialists Inc. with any questions or comments.

 

Proven Prevention of Animal Caused Outages 5-2-12

Transgard carefully tracks news and developments regarding animal-caused substation outages. Here is a simple true-or-false quiz that shares some interesting facts:

TRUE OR FALSE? Surprising substation outage facts

1. One U.S. utility reported a snake caused a substation outage resulting in $2.4 million in damaged equipment. True or false?
2. While it would seem that most animal-caused substation outages would occur in rural or remote areas, one study actually found the opposite is true: there are significantly more animal-caused outages in urban and suburban areas. True or false?
3. A recent substation outage caused by a squirrel result in an explosion that shot flames 150 feet into the air and cut power to several schools. True or false?
4. The California Energy Commission estimates that wildlife-caused outages cost $31 million in service restoration costs every year – in California alone. True or false?

And now, the answers:

1. True: While it’s an unusually high figure, TD World reported this outage more than a decade ago. (That substation needed TransGard snake panels!)
2. True: This actually makes some sense. Suburban encroachment into animal habitat can push climbing animals to seek shelter and food in substations and other developed structures.
3. True: Connecticut Light & Power said it had equipped the substation with devices designed to keep animals out – unfortunately, not a Transgard System. The squirrel wasn’t deterred.
4. True: That $31 million figure does not include the costs to commercial customers for lost business and productivity or the cost of emergency services to deal with the effects of an outage.

By Courtesy of Transgard Systems INC.

For 20 years, Transgard fences have prevented power outages from squirrels, raccoons, snakes, and others, deploying a specially engineered substation fencing system that delivers a humane – but effective – electric shock to climbing animals.

For more information on Transgard products contact us at Power Equipment Specialists, Inc

 

New EPA regulations for SF6 – do you have a gas handling plan? 11-8-11

Since the 1990′s, we have been proud to represent DILO (http://www.dilo.com), manufacturers of SF6 testing, diagnostic and maintenance equipment.

There is much concern and confusion in our market as the new EPA regulations regarding SF6 gas and the tracking of SF6 take affect. For any of our customers who have had the opportunity to meet and receive training from Lukas Rothlisberger, CEO of DILO, they know that Lukas  is the ultimate resource for the latest in SF6 regulations.

Courtesy of Lukas  and on behalf of EPA’s SF6 Emission Reduction Partnership for Electric Power Systems, the below documents and specific sections relate to the maintenance and tracking of SF6 when used as insulation in electric power equipment.

1. Please note the EPA Proposed Mandatory Reporting Rule for Greenhouse Gas Emissions has been signed by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.  More information and a copy of the rule is available at:  http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html

2. See p. 525 Section DD of the Preamble for details on SF6 from electric equipment.

3. See p. 1249 of the Regulation for details on SF6 from electric equipment.

4.  Emissions from Electric Power Systems are proposed to be included if the total nameplate capacity of SF6-containing equipment exceeds 17,820 lbs of SF6, which is estimated to be the equivalent to an emissions threshold of 25,000 metric tons of CO2eq per year.

For an information sheet on SF6 from electric equipment see:  http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/SulfurHexafluoride.pdf

Does your company have an SF6 gas handling plan? Specifically in light of changing EPA regulations? Contact us and we can help you get your hands around the new EPA requirements.