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High Reliability 30 l Grid Regulation 36 l Transmission System 42
High Reliability 30 l Grid Regulation 36 l Transmission System 42
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March 20133 | www.tdworld.com2
Vol. 65 No. 3
CONTENTS
CO
VE
RS
TO
RY
MA
RC
H20
13™
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Get It Done From the AirIdaho Power uses helicopter-based live-line maintenanceto get the job done in a timely, outage-free manner.By Tom Barber, Idaho Powerrr
Distributed Generation Drives System PlanningNetwork planning benefits from geographic information system dataand user-oriented software.By Jozef Tomcik, Peter Mento and Jaroslav Serdula, VSE Group
FERC Order 1000New regulations allow independent developers to compete againsttraditional utilities.By Cathy Swirbul, Contributing Writer
Reinforcing Rhode IslandNational Grid nears completion of a challenging componentof the New England East-West Solution suite of transmission projects.By David Beron, National Grid, Andrew Alexiades, POWER Engineers, and Scott Ryder, Energy Initiatives Grouprr
Incipient Faults: Can They Be Seen?Real-time waveform analytics identify looming failures, bringing usinto the realm of distribution fault anticipation technology.By Ken Sanford, Arizona Public Service Co., and John S. Bowers, Pickwick Electric Cooperative
GIS Enhances Hazard Tree ControlMid-South Synergy uses a GIS-based spatial analysis planto control and schedule vegetation management activities.By Comfort Manyame, Mid-South Synergy Electric Coop
42
24
30
36
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com4
8
10
14
16
20
22
62
72
68
71
Departments
GlobalVIEWPOINTSustain and Renew. Over time, we learn what we can sustain and what we
can renew, and that there are differences between the two.
By Rick Bush, Editorial Director
BUSINESSDevelopments● NPPD Contracts POWER Engineers to Design 220-Mile Transmission Line
● Duke Energy Sues Cincinnati Over Line Relocation for Streetcar Project
SMARTGrid● CenterPoint Energy Makes Giant Strides in AMI Initiative
● EU’s Energy-Effi ciency Directive Is a Hammer Blow for Smart Metering
in Europe, Warns GlobalData Energy Consultant
TECHNOLOGYUpdates● MLGW Takes Unique Approach to Distribution Automation Project
● Tucson Activates New 5-MW Solar Plant
QuarterlyREPORTTree Care: Key to Storm Recovery. The Arbor Day Foundation helps to
educate both utilities and their customers how to prevent storm-related
damage to trees. By Randy Gordon, Arbor Day Foundation
CHARACTERSwithCharacterA Woman with a Plan. When it comes to creating and executing a plan,
Catie Plante, a transmission project manager and emergency coordinator
specialist at Connecticut Light & Power, gets the job done, personally and
professionally. By James R. Dukart, Contributing Writer
PRODUCTS&Services● High-Impedance Fault Detection
● Volt/VAR Optimization Technology
StraightTALKCounterintuitive Strategies. For a utility to turn its storm performance
around, it must recognize that the effects of many improvement initiatives
are counterintuitive. By Richard Brown, WorleyParsons
In Every IssueClassifi edADVERTISING
ADVERTISINGIndex
CONTENTS
ABOUT OUR COVER:
62
16
This helicopter-supported
line maintenance was
completed in considerably
less time than ground
deployment would have
required.
22
Transmission DisTribuTion subsTaTion overheaDunDergrounD energizeD engineering emergency resToraTion ProcuremenT safeTy consTrucTion raining 19,000 emPloyees unmaTcheD resources argesT workforce sPecializeD fleeT renewable
inTegraTion smarT griD smarT meTer infrasTrucTure Design insTallaTion mainTenance exPerTise reliable asTer DevoTeD emPowereD sTellar connecTeDransmission financial sTrengTh DisTribuTion
subsTaTion overheaD unDergrounD energizeDengineering emergency resToraTion ProcuremenTsafeTy consTrucTion Training 19,000 emPloyees unmaTcheD resources largesT workforce sPecializeD fleeT renewable inTegraTion smarT griDsmarT meTer infrasTrucTure Design insTallaTion mainTenance exPerTise reliable fasTer DevoTeDemPowereD sTellar connecTeD financial sTrengTh Transmission DisTribuTion subsTaTion overheaDunDergrounD energizeD engineering emergency resToraTion ProcuremenT safeTy consTrucTion raining 19,000 emPloyees unmaTcheD resources argesT workforce sPecializeD fleeT renewable
i n f r a s T r u c T u r e s e r v i c e s r e D e f i n e DinTegraTion smarT griD smarT meTer infrasTrucTure Design insTallaTion mainTenance exPerTise reliable asTer DevoTeD emPowereD sTellar connecTeDransmission financial sTrengTh DisTribuTion
subsTaTion overheaD unDergrounD energizeDengineering emergency resToraTion ProcuremenT
www.quantaservices.com 713.629.7600 nyse-Pwr
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com6
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com8
GlobalViewpoint
Sustain and Renew
I was visiting with my buddy Vito maybe a decade ago and
we were walking around in San Francisco when I happened
into a shop that touted sustainability. Vito lives in the land
of the politically and environmentally correct, so I asked, “Hey,
Vito, what does this sign mean?” He couldn’t give me a precise
definition of what sustainability meant, although he was sure
the proprietor’s goal was to project an environmentally friend-
ly hue that would result in additional sales. Vito couldn’t find
any obvious sustainably traits to the products for sale. And I
was pretty sure the products couldn’t sustain themselves.
Sustainability in our culture has become such a feel-good
word that, as long as a product doesn’t overtly damage the en-
vironment, it can be claimed to be sustainable. And things are
ever murkier now that the marketing world has embraced sus-
tainability as its own. Being an editor, I checked the meaning
of the term in my favorite dictionary, Merriam-Webster. There, I
discovered that sustainability is “relating to or being a method
of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not
depleted or permanently damaged.”
Okay, so using that definition on myself, I can state that my
sense of humor is definitely sustainable. I’ve had it dogging me
for years. But to keep from using it up, to keep it sustainable, I
try to parse it out.
My wife is a psychologist and tells me that at least some of
my aberrant behavior could be attributed to the fact that I am
left-handed and (thus by association) right-brained. She sees
in me common lefty traits, including creativity and speaking
without mind engaged.
Here is a typical “speak before you think” experience. I was
in a room full of engineers and managers, and the discussion
was being dominated by one particularly difficult manager
who was quite critical of others’ opinions while quite fond of
his own. In a gathering of 15 or so, Mr. Odious got on the topic
of diet and made this statement: “You are what you eat.”
Before I could stop my mouth, it responded to this irritant
with: “Then Buddy, you need to change your diet.” I expect-
ed this comment would garner a few snickers or a laugh or
two, but the room instead was filled with tomb quiet. Oh, no.
This was awkward, and I could think of no way out. Evidently,
I had hit too close to home with what others were thinking,
and there was no way I could glib myself out of this bit of self-
induced ugly. I could only wait for a seemingly eternity of si-
lence to pass.
My confidence was dinged. Any desire to deliver another
zinger was squelched. But time restores, and my temporarily
depleted well of off-the-cuff comments was replenished over
time. With a lifetime of rebounding from comments of this
sort, I can positively state that my sense of humor is sustainable.
Now I am a flaming environmentalist compared to Vito.
This Italian, Louisiana Cajun scrunches up his nose when po-
litically correct people make unresearched statements like “We
need more renewable energy” without any true understanding
of the impact of their energy opinions. As you might imagine,
when Vito and I talk, discussions can get a little heated when
the word “renewable” works its way into our talks. Renewable
seems to take on some of the same attributes as sustainable but
with maybe a slightly more radical connotation. Going back
to my man Merriam, renewable is “capable of being replaced
by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices.”
I’m not often accused of demonstrating sound manage-
ment practices, so let’s take a look at my natural ecological
cycle. After a day of heavy pondering, when I disengage the
brain, it seems to renew and refresh on its own. Yes, I am here
to state here and now that my brain is renewable. Here’s how it
works. When my brain is overly engaged, it simulates an over-
loaded transformer and saturates (a real transformer term);
no more will flow in without some downtime. But the brain
won’t stop churning on a topic unless it is given something else
to obsess over. In my instance, the best activities to refresh the
brain are golf and fishing. When golfing, my mind churns on
a dozen swing thoughts as I try to make that little white ball go
in a straight line. When fishing, my thoughts typically turn to
casting techniques, shortly followed by analyzing methods to
extract lures from tree limbs and underwater snags. In fact,
these activities kick up such a fast brainial refresh rate that I
could make a case for being paid to golf and fish.
The best proof of my own renewable ecological cycle is that
I have not lacked for an editorial topic in 18 years. Once the
brain is renewed and those old synapses start firing again,
I will surely get riled up or tickled by something. And then,
as I sit down at the keyboard, words start jumping up on the
screen. Not all editorials flow that easily, but I can say with
confidence that after the brain is refreshed, a renewable flow
of consciousness will show its handiwork again.
In full disclosure, I have to admit this editorial is not what I
started out to write. I intended to write a column on economic
sustainability, a much more serious topic. And now, well, my
mind is saturated. I have hit my 850-word limit. It’s time to hit
refresh and hit the links.
Editorial Director
Consulting • Engineering • Construction • Operation I www.bv.com
Bigger
Better
Perceptive planning shapes a powerful future.
What you need tomorrow is just as important as what you
need today. Even as Black & Veatch delivers today’s most
complex Power Delivery projects, we’re implementing
expansive plans for growth to ensure we’ll continue to
exceed your expectations far into the future.
We are hiring! Visit bv.com/careers to view opportunities,
including at our new Minneapolis and Houston offi ces.
We’re building a world of difference. Together.
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com10
BusinessDevelopments
Duke Energy Sues Cincinnati Over Utility Line Relocation for Streetcar Project
Duke Energy Corp. has filed a lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.,
arguing that a city ordinance requiring the company to pay to relocate utility lines
for a streetcar project is unconstitutional.
The lawsuit seeks to shift the estimated US$15 million cost back to the city. How-
ever, Duke has warned that the cost may be shifted to Duke customers if the city
does not pay.
Duke and the city were unable to settle the matter between them and have agreed
to allow the courts to decide who should be responsible for the cost of moving utility
lines to make room for streetcar stations and tracks.
The suit, which was expected, states that Duke should not have to pay to relocate
utility lines that wouldn’t have to be moved if there were no planned streetcars. The
city argues that it should not have to pay Duke for moving utility lines as part of a
public improvement project.
The utility argues that the city cannot give its own streetcar preferential treat-
ment and cannot force other utilities operating in the street to relocate at their own
cost to make way for the streetcar.
To avoid delaying the project while awaiting the court ruling, the city has agreed
to allocate the estimated $15 million needed for the relocation work and Duke has
agreed to begin the work. City officials hope the project, estimated to cost $110 mil-
lion, can open in 2016.
The 3.6-mile (5.8-km) streetcar line will link popular spots throughout the city’s
downtown and riverfront areas with the trendy Over-the-Rhine district.
For more information, visit www.duke-energy.com or www.cincinnati-oh.gov.
NPPD Contracts POWER Engineers to Design 220-Mile Transmission Line
POWER Engineers has been awarded a contract to design, route and manage the
construction of an approximately 220-mile (354-km) transmission line across north-
central Nebraska for the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD).
The new 345-kV transmission line aims to enhance reliability, reduce system con-
gestion and provide opportunities for the development of additional renewable en-
ergy projects on NPPD’s electric grid.
The line will be constructed from the existing Gerald Gentleman Station, ex-
tending north to a new substation in or near Cherry County, Nebraska, and then
east to a new substation near the eastern border of Holt County. The new line may
also require rerouting up to 2 miles (3.2 km) of an existing 345-kV transmission line
into the new substation near the Holt County line.
POWER will provide NPPD services related to preliminary engineering, route
selection, environmental surveying, right-of-way acquisition, permitting, design
engineering, structure and foundation design, electrical systems engineering and
studies, surveying, and construction management services.
The proposed line is part of a 10-year transmission expansion plan approved in
2012 by the Southwest Power Pool, which is responsible for ensuring adequate trans-
mission infrastructure in a nine-state region that includes Nebraska.
“This is an important project for the Nebraska transmission system, and POWER
is honored to work with NPPD to deliver an efficient, cost-effective and environ-
mentally responsible transmission line,” said Lynn Askew, POWER’s senior project
manager for environmental services.
For more information, visit www.nppd.com or www.powereng.com.
Hydro-Québec Awards Alstom FACTS Order
Hydro-Québec has awarded Alstom
Grid a contract to design, supply and in-
stall a 315-kV static var compensator at
the Figuery Substation in Amos, Québec.
This substation is critical to the Abiti-
bi-Témiscamingue region of the prov-
ince, which is facing growing industrial
demand. Reinforcing the transmission
system near Amos with proven, power
electronics-based Flexible AC Transmis-
sion System (FACTS) equipment will im-
prove the electric transmission capacity
of the region.
The Hydro-Québec transmission sys-
tem comprises 33,630 km (20,897 miles)
of lines, 514 substations and intercon-
nections with electric grids in Atlantic
Canada, Ontario and the Northeastern
U.S. There are 1,682 km (1,045 miles)
of lines in the Abitbi-Témiscamingue re-
gion of Québec where industrial activi-
ties represent approximately 64% of all
electricity sales in the area.
Visit www.alstom.com.
G&W Receives KEMAProduct Certification
G&W Electric Co. is the �rst recipient
of a new Product Certi�cate presented
by the prestigious KEMA Laboratory in
the Netherlands. The new Product Cer-
ti�cate includes passing the convention-
al Type Test, which veri�es the design
parameters and ratings of the product
to international standards, but further
adds the following:
lSampling, which requires the
manufacturer to supply more than one
product sample, allowing lab personnel
to randomly select which sample to test.
l Quality system, which requires the
manufacturer to be ISO 9001 certi�ed
for their quality systems.
l Code of conduct, which requires
the manufacturer to have a mission state-
ment and company policies to guide the
operations of the company toward prod-
uct quality and customer satisfaction.
G&W received the Product Certi�-
cate for the latest extension to its Viper
recloser product line, the Viper-LT.
Visit www.gwelec.com
NECA & IBEW
Your Quality Connection
F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n : w w w . n l m c c . o r g O n l i n e v i d e o m a g a z i n e : w w w . e l e c t r i c t v . n e t
Is your reputation on the line?
We think ours is, too.
We’re line contractors employing
NECA/IBEW trained linemen.
Does this mean we don’t take utility
work as seriously as you do? No!
Power work is what we have
embraced, trained for, and live.
We’re dedicated to protecting
our reputations, and yours, too!
Learn more at the sites below.
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
BusinessDevelopments
12
CG Opens Power Transformer Factory in Saudi Arabia
SPTC, a joint venture between CG
and Saudi Transformer Co., inaugu-
rated its flagship power transformer fac-
tory in Dammam Industrial City in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Feb. 12.
The joint venture is dedicated to the
design, engineering and manufacture
of power transformers and mobile sub-
stations.
The factory has a capacity of 5,000
MVA. The first transformer manufac-
tured will leave the factory by mid-April.
The joint venture has already received
a five-year framework contract for sub-
station services. The first orders are for
one mobile substation and six 25-MVA
power transformers. The products will
be delivered to Saudi Electricity Co.
Visit www.cgglobal.com.
PSE&G Unveils 10-Year Proposal to Make New Jersey “Energy Strong”
Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) proposed to invest US$3.9 billion
during the next 10 years to proactively protect and strengthen its electric and gas
systems against increasingly frequent severe weather conditions. In a filing with the
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, PSE&G asked for initial funding approval of
$2.6 billion during the first five years. Since some of the improvements will take
more than five years to implement, the utility may seek approval to spend an addi-
tional $1.3 billion in the following five years to complete the program.
PSE&G’s “Energy Strong” program would include protecting more than 40 util-
ity installations from storm surges, strengthening distribution lines, making the
electric grid smarter and thereby easier to restore customers, and modernizing the
gas distribution system.
“PSE&G has been recognized repeatedly for providing safe, highly reliable ser-
vice,” said Ralph Izzo, PSE&G chairman and CEO. “But reliability is no longer enough;
we must also focus on the resiliency of our systems to withstand natural disasters.
“It’s clear that Sandy, Hurricane Irene and the October ice storm in 2011 rep-
resent extreme weather patterns that have become commonplace,” Izzo said. “It’s
equally clear that how we live and do business is so dependent on energy that any
outage is hard to tolerate. Sandy was a defining event for all of us; the state’s en-
tire energy infrastructure needs to be rethought in light of weather conditions that
many predict will continue to occur.”
“PSE&G is responding to Sandy with a program that looks to the future with in-
vestments that would better protect homes and businesses when the next storm hits,
while also improving day-to-day reliability,” added Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G president
and COO.
During Sandy, 2 million of PSE&G’s 2.2 million electric customers lost power due
to damaged switching and substations, damaged poles and electrical equipment,
and downed trees that brought down wires. With the protections outlined in the
filing in place, about 800,000 of those affected by a storm like Sandy would have
remained with power, and restoration times for the rest would be reduced.
A new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) warns that
the failure to make adequate infrastructure investments in the U.S. electric grid
could significantly affect business productivity, employment and competitiveness.
ASCE finds that by 2020, closing the investment gap in our electrical grid would save
American businesses $126 billion, prevent the loss of 529,000 jobs and avert $656
billion in personal income losses.
“The cost of inaction is too high,” Izzo said. “We have a choice: continue to make
incremental improvements and repairs to our electric and gas systems as we have
always done. Or, we can be truly forward-looking and make more substantial invest-
ments that will help our state be better prepared for the next Irene, Sandy or other
catastrophic event.”
PSE&G outlined key provisions for its 10-year plan:
l $1.7 billion to raise, relocate or protect all switching and substations affected by
recent storms as well as those in newly designated flood zones
l $1.04 billion to replace and modernize 750 miles (1,207 km) of low-pressure
cast-iron gas mains in or near flood areas
l $454 million to deploy smart grid technologies to better monitor system opera-
tions to increase our ability to deploy repair teams more swiftly
l $215 million to improve pole distribution systems
l $200 million to create redundancy in the system, reducing outages when dam-
age occurs
l $60 million to move 20 miles (32 km) of overhead distribution lines underground
l $140 million to protect natural gas metering stations and a liquefied natural
gas station affected by Sandy or located in flood zones.
For more information, visit www.pseg.com.
Seattle City Light Partners on Campus Micro-Grid Project
Seattle City Light is partnering with
the University of Washington in a por-
tion of a regional smart grid demon-
stration project to build a micro-grid
for its new campus housing. The US$10
million project, which received $5.1 mil-
lion in federal grant money, is one of 11
subprojects that are part of the Pacific
Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration
Project managed by Battelle.
The UW Smart Campus Demon-
stration Project, which began in early
2010, installed approximately 235 smart
meters that began collecting data in
July 2012 on real-time electricity use
in 178 buildings. The project included
construction of a secure communica-
tions network (FacNet) to gather meter
data; a central meter data warehouse to
archive historical energy use; a meter
management system to retrieve, validate
and monitor meter data in near real
time; and custom energy analysis, re-
porting and visualization tools. Seattle
City Light contributed $600,000 toward
the project for data collection, automa-
tion controls and additional metering.
Visit www.pnwsmartgrid.org.
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com14
SMARTGrid
EU’s Energy-Efficiency Directive Is a Hammer Blow for Smart Metering in Europe, Warns GlobalData Energy Consultant
CenterPoint Energy Makes Giant Strides in AMI Initiative CenterPoint Energy, a Texas transmission and distribution
service provider (TDSP), has installed 2.2 million smart me-
ters for residential and commercial customers, and is nearing
completion of its communications infrastructure installation.
A $200 million Smart Grid Investment Grant enabled the proj-
ect, which also includes distribution automation capabilities.
Advanced metering infrastructure provides automated ser-
vice connection and disconnection and meter reading, as well
as an 80% improvement in metering accuracy. Each of these
automated transactions translates into an avoided truck roll.
“In our market in Texas, we have a high volume of service
order management,” said Kenny Mercado, senior vice presi-
dent of grid and market operations. “It’s a competitive market
so customers will change from one retailer to another retailer.
We automatically disconnect and reconnect power on the or-
der of about 7,000 transactions per day, so we have executed
3.5 million orders remotely since we went live.”
Another advantage of the meters is automatic noti�cation
of outages. As soon as the outage noti�cation system becomes
fully operational, CenterPoint will no longer need to wait to
hear from customers to learn when an outage occurs or where
crews must be dispatched. Smart meters also help determine
the type of outage and the number of customers affected.
The smart meters also offer customers the potential for sig-
ni�cant electricity savings. CenterPoint owns and operates the
electricity delivery equipment leading to the customer prem-
ises, including the customer meters. More than 100 retail elec-
tricity providers (REPs) compete with each other to sign up
customers to sell them electricity. In addition to delivering the
electricity, the TDSPs provide consumers’ consumption data to
the REPS that then bill the customers. The Smart Meter Texas
web portal enables customers to access their detailed consump-
tion data, provides the REPs the ability to offer prepay or time-
of-use programs, and enables both parties to connect home
area network devices to the meter for real-time usage data.
The CenterPoint initiative is highly complex and impacts
numerous areas within the utility. “In order to get the tech-
nology to work properly, you must have a solid set of require-
ments, have good communication within the organization
and work with vendors that you trust,” Mercado said. “We went
with large vendors for our project.”
Itron provided the metering hardware and designed the
mesh network that served as the �rst stage of communication
back to the cell relays. Siemens provided the meter data man-
agement system. General Electric built the backhaul system
IBM did all of the software integration, and Quanta Services
was the contractor hired by Itron to do the labor.
For more information, visit www.centerpointenergy.com.
European countries that can afford electricity smart meter-
ing programs will continue with their plans, but smaller na-
tions and new accession states are now likely to back out of
smart metering schemes, as the Energy-Ef�ciency Directive
agreed by the European Union’s (EU’s) member states late
last year signi�cantly waters down the billing and metering
requirements found in previous drafts.
Countries yet to complete cost-bene�t analyses (CBAs) for
electricity include Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slo-
venia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia and Portugal. Bel-
gium, the Czech Republic and Lithuania already have com-
pleted negative CBAs and will not be implementing smart
metering and smart grids.
Jonathan Lane, GlobalData’s head of consulting for power
and utilities, considers the fate of these countries’ smart grid
plans: “Whilst it is inconceivable that Germany will not imple-
ment smart metering given its large solar and wind generation
sector, all the other undecided countries look like a signi�cant
risk and only Poland has a strong chance of a positive result.
“The smart metering industry must take some responsibil-
ity for this result. It has been unable to deliver a simple, mass-
market product to Europe such as those found in the U.S. The
lack of an available frequency for radio mesh products used
in the U.S. has been a problem, but the industry has failed to
�nd a solution that works across Europe at a reasonable cost.
Why would a utility in Hungary buy a GPRS-enabled smart
meter for 100 euros, when it can buy a single-phase electronic
meter for 10 euros? Many European countries, including Hun-
gary, already have ripple control system to manage the peaks
produced by electric hot water heaters and do not need smart
meters for demand response.”
Lane also argues that policy makers at the EU and national
level are to blame because of their inability to articulate the
purpose of smart metering in Europe. “Is it to drive energy ef-
�ciency,” he asks, “reduce non-technical losses, to enable large
quantities of intermittent renewables to be connected to the
grid, to support electric vehicles, to deliver demand response?
Again, Europe can learn from the U.S., which has a clear focus
on the biggest challenge — alleviating the peaks produced by
air conditioning.”
GlobalData expects countries in Eastern Europe to focus
on district heating measures to support their energy-ef�ciency
goals, and perhaps smart metering’s time will come again for
these countries — perhaps when a frequency can be made
available for radio mesh.
For more information, visit www.globaldata.com.
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com16
TechnologyUpdatesATC Synchrophaser Initiative Advances
American Transmission Co. (ATC)
provides electric transmission service
for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, east-
ern Wisconsin and portions of Illinois
through 9,440 miles (15,192 km) of high-
voltage transmission lines and more
than 500 substations. ATC’s US$2.6 mil-
lion phasor measurement unit (PMU)
project, which received a $1.3 million
federal grant, is expanding the collec-
tion of phasor data from 45 to 90 substa-
tions throughout its transmission system.
ATC has 85 PMUs in service, 18 of
which are digital fault recorders (DFRs)
with synchrophasor output enabled. ATC
is installing stand-alone Schweitzer Engi-
neering Laboratories PMUs at sites that
do not currently have DFRs and upgrad-
ing existing ERLPhase and Mehta Tech
DFRs to give them PMU functionality.
Data from 35 PMUs is being sent to
Midwest ISO with plans to enable all data
later. The last five Department of Energy-
sponsored PMU sites will be completed
in 2013. ATC’s project is also using new
phasor data concentrators from Cooper
Power, and improved data collection and
historian software from OSIsoft.
Ultimately, ATC will use synchro-
phasor monitoring to improve system
reliability and restoration procedures.
Wide-area monitoring, visualization and
system control enables a more expan-
sive view of the bulk transmission system
while revealing dynamic operating de-
tails. ATC soon will have PMUs installed
and providing data at all 345-kV substa-
tions and large generating stations.
Long term, Jim Kleitsch, ATC’s op-
eration lead, sees “the data becoming in-
creasingly integrated with ATC’s existing
processes so that operations, planning,
system protection and asset maintenance
personnel can analyze the data to deter-
mine how the system is performing.”
Starting in 2014, ATC will shift from
getting the data flowing to analysis of
the data and implementation of changes
based on the results. ATC plans to extend
synchrophasor visibility outside its opera-
tional footprint by leveraging data that
will be made available from other compa-
nies as well as from the Midwest ISO.
Visit www.atcllc.com
MLGW Takes Unique Approach to Distribution Automation Project
Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s (MLGW’s) US$13 million smart grid project is
unique in that it is an internal distribution automation project without a large cus-
tomer component. In fact, while most customers might not be aware of the project,
the results will be very real for the utility and the customers.
As part of its smart grid project, MLGW installed more than 500 intelligent relays,
obtained from ETI/Richards and Digital Grid Technologies, with communications
capabilities for the network electric distribution system that serves the downtown
and medical center districts. These network protector relays work in conjunction
with a variety of sensors to monitor operating parameters of the transformer and
protector as well as the environment within the underground vaults.
To enable communication between the smart grid components, fiber-optic and
copper instrument cables were installed throughout the area. RuggedCom pro-
vided the communications routers for the system. This communications network
integrates the new automated distribution equipment in the field with an upgraded
supervisory control and data acquisition system and expansion of the current outage
management system into a distribution management system.
All of the equipment was installed at the end of 2012, and MLGW is currently
configuring the control programs to interpret the data being delivered from the sys-
tem. When complete, MLGW will have unprecedented knowledge of the condition
of its system, remote control of network protectors and a wealth of analysis tools to
improve the quality of engineering and operational studies.
Memphis intends this automated distribution management to reduce operating
costs. It improves distribution system reliability by providing a fast and coordinat-
ed response to grid outages, as well as improved preventative maintenance due to
equipment monitoring. Worker safety is improved by reducing the number of trips
into the vaults, particularly under dangerous conditions.
For more information, visit www.mlgw.com.
Tucson Activates New 5-MW Solar Plant Tucson Electric Power (TEP) announces the completion of the 5-MW Prairie Fire
Solar Plant in Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Over the course of a year, the Prairie Fire array
is expected to produce nearly 9,000 MWh, enough to power more than 850 homes.
The fixed-tilt system was designed and constructed by SOLON. TEP will own and
operate the solar production facility. The 5-MW system spans 28 acres (11 hectares)
and is composed of more than 17,000 solar panels. The construction of the system,
located near East Valencia and East Old Vail roads, took just 10 weeks and created
the equivalent of 75 full-time local
jobs.
The Prairie Fire system is
the third utility-scale solar array
SOLON has developed for TEP
in Tucson. By the end of 2013, the
utility expects to have more than
250 MW of renewable generating
capacity, enough energy to power
the equivalent of approximately
50,000 homes.
For more information, visit
www.tep.com and www.solon.com.
Supported by a global network of application experts, the Multilin 3 Series
delivers advanced system integration flexibility with robust communication
options including IEC 61850.
The Multilin 3 Series protection relays feature detailed asset diagnostic
capabilities, and a robust draw-out design to maximize uptime. Customers
rely on GE’s Multilin 3 Series to protect their essential electrical infrastructure
and critical assets.
From oil and gas and mining, to utility substations and light
rail, GE’s Multilin™ 3 Series provides advanced protection for
feeders, motors and transformers in demanding environments.
Fast, accurate & flexible protection
g Energy
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com18
the electrical current flow on the line by injecting inductive
reactance. The DSRs can be operated autonomously or with
full operator control and provide distributed line sensing and
monitoring.
“This represents a milestone in moving the Smart Wire
technology from concept through development and into util-
ity operation,” said Bruce Rogers, director of technology inno-
vations for TVA. “We saw the critical need for this technology
and became an early funder of the Smart Wire concept. For
several years, TVA has continued support of the Smart Wire
technology development effort through
the Georgia Tech/National Electric En-
ergy Testing, Research & Application
Center (NEETRAC) and the Smart Wire
Focused Initiative (SWFI).”
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ad-
vanced Research Program Agency–Elec-
tric (ARPA-E) will monitor the 99 units
for a year to verify performance. Each unit
weighs about 150 lb (68 kg) and looks like
a long rectangle box.
“The technology offers our transmis-
sion grid planners and operators a new
tool that helps address a wide range of
issues facing TVA today,” said Rob Man-
ning, executive vice president and chief
energy delivery officer for TVA. “The
number of challenges that transmission
system owners must meet increases every
year. We are asked to improve grid reli-
ability, facilitate efficient electricity mar-
kets along with integrating renewables.
We think Smart Wire technology will
help us do this.”
The DSR units were rigorously tested
to electric utility standards for fault cur-
rent, corona, lightning impulse and vi-
bration by Georgia Tech/NEETRAC at
its high-voltage test facilities.
“The TVA team of engineers, opera-
tions, planners and field crews were phe-
nomenal. Crews installed the 99 DSR
units in half the time expected,” stated
Stewart Ramsay, CEO for SWG Inc.
Support and funding for the develop-
ment of the Smart Wire technology and
units was provided by TVA and other util-
ities as part of NEETRAC/SWFI partici-
pation and by the Department of Energy
ARPA-E GENI program. TVA provided
additional funding to support the pilot
demonstration installation.
Visit tva.gov, www.neetrac.gatech.edu
and www.smartwiregrid.com.
technologyUpdates
Tennessee Valley Authority and NEETRAC Pilot Smart Wire Technology to Improve Grid Reliability
A pilot demonstration of Smart Wire technology is now
under way on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s power trans-
mission system. Installed on a 161-kV transmission line near
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S., the Smart Wire system is designed
to provide congestion relief by redistributing power flow onto
underused lines, thereby optimizing transmission system
operations.
Smart Wire technology, manufactured by Smart Wire Grid
Inc., consists of an array of distributed series reactance units
(DSRs) that easily attach to a transmission line. The units limit
Technology that can help make the planet greener. Companies are looking for ways to reduce energy consumption.
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that help businesses conserve energy, as well as budgets. It starts with our Smart Energy Management solution.
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make informed energy decisions. The result is cost effi ciency for businesses and a cleaner environment for everyone.
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com20
mends that they hire a professional arborist. Some tree spe-
cialists may offer their services, but they may be scam artists
who don’t know the industry or have the expertise to get the
job done right.
If a homeowner decides to care for a damaged tree on their
own, they must follow proper safety precautions and best prac-
tices. Finally, homeowners can prepare their trees for future
storms. With proper care, much of the worst damage to trees
and property can be prevented.
Partnering with UtilitiesIn addition to helping utilities to educate their customers,
the Arbor Day Foundation is working with them to protect the
tree canopy and improve the health of urban forests. Even so,
there is room for even deeper partnerships.
Nearly 150 utility companies are already recognized by the
foundation as a Tree Line USA, in honor of their commitment
to proper tree planting, pruning and care in their respective
service areas. Tree Line USA honors both public and pri-
vate utilities for pursuing practices that protect and enhance
America’s urban trees and for helping customers to plant the
right tree in the right place to save energy.
The healthy intersection between urban forestry and util-
ity providers also informs the Energy-Saving Trees program.
Launched by the Arbor Day Foundation as a pilot initiative
in 2011, Energy-Saving Trees gives customers of participating
utilities the chance to conserve energy and reduce electricity
bills by receiving a free tree to plant in their own yard.
Through the program, an online tool allows customers to
order trees and plant them in a location that will result is the
highest possible savings through the shading effect. In addi-
tion to providing approximate energy savings, the tool also
estimates the tree’s other benefits, many of which are felt
throughout the community.
Atlantic Cities Utilities, Delmarva and Pepco, serving mil-
lions of customers in Hurricane Sandy-affected areas, are
three of the utilities participating in the Energy-Saving Trees
Program.
Both now and in the future, the foundation looks forward
to continuing its work with private and public sector partners
on effective urban forest management solutions.
Randy Gordon ([email protected]) is a program
manager for the Arbor Day Foundation. The foundation
began in 1972 and has grown to include about 1 million
members nationwide who plant millions of trees annually.
QuarterlyRepoRt
Tree Care: Key to Storm Recovery
By Randy Gordon, Arbor Day Foundation
In the wake of a disaster like Hurricane Sandy, the first pri-
ority is to protect life, safety and property. But once the
emergency response has ended, addressing damage to
neighborhood trees becomes central to long-term recovery.
Electric utility providers are already among the first-
responders in the wake of the storm, working to keep the
lights on and keep people safe in their homes. They also field
frequent calls from customers concerned about the intersec-
tion of trees and power lines, and whether trees in their own
yard pose a significant risk. These companies also have a cru-
cial role to play in tree care and recovery, alongside elected
officials, neighborhood leaders and the media.
The Arbor Day Foundation is actively engaged with util-
ity providers seeking proactive steps to prepare customers at
risk during storms. Through customer education, planting
the right tree in the right place and a commitment to proper
pruning and care, a great deal of tree-related damage can be
prevented during disasters. These important steps also pre-
serve the year-round benefits of urban forestry.
Investing in Proper Tree MaintenanceOne of the community benefits of a robust tree canopy is
reduced municipal costs. A typical urban forest of 10,000 trees
will retain 10 million gallons (3.78 million liters) of rainwater
per year, improving storm water management and reducing
the expenditures needed for the city’s sewer and wastewater
infrastructure.
Another key advantage is the boost to local economies.
Communities with ample tree-life attract more homeowners
and professionals, and see property values rise between 10%
and 20%, while retail areas with more trees draw more shop-
pers who stay longer.
Educating HomeownersThe Arbor Day Foundation offers counsel on how to prop-
erly assess damage to trees and provide needed care through
a comprehensive Storm Recovery Kit. The kit contains both
written materials and videos, and broadcast-quality DVDs are
also available upon request.
In this kit, the Arbor Day Foundation gives a variety of key
storm-recovery tips to electric utilities’ customers, which, in
turn, can minimize tree damage and prevent unnecessary
outages. For example, homeowners are advised not to panic
following a storm and consider waiting a few weeks or months
before making their final decision about a tree. If a fallen tree
does require immediate attention, the foundation recom-
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22 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
CHARACTERSwithCharacter
A Woman with a Plan
Catie Plante,
Connecticut Light & Power
By James R. Dukart, Contributing Writer
The first thing you need to know about Catie Plante
is contained in the first four letters of her last name.
As if divined by birth, this is a young woman with a
P-L-A-N.
For Plante, a project manager and emergency coordi-
nation specialists at Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P),
planning and executing plans has been part of her DNA
since childhood. She was introduced to the utility business
as a young girl, tagging along with her father, a transmis-
sion project manager at Public Service New Hampshire
(PSNH), as he would inspect transmission lines and visit
substations. “I loved what he did,” Plante recalls. “I knew
right away I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
She wasted no time in doing so, enrolling in Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, in civil engineer-
ing. Her experience in the business began with a transmis-
sion maintenance internship at PSNH. Plante spent her
first two college summers hiking the woods of New Hamp-
shire, inspecting lines, and observing planning and con-
struction. She spent her senior year of college interning in
the Albany, New York area.
Coming out of college, Plante knew she wanted to be in
transmission project management, but she felt working at
PSNH while her father was still there might constitute a con-
flict of interest. So she joined another of the Northeast Utilities
family of companies, CL&P. She started in the transmission
systems planning group, which she notes was staffed with elec-
trical engineers who were experts on network planning and
reliability but not as familiar with civil engineering constraints
such as terrain, climate and pre-existing structures. Plante
characterizes her time with this group as a bidirectional learn-
ing experience: she learned about network design from within
a utility, while other group members gained from her back-
ground in civil engineering and familiarity with the geograph-
ic and demographic characteristics of CL&P’s service territory.
Plante spent a year and a half with the transmission plan-
ning group, followed by a year as a civil engineer designing
structures for substations and specializing in culvert designs
and engineering. “I like the dirt and steel, something you can
wrap your arms around,” she notes.
Her next role was as a transmission project manager. And
in June, Plante joined CL&P’s emergency preparedness group.
The combination and experience of all her CL&P roles came
into play in a major way in early November, Plante notes, when
Superstorm Sandy slammed the Connecticut coast.
In the weeks leading up to the storm, weather reports gave
Plante and her emergency preparedness colleagues a fairly
accurate picture that Sandy would land between New Jersey
and New England, so CL&P knew it was in the bull’s-eye, so to
speak. The company was able to do pre-landfall assessments
and, in particular, line up help ahead of time for what would
surely be major outages. “We really wanted to make sure we
had all hands on deck,” says the consummate planner Plante.
“And we did. We had updated maps and plans for communica-
tions. That is so important, because when the power goes out,
you also lose communications networks.”
Once the storm hit, CL&P’s most important charge was
to assess emergency or 911 situations, addressing first and
foremost any life-threatening conditions or outages. CL&P
restored power to an estimated 800,000 customers through-
out the restoration process following the storm, with many of
the outages due to costal flooding. The next task was to clear
roads so emergency vehicles could pass and crews could get
in to restore power. It felt like the entire company, she says,
worked 16-plus-hour days for at least a week straight, but in the
end, it was able to restore power to large majority of its custom-
ers within days. “We learned a lot from previous storms, too,”
Plante adds, citing in particular Hurricane Irene, which hit
the East Coast in 2011.
Among the more interesting notes to Superstorm Sandy,
Plante observes, is that it hit exactly during a full moon, mean-
ing tides were as high as they could possibly be, leading to in-
creased flooding. One of the more memorable crises of the
storm was when CL&P learned that a backup generator had
caught fire at a high-security women’s prison in the southern
part of the state. “At first, we had to evaluate whether to try to get
a new generator there, or try to restore the circuit,” Plante says.
With weeks of long work days now behind her, Plante is
turning to her next series of plans, which is to compete in a
couple more half marathons this year. Last year, she trained
for and competed in her first full marathon, an experience
she likens to emergency preparedness planning. “You have to
make a plan and execute it,” she exudes. “You can probably tell
I would like that.” She also plans to participate in the Ragnar
Relay from Logan to Park City, Utah, in June. It’s a 192-mile
(309-km) run in which 12 runners per team have to plan out
their overnight trek through Utah’s canyons and mountains.
Sounds pretty much perfect for Catie Plante.
Dad says there are 3 instruments
in his new CIBANO 500: a micro-
ohmmeter, a timing analyzer and
even a circuit breaker supply. These
help him to carry out all kinds of tests
on all types of circuit breakers, quickly
and with little wiring. Even better, it
weighs only 20 kg / 44 lbs.
The unique wiring concept makes
his job safer and easier, as he
doesn’t need to rewire between the
single tests – and now that measured
data can be transmitted digitally,
interference is history.
The Primary Test Manager (PTM)
software installed on Dad’s computer
also helps him with testing by giving
one overall report of all his results.
Dad says circuit breaker testing has
never been so easy. Check it out for
yourself!
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The future of circuit breaker testing has arrived.
…and since he has got his new CIBANO 500 he's at home earlier than ever!
My Dad tests circuit breakersMe and my brand−new CIBANO 500! Love, Dadj
24 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
LiveLine
25www.tdworld.com | March 2013
Get It Done From the AirIdaho Power uses helicopter-based live-line
maintenance to get the job done in a timely, outage-free manner.
By Tom Barber, Idaho Power
Idaho Power maintains nearly 5,000 miles (8,047 km) of
transmission lines stretching across some of the most
rugged and remote landscape throughout Idaho and
Oregon, U.S. Moving equipment necessary to maintain
the lines by ground is difficult, sometimes requiring permis-
sion from landowners and environmental assessments, as well
as the addition of new roads. Beyond access issues, it is be-
coming increasingly difficult to get permission for outages to
perform maintenance work. Although Idaho Power has some
redundancy, high electrical load in the summer and winter
prevents outages during these months; however, outages are
possible in the spring and fall.
Idaho Power supplies electricity to more than 500,000 cus-
tomers that span 24,000 sq miles (62,160 sq km). Since the
1980s, Idaho Power’s load has increased by 1,075 MW and con-
tinues to grow at about 50 MW per year, with the most rapid
growth occurring in Boise and the surrounding area.
Specialized Live-Line CrewsAn inspection of Brownlee–Boise Bench transmission lines
showed many insulators and dampers needed to be replaced.
The project included 103 miles (166 km) of transmission lines
between the Brownlee Station in Hell’s Canyon and the Boise
Bench Substation in the Boise metro area. Idaho Power does
not integrate bare-hand hot crews in its internal workforce
to perform energized work on its 230-kV lines; therefore, the
utility outsourced this project to contractors who provide op-
tions for live-line maintenance. Idaho Power selected Haver-
field Aviation, an aerial utility contractor, based on its ability
to navigate close tolerances and tight electrical clearances as
well as its line worker expertise.
Working closely together, Idaho Power’s project team and
Haverfield’s specialized services and safety teams developed a
detailed health and safety plan tailored to the utility’s project.
Contractor personnel went to each structure and took mea-
surements to create a detailed project plan. Each project task
was listed, the associated hazards for that task were identified,
work procedures were written and appropriate mitigation
steps were developed. In addition, specialized tooling needs
were identified to reduce hazards. Tailboard discussions were
held every morning to review operational tasks, identify po-
tential safety hazards and list mitigation measures to be used
for every particular phase of the project.
The Implementation Following a tailboard meeting, one of Haverfield’s 21
McDonnell Douglas MD500 helicopters would long-line the
linemen and necessary equipment to the first structure. Typi-
cal tools used for the work included attachment hardware and
brackets, fiberglass work sticks and ladders, strain poles and
A helicopter provides a long-line delivery of a crew to the structure.
26 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
LiveLine
ratchet wrenches. Specialized equipment also was lifted into
place. Some examples of specialized equipment that could be
used on a particular structure follow:
l Custom-designed baker boards and support brackets for
conductor shoe and insulator replacement
l Deadend strain stick assemblies for insulator and dead-
end shoe replacement
l Long custom fiberglass strain sticks for the human exter-
nal cargo system to position personnel on the structure, con-
ductor or baker boards as needed.
Repairs and Change-OutsConductor, damper and hardware repairs at the structure
and insulator change-outs were facilitated using a patented
support assembly attached to the structure body. These spe-
cialty baker boards were extruded fiberglass platforms fitted
innovations in Aerial Situations
It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain permis-
sion for outages during maintenance on transmission
lines. Environmental concerns and a lack of much-
needed new power line construction have complicated
the situation even more. The burden placed on utilities
and their systems by constantly increasing consumer
demand and the fact certain areas are fed by radial lines
make energized maintenance the only viable solution.
Recognizing a need to address this issue, Haverfield
developed a specialty operations division. Composed
of a team of experienced pilots, foremen, linemen and
groundmen, this division has been tasked with the
development of solutions for situations with complex
energized maintenance work and construction projects.
As many projects present unique problems, the team
continues to invent solutions.
A recently completed project presented difficulties
that resulted in the design and fabrication of a unique
device that will be useful in many future situations. The
project required work on structures that were designed
for 69-kV lines but installed with 115-kV lines, which
made conventional work methods a challenge. The issue
was addressed with the development of a hydrauli-
cally adjustable, extruded fiberglass baker board with
adjustable attachment brackets. This allowed work on
the structures to be performed safely, which consisted of
switching out pinning plates, insulators and any neces-
sary conductor repairs.
In another instance, a customer requested insulators be replaced on 400-ft (122-m) towers, which spanned over a river cross-
ing. This work needed to be performed energized. The conductors were 3,500 million circular mils and weighed 12,000 lb
(5,443 kg) each. In response to the challenge the weight of the conductors created, the team developed a winch capable of
lifting 24,000 lb (10,886 kg). The winch was to be mounted above the arm of the structure to help overcome clearance concerns
that the situation presented.
In addition, strain sticks and lifting plates large enough to handle the extreme wire weight were fabricated. Because the lines
were 345 kV with vertical construction, the team had to attach 80 ft (24 m) of strain sticks together to allow optimal positioning
of equipment and linemen to make working on the conductors safe. The final development for the project was a small spacer
cart that would work on a single conductor for the change-out of 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) of conductor dampers.
Clearance issues with the middle phase on a 500-kV line for another job required the development of a spacer cart that
could be flown and suspended below the helicopter using the human external cargo (HEC) system. The HEC system is used
when a lineman is suspended by a long line, 50 ft (15 m) or more in the air from the base of a hovering helicopter. Using the HEC
system, the newly designed spacer cart, equipped with a lineman and tools, landed into position successfully on the energized
middle phase of the 500-kV line, directly on the conductor.
On another water-crossing job, the customer had 400-ft towers with 5,000-ft (1,524-m) spans. The project required the
replacement of conductor weights and spacers. Conventional spacer carts could not travel up the wire without slipping. This
required the team to engineer a four-wheel-drive spacer cart that could handle the centenary of the wire without slipping.
The crew, lifts, platforms and gear were delivered to this structure by helicopter to perform a complex set of energized maintenance actions.
27www.tdworld.com | March 2013
LIVELine
Companies mentioned:Haverfi eld Aviation | www.haverfi eld.com
Idaho Power | www.idahopower.com
with specially fabricated brackets and hydraulic jacks that
could be attached to a variety of structures.
The boards were lifted by helicopter and fi tted into place
just under the conductors. A linemen would raise the conduc-
tor with a hydraulic lift, disconnect it from the insulators and
slide it outward from the structure. Another lineman would
then be long-lined onto the platform where he would use an
arc wand and bond clamp hooked to his hot suit to energize
and connect himself to the power line. Next, the lineman on
the fi berglass board would perform work on the conductor
while the lineman on the structure would replace the old insu-
lators with new ones using the helicopter.
On angle structures, special adapter brackets and strain
sticks were used to hold the conductor and break the load.
Two linemen would then be fl own to the structure on a mini
platform connected to the helicopter with the long-line sys-
tem. They would be bonded onto the conductor with wands
and bond clamps while the helicopter would hover above the
conductor. Then the lineman would disconnect the conductor
from the insulators and return to the ground. The linemen
on the structure would perform insulator change-outs with
the assistance of the helicopter and a long line. The process
was reversed to reconnect the conductor. Any work needed on
the conductor dampers was done at that time with the mini
platform.
On double-deadend structures, linemen would be fl own
to the structure by helicopter and long-lined, and then the
equipment would be fl own to the structure. Fiberglass ladders
would be landed, swung into position and connected to the
conductor. Fiberglass strain sticks would be installed into posi-
tion on the structure by the linemen on the ladder to break
the load, to allow the insulators to be changed.
The ResultsWork on the Brownlee–Boise Bench Project began on
Sept. 3, 2012, and was completed on schedule 15 days later. At
the conclusion of the project, 42 suspension strings and two
deadend strings were replaced, conductor repairs were made
as needed and damper installations were done at 66 lattice
structures. While the costs are comparable, a ground-based
crew would have needed about three-and-a-half months to
complete the same work.
Tom Barber ([email protected]) is a project manager at
Idaho Power Co. and has 15 years of experience in the electric
utility industry. Prior to working at Idaho Power, he spent fi ve
years working in consulting at Ralph M. Parsons and POWER
Engineers. Barber holds a BSEE degree from the University of
Idaho and is a professional engineer registered in Idaho.
A helicopter eye view of delivering linemen to the structure via the long line.
HIPO UNIVERSITY
I N T R O D U C I N G . . .
www.hipotronics.com/training.htmA S [email protected]
N O W
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30 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
HIGHReliability
Network planning specialists at VSD — a distribu-
tion system operator in Slovakia and part of the
European RWE Group — process applications
on a daily basis for the connection of additional
load and distributed generation. These connections result in
the need for minor and, at times, major modifi cations to the
distribution system.
The utility’s internal guidelines for grid planning defi ne
the basic framework for such modifi cations. This often results
in the need to quantify the impact of the distribution system
on the newly connected load/generation and, vice versa, to as-
sess the impact of these connections on the distribution sys-
tem. In those cases, it is necessary to model the section of the
distribution system either in very simple form using some of
the available tabular calculators or in a more complex form
using professional system planning software.
Planning Specifi cationIn 2009, a team of engineers from the VSE Group, also part
of the RWE Group, outlined the requirements for network
planning software (NPS) from the user’s perspective by defi n-
ing both the engineering and IT architectures. This was in
response to a massive update of VSE Group’s business applica-
tions, network information and control systems — SAP, super-
visory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and geographic
information system (GIS) — installed from 2004 to 2009.
Systematic implementation of NPS was one of the last piec-
es of the puzzle when it came to VSE Group’s IT tools. NPS is
expected to replace the manual creation of network models,
which is less precise, very time-consuming and not fl exible
with regard to maintenance needs and updates. This form of
network modeling affected, in a negative way, the quantity and
technical capability of network analysis.
The NPS now available on the market offers plenty of ana-
lytical and calculation functions that often exceed the quality
and range of technical network data grid operators typically
maintain. VSE Group’s minimum requirements for NPS com-
prised the calculation of symmetrical load fl ows, symmetrical
three-phase, and unsymmetrical single-phase and two-phase
short-circuit currents.
Other voltage-related analytical functions included ratio-
nalizing the feeder measurements (PQ values), determination
of the capacitive currents in the 22-kV network, contingency
analysis in the 110-kV system and determination of low-voltage
(LV) fuse ratings. The duration of large network model calcu-
lators of up to 100,000 nodes should be minimal (completed
within a minute). However, these performance functions were
not the main driver of this project, as they were already speci-
fi ed by the NPS.
The resulting technical specifi cation focused mainly on
data conversion and the consequential software processing.
The data had to be convertible from any voltage level so us-
ers could analyze the high-voltage (HV) system and domestic
load conditions. The large geographical HV/medium-voltage
(MV) network models had to be capable of representing the
grid, which has an area of 16,200 sq km (6,255 sq miles). Thus,
it was essential for the NPS to have simple graphical repre-
sentation of the results on the network diagram. This would
enable users to distinguish individual feeder/substation-based
supply areas or devices with some of the parameters beyond
the area being studied.
Editing, exporting and printing functions completed the
VSE Group’s requirements package, which was used as a basis
Distributed Generation Drives System PlanningNetwork planning benefi ts from geographic information system data and user-oriented software. By Jozef Tomcik, Peter Mento and Jaroslav Serdula, VSE Group
An example of a general user interface of PSS SINCAL.
31www.tdworld.com | March 2013
HIGHReliability
for the contract tendering process.
The source network database from
the GIS had to be able to store three
independent geographical grid mod-
els for the HV, MV and LV grids. The
parameters for each of the grid models
were specifi ed as follows:
● High-voltage grid. The HV model
would represent specifi cally the 110-kV
grid in the complete supply area of VSD.
The (external) transmission system op-
erator’s 400-kV grid would be represent-
ed by the in-feeds connected to a 400-kV
bus bar. The subsequent transformers’
400/110-kV and 110-kV overhead lines
would be represented by electric parameters while bus bars
and switching components would be converted from the GIS
without any simplifi cation. The end stations’ 110/22-kV trans-
formers would be represented as a load. The HV grid would
be designed to operate as a meshed connected network; there-
fore, the contingency analysis would be used to identify bottle-
necks in the grid.
● Medium-voltage grid. The MV model would represent one
of the eight subregions of the supply area, so, in practice,
eight different MV models would be required. In-feeder mod-
els representing the short-circuit conditions in the upstream
400-kV and 110-kV grid would be connected to a 110-kV bus
bar. Unlike in the HV grid, the 110/22-kV transformers would
be modeled by the transformers’ electrical parameters. The
downstream 22-kV lines and 22/0.4-kV transformers would be
modeled by standard parameters. Unlike in the 400-kV grid,
the end stations would be modeled completely, including the
22/0.4-kV transformers, with loads to represent the outgo-
ing 0.4-kV feeders. It should be possible to fi nd the optimum
transformer tap position and analyze the impact of the tap
positions on the 110/22-kV and 22/0.4-kV transformers in a
complex 22-kV model. The load trim function is important for
Graphical representation of the distribution system voltage levels.
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32 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
highReliability
Project-related screen shot of medium-voltage grid in PSS using the spectrum of colors represents the loading areas: red represents a heavily loaded area and green represents an area with a lighter load.
Coloring of different medium-voltage supply feeders with background vector map (to help the utility and others to identify individual feeders in the geographical representation).
fuse ratings that protect the equipment and
satisfy the 5-second disconnection limit re-
quired under fault conditions.
All three models (110 kV, 22 kV and
0.4 kV) would need the option to be virtu-
ally interconnected to allow for an analysis
of mutual impacts between voltage levels in
the most precise way.
Network Planning Software SelectionAt the end of 2009, the VSE Group cir-
culated a tender for the future supplier. A
multi-criteria assessment was used to select
the final supplier. VSE Group made the de-
cision based on the total cost of ownership,
including five years of maintenance, and the
evaluation of technical requirements. Total
cost and compliance with the technical spec-
ification were each assigned a 50% share.
In 2010, the first part of the contract, the
business blueprint of the project, was elabo-
rated in cooperation with all the interested
vendors and approved. In 2011, the second
part of the contract — this included modification to the ex-
isting GIS system, development and supply of the conversion
tools and the NPS — was considered. This process resulted in
the award of the VSE Group contract to Siemens Power Tech-
nologies International (Siemens PTI) in October 2011.
The Network Planning SoftwareThe Siemens software package, containing the network
planning software PSS SINCAL version 8.5, included the re-
lated software to convert network data,
background graphics and, last but not
least, the updater of network data. User
requirements, collected from utility us-
ers around the world, are integrated
into this NPS in the form of regular up-
dates, which benefits both the software
development as well as the customer.
Two system enhancements within PSS
SINCAL were the result of the VSE
Group’s recommendations.
The quality of the distribution system
model has a direct, significant impact
on the quality of the analysis; it is even
more important than the features of the
software. Furthermore, the time spent
on creating a model is a critical factor.
The project consisted mainly of the
creation of a conversion tool represent-
ing the interface between two standard-
ized software products. Simply, the con-
version tool reads the data in the GIS
and translates it into the data format
language of NPS.
this submodel to scale down the loads to real conditions on
the system.
l Low-voltage grid. The 0.4-kV model would represent a city
or village. Apart from the 22-kV in-feeds, the whole down-
stream 0.4-kV grid would be converted from GIS with a ratio of
1:1, respectively. The end loads would represent individual cus-
tomers and only standard-type parameters would be required
to model the electrical parameters of individual elements. The
dimensioning function would need to check the appropriate
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highReliability
Apart from the GIS, the conversion tool does not commu-
nicate with any other system, such as SCADA or SAP. During
the conversion, auxiliary information (databases) is added to
the converted GIS database. With this feature, it is possible
to enter data from the in-feeder database in addition to the
equipment and protection databases, including the MV and
LV network electrical parameters not available in the GIS.
In addition, the recorded power flow measurements data-
base is important as it contains measurements from MV feed-
ers (that is, the most downstream locations in the network,
where load and generation profiles are systematically and con-
tinuously measured). The measured MV data is used in NPS
to scale the MV and LV loads (represented by their maximum
or installed power values) and model the real conditions in a
grid as precisely as possible.
These auxiliary databases are prepared by VSE Group ad-
ministrators. This proved to be much simpler in the creation
and maintenance of the interfaces than other systems.
The conversion tool, besides mapping an auxiliary data-
base, also creates additional information. For instance, for
HV and MV networks, the individual element names are pre-
defined within each business or technical system, but this is
not applicable for LV grids. Therefore,
the tool traces line segments during the
conversion process and assigns them
names according to the LV feeders in
the MV/LV substation.
In the solution, the conversion tool
is integrated in the GIS system, thus the
GIS is used as a middleware when ac-
cessing the source database. Therefore,
the entire data selection process for fu-
ture conversions is very interactive. The
user can select any area using standard
tracing and selection tools in the GIS
and then convert it to PSS SINCAL.
With this automated conversion of
data, the user is able to create an ex-
act distribution system model within a
short time. In the past, the modeling of
one of the VSE Group’s MV subregions,
approximately one-eighth of the VSE
Group’s complete system, took up to
500 hours. Today, the newly automated
conversion solution creates a more pre-
cise grid model of similar size signifi-
cantly faster, in a maximum of 3 hours.
This new solution has the potential to
reduce the time for creating a distribu-
tion system model by some 99%. It is
evident the systematic database of tech-
nical data in GIS marks an important
milestone for the improvement of data
modeling and grid analysis.
Planning Software Solution The solution implemented at the
VSE Group has improved the quality
of network analysis significantly. The
grid planning specialist now can spend
more time analyzing the grid instead of
manually creating and maintaining the
network model. Because it is a 1:1 con-
version from GIS, the results of differ-
ent calculations can be mapped easily
with other systems and linked to equip-
ment in the real network. For example,
35www.tdworld.com | March 2013
HigHReliability
System StatisticsThe VSE Group, part of the European RWE Group, comprises a number
of companies, one of which is VSD, the distribution system operator in
Slovakia. Annually, the utility distributes 3,800 GWh of electrical energy to a
geographical area equivalent to one-third of eastern Slovakia, some 16,200
sq km (6,255 sq miles). The distribution system supplies more than 610,000
households through 34 110/22- kV substations and 6,000 22/0.4-kV stations.
The total length of the 110-kV, 22-kV and 0.4-kV overhead lines and under-
ground cable networks is 21,000 km (13,049 miles).
Companies mentioned:ArcGEO | www.arcgeo.sk
L&Mark | www.lmark.hu
RWE | www.rwe.com
Siemens PTI | www.siemens.com/power-technologies
VSD | www.vsds.sk
VSE | www.vse.sk
currently, the load flow results for MV levels are used as one
of the criteria to prioritize equipment maintenance in the util-
ity’s internal software related to optimized maintenance.
The available load capability calculated by NPS serves the
operational grid planners in their daily work. Three-phase
maximum short-circuit currents are used for the dimension-
ing of lines, bus bars and transformers. Single-phase short-
circuit currents are used for the dimensioning of earthing
systems and neutral point impedances (for example, Petersen
coil or resistor).
The main driver of the project was to be able to analyze
and design the so-called HV and MV target networks. Target
network means the future design of the network optimized
from the capital and operational costs point of view. This type
of network should not contain any redundant equipment, but
it should still satisfy the N-1 reliability criteria on the HV and
MV level.
Currently, the VSE Group is in a transitional phase, using
NPS to quantify the target network design proposed by the
planning specialist according to the utility’s grid planning
guidelines. The resulting diagrams of the target network can
be exported in some vector picture formats, making it possible
to publish it using standard picture viewers for all specialists
involved in the entire network planning process and opera-
tions, without the need for them to be familiar with the func-
tionalities of NPS.
The next step will probably be the export of data from PSS
SINCAL to a special optimization tool developed by the RWE
Group that will enable the full process of defining the target
grid to be fully automated.
What the Future HoldsIn the future, driven by the increasing
penetration of distributed generation, par-
ticularly photovoltaic and cogeneration,
it can be envisaged that the unbalanced
power-flow calculations and dynamics avail-
able in PSS SINCAL will be used in the VSE
Group’s system development studies.
The solution adopted by the VSE Group
was developed according to the techni-
cal specification through the mutual co-
operation of experts from Siemens PTI,
L&Mark, ArcGEO and the VSE Group. It
was approved by successful system accep-
tance tests in October 2011, creating a solid
basis for grid planning support in the VSE
Group.
Acknowledgement The authors wish to acknowledge the
excellent services provided during the proj-
ect and the support given to this article by
Dr. Thomas Bopp and Vladimir Kanas of
Siemens PTI. Similarly, Janos Drienyovszki
and Robert Vuleta, both of L&Mark, and
Marián Marcincák of ArcGEO provided in-
valuable contributions.
Jozef Tomcik ([email protected]) studied power energy
at the Technical University of Košice before joining the VSE
Group in April 2004. Since July 2007, Tomcik has been working
for the distribution operator as a specialist in grid calculations.
Furthermore, he is participating in some external working
groups, including CIRED’s grid development and Eurelectric’s
NE T&D Interface.
Peter Mento ([email protected]) studied electrical
engineering at the Technical University of Košice and joined the
VSE Group in July 1997. Since January 2008, Mento has worked
for the distribution operator as a specialist in grid calculations.
Jaroslav Serdula ([email protected]) studied power
energy at the Technical University of Košice and joined the
VSE Group in July 1995. Since September 2010, Serdula has
worked as a specialist in the department for the renewal and
development of medium-voltage and low-voltage grids.
36 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
GRIDRegulation
FERC Order 1000New regulations allow independent developers to compete against traditional utilities. By Cathy Swirbul, Contributing Writer
Owning and Operating Public Utilities,” applies to new trans-
mission facilities.
Craig Cano, a spokesperson for FERC, explained the rea-
sons for the new order. “Order 1000 will remove barriers to
the development of transmission, promoting cost-effective
planning and the fair allocation of costs for new transmission
facilities,” Cano said. “This enhanced transmission planning
will provide a strong foundation for updating the grid to pro-
vide reliable transmission service as well as an opportunity to
achieve goals that states and local authorities have set for lower
emissions, demand-side resources and renewable energy.”
Planning RequirementsPublic utility transmission providers are required to partic-
ipate in a regional transmission planning process that satisfi es
Order 890’s principles and produces a regional transmission
plan.
Additionally, local and regional transmission planning
processes must consider transmission needs driven by public
policy requirements, established by state or federal laws or
regulations. Specifi cally, transmission lines that help achieve
the goal of a public policy, such as a state renewable energy
standard, should be considered in the planning and cost al-
location process.
Also, public utility transmission providers in neighboring
transmission planning regions must coordinate to determine
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order 890 re-
quired transmission providers to organize into differ-
ent regions and that transmission planning be built
on coordinated, open and transparent processes. It
also set the stage for FERC Order 1000, which requires grid
operators to work together on regional planning and allows
independent developers to compete with traditional utilities
in building new power lines. The order, “The Final Rule on
Transmission Planning and Cost Allocations by Transmission
This map generally depicts the borders of regional transmission plan-ning processes through which transmission providers have complied with Order 890. Those borders may not be depicted precisely for sev-eral reasons (for example, not all transmission providers complying with Order 890 have a defi ned service territory). Additionally, trans-mission planning regions could vary because transmission providers may choose to change regions. Source: Derived from Energy Velocity.
37www.tdworld.com | March 2013
GRIDRegulation
if more effi cient or cost-effective solutions
are available.
Each transmission planning region
must produce a regional transmission plan
refl ecting solutions that meet the region’s
needs more effi ciently and cost-effectively.
Stakeholders must have an opportunity to
participate in identifying and evaluating
potential solutions to regional needs.
In terms of interregional coordina-
tion, neighboring transmission planning
regions must share information regarding
the respective needs of each region and po-
tential solutions to those needs. Each also
should identify and jointly evaluate inter-
regional transmission facilities that may be
more effi cient or cost-effective solutions to
those regional needs. Transmission facili-
ties are considered interregional when lo-
cated in neighboring transmission planning regions.
Cost-Allocation RequirementsRegional transmission planning processes must have a re-
gional cost-allocation method for a new transmission facility
selected in the regional transmission plan. The method must
satisfy the following principles:
● Costs allocated must be roughly commensurate with esti-
mated benefi ts.
● Those who do not benefi t from the transmission do not
have to pay for it.
● Benefi t-to-cost thresholds must not exclude projects with
signifi cant net benefi ts.
● There will be no allocation of costs outside a region
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6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
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s
FRCC MRO NPCC RFC SERC SPP TRE WECC
Sources: Data derived brom Staff Database and U.S. Electric Transmission Projects ©2013 The Three Group, LLC.Disclaimer: This report contains analysis, presentations and conclusions that may be based on or derived from the data source cited but do not necessarily reflect the positions or recommenda-tions of the data providers.
38 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
gridRegulation
renewable energy as part of the
renewable portfolio standards.
According to a statement by
FERC Chairman John Welling-
hoff, “The North American
Electric Reliability Corporation
(NERC) projects in its 2010 long-
term reliability assessment that
approximately 60% of all new
resources expected to be added
to the bulk power system by 2019
will be new wind and solar re-
sources.”
Regional Transmission Organizations Weigh InOn the regional side, the Southwest Power Pool Electric
Energy Network (SPP) is compliant in practice with Order
1000, said Paul Suskie, SPP’s senior vice president of regu-
latory policy and general counsel. “In fact, the day that the
FERC approved SPP’s highway/
byway cost-allocation plan was the
day that the FERC issued the note
that led to Order 1000. A month
after that, the FERC approved
SPP’s planning process. On the
interregional side, we don’t have
interregional cost allocation, and
we aren’t as synced up with our
seams.”
The highway/byway methodol-
ogy is part of SPP’s ongoing effort
to move from a traditional plan-
ning approach that focuses on
local reliability issues to one that
takes a more holistic approach that meets the needs of the re-
gion as a whole. SPP states that one such regional goal is the
integration of the western and eastern portions of its grid to
enable renewable resources, predominantly in the western ar-
eas of the SPP region, to serve load centers in the east.
Suskie noted that the challenging aspect of Order 1000 is
the elimination of the right of first refusal. “There is a great
deal of uncertainty as to what is the law on the right of first re-
fusal in each of our states. The issue of nonincumbents build-
ing transmission in most of our footprint could lead to a lot
of litigation. There has been some talk in our region of state
legislatures addressing the matter,” he said.
Nearly all of the utilities in the SPP footprint are vertically
integrated. As a result, the utility owns everything from the
power plant to the meter in the home. “The challenge is that
somewhere between the meter and the power plant is a trans-
mission line that could be owned by an entity such as a New
York City hedge fund,” Suskie said. “When the lights are out
and we need restoration, will that entity be there to turn the
lights on and what is their incentive to do so? The load-serving
utilities need to get the power back on to their customers.”
Suskie noted that Order 1000 is generally a good ruling be-
unless the other region agrees.
l Cost-allocation methods and the identification of benefi-
ciaries must be transparent.
l Different cost-allocation methods could apply to differ-
ent types of transmission facilities.
l Each region must develop its own proposed cost-alloca-
tion method. If the region is unable to decide on a method,
FERC will decide based on the record. Also, there will be no
interconnection-wide cost allocation.
Removal of Federal Right of First RefusalOrder 1000 removes any federal right of first refusal from
FERC-approved tariffs and agreements with respect to new
transmission facilities selected in a regional transmission plan
for cost-allocation purposes. However, four limitations exist:
l This does not apply to a transmission facility that is not
selected in a regional transmission plan for purposes of cost
allocation.
l This does not apply to transmission facility upgrades.
l The rule allows, but does not require, the use of com-
petitive bidding to solicit transmission projects or project de-
velopers.
l Nothing in this requirement affects state or local laws or
regulations regarding the construction of transmission facili-
ties. This includes, but is not limited to, authority over siting or
permitting of transmission facilities.
In terms of a timeline, FERC issued Order 1000 on July 21,
2011, and affirmed it in May 2012 with Order 1000-A. Local
and regional compliance filings were due Oct. 11, 2012, and
interregional compliance filings will be due on April 11, 2013.
Increasing CompetitionChris Underwood, a project manager with Burns & Mc-
Donnell, noted that Order 1000
is a landmark ruling that aims to
increase competition in the elec-
tric transmission industry. “The
electric transmission industry is
in the process of evaluating op-
tions,” Underwood said. “Each
region has its own set of unique
challenges. However, one constant
across North America is that the
landscape is changing.”
Integrating Renewable EnergyIn addition to increasing com-
petition, compliance with FERC Order 1000 would spur the
development and use of more renewable energy. Traditionally,
planners have considered new transmission for two primary
reasons: to improve reliability and to potentially reduce rates
by providing more competition in the open market. The pub-
lic policy aspect of FERC Order 1000 means planners must
now consider building lines to wind farms and solar arrays,
which often are not located near population centers. These
transmission lines would ensure states meet their targets for
Paul SuskieSenior Vice President of Regulatory Policy and General CounselSouthwest Power Pool
Chris UnderwoodProject Manager
Burns & McDonnell
John WellinghoffFERC Chairman
40 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
GRIDRegulation
whether there is suffi cient time to
evaluate proposals.
“If that can’t be done, then
we’ll fi nd our best solution and
designate our incumbent to build
it,” Herling said.
PJM will engage an indepen-
dent contractor to evaluate the
cost of the proposals and the
ability to site the project. Herling
noted that this ruling will likely
increase the number of propos-
als to be evaluated. “Each year,
our board has approved about
450 transmission projects,” Herling said. “If even 10% of those
projects are of interest to developers and if we get 10 propos-
als for each project, that would be 450 new proposals we must
evaluate.”
In terms of integrating renewable energy, California ISO
fi led signifi cant tariff amendments in 2010 with the FERC to
enable the state to meet ambitious
renewable portfolio standards
and environmental goals. Those
amendments included the public
policy requirement and the elimi-
nation of right of fi rst refusal,
which put the ISO in compliance
with Order 1000.
The effort to comply with the
interregional requirements will
prove more challenging, said Tom
Flynn, California ISO’s infrastruc-
ture policy development man-
ager. “The order requires that we
hold extensive discussions with
our neighboring transmission re-
gions, which are the Columbia Grid, the Northern Tier Trans-
mission Group and West Connect,” Flynn said. “We started
that several months ago, but to put together an interregional
proposal and tariff revisions by April 2013 will prove challeng-
ing. Here in the West, the transmission providers already did a
lot of coordination and sharing of data. This will just increase
the sharing of data. Allocating costs on interregional projects
will be a new feature, however.”
Editor’s note: This is the second article in a series on the impact
of FERC Order 1000 on transmission construction. The fi rst
article was published in the October 2012 issue of T&D World.
cause its intent is to get new transmission built. “Our concern
is that if a nonincumbent is picked to build the transmission
line, the ensuing litigation would greatly delay the project,” he
explained.
“SPP has a regional state committee of regulators in our
footprint and they unanimously support SPP’s � ling to retain
right of � rst refusal for projects 300 kV and below, but to bid
out projects above 300 kV,” Suskie said.
The most challenging aspect of Order 1000 for PJM is the
right of � rst refusal, according to Steve Herling, vice president
of planning for PJM. “What we � led with FERC was a series of
proposal windows related to projects in various time frames,”
Herling said. “One of our guiding principles was that whatever
procedures we put in place to facilitate greater competition
could not be allowed to prevent us from implementing a solu-
tion for reliability needs in a timely fashion.”
To keep projects moving forward, PJM would have a four-
month proposal window for developers on projects that are
more than � ve years out. Projects that are four or � ve years
out would have a one-month proposal window. PJM will evalu-
ate projects that must be completed any sooner to determine
Companies mentioned:Burns & McDonnell | www.burnsmcd.com
California ISO | www.caiso.com
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | www.ferc.gov
PJM | www.pjm.com
Southwest Power Pool | www.spp.org
Tom FlynnInfrastucture Policy
Development ManagerCalifornia ISO
Steve HerlingVice President of Planning
PJM
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TRANSMISSIONSystem
Reinforcing Rhode IslandNational Grid nears completion of a challenging component of the New England East-West Solution suite of transmission projects.By David Beron, National Grid, Andrew Alexiades, POWER Engineers,
and Scott Ryder, Energy Initiatives Group
The Rhode Island Reliability Project soon will be im-
proving transmission system reliability for 480,000
Rhode Island electric customers. This follows place-
ment of 25,000 cu yd (19,114 cu m) of concrete and
5 million lb (2.27 million kg) of reinforcing steel in 743 foun-
dations, erecting 15 million lb (6.8 million kg) of tubular steel
structures, stringing 250 miles (402 km) of conductor and per-
forming extensive improvements at multiple substations.
The Rhode Island Reliability Project is one of four major
components of the New England East-West Solution (NEEWS),
conceived by a working group with members from National
Grid, Northeast Utilities and ISO New England. NEEWS is
one of the largest power delivery projects to be undertaken in
New England in more than 30 years. The four major compo-
nents of NEEWS were developed as a coordinated solution to
address multiple southern New England transmission system
constraints by creating new 345-kV ties between existing hubs
in the transmission network and upgrading numerous exist-
ing transmission line and substation facilities.
Right-of-WayNational Grid’s Rhode Island Reliability Project is com-
prised of 26 separate component projects. The centerpiece
is a new 21-mile (34-km), 345-kV transmission line along an
established transmission corridor from West Farnum Substa-
tion, located in North Smithfi eld, Rhode Island, U.S., to the
Kent County Substation, located in Warwick, Rhode Island.
To fi t the new 345-kV line on an already built-out 250-ft
(76-m)-wide right-of-way (ROW), extensive reconstruction
of two existing 115-kV lines was necessary. The transmission
line work has proven to be the most visible part of the Rhode
Island Reliability Project. Despite the addition of the new
345-kV circuit on the corridor, the project will result in an up-
dated and streamlined ROW appearance, as well as improved
reliability, maintainability and accessibility of the facilities lo-
cated there.
Along with the challenges posed by the tight quarters of
the existing ROW, eight load-serving substations and two gen-
erators are connected to the 115-kV lines, which had to be re-
constructed, signifi cantly complicating the outage planning
and work sequencing for the project. Additionally, most of
the transmission line route also is occupied by a natural gas
transmission pipeline operated by Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a
subsidiary of Kinder Morgan.
Project TeamThe requirements of working safely to
install reinforced concrete foundations
within 15 ft (4.6 m) of the gas pipeline, co-
ordinating the numerous outages to allow
construction of the relocated and new facili-
ties, and dealing with rough terrain and dif-
fi cult ground conditions all presented sig-
nifi cant project challenges. To meet these
challenges National Grid assembled a high-
ly qualifi ed and experienced project team
comprised of internal staff and consultants.
National Grid assumed a lead role for
project management, project licensing
and permitting, and stakeholder relations.
POWER Engineers served as National
Grid’s owner’s engineer, performing de-
tailed engineering and providing support
Greater SpringfieldReliability Project
Central ConnectcutReliability Project
InterstateReliability Project
Rhode IslandReliability Project
Ludlow Millbury
WestFarnum
KentCounty
Card
Lake Road
NorthBloomfield
Agawam
FrostBridge
Greater SpringfieldReliability Project
Central ConnectcutReliability Project
InterstateReliability Project
Rhode IslandReliability Project
The four major components of the NEEWS projects address multiple southern New Eng-land transmission system constraints.
43www.tdworld.com | March 2013
TRANSMISSIONSystem
in the areas of material and equipment procurement, con-
struction inspection, commissioning and document manage-
ment. POWER Engineers was selected as the owner’s engineer
based on its staff qualifi cations, competitive rates, resource
availability and collaborative client approach. Other key team
members included Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. for permit-
ting and environmental compliance support, Energy Initia-
tives Group for outage planning and project management
support, and New Energy Alliance (a joint venture of Balfour
Beatty and MJ Electric) for construction.
The integrated team assembled for the Rhode Island Reli-
ability Project was able to identify, manage and mitigate poten-
tial risks to the complex project, whether arising from the loss
of planned outages, challenging ground conditions impacting
foundation designs, or the need for special construction prac-
tices and controls to provide for the safe drilling of founda-
tions adjacent to the natural gas pipeline.
From the outset of NEEWS, it was realized in-house re-
sources would be spread too thin to execute a project of this
scope and magnitude, especially with all of the other system
improvements planned and in progress at National Grid. A
project delivery model was developed that would preserve
National Grid’s ability to provide high-level management and
oversight from talented subject-matter experts while leverag-
ing the deep bench of engineering and project delivery exper-
tise of an organization like POWER Engineers.
The Rhode Island Reliability Project required a sharp fo-
cus on safety from both the engineering and construction per-
spectives, strong commitment to environmental stewardship
and compliance, and an overarching objective to manage this
signifi cant construction in a manner that would preserve the
reliability of the network and service to customers.
Safety, Safety, Safety
With up to 19 foundation drill rigs operating along the
project ROW at any point in time, National Grid recognized
it would be necessary to put strong controls in place to ensure
that foundation construction would be performed in a safe
and secure manner. These controls were especially critical due
to the presence of the natural gas pipeline and the nearby en-
ergized transmission lines.
National Grid and Kinder Morgan developed a cooperative
work plan that provided specifi c requirements and procedures
necessary for safely performing work adjacent to the natural
gas pipeline. Every worker on the project received initial gas
pipeline safety training and ongoing refresher� training� by
Kinder Morgan. To date, more than 1,000 training sessions
have been conducted.
At the outset of the project, the location of the pipeline was
clearly marked and delineated in the fi eld for its entire length
along the project ROW. Additionally, a series of improved
equipment-crossings were installed along the pipeline. At
these locations, the pipeline was excavated and backfi lled with
fl owable concrete to facilitate the safe passage of construction
equipment across the pipeline. These crossing locations also
were clearly marked in the fi eld, delineated on the project
plans and monitored by Kinder Morgan inspectors.
The project team also developed a “Permit to Drill” process
that involved a series of checks, confi rmations and sign-offs
from all parties before drilling at any location was allowed to
commence. National Grid performed a Process Hazard Analy-
sis to examine any work activity or situation that could possibly
introduce a safety risk into the construction process, and then
developed appropriate mitigation measures to address and
eliminate those exposures.
In this right-of-way cross-section of the Rhode Island Reliability Project, the dashed structures denote pre-existing lines that were reconfi gured.
TRANSMISSIONSystem
Other elements of the safety approach implemented by
National Grid for the Rhode Island Reliability Project includ-
ed the publication of a project-specifi c safety handbook and
the use of real-time vibration monitoring for any foundation
drilling that was proximate to the pipeline. The end result was
a rigorous program of tools, training, controls and monitoring
to ensure safe transmission line construction adjacent to the
natural gas pipeline and the energized trans-
mission circuits.
Station UpgradesThe Rhode Island Reliability Project re-
quired signifi cant upgrades to several substa-
tions in Warwick, including the Kent County
Substation located at the southern terminus
of the new 345-kV transmission line. Work at
the Kent County Substation included a yard
expansion and the installation of two new
345/115-kV autotransformers. The project
also included the construction of two new
345-kV breaker-and-a-half bays, two new 115-
kV breaker-and-a-half bays, two new 115-kV
capacitor banks and a new 345/115-kV con-
trol building to house new protection and
control equipment for the entire 345/115-kV
station. The protection and control upgrades
included the installation of two independent and redundant
protection systems for each network element. In addition, two
existing 115-kV bays and bus work were rebuilt and upgraded.
Substantial upgrades and additions also were made at
National Grid’s 345-kV West Farnum Substation in North
Smithfi eld, Rhode Island. Much of the existing 345-kV equip-
ment was upgraded to address the increased fault duty re-
A crew drills a foundation along on a congested right-of-way.
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46 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
TRANSMISSIONSystem
quirements and existing thermal limitations, while the ad-
ditions were made to accommodate the three new 345-kV
transmission lines, the centerpieces of the NEEWS project.
Because the existing substation site is constrained by prop-
erty limitations and surrounding wetlands, expansion of the
substation footprint was not feasible. As a result, National Grid
employed gas-insulated substation (GIS) technology to make
the most of the existing space. The existing 345-kV air-insu-
A view inside the West Farnum Substation GIS building.
lated, fi ve-position ring bus was replaced by a
gas-insulated, eight-position four-bay breaker-
and-a-half confi guration, which was all accom-
plished within the existing footprint while
keeping the existing station fully operational.
Two new buildings were also constructed at
the site — one to house the GIS equipment
and the other to house the protection and
control equipment.
Communication capability between sub-
stations is also being upgraded as part of the
Rhode Island Reliability Project, with the in-
stallation of optical ground wires on the new
345-kV transmission line and several existing
115-kV transmission lines.
Nearing CompletionEach of the 115-kV transmission lines be-
ing reconstructed as part of the Rhode Island
Reliability Project is tapped into eight load-serving substa-
tions. As such, careful planning and a phased construction
approach were required to reconstruct the main lines and
modify the tap lines while maintaining dual supply to the sub-
stations to the fullest extent possible for reliability purposes.
National Grid’s outage coordinators and project team looked
at the collection of all 26 component projects and produced
an integrated and coordinated outage plan that took advan-
48 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
transmissionSystem
acted as part of a unified and integrated proj-
ect team with shared objectives, rather than
as individual companies with separate goals.
This way, the sum is truly greater than the
parts, which, ultimately, will benefit National
Grid’s customers.
Engineering and planning continue for
the forthcoming Interstate Reliability Proj-
ect portion of NEEWS, and the project team
is poised to continue this collaborative ap-
proach, capitalizing on past accomplishments
and lessons learned to further enable the pro-
gram’s success on behalf of National Grid’s
customers. The Interstate Reliability Project
is moving steadily through the licensing and
permitting processes in the states of Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and
construction of this next phase of NEEWS is
anticipated to begin in early 2014.
David Beron ([email protected]) is National Grid’s
principal project manager for the New England East-West
Solution collection of work. Beron has 25 years of experience in
the engineering and management of large-scale transmission
infrastructure projects. He is a registered professional
engineer in Rhode Island and a certified project management
professional.
Andrew Alexiades ([email protected]) is a
program manager with POWER Engineers for the New England
East-West Solution portfolio of projects. Andrew earned a BEEE
degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey,
U.S. A member of IEEE and Project Management Institute,
he has served in numerous project management roles within
the energy industry for more than 35 years, including areas of
power generation and power delivery both domestically and
internationally.
Scott Ryder ([email protected]) is a registered professional
engineer with more than 40 years experience in the electric
power transmission business. He began his career with National
Grid and now serves as a consulting engineer with Energy
Initiatives Group specializing in transmission line project
management.
tage of project synergies and overlapping requirements be-
tween work sites.
The Rhode Island Reliability Project began construction
in late 2010 and is now nearing completion, with the �nal
elements scheduled to be placed into service in April 2013.
The transmission line ROW has taken the form envisioned by
the project team in the early planning stages of the massive
project.
With the completion of the Rhode Island Reliability Project
fast approaching, the success of NEEWS to date is a testament
to the teamwork and problem-solving approach adopted by
National Grid, POWER Engineers and the other consultants
on the NEEWS team. All of the companies have worked side by
side to implement and execute a program strategy founded on
effective planning and ef�cient designs to allow for the timely
and safe construction of the new overhead transmission line
and substation facilities.
Collaboration WorksThe NEEWS Rhode Island Reliability Project is what a truly
collaborative working relationship is like. Each company has
Companies mentioned: Balfour Beatty | www.balfourbeatty.com
Energy Initiatives Group | www.eig-llc.com
ISO New England | www.iso-ne.com
Kinder Morgan | www.kindermorgan.com
MJ Electric | www.mjelectric.com
National Grid | www.nationalgridus.com
Northeast Utilities | www.nu.com
POWER Engineers | www.powereng.com
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin | www.vhb.com
A lineman performs tap modifications at a 115-kV substation.
Rhode Island Reliability Project during 345-kV line conductor stringing.
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50 March 20133 | www.tdworld.com
FAULTLocaaaaaaatittititttitititiononoononoonon
Real-time waveform analytics identifyReal ttttime waveform analytics identifylooming failures, bringing us into the realmof distribution fault anticipation technology.By Ken Sanford, Arizona Public Service Co., and John S. Bowers, Pickwick Electric Cooperative
Athousand customers just lost power because a bush-AAing failed out on a feeder. Did it just happen or were AAthere early warning signs? Could the failure have AAbeen predicted in advance or, better yet, prevent-AAed? Pickwick Electric Cooperative (PEC) and Arizona Public Service (APS) have been working with a new technology that enables them, for the fi rst time, to avoid faults by detecting incipient problems and responding proactively.
The new technology, known as distribution fault anticipa-tion (DFA) technology, works by measuring high-fi delity cur-rent transformer (CT) and potential transformer (PT) wave-forms, typically at the substation, and applying sophisticated analytics to those waveforms. It detects failures, incipient fail-ures and other misoperations out on the feeder, thus provid-ing situational intelligence and enabling feeder-level condi-tion-based maintenance. It does so without complicated setupand without requiring communication with downstream line devices.
Waveform-based analytics represent a new paradigm in dis-tribution system operations and health monitoring. Utilities historically have had little situational intelligence regarding the health of their distribution systems. Modern smart com-
ponents such as advanced metering infrastructure and distri-bution automation systems may provide feeder loading levels or let the utility determine whether particular customers haveservice, but they do little, if anything, to detect feeder anoma-lies or assess line health.
Coordination MysteryA breaker locked out an APS feeder — for a fault past a re-
closer that should have sectionalized the faulted segment with-out breaker involvement. APS notes such improper operationsand performs root-cause investigations. Investigations requiremultiple sources of information and labor-intensive analysis.This includes downloading records from fi eld and substationdevices, manual analysis and correlation of those records,review of coordination settings, operational testing of the re-closer and the breaker/relay, and possibly other steps. Someinvestigations identify the root cause but others conclude withno cause identifi ed.
In the subject case, online DFA waveform analytics savedsubstantial manpower by automatically identifying the root cause within minutes of the event. The cause was diagnosed asconductor slap, a phenomenon that occurs when fault current
induces magnetic forces in upstreamconductors, causing them to slap togeth-er. This creates a second fault upstreamof the fi rst and necessitates operationof upstream protection, in this case thebreaker.
After learning the root cause, APSused analytics-derived parameters to lo-cate the offending span, where it foundconductors with bright spots and pittingconsistent with recent arcing. A tradi-tional investigation would have focusedon identifying a defect in the protec-tion system when, in fact, the root causehad nothing to do with the protectionsystem, but rather a problem with thephysical span characteristics. APS does
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
-2,000
-4,000
-6,000
Am
ps
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16Time (seconds)
2011/10/06 07:19:21
Possible conductor slap AB
Breaker tripF-(28.0c, 2344A, AB)-1.1s-F-(40.5c, 2861A, AB)-T-5.2s-C-16c-F-(41.0c, 2780A, AB)-T
IA IB IC IN
Waveforms during APS feeder breaker lockout, with inset showing the automatically gener-ated diagnosis provided by online waveform analytics.
51www.tdworld.com | March 2013
FAULTLocation
not believe that, in the subject case, a conventional investiga-
tion would have identifi ed the true root cause.
Field research has documented that fault-induced conduc-
tor slap does not occur at random locations, but rather it re-
curs over time in spans whose construction is susceptible to
the phenomenon. This makes it important to diagnose con-
ductor-slap incidents correctly. Each incident causes one or
more unnecessary interruptions and a possible outage, often
on a feeder-wide basis. Slap-induced
arcing causes progressive conductor
damage, which, in extreme cases,
results in broken conductors. Each
slap episode also can throw off par-
ticles that might start a fi re. Knowing
a span’s susceptibility to slap enables
the utility to take corrective action to
avoid future events.
Watching ReclosersMany utilities, including PEC and
APS, have supervisory control and
data acquisition (SCADA) systems
that tell them when their substa-
tion-based feeder breakers operate.
Downstream of the breaker, however,
sectionalizing reclosers operate au-
tonomously, often without the utility
being aware of individual operations.
PEC and APS both have long rural
feeders with 10, 20 or even more reclosers. Many are hydraulic
or, even if electronic, do not have communications installed.
From the substation, DFA analytics detect and report re-
closer operations in great detail. Knowing details of a mea-
sured recloser operating sequence and the estimated load
beyond the recloser often enables a utility to determine which
recloser has operated, even on a feeder with many reclosers.
It is obvious this provides the ability to know when unsuper-
Subject feeder(125 circuit miles of O/H line)
Substation
Analytics-directedsearch area
On this long feeder with a recurring fault, DFA analytics detected an otherwise-unknown prob-lem and allowed the search to be directed to within four pole spans, where PEC found a service transformer with a hole in its lid. Each green rectangular symbol is a recloser.
How Distribution Fault Anticipation WorksThe distribution fault anticipation (DFA) system’s building blocks are 19-inch rack-mount DFA devices, mounted in substa-
tions on a per-feeder basis. A feeder’s DFA device performs high-fi delity digitization of electrical waveforms from that feeder’s
current transformers and potential transformers. It records even minor anomalies and uses sophisticated analytics to determine
the underlying failures or other feeder events.
Confi guring a DFA de-
vice does not require special
programming or entering of
feeder maps, protection set-
tings, feeder connectivity or
device placements. Neither is it
necessary to communicate with
line devices. Analytics detect the
presence of line devices, such
as switched capacitor banks and
reclosers, including hydraulics,
by analyzing the waveform signa-
tures those devices produce as
they operate.
Within each feeder’s DFA de-
vice, analytics generate reports
that are communicated, through
the Internet, back to a central server computer. The central server provides web-based access to reports from DFA devices
across the system. Device-to-server communication can use digital subscriber line, cell modem, cable modem or radio.
Inputs: Substation CT and PT waveforms Waveforms Analytics Outputs
On-line signal procesing and
pattern recognition analytics
(Performed by device in
substation)
Line recloser*tripped 8% of phase-A load twice, but reclosed and did not cause outage.
Failing hot-line clamp on phase B*
Failed 1200-kVAR line capacitor*(Phase B inoperable)
Breaker lockout caused by fault-induced conductor slap
*Analytics process high-fidelity substation waveforms, to report hydrolic reclosers, switched line capacitors, apparatus failures, etc, without requiring communications to those devices.
52 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
faultLocation
vised line reclosers operate. What may be less obvious is it also
provides an opportunity to assess whether a particular reclos-
er has operated correctly. Using DFA recloser reports, PEC has
detected improper operations, such as a recloser that was sup-
posed to lock out after four trips but instead tripped six times
before locking out. Conversely, in another case, a field crew
observed what appeared to be failure of a recloser to lock out,
but a 5-minute analysis of DFA recloser reports showed the
recloser was operating correctly. The apparent discrepancy
was because 2 to 3 minutes elapsed between operations and
the recloser restarted its timing sequence.
Using substation measurements, DFA analytics provide
ongoing, real-time information on line recloser operations,
enabling the utility to validate proper operations and detect
improper operations. This complements and enhances peri-
odic inspection and testing.
Finding Failures Without OutagesPEC and APS have detected and proactively repaired fail-
ing apparatus and other conditions that cause intermittent
faults:
lCracked transformer bushing
lWind-blown conductors clashing in a long (1,000-ft [305-
m]) span
lFailing lightning arrester
lService transformer with a hole in its lid
lTree branches bridging conductors or pushing them
together.
Prior to failure, these conditions often cause intermittent
faults. PEC documented such an example, in which a bushing
failed and put 903 customers in the dark. In PEC’s case, the
failing bushing gave six weeks of early warning, during which
time it flashed over on five separate
occasions, each time causing an un-
monitored recloser to momentarily in-
terrupt 903 customers. Despite 4,515
customer interruptions, no custom-
ers complained until a sixth flashover
put them in the dark. This failure
occurred in the early days of DFA re-
search, before the system worked au-
tonomously. More recently, PEC has
preempted similar events and is confi-
dent it would have preempted this one
if it had today’s DFA analytics.
Proactive notification of these fail-
ures is providing multiple advantages:
l Sustained outages can be avoid-
ed, resulting in improved reliability.
l Momentary sags and interrup-
tions can be avoided, resulting in im-
proved power quality.
l The first two advantages improve
customer satisfaction and reliability in-
dices, such as SAIFI and SAIDI.
l Reducing the number of faults
reduces fault-current stress on trans-
formers, lines, switches and other line
components.
l Searches and repairs often can
be carried out during normal working
hours and in fair weather.
This transformer, with a hole punched in its lid, had experienced mul-tiple flashovers but was still in service, serving load, when found.
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FAULTLocation
● Searches can be made while customers’ lights are on, in-
stead of during an outage.
● Working in daytime, fair-weather conditions results in
greater effi ciency and improved worker safety as compared to
working in the dark or during inclement weather.
DFA analytics have enabled PEC and APS to detect and
locate multiple such conditions and make preemptive repairs.
One example is a long PEC feeder on which DFA analytics
reported an impending failure. PEC used fault parameters,
provided by DFA analytics at the substation, to direct the
search to a small area of the feeder.
Searching that small area, a crew found a service transform-
Recloser ReportsDistribution fault anticipation wave-
form analytics examine waveform data
to detect and characterize recloser op-
erations. For example, the graph plots
a 20-second period of current, with an
inset showing the analytics-calculated
operating sequence. The operating
sequence is interpreted as three trips
(one fast and two delayed) and a single-
phase recloser operation for a phase
B fault of 585 A to 591 A. Each trip
momentarily interrupted 20% of phase
B (only) load. Each open interval was
1.9 seconds to 2.0 seconds.
The report often provides the utility’s only notice that a recloser has operated. In addition, the utility often can determine
exactly which recloser has operated, even on a feeder with numerous reclosers, by comparing reported operating sequences to
system-model information.
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
-500
-1,000
Am
ps
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (seconds)
2012/09/05 19:40:04
IA IB IC IN
Single-phase recloseF-(3.0c, 585A, BG)-T-(-, 20, 0)%-1.9s-C-2.3s-F-(16.5c, 588A, BG)-T-(0, 20, 0)%-2.0s-C-5.2s- 3 opsF-(17.5c, 591A, BG)-T-(0, 20, 0)%-2.0s-C
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54 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
faultLocation
er with a hole punched through its lid. The crew then replaced
the transformer, during daytime hours on a fair-weather day,
thus avoiding further interruptions, sags, outages, system
stresses or other trouble (such as the remote possibility of an
exploding transformer).
This is not an isolated example. PEC and APS have used
DFA waveform analytics to detect multiple such conditions
and make preemptive repairs.
Difficult DiagnosesCrews responding to lights-out or flickering-lights calls
often receive only vague descriptions of symptoms, supplied
by customers. Moreover, some problems are intermittent and
may not be manifesting themselves when the crew arrives on
the scene. The figure above illustrates a sequence of events
that required four crew trips and equipment replacements, all
ultimately determined to have had a single hard-to-diagnose
clamp failure as their root cause.
DFA waveform analytics had been alarming this clamp
failure, intermittently, for three weeks. But, because the DFA
project had experimental status, responding crews were un-
aware of these alarms. As a result, this single clamp failure cost
PEC four customer calls, four crew trips (all on overtime) and
the change-out of two customer transformers that later tested
good. Giving responders analytics-generated diagnoses will
reduce incorrect diagnoses, no-cause-found events, customer
complaints, return trips and change-outs of healthy appara-
tus, such as the two transformers in this case.
Light in the DarkFiguratively speaking, distribution systems largely operate
in the dark, with utilities having little visibility into failures, in-
cipient failures and other feeder misoperations. PEC and APS
have been working with the new DFA technology to provide
newfound situational intelligence, enabling better operational
efficiency, and improved reliability and quality of service. It
does so with substation-based monitoring, without compli-
cated setup and without requiring sensing, electronics and
communications along the feeder. PEC and APS have used
Timeline of customer complaints, crew trips and DFA diagnostic alarms identifying cause of trouble.
Lights out. Crew trip 4. Replaced XFMR 2.
Flickering lights. Crew trip 3. Replaced clamp.
Flickering lights. Crew trip 2. Replaced XFMR 1.
Lights out. Crew trip 1. Blown fuse. No cause found.
DFA failing-clamp alarms (2,333 episodes over 21-day period)
Time
55www.tdworld.com | March 2013
faultLocation
Companies mentioned:Arizona Public Service | www.aps.com
Electric Power Research Institute | www.epri.com
Pickwick Electric Co. | www.pickwick-electric.com
Texas A&M | www.tamu.edu
Tennessee Valley Authority | www.tva.gov
this technology to avoid multiple faults on their systems and
to efficiently diagnose problems that otherwise would have
taken substantially more effort and likely would not have been
resolved at all.
Ken Sanford ([email protected]) is senior engineer at
Arizona Public Service Co. (APS). He works in construction and
operations for the southeast division covering three counties.
He also is working on the smart grid tech-
nologies team with the innovation/technol-
ogy solutions department at APS. Sanford
graduated from Arizona State University in
1986 with a bachelor’s degree in construc-
tion engineering.
John S. Bowers (jbowers@pickwick-elec-
tric.com) is the vice president of operations
at Pickwick Electric Cooperative in Selmer,
Tennessee, U.S. He is a 1991 graduate of
Tennessee Technological University and
holds a BSEE degree. Bowers also is a
registered professional engineer in Tennes-
see. He has been actively involved with the
distribution fault anticipation technology
since 2002.
Dfa Background Distribution fault anticipation technology was founded on research led by
Carl L. Benner ([email protected]) and Dr. B. Don Russell (bdrussell@tamu.
edu) at Texas A&M University, and largely supported by the Electric Power Re-
search Institute (EPRI). More than 10 EPRI-member utilities participated in early
research to identify and correlate waveform fingerprints with specific feeder
phenomena. The technology has evolved and now uses online 24/7 waveform
analytics to recognize faults, incipient failures and other feeder events. Tennes-
see Valley Authority (TVA), through EPRI, has been a supporter of these efforts
since 2001 and works with Pickwick Electric Cooperative, one of more than 150
TVA distributors, as a host site. Arizona Public Service became involved with
DFA on its system in 2011.
Texas A&M maintains a website (https://dfaweb.tamu.edu/DfaReports/
DfaSuccess.aspx) that details other examples, illustrating how analytics can
improve knowledge of and response to multiple feeder problems, including
vegetation faults, capacitor failures and secondary cable failures among others.
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Ten Common Injury Risk Solutions
56B
ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
liFELine
William Coleman, a 24-year veteran of United Illuminating Co., is a proud lineman who recognizes the importance of know-ing your limitations, working safely and respecting electricity.
William ColemanUnited Illuminating Co.
l Born in New Haven, Connecticut.l Married for 20 years to his wife, Annette, and has two children, William and Jasmine. l Enjoys spending time with his family and playing baseball. l Can’t live without his rubber gloves, hot sticks and bucket truck. l Spends time helping out with the line schools and training the future generation of linemen.
Early YearsI grew up in the inner city, and after taking on a few differ-
ent jobs, I knew I wanted a better life. I looked at several differ-
ent professions for the fire and police departments. I also had
heard that the utility industry had good jobs, so at 19 years old,
I began reading meters for United Illuminating Co.
However, because I had a construction worker mentality,
reading meters just wasn’t rewarding enough work for me.
One day, as I was reading the meters, I saw a lineman in a
bucket truck working up on a pole. I stopped what I was doing
and said, “This is what I want to do.” I immediately asked my
supervisor how I could become a lineman, and he told me that
they offer line school once a year.
Our company runs a four-week boot camp for climbing
poles, and after finishing it, I went to line school and gradu-
ated. I loved the work right off the bat. And I still love it. You
either love this type of work or it’s not for you, and it’s defi-
nitely not for everyone.
Day in the LifeI am a line group leader, and I’ve been with the company
for 24 years. I start my day by reviewing my work orders, find-
ing out who is on my crew and securing any materials neces-
sary for the job. I also make sure that I have any safety-related
items like signs or cones to set up the parameters within our
work zone. Next, I lead a tailboard meeting to make sure that
everyone is on the same page so the work can go as safely as
possible.
Recently, we’ve been doing a lot of reconductoring work.
We take down old conductors and put up heavier ones in our
territory.
Favorite ProjectIn the span of my career so far, the project I would consider
my favorite was a road-widening job in North Haven, Con-
necticut. I had just topped out as a journeyman lineman, and
I had a really good working leader. I learned a lot on that job.
It involved a little bit of everything, from pole shifts to recon-
ductoring to transformer banks. I also learned about discon-
nects, air-break switches and high-voltage cable.
Memorable StormOn the East Coast, we have had many severe storms, but I’ll
never forget Tropical Storm Irene, which caused significant
damage in our area. Our company was able to get our custom-
ers’ power back on in a short period of time because we were
working 16- to 18-hour days for a week straight. We then went
on to assist another company away from home for about nine
days. We received an award from the Edison Institute on our
ability to restore power in a timely fashion.
Safety LessonUnfortunately, every year there are near-misses. You can
be as careful as possible and follow procedures, but there is
always that little bit of unknown when you go on the pole. You
don’t know what happened the night before, such as if there
was lightning damage to the wire.
I haven’t had a near-miss in 20 years, but I remember as
an apprentice two phases that got crossed. In the process of
removing the bare wire from the pole, I made contact with
the energized phase, and it cross-phased. There were no in-
juries, but it caused structural damage, which required about
an hour to fix.
I was one of the fortunate ones, and from that experience,
I learned that you need to know your limitations and have a
proper respect for electricity. You can’t be afraid of the work,
but you need to follow your company’s safety procedures and
do what the company requires as far as using a cover-up, which
can make an unsafe job much safer.
Plans for the FutureI have had the opportunity to move into other areas, but
I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I would like to continue
my assistance with Local 471 and contribute to the success of
my company through training and wherever else I can bring
value.
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safetyTalk
electric Utility OperatiOns
By audie foret, Entergy Arkansas
Like other electric utilities, Entergy Arkansas had its
share of OSHA recordable incidents. In 2007, the
company reported 18 incidents and two years later,
the company documented a total of 29 accidents.
While this was in line with the industry average, the subsidiary
of Entergy Corp. felt like there was room for improvement.
Last year, the utility had its best safety record in history by
logging the least amount of OSHA recordable incidents. To
make this change, management first focused on enforcement.
Supervisors and safety specialists were charged with enforcing
the rules; discipline ranged from a verbal warning to suspen-
sion to termination, depending on the severity of the offense.
This singular approach, however, failed to have the desired
result. Safety incidents moved up slightly as did formal griev-
ances, and morale of the workforce took a nosedive. As enforc-
ers handed out citations in increasing number and severity,
many linemen complained they were afraid to work at all be-
cause the rules were too complex and, sometimes, ambiguous,
to be followed to the letter.
Periodic face-to-face meetings between frontline employ-
ees and company management revealed declining morale,
even among supervisors. Trying to change work practices by
simply enforcing existing rules was clearly not the answer.
What was needed was a change from within.
No one disputed that avoiding accidents was in everyone’s
best interest. The question was how to get there. The propos-
al that grew out of the study was to place the problem in the
hands of those most equipped to solve it: the employees.
Linemen Coaching LinemenTo get the field workforce involved in the safety program,
Entergy Arkansas launched the Coach-Observer Program in
2009. A steering committee representing linemen, the Inter-
national Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and all
levels and departments, including management, defined the
criteria of leadership and craftsmanship for the union busi-
ness managers to use to select the 10 linemen who would de-
vote half of their working hours to visiting job sites around
Arkansas. Their task was to observe their fellow linemen work-
ing, compliment them on what they’re doing right and, when
necessary, coach them on what they might be doing wrong.
They then reported their observations and findings to
Somerville Partners, a consulting firm that specially devel-
oped an online database to capture the safety issues observed,
coached and corrected, without capturing employee names.
The firm then compiled results to identify trends and areas on
Linemen Transform Safety Culture
which coach-observers and management should focus.
Here are four ways that the program helped to improve the
safety program at the utility.
1. Instill freedom from fear of discipline. The program was fo-
cused on linemen helping linemen in a nonthreatening envi-
ronment. “At first, some of the guys thought we might be spies
for the company,” said Larry Berry, one of the first 10 coach-
observers who is now retired. “But after we did our first round
of visits, the word got around that we’re out there to help.”
2. Focus on workers’ behavior. Somerville Partners helped
guide the discussions, adding insights into the psychological
aspects of behavioral-based safety. For instance, the commit-
tee determined that it would be important to focus on pre-
cursors to incidents and mistakes, rather than waiting until a
violation or accident occurred.
3. Improve work practices for efficiency and effectiveness. The
coach-observers were encouraged to help their fellow line-
men get better at their craft, and they did this in part by cross-
pollinating the population with good ideas. They’d see one in
one part of the state and then share it with the next work crew
they visited.
4. Give a sense of autonomy. Coach-observers encouraged
employees to use their own judgment, within the framework
of safe work practices and rules, more than they previously
thought they were allowed to. They gave employees the value
of mastering one’s craft and purpose.
Reaping RewardsDue to the success of the program, the number of “Fatal
Five” violations that could kill a lineman dropped 33% over
four years. Also, between 2008 and 2012, the OSHA record-
able accidents decreased by 30%.
The coach-observers have had a positive influence on
Entergy Arkansas by advocating for safety rule changes and
improving the relationship between linemen and manage-
ment. They have become trusted counselors and educators,
providing on-the-spot training and guidance in the field.
“We’ve always known our people had the training, desire
and determination to truly make safety our top priority. I am
thankful we came up with a feedback process that works for
everybody, and I look forward to continued improvements in
the days ahead,” said Brady Aldy, transmission and distribu-
tion operations director for Entergy Arkansas.
Audie Foret is a region manager for Entergy Arkansas’ distribu-
tion operations organization and is in charge of this program.
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com56D
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com56F
Ergonomics Program Protects Field WorkforceDuke Energy implements a plan to protect distribution line technicians from musculoskeletal disorders and lost work time.
By Jon Evans, Duke Energy
Performing tasks out in the field that involve awkward
postures, significant exertion and repetition can
put linemen at risk for musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs) and may force them to take time off of work.
MSD cases accounted for 33% of all injury and illness cases in
2011, and the workers most susceptible were between the ages
of 45 and 54, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At Duke Energy, the company had a three-year average
of about 32%, which was close to the national average at that
time. About half of the total lost work days were attributed to
MSDs in the power delivery division.
For the last decade, Duke Energy has worked to improve
the ergonomics of its field workforce and prevent unnecessary
sprains, strains and workplace injuries. The utility first focused
on the power delivery division, which includes distribution
lines, transmission lines, maintenance shops, metal fabrica-
tions, automotive garages, warehouses and office administra-
tions and then moved on to vehicle maintenance technicians
and vehicle design.
Identifying RisksDuke Energy began to identify the ergonomic risks and
develop effective mitigation strate-
gies. By researching the cause for
the MSDs and then implementing
certain preventive measures, the
utility aimed to reduce the num-
bers of MSDs companywide, start-
ing with distribution line techni-
cians (DLTs).
The first step was to create a
project team consisting of a project
team lead, a craft training supervi-
sor, a distribution line technician,
a transmission line technician, an
Environmental Health and Safety
(EHS) professional and an ergon-
omist. This team worked closely
with the Power Delivery EHS
Council and the health and safety
manager.
This team received ergonom-
ics training to learn about the five
risk factors for ergonomics-related
injuries including excessive force,
excessive repetition, awkward pos-
ture, contact stress and vibration.
Next, this committee was tasked
with reviewing data, interviewing
Equipped with their personal protective equipment and ergonomic tools, Duke Energy’s field workforce is ready to tackle the day.
ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
www.tdworld.com | March 2013 56G
managers and DLTs, observing the linemen in the field, col-
lecting data and then analyzing the research.
Duke Energy first reviewed the primary risk factors for in-
jury and then listed the basic steps to avoiding an MSD. Also,
the team members observed the DLTs for signs and symptoms
of MSDs and also asked them about off-the-job activities.
Next, the team studied a four-year history of ergonomic-
related employee incidents including the incident description,
injury/illness type, and related work task and frequency. They
also referred to the Electric Power Research Institute’s “Er-
gonomic Handbook for Overhead Distribution” and also the
“Ergonomics Handbook for Underground Distribution.”
Duke Energy also listed the routinely executed work tasks,
identified current line construction projects and collected
data. For example, the utility looked at the object weights and
area dimensions, push/pull forces, lift distances and task fre-
quencies. The data included the videotaped work tasks and
work task simulations at the operations center.
The team performed biomechanical stress analyses and
relative risk ranking. This was based on the University of Mich-
igan’s three-dimensional Static Strength Prediction Program,
which is based on more than 25 years of research. It compares
the task demands and worker physical capability comparison,
and then estimates a percentage of the population that is ca-
pable of safely performing the task. The advantage is that it
could evaluate a variety of tasks, but the limitation was that
it did not consider the effect of task performance over time.
The team also used the Revised Lifting Equation from the
National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, which
is based on more than 20 years of research. The advantage
was that it considered repetition, fatigue and coupling, but
the limitation was that it could evaluate lift and lowering tasks
only.
During the relative risk ranking process, the team looked
at the Stress Rating, which included the percent capable of do-
ing the task and the lifting index. The team also looked at the
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Proper positioning for the task at hand is critical for preventing musculoskeletal injuries in the field.
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com56H
Top 10 Ergonomic Risks and Ergonomic Solutions
Risk 1: Making conductor connections with a manual crimping
tool.
Recommended solution: Replace a manual crimping tool
with battery- and/or hydraulic-powered crimping tools from
Huskie Tools.
Risk 2: Lifting/handling wooden crossarms that weighed 65 lb
to 110 lb.
Recommended solution: Avoid unnecessary use of heavy-
duty crossarms. Also, re-evaluate design standards, add a
10-ft regular crossarm for use in 10-ft applications when a
heavy arm is not necessary. In addition, conduct a more
detailed comparison of fi r versus pine crossarms, and look
at unit cost, life span, strength and availability during storm
emergencies. Finally, evaluate the sling method for lifting
the crossarms from ground to either bucket or pole position.
Risk 3: Cutting guy wire with ratchet guy-wire cutters.
Recommended solution: Replace ratchet cutters with battery-
operated cutting tools from Huskie Tools and other vendors.
Risk 4: Cutting less than 4/0 wire with ratchet cutters.
Recommended solution: Invest in battery-operated tools.
Risk 5: Jacking, lifting and pulling conductors.
Recommended solution: Retrain linemen on ways to increase
leverage. Extend the jack strap as much as possible to gain
better torque. Also, change from 18-inch to 28-inch handle
to improve leverage and lessen effort. Also, the DLTs were
advised to pull, rather than push, the handle. They were
also told to use a double strap for anything more than 80 ft
of 1/0 conductor. For lifting conductors, Duke Energy installed
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Line workers secure a primary conductor with a preformed tie.
Duke Energy’s ergonomics team fi rst identifi ed the top risks for the distribution line technicians and then came up with ways
for the workers to minimize musculoskeletal disorders in the fi eld.
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
www.tdworld.com | March 2013 56I
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The original lever ratchet hoist company.
swivel heads on all material handler bucket booms. As far as
pulling conductors, Duke Energy implemented the general
rule of assistance for projects greater than 50 ft of 4/0, 85 ft
of 2/0, 100 ft of 2/3 and 100 ft of 6/3. The company also put
winches back on one-person buckets.
Risk 6: Lifting/handling spider reels onto tension rigs/poles and
guy wire bundles. Prepackaged guy wire bundles can weigh
130 lb, and spider reels weigh 180 lb.
Recommended solution: Use only mechanical means to
load or unload reels onto tension rigs or poles. For loading
prepackaged bundles of guy wire on trucks, workers should
use only mechanical means such as a line truck, material
handler, jib or forklift. Duke Energy also equipped its trucks
with a mounted guy wire reel.
Risk 7: Loading and unloading the Service-Saver, which is used
to provide temporary electric power to customers following a
loss of service.
Recommended solution: Implement a new Service-Saver
prototype across the service area. The former model weighed
225 lb, and DLTs or contractors had to roll it to the truck and
then load it onto a trailer to transport it back and forth to the
work site. Also, prohibit the physical lift of the machine and
try to come up with a lighter-weight alternative to providing
temporary electrical power to customers. In addition, the
DLTs must ensure that all trucks for transporting the Service-
Saver can attach a trailer with a ramp. Another ergonomic
solution is to modify the transport trailer or truck to ease the
loading and unloading process.
Risk 8: Installing a splicing kit and elbows.
Recommended solution: Implement a new modular elbow
installer.
Risk 9: Removing/replacing manhole covers.
Recommended solution: Phase out the T-handle or J-hook
tool. Instead, use a line truck wench or other mechanical
means as the fi rst choice for removing manhole covers. Also,
phase in the Fulcrum bar tool where the mechanical means
are not available.
Risk 10: Stepping up to the rear end of the truck and putting
supplies in the crossarm storage compartment, which can
be about 70 inches off the ground.
Recommended solution: Extend the crossarm storage area
on the bucket trucks. Also, change the truck design for
future bucket trucks to include a new crossarm storage
option. Also add on an adjustable rear step to avoid the
ergonomic issues related to stepping up onto the rear step
of the truck. Finally, ensure that the storage compartment
does not have a metal lip.
ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com56J
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Exposure Degree Rating, which was based on supervisor input
and field observations.
Improving Ergonomics in the FieldAfter identifying the top 10 ergonomic risks for its DLTs,
the team developed a risk-mitigation strategy. The workers
met with the EHS council chair and immediately starting im-
plementing short-term solutions. The utility then assigned all
21 work tasks to the Best Practice Teams to develop safe and
Companies mentioned:Duke Energy | www.duke-energy.com
Electric Power Research Institute | www.epri.com
Huskie Tools | www.huskietools.com
cost-effective long-term solutions.
The best practice teams consisted of three distribution line
teams as well as management from Duke Energy, who kept the
teams on track, ensured feasible solutions and encouraged in-
tegration between teams.
Duke implemented the strategies, and apart from a few
changes in battery-operated tools, the DLTs are still following
these same ergonomic work methods in the field today.
These ergonomic solutions apply to DLTs working both
overhead and underground. For example, the study looked at
the removal of the manhole cover, which measures 32 inches
in diameter and weighs 300 lb. Instead of using a T-handled
hook, DLTs were advised to rely on a leveraging tool or relying
on a line trunk winch or other mechanical means. In addi-
tion, the utility took a close look at how the DLTs were bend-
ing cable for underground installations. Rather than using
the force of their upper body to shape the cable to the desired
angle, the DLTs now must use fabricated cable benders. The
team also specified that the DLTs should only lower up to a
5-gal tool bucket into a manhole and require two workers
to remove and store a 20-ft ladder on the side of the under-
ground trucks.
For the overhead work, the DLTs used to lay down plywood
sheets to protect the terrain in muddy conditions. These sheets
could weigh up to 120 lb, so Duke Energy now invests in sheets
made from a lighter-weight composite material that include
rope handles or cutouts to facilitate handling. Another area
of concern for DLTs dealt with extracting anchor rods by grab-
bing the top of the rod and then forcefully pulling it out of
the ground. This lead to stress on the arms and shoulders. In-
stead, the DLTs are advised to ensure that the rod is detached
from the anchor plate before removing it and also using an
auger to remove the anchor. The utility also changed the work
practice focused on operating boom controls to reduce strain
on the hand, wrist and arm.
After implementing these solutions for the DLTs, the utility
focused on fleet maintenance mechanics and partnered with
the Electric Power Research Institute for a study on vehicle de-
sign. As in the DLT study, Duke Energy identified risk factors
and then developed mitigation strategies.
By pinpointing ergonomic risks and coming up with a va-
riety of solutions, Duke Energy discovered a way to minimize
the MSDs for its DLTs, improve their productivity and cut
down on lost time due to injuries in the field.
Jon Evans ([email protected]) is the learning
services manager for Duke Energy in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He is responsible for compliance training and all training needs
of transmission and distribution craft employees, engineers,
fleet employees, grid modernization and metering employees
in the Carolinas West Region.
Using a manual crimp tool has caused many injuries as a result of the awkward position required to compress the connection.
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ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com56L
SRP Equips Trucks with AEDs to Save LivesArizona utility invests in automated external defibrillators for both its transmission and distribution crews.
By Matt collins, Salt River Project
One year ago, while repairing a 230-kV transmis-
sion line in the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona,
I flatlined. But I survived. Now, as a 41-year-old
transmission maintenance lineman for Salt River
Project (SRP), I am charged to educate other utility workers
nationwide about the equipment that kick-started my heart
back to life.
On Jan. 27, 2012, I died and came back to life. Had it not
been for my five SRP transmission maintenance crew mem-
bers who sprung into lifesaving action using an automated
external defibrillator (AED), I would not have lived to see an-
other day.
Looking back, I don’t even remember what happened that
day or the two days afterwards. As a lineman, I deal with haz-
ards every day, and death is around me constantly. Our crew
tries to negotiate danger safely with the tools we have on hand,
and fortunately, we had access to an AED.
Saving My LifeI made electrical contact as I did routine maintenance
work to reinforce and strengthen transmission structures on a
230-kV line southeast of Phoenix. I was injured by an induced
voltage when I got in series with a static channel and a pole
ground. The jolt affected the natural rhythm of my heart,
causing me to have a cardiac arrhythmia, which means my
heart was active but operating in a life-threatening, dysfunc-
tional pattern.
Given the remote work site and the seriousness of my
condition, my crew swiftly lowered the boom to the ground
and removed me from the bucket. The operator then got on
the radio and followed all of our radio
procedures.
Just as they had been trained to do,
my crew reached for the little red case
found inside all SRP line crew trucks
and most SRP facilities. The linemen
hooked up the AED, delivered a shock
and then performed CPR. They then
gave me another shock, until I started
breathing. They wouldn’t give up on me.
Their actions and that device were
the difference between life and death.
They had my back that day, and they are
the reason why I’m still walking around.
My team heroically used the AED to
successfully treat me through defibrilla-
tion, a form of electrical therapy, which
stopped the arrhythmia and allowed my
heart to re-establish a normal rhythm.
My coworkers then made me comfort-
able until firefighters and paramedics
from the Apache Junction Fire District
and Southwest Ambulance arrived.
This SRP transmission maintenance crew consists of Doug Hersch, Robert Lake, Matt Collins, Mike Deubler, Kade Hlebichuk and Braundo Riley. They were with Collins at the time of the electrical contact, and Lake is holding an AED like the one used to help Collins.
www.tdworld.com | March 2013 56M
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
Making the Investment
After paramedics stabilized me, I was airlifted by AirEvac
Arizona to the Arizona Burn Center at the Maricopa Medical
Center, where I was treated for burns to my hands.
When the incident happened, the phones began to ring.
My crew members called my friends and family around the
country, including my best friend. He works in transmission
maintenance in the Midwest, and he heard about the accident
even before my wife got a call. My friend immediately left his
job site and fl ew straight to Arizona so he could be at my bed-
side when I woke up in the hospital.
After he made sure that I was going to be okay, he fl ew
home to his family. When he returned to work, he asked his
company if they could get an AED, but he was told that it
wasn’t cost-effective.
As SRP crews understand, however, providing AEDs to line
crews isn’t just a basic necessity, but it can have a profound im-
pact. The costs can be eclipsed if just one life is saved. In this
case, it was mine.
My electrical contact marked the fi rst time an SRP employ-
ee was treated successfully by an SRP crew specially trained to
use an AED.
While I missed three months of work, I was able to return
back to my same crew when I recovered. I couldn’t imagine
what my family would be going through had we not had an
AED.
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An SRP employee practices cardiac compressions during a CPR/AED training class. The classes are required at least ev-ery two years. Additional refresher training is also available at any time. Each person must show profi ciency in the skills portion as well as pass a written exam.
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com56H
The Ins and Outs of AEDs
Salt River Project equips all of its fi eld crews’ trucks with automated external defi brillators (AEDs) from Philips. Here are some lessons
the utility has learned while deploying these lifesaving devices to its workforce.
1. Train your fi eld workforce. SRP requires its fi eld crews
to complete AED, First Aid and CPR training annually, says Matt
Peek, supervisor of transmission
line maintenance for SRP. The
utility partners with Heart Savers
for CPR and First Aid training
and PAR Education for CPR
and AED training. The goal of
the training sessions is to make
the emergency-response skills
automatic so crew members
can act swiftly in the case of an
emergency.
“Once everything was said
and done, we had a conversation with the crew, and they didn’t
remember everything that happened or pressing the button,”
said Peek. “It goes to show that if you give your employees the
right training, it will pay off.”
2. Rapid response time is critical. The chance of survival
decreases 7% per minute in the fi rst three minutes without
treatment and 10% per minute beyond the three minutes,
according to the Red Cross. Irreversible brain and tissue damage
may begin to occur after three to fi ve minutes, but if the rescuer
uses the AED within the fi rst fi ve minutes, then the victim has a
59% survival rate. Beyond this critical time frame, the victim could
be susceptible to brain damage, organ failure and long-term
injuries.
3. Don’t depend on the ambulance to get to the work
site in time. Unless the job site is located in a hospital’s parking
lot, there’s no way that an ambulance
can get to a job site that quickly,
Peek says. He estimated that it often
takes the fi re department about
10 to 15 minutes to respond to an
emergency, and by the time the
emergency responders arrive, it may
be too late. In the case of Collins’ accident, it took the ambulance
30 minutes to travel the 5 miles from the hospital to the work site
because of the rugged terrain, and they told the crew it was a
good thing that they had access to an AED.
“The SRP crew on the scene is to be commended,” said Rob
Bessee, division chief for the Apache Junction Fire District. “Their
speedy, profi cient response and proper deployment of the AED
helped save Matt and made our job easier.”
4. AEDs are expensive but worth it. Before Matt Collins’
incident, SRP had about 100 to 150 AEDs on hand. Collins works
out of the East Valley Service Center, which had four AED units
for the fi eld crews to use during out-of-town assignments. The
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www.tdworld.com | March 2013 56I
devices cost $1,800 to $2,000 each,�but SRP decided it was worth
the investment to equip its in-town and out-of-town substation,
transmission and distribution crews with AEDs.“We felt strongly that the investment in training and
equipment was crucial to help keep our line crews safe,” said Rick Corven, SRP’s director of electric system line maintenance. “AEDs were initially introduced at SRP as part of a pilot program in 2002. And currently, we equip all of our crew trucks with AEDs.”
5. If you equip fi eld crews’ trucks with AEDs, they can
help others. One SRP crew came across a car accident, in which a doctor and a nurse were doing CPR on an injured person. The linemen pulled over and let them use their AED.
6. Make it known that there is an AED inside the work
truck. SRP adheres stickers on the crew members’ vehicles stating
“First Aid Kit Inside” and “AED Kit Inside.”
7. Keep the AEDs in proper working condition. Just like
any other type of equipment, AEDs must be maintained. Linemen
and other fi eld workers must check the battery life since cold
weather can drain the batteries down. Also, they must check the
condition of the pads, which have a certain shelf life. Also, the hot
weather can cause the pads to dry out, and since it can get up to
120° in Arizona, the workers store the extra pads in the cab of the
truck so they can be kept in air conditioning.
8. Document the condition of the AEDs. SRP’s fi eld crews
are required to fi ll out a monthly inspection and log sheet to
ensure the batteries and pads are in good working order.
and we appreciate it. Not every utility company has AEDs or
values their employees in the same way as SRP. I can’t thank
my company enough for making the investment to ensure
we can go home every day.
Matt Collins ([email protected]) has been a
lineman in transmission maintenance with SRP since 2008.
He started as a project manager in 2000 with PAR Electrical
Contractors in Las Vegas. Collins has worked in remote
locations in Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Southern
California. In 2005, he started his apprenticeship with IBEW
Local 769 and worked for contractors such as Sturgeon
Electric, TECC and Wilson Electrical Contractors. In 2007, he
became a foreman with Henkels & McCoy and ran a four-man
line crew, which handled pole change-outs and built a 69-kV
line in Nevada that played a major role in providing water to
Las Vegas residents.
Editor’s note: To learn more about the CPR programs and
training, visit www.heart.org.
Companies mentioned:Heart Savers | www.heartsaversinc.com
PAR Educational Systems LLC | www.pareducation.com
Philips | www.philips.com
Salt River Project | www.srpnet.com
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ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com56P
On Christmas Day 2012, a winter storm struck
Entergy’s service territory, knocking out power to
242,500 Entergy customers. Arkansas was hit the
hardest, with freezing rain, sleet and snow leaving
194,000 Entergy Arkansas customers without
power. The hardest-hit areas in Arkansas included
Little Rock, where 100,000 customers lost power,
and the Malvern and Hot Springs areas, where
another 41,000 customers lost power. The
remaining outages were scattered throughout the
state. Power was restored to all who could take it
by January 1.
Entergy Arkansas formed a storm team of
about 5,000, which included its own employees,
crews from its sister Entergy utilities in Louisiana,
Texas and Mississippi, and contract crews.
In this photo, a contract crew is helping to
restore power to Entergy Arkansas customers
in the Foxcroft subdivision of Little Rock on
December 30.
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Also be sure to check out our monthly polls:• Grade Your Workplace: Innovative or Stick in the Mud?• Is Your Utility Culture Really Getting Greener?• Will Wireless Meters Win Out?
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58 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
VEGETATIONManagement
GIS Enhances Hazard Tree ControlMid-South Synergy uses a GIS-based spatial analysis plan to control and schedule vegetation management activities.By Comfort Manyame, Mid-South Synergy Electric Coop
Mid-South Synergy Electric Cooperative’s mostly
rural 1,635-sq mile (4,235-sq km) service terri-
tory spans six Texas counties: Brazos, Grimes,
Madison, Montgomery, Madison, Waller and
Walker. Being a rural electric cooperative brings many chal-
lenges with respect to vegetation management and vegetation-
related outages. Most of Mid-South Synergy’s outages in any
given year are lightning and vegetation related. While light-
ning is hard to predict and impossible to prevent, the growth
of vegetation can be controlled and its contact with distribu-
tion assets can be minimized. The majority of Mid-South Syn-
ergy’s vegetation-related outages are because of trees growing
outside the utility’s 20-ft (6-m) right-of-way (ROW).
Studies have consistently shown only up to 15% of tree-
related outages are caused by ROW growth. Hazard trees or
trees located outside the ROW are the majority of the prob-
lem. When one considers the Sam Houston National Forest as
an example, where the predominantly pine trees are at least
100 ft (31 m) tall, no amount of conventional clearing within
the ROW can prevent damage resulting from trees falling on
power lines outside the ROW. It just takes the right weather
conditions (high winds or heavy rain) or tree mortality to cre-
ate an event.
The Lay of the LandIn a year like 2011, in which Texas experienced not only a
severe drought but rampant forest fi res, tree mortality was at
a seldom-seen peak. Dead trees near lines must be removed
immediately. This is mainly because decay organisms attack
them, weakening their stems, resulting in large limbs and the
top breaking off the crown followed by the collapse of the
whole tree. Mid-South Synergy is aware of the risk attributed
to dead trees in its territory, and this prompted the coop to
revisit its vegetation management plan to include a compre-
hensive plan for cutting down dead trees.
The single most important factor affecting tree growth
is soil moisture. According to the State Soil Geographic
(STATSGO) database, Mid-South Synergy has 21 soil types in
its territory, and each soil type has unique properties. For ex-
ample, soils differ in their ability to store moisture or retain
water. This is referred to as the soil’s available water capacity
(AWC) and is linked to variable tree growth and mortality. Soil
data, specifi cally the AWC, is a good predictor of high-risk ar-
eas where the effects of long periods of drought will be fi rst ex-
perienced. In addition to soil variability, there also is a 7-inch
(178-mm) west-to-east gradient in annual rainfall across the
service territory. Vegetation cover types also are variable, with
pine hardwoods dominating most of the territory.
Current Hazard Tree RemovalThe typical hazard tree removal sequence starts with a cus-
tomer call. This prompts the creation of a service order for
tree crews. Alternately, the ROW crews identify and cut down
hazard trees as they work their regular shifts. Finally, when
service crews responding to an outage call identify a hazard
tree, they cut or trim the tree depending on the situation.
Soil mapping unit infl uence on dead tree-related outages.
Key Soil Names, IDs and Characteristics
Mapping unit name MUID AWC Clay (%)
Organic matter (%)
Permeability inch/hr (mm/hr)
Dead tree outages
Dead trees cut
Model weight
Depcor-Fetzer-Boy TX140 0.12 25.90 0.50 3.97 (100.84) 66 944 1.00
Falba-Arol-Burlewash TX179 0.09 35.40 0.60 1.22 (30.99) 28 416 2.00
Gomery-Shiro-Elmina TX205 0.09 23.90 0.40 4.14 (105.16) 5 244 3.00
Frelsburg-Latium-Crockett TX188 0.15 44.70 2.20 0.44 (11.18) 27 239 3.00
Conroe-Kirbyville-Pinetucky TX109 0.12 27.90 0.30 1.84 (46.74) 21 177 3.00
Zack-Zulch-Boonville TX626 0.14 33.50 0.90 0.32 (8.13) 16 19 4.00
59www.tdworld.com | March 2013
VEGETATIONManagement
All dead tree data received from these sources are submitted
to the geographic information system (GIS) department once
the work is completed. The vegetation management geodata-
base is then updated using Clearion software. Each dead tree
record in the GIS is attributed with the tree species and tree
condition (dead or green).
GIS ModelingDrought conditions enhance tree mortality. To better pre-
pare for this, GIS was used to analyze hazard tree removal
data for 2011, STATSGO soil data and vegetation cover type
data. A dead tree area identifi cation model was created in GIS
to help in resource allocation for spotting and cutting down
Outa
ge e
vents
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0Lake
Conroe
Vegetation type
Lake Livingston
Other Pinehardwood
Post oak woods/forest
Young forest/grasslands
Post oak woods...
Water oak-elm...
Vegetation-type interaction with dead tree-related outages.
dead trees well before a customer
calls or, even better, before an out-
age occurs.
Pines constituted the highest
number (75%) of cut dead trees in
2011, followed by oaks, while the
remainder consisted of sweet gum,
elms and others. The pine domi-
nance in the coop’s data could sim-
ply be explained by their being the
dominant vegetation cover type in
the utility’s territory. However, pines
are also known to be less drought
tolerant — except for the Japanese black pine species — com-
pared to most of the oak species.
Based on the STATSGO data, most of the dead trees were
cut in the soil mapping unit ID (MUID) TX140 followed by
TX179. These mapping units — Depcor-Fetzer-Boy and Frels-
burg-Latium-Crockett, respectively — are characterized by
high permeability, high drainage, low organic matter content
and low clay content, characteristics that, combined, lead to
low water retention or low AWC. It also was determined the
majority of dead tree-related outages in 2011 were in the soil
MUID TX140 and under the pine vegetation cover type.
A fi eld visit to randomly sample the location of dead trees
showed that soil type played a much larger role in tree mortal-
vegetationManagement
lThe soil type was given a 90% influence weight and the
vegetation cover type was given a 10% influence weight. Each
of the two inputs was multiplied by the weight.
lThe resulting cell values were added together to produce
the risk allocation for dead trees in the Mid-South Synergy
service territory.
Most of the dead tree-related outages were prevalent in
the soil mapping unit TX140 followed by TX179, TX188 and
TX109. TX626 also was seen with a few more outages com-
pared to the remainder of the soil units.
Most of the dead tree outages were reported in the pine
hardwood vegetation type. The vegetation type of “other”
could not really be classified as just one dominant vegetation
type. The purple is the post oak woods, forest and grasslands
mosaic.
GIS Model ResultsAll grid cells with a value of 1 were labeled as the high-
est risk areas or the most susceptible to dead trees, while ar-
eas with a grid cell value of 4 are the least susceptible. The
weighted overlay output grid was reclassified from its original
five classes to just two classes depicting high- and medium-risk
areas.
The next step involved converting the resultant output
grid to a shape file, so a spatial join with primary conductors
could be carried out. The spatial join allowed for the assign-
ment of susceptibility values to primary conductors based on
the polygon in which they fell. Based on the spatial join, it was
possible to determine, at the feeder level, the length under
each of the two classes. The classes were ranked by percent for
each feeder, so if the majority of a feeder had a grid value of
1, then the feeder would be classified as very high risk and so
forth. This enabled a grouping of feeders based on dead tree
risk. This was done in Microsoft Excel using pivot tables. A
giS-Weighted overlay ModelThe initial step was to convert the soil type and vegetation cover shape
files into raster data format to facilitate their manipulation in spatial analyst.
Once converted to raster format, each of the soil and vegetation cover
types were assigned a grid value and used in the analyses that followed.
The resultant raster output, while informative, still needs to be subjected to scrutiny by applying some ground truth. Maps
showing the vegetation cover types, soil mapping units, dead trees and dead tree-related outages were produced.
Being able to show the spatial distribution of soil types and vegetation cover types across Mid-South Synergy Cooperative’s
service territory helps to highlight the need for site-specific vegetation management. Pines are the dominant vegetation cover
type in Mid-South Synergy’s territory, which may help to explain why 75% of dead trees cut in 2011 were pines.
Vegetation cover
Soil type
Weightedoverlay
Dead treerisk
ity as expected (soil moisture is the single most factor affecting
tree condition). In the GIS model formulation, a weight of 0.9
was applied to soil type and 0.1 was applied to vegetation cover
type. This resulted in a model skewed toward soil type.
Weighted Overlay AnalysisThe following steps were followed in coming up with the
GIS model for dead tree risk areas:
lA numerical evaluation scale of 1 to 4 was chosen, where
1 is the highest risk and 4 is the lowest risk.
lThe cell values for the soil type layer and vegetation cover
type layer were assigned values from the evaluation. Soil layer
TX140 was assigned a value of 1; TX179 a value of 2; TX188,
TX205 and TX109 a value of 3; and all others a value of 4. The
weight for each soil type was based mainly on the number of
dead trees cut in that unit. For the vegetation cover type layer,
pine hardwood was given a value of 1; other — a mosaic of
many types — a value of 2; post oak woods, forest and grass-
land mosaic a value of 3; and all others a value of 4.
The chain saw is one of the principal vegetation management tools.
vegetationManagement
to expose. A few spatial analyses were run to come up with the
hazard tree management plan that has since been implement-
ed. With this new process, work assignments are much more
efficient and the hazard tree program has already managed to
remove trees from the system that would normally result in an
outage or damage to utility infrastructure.
Comfort Manyame ([email protected]) is the
GIS manager for Mid-South Synergy Electric Coop in Texas. He
earned his Ph.D. degree from Texas A&M University, College
Station. He also is the technology editor for The GIS Profes-
sional, a URISA publication. His work on utility GIS, vegetation
management and lightning strike studies have been widely
published, including in ESRI’s GIS Best Practices for Municipali-
ties, Cooperatives and Rural Electric Utilities.
Analysis of vegetation cover type combined with soil type. Primary conductor susceptibility to dead trees.
Companies mentioned:Clearion | www.clearion.com
Mid-South Synergy Electric | www.midsouthsynergy.com
table was created listing feeders and their dead tree risk, and
this was given to the operations department for deployment
of crews to the areas needing the most immediate attention.
The 50 feeders (circuits) were each given a value for dead
tree intensity. With this new information, the work flow for
taking care of hazard trees was modified, enabling the coop
to not just rely on customer calls (reactionary) but be more
proactive.
In the new work flow, the GIS department allocates work
packets for taking down dead trees based on the feeder sus-
ceptibility. This has resulted in intensifying dead tree work
more than threefold, thus avoiding many potential outages.
For example, close to 3,000 trees were cut during all of 2011,
whereas in the first half of 2012, about 15,000 dead trees were
removed from the system. Without GIS, the coop would still be
relying on customer calls and random scouting to know where
hazard trees are located.
A Great ResultThis is an example of low-hanging fruit that GIS can help
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com62
PRODUCTS&Services
High-Impedance Fault DetectionSchweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc.
announces the high-impedance fault detection in the SEL-651R Advanced Recloser Control. SEL’s patented arc sense technology (AST) detects more high-impedance faults than conventional protection for reliable operation of distribution systems.
A high-impedance fault occurs when a conductor contacts a ground surface but does not produce a large fault current. The SEL-651R with AST detects and clears many faults that may not be detected by conventional overcurrent elements. AST detection algorithms also offer enhanced security over existing technology, and dedicated event reports provide information on high-impedance fault activity for event analysis.Schweitzer Engineering Laboratorieswww.selinc.com
PEAK Transformers The new Cooper Power Systems
PEAK transformers are designed to provide additional capability for managing increased loads and temporary overload capacity without accelerating loss of insulation system life when compared to mineral oil-fi lled transformer alternatives.
Cooper Power Systems has two options available for PEAK transformers. Both options use an advanced high-temperature insulation system, comprised of thermally upgraded kraft paper, soybean oil-based Envirotemp FR3 dielectric fl uid, and an optimized core and coil design:
• For applications where a smaller footprint and a lighter transformer — capable of the same ratings as a physically larger 65°C AWR rated unit — are desired, a 75°C AWR PEAK transformer is recommended. These units will use less material and fewer gallons of dielectric fl uid, resulting in a better value as well as lower related costs of handling and operating the larger transformers.
• Alternatively, when additional overload capacity is most important to manage increased loads or peaks in demand, a 65/75°C AWR PEAK transformer is recommended. These units are designed to accommodate heavier base loading for extended periods of time without accelerating loss of insulation system life. Utilities, commercial and industrial customers are now able to load PEAK transformers continuously above base kVA rating to 109% for single phase or 112% for three phase while maintaining IEEE Standard C57.91-2011 standard per unit life requirement.
PEAK transformers are fi lled with the biodegradable alternative to transformer oil, Envirotemp FR3 dielectric fl uid, which creates a barrier against water at the surface of the insulation. This makes the thermal kraft paper in the coil windings stronger and longer lasting.Cooper Power Systems | www.cooperpower.com
Volt/VAR Optimization TechnologyS&C’s new communicating capacitor controls make it easier to deploy volt/VAR
optimization solutions. IntelliCap 2000 controls provide a simple set-up process and offer a variety of control strategies, which streamline deployment by minimizing the need for custom programming and confi gurations in a volt/VAR optimization system. IntelliCap 2000 provides high-accuracy analog inputs of 0.15% for increased accuracy in the overall volt/VAR optimization system, along with harmonic reporting up to the 23rd harmonic. GPS for 1-ms accurate time-stamping and WiFi functionality to enable easy and secure fi eld access are also available.
“Volt/VAR optimization technology offers advantages that almost anyone can appreciate, from reduced energy costs to improved power quality. The new IntelliCap 2000 controls make it even easier to deploy and manage a comprehensive volt/VAR optimization solution by reducing system set-up time and by providing access to very accurate data,” says Chris McCarthy, director, automation systems, S&C. S&C Electric Co. | www.sandc.com
Remote Sensing SoftwareMerrick & Co., a leader in light
detection and ranging (LiDAR), digital orthophotography, hyperspectral imaging, and geographic information systems (GIS) data integration, has released Version 7.1 of the Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS) software suite. The MARS software suite provides comprehensive support for LiDAR point cloud visualization, data management, automated data processing, LiDAR quality control and geospatial data production.
The newest version of MARS provides many software enhancements and new features, which improve data throughput and application usability. This release focuses on signifi cant performance improvements of Merrick’s automated QC Module (which tests against the new USGS National Geospatial Program’s LiDAR Base Specifi cation Version 1.0) and batch export module. Furthermore, this release provides support for Version 1.4 of the ASPRS LAS specifi cation. Merrick & Co. | www.merrick.com
DCIM SolutionEmerson Network Power is combining
the capabilities of its Trellis platform with IBM IT service management (ITSM) software to signifi cantly optimize the management of data center resources. This integrated data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solution will deliver increased energy and operational effi ciency, and improved IT service delivery.
DCIM is an essential component for businesses that have high quality of service demands for information technologies and need to scale quickly. An estimated US$450 million market today, DCIM is expected to grow to $1.7 billion by 2016, according to industry analyst fi rm Gartner.
Integrating IBM software with Emerson’s Trellis platform will provide real-time visibility from IT applications, through infrastructure components and all the way to the power grid, enabling holistic management of the data center ecosystem. This information can be used to improve energy effi ciency and space and capacity utilization, enable rapid problem management and resource provisioning, and improve operational effi ciency, all of which reduce the risk of downtime and enhance the delivery of IT services.
The combined capabilities of Emerson’s Trellis platform and IBM software also will enable data center managers to understand the true costs of running an application with metrics like watts per workload, calculate its resource demands in real time, and dynamically provision physical and logical resources to support the application effi ciently and cost-effectively.Emerson Network Powerwww.emersonnetworkpower.com
www.tdworld.com | March 2013 63
PRODUCTS&Services
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C-Head Cutter Series
BURNDY expands its product offering with the PATHCC10 and RHCC10 C-Head cutter series.
The unique C-Head tool allows users to simply scoop and cut without the need to open and close a latch, making cutting easier in a variety of applications. The PATHCC10 and RHCC10 series of cutters are available with four individually designed blades, enabling users to optimize the cutting of the intended cable type with ease and effectiveness. A variety of options are offered, including ordering the tools with all blades or specifi c blades only.
The PATHCC10 is a self-contained battery-operated cutting tool (18-V Ni-MH), and the RHCC10 is a remote power-operated hydraulic cutter (10,000 psi). Both platforms also have covered head versions available.
The PATHCC10 and RHCC10 cutting tools have blade alignment technology, ensuring a clean cut and maximum blade life. The interchangeable blade can be customized to suit specifi c cutting needs.BURNDY | www.burndy.com
Distribution Relay Portfolio
ABB’s Relion 620 series of protection relays is now available for North America and for all ANSI markets. The 620 series is part of the larger Relion product family of transmission and distribution protection and control intelligent electronic devices.
The ANSI Relion 620 series of distribution protection relays — the REF620, REM620 and RET620 — are designed to fi t mid- to high-end distribution applications, including one, one-and-a-half, and two breaker schemes. The three products in the 620 series are designed for protection and control of feeders, motors and transformers.
These new protection relays feature the traditional Relion ease of use with one programming tool and three standard open protocols, as well as customizable screens, cable fault detection, the highest number of user-programmable push buttons and digital inputs and outputs, and safety features such as delayed close breaker operation and arc-fl ash detection. ABB | www.abb.com
Cable Fault Locator Video
Hipotronics Inc. has released its fi rst product demonstration video featuring the new X-Wave Primary Cable Fault Locator. It is now available on the company’s website and YouTube channel.
The X-Wave demo video will be the fi rst of many videos to come from Hipotronics in the future. The company plans to continue producing informative video tutorials that give an inside look at some of their newest equipment. Each video is intended to explain and demonstrate how to use featured products while promoting safety and ease-of-use throughout. Over time, video content will expand to cover product demos as well as topics like best practices and maintenance.Hipotronics Inc. | www.hipotronics.com
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com64
Products&Services
AMI Communications System
Aclara Technologies LLC, a provider of intelligent infrastructure solutions and a member of the utility solutions group of ESCO Technologies Inc., announces enhanced TWACS (eTWACS). Aclara’s TWACS power-line communications technology is a leading advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution nationwide, communicating with more than 13.5 million deployed smart devices and retrieving hourly data with a read rate higher than 99% for over 360 utilities.
With eTWACS, utilities now can send and receive more data over power lines than they could with earlier generations of TWACS. The eTWACS protocol allows concurrent, bidirectional transmission of data on all three phases of an AC electrical distribution feeder as well as on all busses and substations simultaneously. The net effect, in most cases, can triple the communications capacity of an Aclara power-line communications system and add significant capacity for future communication needs.
What does this mean to the utility? Utilities now can use the additional capacity provided by eTWACS to handle smart grid applications above and beyond meter reading. Utilities deploying eTWACS now will have plenty of capacity to handle tasks such as outage management, load control and distribution management. For example, testing by Aclara confirmed that with eTWACS, the time to retrieve a full complement of “shifted” meter data from a 5,000-meter bus — including intervals, voltages, kilowatt hours, tamper indicators, error flags and demand — could be reduced from 60 minutes to 20 minutes.
The two-way functionality of eTWACS also allows the utility to communicate effectively to each endpoint to issue on-request reads, control load-shed events, remotely connect and disconnect meters, and download feature enhancements. Aclara eTWACS is fully backward compatible with previous versions of TWACS equipment so that eTWACS-capable and earlier generation TWACS technology endpoints can coexist while maximizing communication capacity. Aclara | www.aclara.com
IP Networked Camera
Schneider Electric’s all-new Pelco Esprit SE IP Integrated PTZ Camera System includes standard and pressurized models for video surveillance and IP network connectivity. Built upon the Esprit SE
positioning system platform, the system features dynamic window blanking, auto tracking, internal scheduling clock, electronic image stabilization and multilanguage menus — all formerly reserved only for high-speed domes.
Designed and built for continuous use featuring an integrated camera and lens, pan-and-tilt unit, multiprotocol receiver and
Sarix-based H.264 encoder, Esprit SE IP offers dynamic remote-positioning capabilities and is capable of remaining completely operational in up to 90 mph (145 kmph) wind conditions. The integrated system offers responsive, high-speed positioning capabilities,
fully configurable video streaming, easy browser-based set-up, outstanding weather protection, and a high level of aesthetics and ease of installation. Schneider Electric | www.pelco.com
Distribution Services and Software Modeling
Battelle now can support utilities with modeling tools for effective planning, testing and resource deployment. The new Grid Command Distribution is built as a front-end addition for GridLAB-D, a distribution system simulation and analysis tool developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy lab that Battelle manages.
The offering helps utilities make informed decisions before they invest in new technologies. For instance, it models the impact of alternative energy sources and advanced technologies on the grid to improve investment and operational efficiency. The new front-end software was developed as part of an ongoing smart grid demonstration project in Columbus as part of AEP Ohio’s gridSMART program sponsored by the Department of Energy.
Grid Command Distribution allows utilities to quickly build circuit models with multiple configurations, assess complex resource deployment scenarios, and provide insight into grid sensitivity and capacity under changing conditions
Battelle’s Grid Command Distribution is part of a full-service portfolio that includes Grid Command Active Demand Management and Grid Command Transmission (powered by HELM technology from Gridquant). Active Demand Management gives consumers and producers unprecedented control over everyday energy decisions. HELM, a proprietary suite of software and services originally developed by Gridquant, offers utilities visibility into transmission grid conditions even up to the point of collapse.Battelle | www.battell.org
Transformer and Reactor Design Software
The 3D Transformers Environment (TE3D) provides a graphical user interface for designing transformers and reactors using Cobham Technical Services’ Opera-3D finite element electromagnetic simulation package.
Users are presented with simple dialog boxes and drop-down menus to define a new transformer or reactor design. After entering this data, the software creates a 3-D finite element model of a reactor or transformer, together with independent drive and load circuits within the circuit editor for subsequent simulation and analysis.
The software allows a wide variety of common transformer types to be created, including three-phase, three- and five-leg core, and single-phase two- and three-leg core. The software accommodates both racetrack and solenoid type single and multiple layer windings, and most of the commonly used winding connections specified in the international IEC 60076-1 standard for power transformers. All aspects of transformer design can be modelled through the environment. Users can modify the device and circuits following the initial build to enable precise matching of their designs, and the analysis options available within the environment can be used to analyze devices not constructed within it.
The simulation analysis phase is also automated. User options include performing open-circuit, short-circuit and inrush current tests on transformers, and mutual inductance tests on reactors.
Once an analysis has been completed, the TE3D environment automatically sends the results to the Opera Manager to be solved. In the case of the inrush current test, for example, the calculated results include the Lorentz forces on the primary and secondary windings, eddy currents in any support structures, iron losses in the transformer core, and transformer efficiency.
The TE3D environment offers fine control of the finite element analysis mesh size and distribution within each device to help balance speed with accuracy.
TE3D will also model a diverse range of reactor types, including three-phase three-leg, five-leg and both horizontal and vertical air core, and single-phase two-leg, three-leg and air core. Power systems designers will appreciate the benefits of using TE3D from the outset. By modelling the transformer or reactor, they can visualize the shape of stray flux and the areas with the highest local loss concentration. Design data can be changed in seconds, allowing “What if?” type scenarios to be investigated quickly, so that users can home-in on the optimal design solution to an application more efficiently.Cobham Technical Services www.cobham.com
www.tdworld.com | March 2013 65
PRODUCTS&Services
SCADA Visualization App
The InduSoft Visualization App for Windows 8 and Windows RT, Microsoft’s highly anticipated new version of its Windows operating system, is now available at The Windows Store.
As the fi rst SCADA/HMI visualization app created specifi cally for Windows 8, the InduSoft Visualization App offers mobile access to InduSoft Web Studio applications from any Windows 8 device. The app enables users to access to SCADA information from a variety of mobile access stations such as iPhones, tablets and laptops.
InduSoft Visualization App gives users the ability to monitor critical information anytime at their fi ngertips. Users can view alarms, alarm history, process values, trends and historical data from any location using their Windows 8 operating system. InduSoft | www.indusoft.com
Installation Pliers andDiagonal Cutters
The KNIPEX installation pliers and the KNIPEX X-Cut diagonal cutters have received the 2013 iF product design award in a qualifi ed and international fi eld.
A pair of KNIPEX installation pliers is the perfect complement to diagonal cutters. The KNIPEX installation pliers are fully loaded with functions mimicking the four essential electrical installation tools including long nose pliers, wire strippers, crimping pliers and cable shears. This quadruple functionality in the pliers makes them ideal for electrical work.
The X-Cut pliers are box joint diagonal cutters with the capacity of an all-rounder. They are compact and lightweight, but still extremely precise and powerful due to the double-supported joint axis that allows for heavy-duty cutting. KNIPEX Tools | www.knipex-tools.com
Relay Test Equipment
EuroSMC’s lightweight PTE-50-CE is the ideal instrument to test overcurrent and over/undervoltage protective relays.
The reversible 100-VA amplifi er can inject up to 50 A or 150 V with outstanding stability, free of distortions and completely isolated from the power supply. The waveform is synthesized electronically and can generate harmonics from 1st to 7th of the supply’s frequency. Various output ranges are available to maintain the 100-VA power throughout the entire settings scale. The system features automatic protections against overload and overheating.
The “Pro” version features the PTE-FCN additional voltage source inside the lid. This option can be ordered and self-installed in a few minutes to upgrade any existing PTE-50-CE, and extends the applications range to many more relay types including directional overcurrent, impedance, synchronization and frequency relays.
This equipment is easy to use. You just set the test values (current, voltage, phase angle, frequency) and activate the output. When the relay’s operation is detected, the chronometer will display the operation time with a 1-ms resolution. A “step” function is also available to test the relay across two non-zero values of current, voltage or phase angle.
Although the PTE-50-CE has been designed for fast, effi cient in-fi eld testing, it also can be controlled from an external computer running optionally available test software, designed for routine testing and automatic report generation.EuroSMC | www.eurosmc.com
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com66
PRODUCTS&Services
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Circuit Breaker Analyzer
Circuit Breaker Analyzer has created an application for iPhone or iPod, capable of capturing vibration signatures from working circuit breakers to provide quantifi able data for computerized maintenance management systems and other preventive maintenance programs.
Using the accelerometer inside every iPhone or new model iPod, the Circuit Breaker Analyzer captures vibration data in all three axes as well as across time at sample rates of 100 Hz to 400 Hz, depending on the version. Both sample rates provide ample data to for a detailed vibration signature for later analysis of potential mechanical faults inside the circuit breaker. By comparing the newly acquired vibration signature to a database of known good profi les and/or the vibration signature of the breaker’s “fi rst trip” operation, pattern recognition algorithms can determine when changes in the “envelope” or shape of the vibration signature indicate a hidden mechanical problem that eventually will lead to breaker failure if left unchecked.
The Circuit Breaker Analyzer is designed for use by technicians with any level of experience. After starting the application, the operator keys in the type of circuit breaker under test. This brings up a picture of the breaker that shows the technician where to attach the iPhone or iPod, using adhesive magnets that ship with the Circuit Breaker Analyzer app. This helps to guarantee an “apples to apples” comparison with stored KGPs and eliminate false tests. The app also comes with built-in level indicators to make sure the iPhone or iPod is positioned correctly for testing. The app also can be used in conjunction with remote switching devices, such as the CBS ArcSafe product line remote racking system, for added protection against arc fl ash injuries.
After the test is fi nished, the tester presses the stop button, and the vibration data is saved on the device and wirelessly sent to a central database of the user’s choosing. Internal condition-based maintenance algorithms compare the vibration envelope to known good profi les for that make of breaker, and identify variances that indicate an internal mechanical problem or wear.Circuit Breaker Analyzer Inc. | cbanalyzer.com
Digital Voltage Phasing Meter
Hastings launches the redesigned 6702 digital voltage phasing meter, an updated version with the same great quality and additional features.
The redesigned phasing meter performs a variety of underground and overhead distribution and transmission applications. The new version includes added features:
• Three modes of operation: AC, DC and Hi-Pot
• Measure voltage from 0 kV to 40 kV and up to 240 kV using add-on resistors
• Display includes digital meter and analog bar graph, and is twice as large as the former display.
Understanding the harsh environment of the linemen and products, the redesigned meter enclosure is smaller and made of high-quality, rugged extruded aluminum. Additionally, the phasing meter includes a Hi-Pot mode for testing URD cable and has a mode bar graph to mark the peak voltage while the cable is being charged. Hastings | www.hfgpundergroundsafety.com
UPS Backup Power
Pnu Power introduces a fully integrated backup power system for data centers and industrial UPS applications.
The EPS10 provides 10 kW of peak power and 100+ hours runtime in a self-contained weatherproof box that can be located in extreme outdoor environments. It can be connected to critical loads via a single mains cable and several units can be run in parallel, for higher loads and/or redundancy.
The unit uses the latest ultra-capacitor technology in place of conventional lead-acid batteries to provide instant bridging power in the event of an outage and fast, reliable start-up of its integral diesel generator for extended runtime.Pnu Power | www.pnu-power.com
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In each issue, you’ll fi nd: profi les of featured instructors, news on major training trends, overviews of company courses or training programs, online events, training books and materials, a helpful listing of training courses covering all aspects of T&D, and a calen-dar of events highlighting exhibitions, conferences, seminars and workshops of note in the power delivery industry.
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com68
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products & services
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• Contingency & Reliability Assessment
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Southeastern, Mid-Atlantic, New England: Douglas J. Fix 590 Hickory Flat Road Alpharetta, GA 30004 Phone: 770-740-2078 Fax:678-405-3327 E-mail: [email protected] Southwest: Gary Lindenberger 7007 Winding Walk Drive, Suite 100 Houston, TX 77095 Phone: 281-855-0470 Fax: 281-855-4219 E-mail: [email protected] West/Western Canada: Ron Sweeney 303 Johnston Drive San Rafael, CA 94903 Phone: 415-499-9095 Fax: 415-499-9096E-mail: [email protected]
Craig Zehntner 15981 Yarnell Street, Suite 230Los Angeles, CA 91342Phone: 818-403-6379 Fax: 818-403-6436 E-mail: [email protected]
Western/Eastern Europe: Richard Woolley P.O. Box 250Banbury, OXON, OX16 5YJ UKPhone: 44-1295-278-407Fax: 44-1295-278-408 E-mail: [email protected]
Asia: Hazel Li InterAct Media & Marketing66 Tannery Lane#04-01 Sindo Ind BuildingSingapore 347805Phone: 65-6728-2396 Fax: 65-6562-3375 E-mail:[email protected] Japan: Yoshinori Ikeda Akutagawa Bldg., 7-7, Nihonbashi Kabutocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0026, Japan Phone: 81-3-3661-6138 Fax: 81-3-3661-6139 E-mail: [email protected] Korea: Y.B. Jeon Storm Associates Inc. 4F. Deok Woo Building 292-7, Sung-san dong, Ma-po ku, Seoul, Korea Phone: 82-2-755-3774 Fax: 82-2-755-3776 E-mail:[email protected] Classified Sales: Susan Schaefer 870 Wyndom Terrace Secane, PA 19018 Phone: 484-478-0154 Fax: 913-514-6417 E-mail: [email protected]
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3M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 www.3m.com
*American Electrical Testing Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56O www.99aetco.com
*Arbormetrics Solutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56G www.arbormetrics.com
*Asplundh Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56K www.asplundh.com
Asplundh Tree Expert Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC www.asplundh.com
Black & Veatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.bv.com
Burns & McDonnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC www.burnsmcd.com
Cantega Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 www.cantega.com
Capital Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 www.capitalsafety.com
Doble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 www.doble.com
DuPont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 www.viewpoint.dupont.com
Engineering Endeavors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 www.engend.com
Engineering Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 www.sterlingpadlocks.com
eTrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 www.tdworld.com
EuroSMC, S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 www.smcraptor.com
Fah Teeng Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 www.fahteeng.com.tw
FWT, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 www.fwtllc.com
GE Digital Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 www.gedigitalenergy.com
General Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1a www.generalcable.com
*Greenlee Textron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56H www.greenleeutility.com
Haverfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 www.haverfield.com
HDR Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 www.hdrinc.com
*Heli-Dunn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56J www.heli-dunn.com
Hipotronics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 www.hipotronics.com
*Hubbell Power Systems Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56C www.hubbellpowersystems.com
Hubbell Power Systems Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC www.hubbellpowersystems.com
Hughes Brothers Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 www.hughesbros.com
*Huskie Tools Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56E www.huskietools.com
Krenz & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60-61 www.krenzvent.com
Lewis Mfg. Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 www.lewismfg.com
*Lug-All Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56I www.lug-all.com
Mears Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 www.mears.net
Michels Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 www.michels.us
NLMCC/NECA-IBEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.nlmcc.org
Omicron Electronics Corp. USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 www.omicronusa.com
*Osmose Utilities Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56N www.osmoseutilities.com
Parkline Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 www.parkline.com
Penton / Wright’s Reprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 www.wrightsmedia.com
Quanta Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 www.quantaservices.com
RTDS Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 www.rtds.com
S&C Electric Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28-29 www.sandc.com
Sabre Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 www.sabretubularstructures.com
*Siemens AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1B www.siemens.com
Siemens Industry Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 www.siemens.com
Stanley Consultants Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 www.stanleyconsultants.com
StressCrete Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 www.stresscretegroup.com
TDCompare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 www.tdcompare.com
TDW Grid Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 www.tdworld.com
Thomas & Betts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 www.tnb.com
Thomas & Betts Corp./Meyer Steel Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.meyersteelstructures.com
Underground Devices Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 www.udevices.com
Vaisala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 www.vaisala.com
Valmont/Newmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 www.valmont-newmark.com
Verizon Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.verizon.com
*Watson Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56M www.watsonusa.com
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com72
StraightTalk
storms. Most tree damage during storms results from large
branches and entire trees falling into wires, often from outside
of the right-of-way. To improve storm performance, vegetation
management needs to focus on removing dead and diseased
trees, removing tall trees (and perhaps replacing them with
short trees), and removing all branches that overhang the con-
ductors.
3. Replace wood poles—not! After seeing broken and
leaning poles, utilities often are asked why they do not switch
to stronger poles made out of steel, concrete or composites. In
fact, the average strength of a wood pole for a given grade of
construction is higher than these alternatives. New wood poles
are one-third stronger to allow for degradation, and have a
higher safety factor to compensate for higher-strength vari-
ability. Sometimes it makes sense to use non-wood poles, such
as to reduce weight. However, a strong storm will snap a non-
wood pole just as easily as a wood pole of the same strength.
4. Replace small wire—not! Old copper wire does not
stand much of a chance against falling trees, and nobody likes
to see broken conductor on the ground. Consequently, it can
be tempting to proactively replace small conductor with some-
thing larger and stronger. Although stronger conductors are
less likely to break, they often can cause a bigger problem than
they solve. When trees fall into large conductors, the full force
is transferred to nearby utility poles, resulting in broken hard-
ware, crossarms and often the pole itself. Needless to say, it is
easier to splice a broken conductor than replace a broken pole.
Some utilities have begun using wire ties that will fail before
the conductor breaks or structural damage occurs. When the
tie fails, the conductor simply drops to the ground and can be
rehung during restoration.
When it comes to storm strategies, initial instincts may not
always be wrong. However, most rules of thumb and accepted
approaches are based on non-storm situations and may not
translate well to storm situations. Storm performance requires
different thinking, and considering counterintuitive out-
comes will ensure that all actions result in the desired benefits.
Imagine taking the stand at post-storm hearings. Instead of
defending mediocre results with “everybody does it this way,”
you can tout superior results because “most do it this way, but
we do it the right way.”
Counterintuitive Strategies
On Oct. 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in
the Northeast United States. Although Sandy was
only a Category 1, it was the largest Atlantic hurri-
cane on record with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,770 km).
Sandy affected the entire East Coast, with particularly exten-
sive damage in New Jersey and New York. Sandy caused power
interruptions to more than 6 million people, with more than
1 million still out of power a week after landfall.
The public is understandably frustrated whenever an ex-
treme weather event results in power restoration times of a
week or more. In these situations, it is common for the media
and politicians to criticize utilities for old and unmaintained
infrastructure, poor storm preparation, inefficient restoration
processes and inadequate communication with a variety of
stakeholders. Valid or not, these attacks put pressure on utili-
ties to develop action plans so things will be better when the
next storm hits.
alternatives to Consider
When considering alternatives for improving storm per-
formance, it is natural to think about historical approaches
used to improve normal-weather and minor-storm reliability.
Unfortunately, these are not always effective. Much of the
utility system was not designed for extreme weather and dif-
ferent rules often apply. It reminds me of a classic “Seinfeld”
episode where George Costanza turns his life around by doing
the opposite of his instincts. For a utility to turn its storm per-
formance around, it must recognize that the effects of many
improvement initiatives are counterintuitive.
Here are four examples when initial instincts may not
translate into the best storm-improvement approach:
1. Put it underground—not! After a major storm, it is a safe
bet utilities will be urged to put all of their lines underground.
Overhead-to-underground conversion has been examined
dozens of times by states, cities, professional organizations
and consultants. The answer is always the same. Unless there
are special circumstances, overhead-to-underground conver-
sion is far too expensive to justify the benefits. Worse, under-
ground systems result in less reliability near coastal areas sub-
ject to storm surges. Underground systems near the coast are
less reliable during major storms, not more.
2. Trim the trees—not! Utilities are often scolded after a
major storm because they are behind on their tree-pruning
cycle. Cycle pruning focuses on conductor clearances, which
is important for clear-weather reliability but less so for major
Richard Brown ([email protected]) is the vice
president of power networks for WorleyParsons in the United
States. He is also a fellow of the IEEE.
By Richard Brown, WorleyParsons
When it comes to your customers, we “handle them
with care.” We know that we’re a highly visible
component in the delivery of safe, reliable and
affordable energy.
From the work planner on the ground to the arborist
up in the bucket, Asplundh provides the training
and equipment necessary to help our crews present
a professional public image to your customers. Our
people explain the work – how it is done and why
it is necessary – so your customer understands
the process. We know that our crews’
professionalism, safety and efficiency reflect your
commitment to customer satisfaction.
As your partner in vegetation management,
Asplundh offers a better way for customer care.
Contact us today at 1-800-248-TREE or visit
www.asplundh.com to learn more.
A Better Way – Safety • Efficiency • Innovation
quantaservices.comFor more information, contact Brian Standish at 713.341.7212 or [email protected]
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 1
SUPERSTORMSandy
Good Preparation, Excellent Execution
I’m not ashamed to admit I get a churning in the pit of
my stomach when I see hurricanes forming in the Gulf.
The closer a major storm approaches landfall, the more
I fi nd myself repeating phrases like “Not again. Not this time.
Turn out to sea. Weaken. Dissipate.”
When a hurricane hits land, it robs those of us in its path of
our sense of security and replaces it with great discomfort and
angst. Those of us impacted are forced to rebuild our homes,
our businesses, our infrastructure and, sometimes, our very
lives.
As much as I hate to see a storm brewing, when a major
storm hits, I refuse to sit idly by. I have to get involved in some
way, just as you probably do. It’s what we — those of us who
work in the electric utility industry — were bred for. We never
feel more alive, more energized or more needed than when we
are bringing back electricity, along with a sense of normalcy
and security, to our customers.
The Ugliest of the UglySpeaking from experience, Sandy was the ugliest of the
ugly. I fl ew up to personally experience and report on the re-
build efforts on Long Island and in Connecticut. When you
are on the front line, your emotions swing wildly from a dull
ache, to deep despair, to wild exhilaration and then back
again. Too often, the emotions do not line up with the experi-
ences; they are out of control, at least mine are.
When I got back from the front, I connected with execu-
tives at Con Ed, FirstEnergy and Public Service Electric & Gas.
Each of these utilities also had personal stories to tell. Gene
Wolf, T&D World’s technical writer, and I then touched base
with the many collaborating utilities, contractors, tree trim-
mers and vendors who moved Heaven and Earth — and then
some — to get personnel and supplies to the front.
Those in the know cannot help but be impressed by the
sheer numbers required to respond to an event like Sandy.
The number of contract crews, vehicles, poles, transformers
and the miles of wire boggle the mind. We are honored to
share the stories of the individuals and teams who pulled to-
gether to bring power back to the Northeast.
Today, refl ecting back on the Sandy rebuild, I can state the
key to our successful rebuild was good preparation and excel-
lent execution. A proper rebuild requires utilities to build and
maintain relationships with other utilities, with contractors
and with vendors. These relationships are gold in times of cri-
sis. During the Sandy response, these partners responded with
the same passion and vigor as the utilities themselves.
Because Superstorm Sandy was so massive, delivered re-
cord-high tides and unleashed mayhem in the most densely
populated region of the United States, she also impacted
our national psyche. We are now different, and our industry
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy leads the daily response call in the State Emergency Operations Center.
2 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
has been changed because of the
mind-altering impact of this storm.
No More Storm
Business as Usual
Legislators, regulators and cus-
tomers showed their impatience
and even rage when storm restora-
tion efforts exceeded several weeks,
even when taking into account the
extent of the damage from this mas-
sive killer storm. Woe to the utility
executive who cannot respond to
the pace demanded by regulators
and legislators.
We know in our gut we must respond ever more quickly
when the next storm hits. We are taking action now. We are
changing the dynamics of how we will prepare for and re-
spond to superstorms:
■ We will design and build more robust, more resilient,
more easily rebuilt power delivery systems.
■ We will improve our supply chain channels to gain even
greater access to replacement poles, transformers, switchgear
and hardware.
■ Our network will provide more operational fl exibility
during restoration so we can bypass damaged areas and re-
route electricity.
■ We will collaborate nationally to standardize equipment
so we can more easily obtain replacement parts. Editorial Director
■ We will install storm-hard-
ened telecommunications systems.
■ We will operate more robust
distribution management and out-
age management systems that can
handle the increased information
fl ow during crisis events.
■ We will provide network status
updates in real time to utility work-
ers, utility partners, regulators, leg-
islators, the local media, and, most
importantly, to our customers.
■ We will partner with city man-
agers, state preparedness organiza-
tions, FEMA and other infrastruc-
ture organizations to accelerate storm response times for all
services providers.
As utilities, we have plenty of reasons to invest in our power
delivery system so that we can better respond to storms. The
main reason is that it is the right thing to do. Status quo is not
an option. We already have the technologies available to move
rapidly and decisively build out a more fl exible, more robust,
more resilient, more easily rebuilt grid. And now, post-Sandy,
we have the communal will to do so.
Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Chair-man Arthur House shares storm response perspectives with Rick Bush.
Properly staffi ng the Connecticut State Emergency Operations Center allows issues to be resolved before they become problems.
4
Utilities Caught
NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Sandy’s mas-sive circulation on Oct. 29, 2012, at 2:20 p.m. Sandy covered 1.8 million square miles from the Mid-Atlantic to the Ohio Valley, and into Canada and New England. Courtesy of NASA Foddard MODIS Rapid Response Team.
5
SUPERSTORMSandy
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com
Five utilities ramp up to battle Sandy’s onslaught.
By Rick Bush, Editorial Director
A tropical depression in the western Caribbean caught the at-
tention of meteorologists on Oct. 22, 2012. It quickly grew in
strength and became Tropical Storm Sandy. Over the next
week, the storm developed into Hurricane Sandy, leaving a
path of death and destruction as it moved across the Caribbean into the
Atlantic. About a week later, on Oct. 29, it slammed into the densely popu-
lated northeastern portion of the United States.
From the time it fi rst formed until it made landfall, Sandy became the
largest storm to ever hit the East Coast. It was more than 1,000 nautical
miles, or 1,150 miles (1,850 km), wide — more than twice the size of the
state of Texas. It impacted the North American Eastern Seaboard, from
Florida to Nova Scotia and westward beyond the Appalachian Mountains
to Wisconsin.
In all, Sandy affected more than 24 states plus the District of Columbia
and several Canadian provinces. Being in the center of the storm’s cross-
hairs, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut — an area with a population
in excess of 60 million people — caught the brunt of the storm.
in the Crosshairs
Florida Power & Light dispatched 2,400 linemen from Florida and west Georgia to restore power to custom-ers shortly after Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the east coast of Florida on Oct. 26. FPL also sent a cara-van from Bradenton, Florida, to assist utilities in the Washington-Baltimore area. Deploying more than 860 employees and contractor restoration workers in 250 trucks, FPL storm-response teams worked tirelessly to support seven different utilities from Virginia to New Jersey with restoration efforts. Courtesy of Florida Power & Light.
What have 87 hurricane seasons taught us?We’re all in this together.
6 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument on NASA’s Aqua spacecraft captured this infrared image of Hurricane Sandy at 2:17 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2012. The hurricane center is the darkest purple area in the Atlantic, just east of the New Jersey coast, refl ecting Sandy’s areas of heaviest rainfall. Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Devastated by a HybridAs far as storms go, Sandy delivered far more damage than
most hurricanes, although the National Hurricane Center
downgraded its status to a tropical cyclone shortly before it
came ashore in the United State.
Sandy was a huge slow-moving storm. A week into restora-
tion, an arctic storm called a nor’easter hit the U.S. It com-
bined all the destruction of a hurricane with the devastation
of a nor’easter, fueled by an arctic storm front. Sandy com-
bined wind, rain, snow and � ooding.
Electric Outages by State
Impacted state Peak outages reported in DOE situation reports
Impacted state Peak outages reported in DOE situation reports
Connecticut 626,559 New Jersey 2,615,291
Delaware 45,137 New York 2,097,933
District of Columbia 3,583 North Carolina 15,466
Kentucky 8,379 Ohio 267,323
Maine 90,727 Pennsylvania 1,267,512
Maryland 311,020 Rhode Island 116,592
Massachusetts 298,072 Vermont 17,959
Michigan 69,006 Virginia 182,811
New Hampshire 141,992 West Virginia 271,765
Note: States with fewer than 3,000 outages are not included in the table. Source: Outage numbers obtained from company websites and DOE communications.
Sandy had a barometric pressure of 940 millibars, usually
associated with Category 4 hurricanes. It also brought Cate-
gory 1 hurricane winds of 90 mph (145 kmph) when it came
ashore. In addition, storm surges were expected to reach 4 ft
to 8 ft (1.2 m to 2.4 m) along the coast, with a predicted 11-ft
(3.3-m) storm surge in northern New Jersey and Long Island.
Meteorologists’ estimates proved to be way too conservative.
The storm surge that hit New York City’s Battery Park was
measured at 13.88 ft (4.23 m). Storm surges of this magni-
tude are normally related to Category 4 storms, not tropical
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 7
SUPERSTORMSandy
Superstorm Sandy brought with it devastating damage. LIPA crews replaced more than 4,400 poles and 2.25 million feet of wire to restore power to customers. Courtesy of LIPA.
cyclones. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion placed the destructive power of Sandy at 5.8 on a scale
of 6. It seems like the National Hurricane Center and the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should have
gotten together on classifying this megastorm.
Standing By — But Not IdleIn the days prior to the superstorm’s landfall, local offi cials
prepared citizens for the storm and began to call for evacua-
tion of coastal and low-lying areas. Likewise, utilities, manu-
facturers, contractors and suppliers were gearing up for the
storm. Utilities activated their emergency-response plans,
mobilized their employees, contacted their mutual assistance
networks and battened down their systems.
The following pages track the restoration of fi ve utilities
that found themselves caught in the crosshairs of Superstorm
Sandy: Long Island Power Authority, Con Edison, Public Ser-
vice Electric and Gas Co., FirstEnergy’s Jersey Central Power &
Light and Connecticut Light & Power. Here are their stories.
The aerial photos show the Borough of Montoloking in Ocean County, New Jersey, on March 18, 2007, (below) and on Oct. 31, 2012 (right). Sandy made landfall just south of Montoloking, demolishing the coastal community. Courtesy of NOAA Remote Sensing Division.
A bucket truck from Southern California Edison is unloaded from a C-5 transport and ready for dispatch. Responding to a request from New York’s Con Edison, SCE sent more than 70 units and 120 line workers to the Northeast. Plans initially called for a ground convoy, which could have taken up to four days. To expedite the mis-sion, President Obama requested an airlift to get the mission underway. Courtesy of Con Edison.
8 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Flooding crested in the region of this 230-kV to 115-kV Raritan River switchyard. The breaker in the foreground is a 115-kV MEPPI circuit breaker. Courtesy of ABB.
Monmouth Beach Substation in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, suffered damage from the storm surge that carried sand inland. Courtesy of ABB.
Typical salt water damage from fl ooding in the substation’s switchgear. Courtesy of ABB.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 9
SUPERSTORMSandy
Hurricane Sandy left a path of destruction in the areas serviced by Jersey Central Power & Light. As of Nov. 2, crews had replaced approximately 2,400 spans of wire and 200 transformers. With the arrival of the nor’easter on Nov. 7, heavy snow and high winds resulted in an additional 120,000 power outages in the JCP&L service territory. Courtesy of JCP&L.
An extreme tidal surge caused severe fl ooding and extensive damage across the south shore of Long Island and the Rockaways. Courtesy of LIPA.
Lineman work in side-by-side bucket trucks to restore power to a neighborhood on Staten Island, New York. Courtesy of Con Edison.
10 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
In the Sheapshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, trees and electric poles fell to the ground after strong winds from Hurricane Sandy blew through. Courtesy of Anton Oparin,
Shutterstock.
In the neighborhood of Belle Harbor, Rockaway Beach, houses sustained extensive damage and lost power due to impact from Hurricane Sandy in Queens, New York. Courtesy of Anton Oparin, Shutterstock.
Long Island Power Authority crews reattach secondary lines to customers after devastating damage. Courtesy of LIPA.
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12 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Long Island Power Authority
Hurricane Sandy may not go down in U.S. an-
nals as the worst storm of all time, but certain
East Coast residents may beg to differ. When
Sandy made landfall in late October 2012, she
knocked out power to 1.1 million Long Island Power Author-
ity (LIPA) customers. To add insult to injury, an impressive
nor’easter struck the same decimated area just a week into
the rebuild, cutting utilities to another 160,000 customers —
thousands of whom had recently seen power restored. Despite
these signifi cant obstacles, LIPA rose to the challenge.
Measuring 118 miles (190 km) in length and 23 miles
(37 km) in width, Long Island is exposed to strong winds and
tides, and is thus entirely vulnerable during extreme weather.
Located west of highly populated New York City, Long Island
is the most highly populated island in the United States.
Nick Lizanich, vice president of operations at LIPA, provid-
ed this on-the-ground perspective of the rising tide and falling
utility fortunes:
“Although realizing the consequences of storm damage
caused by an extended period of hurricane-force winds, some
of our greatest challenges were related to fl ooding,” said Liza-
nich. “We used NOAA surge maps to prepare our response to
the expected tidal surges. The slow movement of the storm was
such that NOAA predicted that successive tides would push up
against earlier tides to result in greater fl ooding, all during
an astronomical high-tide period due to the full moon. The
predictions were in line with what we could handle,” he noted.
“The fi rst high tide was in line with predicted levels and was
right near the height of the break walls,” Lizanich recalled.
“The second high tide was a couple feet higher than the fi rst
and, again, in line with NOAA predictions. The second high
tide brought the fl oodwaters to the substation fence line, so
we were feeling pretty confi dent the third high tide, which was
expected to be several feet higher, would be contained by the
sandbagging done at the stations. In reality, the third high tide
came in as much as 7 ft (2.1 m) higher than expected. As the
A LIPA lineman puts the fi nishing touch on a pole changeout by connecting triplex to a residential home.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 13
SUPERSTORMSandy
station breakers began to blow from the fl oodwaters, and we
took steps to de-energize the remaining pieces of the stations
to minimize damage, we knew then that we were dealing with
the most damaging storm ever to hit Long Island.”
Seven LIPA substations experienced fl ood damage. Fortu-
nately, LIPA had two mobile substations on hand along with
access to another mobile substation, obtained from National
Grid, to use in the quick restoration of the system backbone
and key critical loads in the fl ood-ravaged areas. LIPA also had
various spare transformers, breakers and switchgear to aid in
the restoration of substation circuits, to meet the load so fl ood-
ed areas could be rebuilt to receive load.
When appropriate, hardening efforts were performed on
the substations during the rebuild and restoration process.
At one substation, for instance, foundations were raised
5 ft (1.5 m) on a replacement piece of switchgear to position
new replacement gear out of future fl ood danger. In some
instances, transmission lines were rerouted to bypass fl ooded
substations.
Mutual aid included 40 outside substation-support per-
sonnel to facilitate the removal and replacement of fl ooded
switchgear, breakers and transformers. LIPA also employed
services companies to assist in the refurbishment of damaged
and fl ooded equipment, which would be reinstalled and re-en-
ergized as conditions and need warranted. It is expected LIPA
will ultimately spend $50 million in substation restoration, of
which some of this work is still being performed.
In a densely populated area called the “Rockaways,” home
to approximately 50,000 customers, a large number of high-
rise residential facilities were without power in addition to
residential homes and commercial businesses when fl oodwa-
ters shorted out the supply stations. Anticipating diffi culties in
Line workers install new switchgear (foreground) and new poles (background) in the fl ood areas of the Rockaways.
Long Island Power Authority and National Grid executives discuss restoration progress at their twice-a-day operations briefi ng at the Hicksville Command Center.
14 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
customers getting their internal switchgear rooms in the high
rises cleaned and ready for service, LIPA assembled a fl eet
of 105 large stand-alone generators, rated from 70 kW to
2,000 kW, to facilitate the restoration of customer load.
These generators were hooked up to bring back several
residential, commercial, governmental and utility facilities.
For example, 10 buildings in the Ocean Bay high-rise complex
were energized using 10 of these backup generators. Genera-
tors also were located at the Long Beach Medical Center and
the Mass Transit Authority’s Rockaway Park Station. LIPA also
located on-site generation at crew staging areas, substations
and lay-down yards to facilitate a 24-hour operation of services
in hard-hit damaged areas. LIPA also acquired 5,500-W gen-
erators for 44 polling stations throughout the service territory,
so all voting centers had power for the national election.
One of the more frustrating issues LIPA faced was gaining
the required approval to restore power to homes and business-
es that had experienced fl ooding and damage to electrical
outlets and wiring panels. Determining who had the author-
ity to authorize the re-energization of these homes and busi-
nesses, and how each county would go about making this deci-
sion, became a local issue, clearly something that needs to be
memorialized prior to the next event.
LIPA is somewhat unique as a municipal utility made up of
just about 100 staff personnel. LIPA contracts with National
Grid to perform most transmission and distribution services.
So, under normal operating conditions, most of the boots on
the ground are actually National Grid employees. During this
storm, the National Grid team managed most of the tactical
issues related to storm restoration.
One of the lessons learned a year ago from
Hurricane Irene was the need to improve the
cooperation between LIPA and the municipal
road-clearing crews in each town. As a lesson
learned, a new process was put in place and
used during Sandy that received very positive
remarks from the local towns and counties.
The process includes the assignment of elec-
trical crews to the various town road-clearing
crews so they can work together to safely de-
energize lines. During Sandy, lines had fallen
and became entangled with a tree blocking a
major roadway. The early debris-removal ini-
tiative proved to be quite valuable as it provid-
ed residents access to services and line crews
access to roadways for subsequent restoration
efforts.
Wind damage also was severe and wide-
spread on the island. Many trees had been
uprooted and, subsequently, knocked down
distribution lines and poles (more than 4,000
poles were damaged by Sandy). To rebuild the
transmission and distribution system, 5,737
line personnel were brought on the island to
supplement the 535 crew members residing on
the island. Similarly, 3,624 tree workers were
contracted to assist the 150 local vegetation workers.
Of course, all these workers and associated support staff
had to be housed, equipped and dispatched. Jim Dayton,
director of strategic T&D initiatives with National Grid, was
responsible for foreign crew management. Dayton shared
major process and facilities changes in place for Sandy that
had been implemented in the past year because of lessons
learned from Hurricane Irene, in 2011:
“To accommodate additional crews, the foreign crew man-
agement offi ce moved to a larger facility. The crew-handling
process was enhanced to improve process fl ow. In addition, we
relocated the truck arrival and staging site to a larger facility
to improve traffi c fl ow, reduce delays and minimize the need
to relocate trucks. We could also send out automated texts and
calls to crew guides, which resulted in enhanced communica-
tions with fi eld personnel. This series of enhancements proved
invaluable in handling the unprecedented number of crews
we brought onto the island.”
John Bruckner, president of Long Island electric T&D ser-
vices with National Grid, served as incident commander dur-
ing the restoration. Because of the extensive level of damage,
local crew dispatch was divided between the local dispatch
centers and 80 satellite offi ces created at neighborhood substa-
tions. Each day, Bruckner took progress reports from the fi eld
at the Hicksville Command Center. Issues addressed included
mandatory safety training for incoming crews, crew dispatch,
and material, logistics and equipment status updates.
Also critical was the conveyance of operational informa-
tion to the communications teams, which would provide the
messaging to customers. Comprehensive storm-response in-
Thousands of off-island crews were processed to help LIPA repair the devastating damage from the storm.
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16 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
formation was tallied and then placed on the LIPA website to
take pressure off the call centers.
LIPA already had begun circuit hardening in 2007, and
these efforts paid tremendous dividends. Of the 250 identi-
LIPA substation mechanics make fi nal connections to a replacement transformer in the fl ooded Rockaways.
� ed road and rail crossings, 100 already had been hardened
with larger poles and more robust hardware. Also, more than
one-third of the poles with automated sectionalizing units had
been hardened. This effort produced great results as none of
these structures came down during the storm. LIPA also had
changed transmission line design codes so new or reworked
transmission lines were being built to withstand 130-mph
(209-kmph) winds, up from the original 90-mph (145-kmph)
wind design.
LIPA’s hurricane preparedness planning included stock-
ing the warehouse to hurricane levels every summer — in an-
ticipation of a major event such as Sandy in 2012 and Irene the
year before. Daily deliveries of key hardware and equipment
kept all the line crews fully engaged in the restoration efforts.
Services also were provided by nonelectrical personnel from
National Grid who assisted in material delivery to job sites.
One issue that arose during the event was the unavailabili-
ty of completely self-protected transformers, which include an
internal resettable breaker instead of a fused cutout installed
in the riser wire to the transformer. Because the supply chain
for these transformers was stretched thin, some crews were
tasked with modifying transformer installations to accommo-
date the need for a fused cutout.
Early on, LIPA had committed to returning power to the
majority of customers within 10 days. Just as LIPA was getting
to that goal, a setback occurred when the
utility was hit with a major nor’easter, along
with blinding snow and 30-mph to 35-mph
(48-kmph to 56-kmph) winds. The snow-
storm knocked out power to an additional
160,000 customers, some of which had just
been restored. This was yet another setback
for service restoration.
The utility persevered and restored all
but those in severely � ooded areas within a
14-day period. The � ooded areas are slowly
being restored as customers get their panels
and electrical equipment replaced. As of this
writing, a few thousand customers remain
without power and whose homes and busi-
nesses still await the assistance of the Federal
Emergency Maintenance Agency to restore
their homes and businesses to normal.
“I’m proud of the work we did to restore
the customers who experienced outages as-
sociated with Sandy and the subsequent
nor’easter,” stated Lizanich. “We do recog-
nize that there is room for improvement,
including our ability to keep customers ap-
prised of the status of their restoration ef-
fort, and we are undertaking lessons learned
to � nd holes in our processes, both opera-
tionally as well as from a communications
perspective. When it comes to storm prepa-
ration and response, it is a continuous learn-
ing process.”
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SUPERSTORMSandy
A Con Edison team member positions a hose to pump out a fl ooded underground vault.
Con Edison
Reminiscent of the storm that devas-
tated New Orleans, Louisiana, several
years ago, Hurricane Sandy ravaged
both Con Edison’s underground and
overhead electrical delivery systems in late fall 2012.
Winds gusted up to 90 mph (145 kmph), sending
thousands of trees crashing onto overhead lines,
while unprecedented fl oodwaters rushed into sub-
stations and other critical facilities, ultimately crip-
pling many sections of the city.
Con Edison, which serves 3.3 million custom-
ers in the fi ve boroughs of New York City and West-
chester County, has long realized its susceptibility
to storm tides, and weather forecasts made it clear
Sandy posed a serious fl ooding threat. In fact, the
utility monitored weather reports that predicted
the storm tide at the Battery — the southern tip of
Manhattan Island — could reach 12 ft (4.7 m). The
previous high reached approximately 11 ft (3.4 m) in
1821, and Hurricane Irene, which struck the region
in August 2011, brought a storm tide of 9.5 ft (2.9 m).
When the storm tide from Sandy exceeded fore-
casters’ expectations, reaching 14 ft (4.3 m) on the
evening of Oct. 29, the result was a massive deluge
of saltwater into substations and other parts of the
area’s underground electrical system. As New York
Harbor roiled violently and fl oodwaters rose rapidly,
Con Edison made a critical call early that evening:
The utility shut down two electrical networks on the south-
eastern tip of Manhattan and one network in Brooklyn, leav-
ing 6,500 customers in Manhattan and 28,200 in Brooklyn
without electrical service. However, these shutdowns likely
prevented extensive long-term damage to customer and utility
equipment.
Another 11 electrical networks in Lower and Midtown
Manhattan were shut down between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. because
of water fl ooding substation equipment. Shortly after 9 p.m.,
an additional network, which serves the World Trade Center
construction, was removed from service at the customer’s re-
quest. Power was out as far north as 39th Street to 40th Street on
the East Side of Manhattan and as far north as 30th Street to
31st Street on the West Side.
Con Edison includes both submersible and nonsubmers-
ible network protectors on its system. After the worst of the
storm passed, and the manholes and vaults were pumped
out, Con Edison removed about 200 nonsubmersible network
protectors from fl ooded areas and had them refurbished by
its own personnel and by Richards, a New Jersey contractor.
The repairs were quick and aligned with customer restora-
tion plans. Since Con Edison also maintains spare breakers
and transformers, the utility was able to replace failed devices
Once the vault is accessible, Con Edison workers remove the net-work protector to be refurbished or replaced so that power can be restored to customers.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 19
SUPERSTORMSandy
within a few days. For example, when much of
Manhattan went dark due to fl ooding, Con Edi-
son possessed all the materials and equipment it
needed to execute a relatively quick turnaround.
Because Con Edison’s equipment is exposed
to road salt during winter storms, the utility
boasts a storehouse of knowledge about the im-
pact of salt on equipment. Its engineers and op-
erators know distribution bushings and elbows
can withstand fl ooding conditions. But, the
utility is investigating the impact of saltwater on
other devices. According to Robert Schimmenti,
the utility’s vice president of engineering and
planning, Con Edison intends to investigate de-
sign enhancements on transformer bushings to
make them more resistant to salt contamination
and develop submersible designs for other criti-
cal equipment.
Paper-insulated lead-covered (PILC) cables
did not pose a signifi cant problem during this
event. The Con Edison system operates with limited amounts
of PILC cable, relying instead on more dependable, extruded
dielectric cables and splices. For the past 11 years, Con Edison
has been installing cold-shrink splices, which have performed
well, particularly in water-prone conditions. This splice design
also is less susceptible to workmanship failures because of its
ease of installation, its use of shear-bolt connectors and the
pretensioned shrink that seals the joint from environmental
elements.
Con Edison brought in thousands of mutual-aid and con-
tractor workers to help restore service to customers follow-
ing Sandy. Stated Schimmenti, “We brought in underground
The vehicle-staging area located at base camp was set up in Rye, New York, to house out-of-town workers helping with the restoration effort in Westchester County.
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20 Transmission & Distribution World
mutual aid to assist in the pumping out of the manholes and
vaults, as well as changing out of network protectors. Crews
from as far west as California, as north as Canada, as far south
as Florida and Texas came in to give a hand.”
While the damage and outages in Manhattan were fl ood
related, most of the damage in Westchester County was caused
by wind. Falling trees caused damage on some Westchester
circuits that was so devastating entire lines had to be rebuilt
from scratch. Circuits that would have taken two to three
months to build on a planned basis were replaced in three to
four days.
Looking at the overhead portions of the Con Edison ser-
vice territory, more than 1,000 poles and 900 overhead trans-
formers had to be replaced, more than fi ve times as many as
had been replaced in any previous storm.
Early on in the restoration, a major issue for Con Edison
was road closures and toppled trees, which affected 75% of the
utility’s overhead service territory.
The extensive damage on Staten Island proved to be both
wind and fl ood related. A number of houses in the coastal
communities were knocked off their foundations. “Our Con
Edison energy service representatives worked side by side with
city inspectors and contractors. NYC launched a very success-
ful initiative called ‘NYC Rapid Repairs,’” said Schimmenti.
NYC Rapid Repairs was a huge fast-track effort to bring in
rebuild services providers to make homes livable. Services pro-
vided included the removal of sheet rock, as well as electrical
and plumbing work. Con Edison also worked with the city to
expedite the delivery of electricity to hotels under construc-
tion so the city could provide temporary housing for displaced
residents.
Con Edison restored service to more than 230,000 Man-
hattan customers. Systemwide, Con Edison restored service
to more than 1.1 million customers affected by Hurricane
Sandy and the snowy nor’easter that followed the next week. It
brought about the largest storm-related-restoration campaign
in Con Edison’s long history, and there is no close second.
Hurricane Irene, the second most devastating storm, knocked
just under 204,000 electric customers out of service.
Mark Testa, a Con Edison mechanic, works on a network protector.
22 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Public Service Electric & Gas
Superstorm Sandy — aka Hurricane Sandy —
holds the dubious distinction of being the most
destructive storm in New Jersey-based PSE&G’s
109-year history, impacting twice as many custom-
ers as 2011’s Hurricane Irene. In addition to leaving more than
1.9 million of PSE&G’s 2.2 million electric customers without
power, Sandy’s storm surge caused the Hudson, Hackensack
and Passaic rivers to overfl ow their banks, causing unimagi-
nable devastation to numerous switching stations, substations
and generating infrastructure.
Fortunately, the utility was prepared, pre-staging 1,300 out-
of-state line workers and 600 out-of-state tree contractors, as
well as their full complement of in-house personnel. The sheer
logistics of housing, feeding, busing and preparing work pack-
ets for the external crews challenged the logistics team. At the
height of the rebuild, more than 4,000 line workers, substation
experts and tree personnel were engaged in restoration.
There were 15 staging areas set up across the state, many
in shopping mall parking lots, where crews were dispatched,
trucks refueled, supplies restocked and box lunches dis-
pensed. There were 55 hotels and 120 buses required to house
and transport the crews brought in to assist with restoration
efforts. From within PSE&G, more than 400 employees —
from fi nance, procurement, IT, legal, human resources, cor-
porate strategy and development, and energy holdings — vol-
unteered to distribute water and ice to impacted communities,
guard downed wires, and provide directions and logistics
assistance for out-of-town crews.
“This was a tremendous team effort,” said Ralph Izzo,
PSE&G chairman and CEO. “People from throughout our
organization contributed in countless ways to the restoration,
working together with great devotion and resourcefulness
and, in many cases, under grueling conditions. Many custom-
ers have written to express appreciation. These well-deserved
commendations have heartened us all.”
Mutual Aid
A huge, heartfelt thank you to the thousands of out-
of-state workers who came to PSE&G’s aid, going above
and beyond to help with our restoration efforts following
Superstorm Sandy. Without their help, we would not have
been able to accomplish the monumental task that Mother
Nature laid before us. We truly appreciate the hard work of
these companies and individuals.
—Ralph LaRossa, president and COO, PSE&G
Arkansas: Entergy
Connecticut: Black & McDonald, McPhee Electric
Florida: Duke, Florida, Fishel Tampa, Florida Power & Light,
GRU Gainesville, Irby Construction, OnPower, Sunshine
Utilities, Tampa Electric
Georgia: Utilicon
Illinois: Ameren
Indiana: Henkels & McCoy
Kansas: Great Plains Energy, Kansas City Power & Light,
Westar Energy
Kentucky: LG&E/Kentucky, Louisville Power
Maryland: East Coast Underground, PEPCO
Minnesota: Minnesota Power
Mississippi: Entergy, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power
Missouri: Ameren, Kiowa
New Jersey: Allan Briteway Electrical Contractors
New Jersey/Pennsylvania: JBL Electric, Matrix SME
New Mexico: Public Service Company of New Mexico
New York: Harlan Electric Co., Welsbach Electric Corp.
North Carolina: Haynes Electric Co.
Ohio: Dayton Power, Duke Energy
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Gas & Electric
Pennsylvania: I.B. Abel, Duquesne, Pennsylvania Power and
Light, Riggs Distler
Pennsylvania/Ohio: Pike
Tennessee: Electric Service
Texas: Asplundh Line, CenterPoint Energy, Entergy Texas,
Oncor, Power Secure, T&D Solutions
Vermont: Green Power
Virginia: Davis Elliott Co.
West Virginia: American Electric Power
Wisconsin: Wisconsin Public Service
A picture is worth a thousand words.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 23
SUPERSTORMSandy
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, a virtual army of PSEG employees — as well as crews called in from other areas in anticipation of the storm — worked around the clock to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
In the fi rst three days, PSE&G restored service to more
than 1 million customers. At the end of 10 days, the utility had
restored power to 96% of its customers. Then the nor’easter
struck, causing additional outages. During the two-week resto-
ration period, the utility’s customer call centers handled more
than 2.1 million calls, with PSE&G performing more than
2.1 million electric service restorations.
“This was no ordinary hurricane,” said LaRossa. “We’ve
dealt with high winds and heavy rain before, but the unprec-
edented storm surge — and the impact it had on our switching
and substations as well as our gas distribution system — was
something else entirely. We were essentially dealing with the
equivalent of two Hurricane Irenes. Add the snowy nor’easter
nine days later, and we certainly had our hands full.”
PSE&G undertook a massive effort to rebuild the 1,282
overhead and underground distribution circuits that had
been damaged. Crews replaced or repaired more than 2,400
utility poles and replaced 320 miles (515 km) of conductor.
Vegetation crews dealt with 48,000 tree jobs, a record num-
ber. In the service territory, crews replaced or repaired 1,022
transformers damaged during the storm. Of the utility’s 291
electric substations, 96 were impacted by the storm. Of this
total, 29 substations and switching stations were impacted by
storm surges.
A large number of substations were impacted by the tidal
surge of rivers in northern and central New Jersey. A wall of
water — ranging from 4 ft to 8 ft (1.2 m to 2.4 m) high — in-
undated facilities, including some that had never been sub-
merged in their 50 to 75 years of operation. Damaged equip-
ment had to be dried out and cleaned to get it back in service.
This took much painstaking work, making the restoration
even more complex.
During the storm, PSE&G operated several mobile cus-
tomer service centers (CSCs) to lend a hand in communities
particularly hard hit. PSE&G volunteers staffed locations in
Elizabeth, West Orange, Burlington, Hoboken, Paramus,
While checking locations for water, crews took precautions such as using sandbags to help divert water from the substation equipment.
24 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Plainfi eld, Moonachie, Jersey City and Newark. The CSCs pro-
vided ice, drinking water, food and power strips for recharg-
ing devices free of charge to PSE&G customers. The utility
was joined at some of these locations by disaster relief groups,
including the Red Cross and FEMA. Other community and
charitable groups used the mobile CSCs to distribute dona-
tions of food, blankets and other emergency supplies.
“Sandy — and the increased frequency of extreme weather
events — may now defi ne a new normal,” LaRossa said. “All
the conclusions won’t emerge in one day. But, it’s clear that
we will need to continue strengthening our infrastructure to
ensure safe, reliable energy for our customers long into the
future. Many options need to be examined — from ways to
build more redundancy and resiliency into our system, to the
use of other two-way communications tools, to revisiting our
tree-trimming practices. And this hardly exhausts the list of
possible improvements worth exploring.”
For example, even before Sandy struck, PSE&G had pur-
chased land to build a new substation in Newark, but inland,
away from nearby waterways. The utility is investing several
billion dollars in transmission enhancements to maintain
reliability. Other steps include evaluating tree-trimming pro-
grams, working with municipal leaders to possibly relocate
poles and lines that run through backyards to the curb and
determining whether it makes sense to bury some overhead
lines to increase reliability.
“Our employees have been a steadying force and reassur-
ing presence in being there to care for people and give them
hope that life would return to normal,” Izzo said. “I cannot
say enough about our employees who worked tirelessly on be-
half of customers, though the storm impacted their own homes
and families, too. And, we are so grateful for the assistance from
the more than 4,000 workers who came here from across the
U.S. and Canada. Thank you for going the extra mile.”
Not every utility has the experience,
the plan or the resources necessary to
prepare for disasters that may be
infrequent but potentially devastating.
EPP offers a wide range of services that
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As soon as the winds subsided to below 40 mph, crews worked tire-lessly to restore customers as quickly and safely as possible.
ALL NATURAL DISASTERS RAISETHE SAME QUESTION.WHEN’S MY POWER COMING BACK ON?No one has taught us more about dealing with disasters than Sandy, Irene and Katrina. And we know that until
your customers are up and running, the blame falls less on Mother Nature and more on you. This is what drives
us to be the leaders before, during and after emergency outage events. From customized storm kits to strong
relationships with top manufacturers to warehouses standing by across the country, our team is ready. While we
can’t predict the weather, we can guarantee one thing: what you need, where you need it and when you need it.
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26 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
FirstEnergy
Hurricane Sandy ranks as the most dam-
aging event FirstEnergy has faced thus
far. The storm affected more custom-
ers than Hurricane Irene combined
with an October 2011 snowstorm, and more than
twice as many customers as last summer’s derecho (a
straight-line windstorm associated with a fast-moving
band of severe thunderstorms). In fact, FirstEnergy
considered this storm along the same order as Hurri-
cane Katrina’s magnitude. By the time the winds died
down and the fl oodwaters receded, Sandy had crossed
every single state FirstEnergy serves and impacted nearly every
service territory, ultimately disrupting service to more than
2.47 million FirstEnergy customers.
Hurricane-force winds and rains hammered FirstEnergy
territories in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland.
FirstEnergy utilities in western Maryland and parts of West
Virginia found themselves blanketed with heavy snowfall, up-
ward of 2 ft (0.6 m) in some areas and facing winds in excess
of 50 mph (80 kmph). In Ohio, FirstEnergy experienced high
winds and rains along the Lake Erie shoreline.
Following is a breakdown of the customers who lost power
due to Hurricane Sandy per FirstEnergy utility: 1.2 million
JCP&L customers in New Jersey were affected, followed by
445,000 CEI/Ohio Edison customers in Ohio. In Pennsylva-
nia, 440,000 Met-Ed, Penelec and West Penn Power custom-
ers lost power. Service disruptions also were experienced by
146,000 Potomac Edison customers in Maryland and 36,000
Mon Power customers in West Virginia.
FirstEnergy responded to the catastrophic destruction
caused by Sandy with the largest mobilization of crews, equip-
ment, material and support in the company’s history. While
the regional dispatch offi ces of FirstEnergy’s utilities directed
local restoration efforts, FirstEnergy’s emergency operations
center at its Akron, Ohio, headquarters coordinated the over-
all restoration effort.
More than 20,000 workers made up of FirstEnergy utility
employees, other utility personnel and contractors joined the
massive restoration effort. Linemen, hazard responders, dam-
age assessors, and other service and support personnel en-
gaged in restoration efforts. Companywide, crews responded
to more than 50,000 reports of lines down and other hazards.
Nearly 64,000 trees were cut during the restoration effort,
30,000 damaged crossarms were replaced,
10,000 utility poles were replaced, 6,400 trans-
formers were replaced and 930 miles (1,497
km) of wire were hung.
Overall, FirstEnergy’s three customer con-
tact centers received 1.5 million outage calls,
the most ever taken in a single restoration
event. In the face of many challenges, crews
restored service to more than half of affected
FirstEnergy customers within three days and
two-thirds of customers within fi ve days. More
than 95% of customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio,
West Virginia and Maryland had their lights
back on by Nov. 5.
This pace of response requires plans to fall
into place and be properly executed. FirstEn-
ergy set up mobile command centers in strate-
gic locations to coordinate restoration efforts
and established 14 staging areas to house and
supply the infl ux of out-of-town crews.
Perhaps the most critical element in a large-
scale restoration event — and the most chal-
The extensive fl ooding and storm surge brought on by Hurricane Sandy resulted in a small navy of boats surrounding a JCP&L substation in Avon, New Jersey. The boats had to be removed before crews could access the site.
Hurricane Sandy dumped almost 24 inches of snow in some parts of West Virginia and Maryland, which hampered restoration efforts for FirstEnergy’s Mon Power and Potomac Edison utilities. Multiple Mon Power crews are shown here making repairs as far as the eye can see along a state highway in Bowden, West Virginia.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 27
SUPERSTORMSandy
lenging — is obtaining the necessary boots on the ground.
To address large-scale outages, securing outside utility crews,
electrical contractors and tree contractors can be quite diffi -
cult as all impacted utilities are chasing the same pool of talent.
FirstEnergy worked with mutual-aid assistance groups Mid-
Atlantic Mutual Assistance, the New York Mutual Assistance
Group, Southeastern Electric Exchange and Great Lakes Mu-
tual Assistance to bring in suffi cient crews to tackle the his-
toric rebuild effort in a timely manner. Workers were recruited
from more than 30 states and Canada, coming from as far
away as Oregon and California.
As part of the restoration process, 13 helicopters fl ying
10,000 miles (16,093 km) performed aerial patrols on the util-
ity’s transmission, subtransmission and distribution system.
Crews worked 16 hours on with 8 hours mandatory rest until
the job was done. And, most importantly, despite challenging
work conditions, no signifi cant safety incidents occurred.
Throughout the restoration process, FirstEnergy made
a concerted effort to keep customers and public offi cials ap-
prised of restoration activities and progress. Using social
media, media relations, paid advertising and website postings,
FirstEnergy emphasized safety messages and provided up-
dates on the storm-restoration process to its customers. The
media relations team responded to more than 1,600 calls,
participated in live TV and radio interviews, and provided key
information about the restoration effort. FirstEnergy also pro-
vided interactive outage maps on its website and used Twitter
to communicate with customers before, during and after the
storm.
Communications with key state personnel were vital to the
successful restoration effort. In New Jersey, FirstEnergy pro-
vided regular outreach to local offi cials, the Board of Public
Utilities (BPU), legislators and the governor, including par-
ticipation on twice-daily calls with the BPU president and gov-
ernor. In Ohio, daily communications were provided to the
governor, the public utility commission (PUC) chairman and
the mayor of Cleveland. In Pennsylvania, regular outreach
was provided to local offi cials, the PUC, the general assembly
and the governor’s staff, including participation on daily calls
with the PUC chairman and governor’s staff. In Maryland, fre-
quent status updates to Gov. Martin O’Malley and his energy
advisor included helicopter tours of storm-ravaged Garrett
County to show damaged electrical infrastructure.
Potomac Edison and state and local emergency manage-
ment offi cials closely coordinated recovery activities such as
clearing roads of downed live wires so crews could safely plow.
In addition, across FirstEnergy’s service areas, utility man-
agement worked with public offi cials to ensure the county’s
polling places would have electrical service for the national
election.
Jersey Central Power & Light
Although all regions within FirstEnergy
suffered from the effects of Hurricane
Sandy, operating utility JCP&L was at the
center of the crosshairs of the storm. Simi-
lar to conditions the operating utility experienced dur-
ing Hurricane Irene, JCP&L took a direct hit from the
Oct. 29-30 storm, infl icting unprecedented damage
across the service territory. Sandy affected virtually ev-
ery one of JCP&L’s 1.1 million customers. Overall, JCP&L
experienced more than 1.2 million interruptions as
many customers experienced multiple service outages.
JCP&L had returned service to 90% of affected cus-
tomers before the Nov. 7 nor’easter dumped more than
1 ft (0.3 m) of heavy, wet snow on parts of central New
Jersey, causing an additional 130,000 outages. Power was
restored to all JCP&L customers who could receive ser-
vice by the Nov. 10-11 weekend.
FirstEnergy’s company meteorologists forecasted early
on that JCP&L would be the hardest-hit service territory,
prompting the decision to prestage 1,400 line personnel
in New Jersey prior to the storm’s arrival. This included
425 JCP&L linemen, additional FirstEnergy person-
nel from sister operating utilities, contractor crews and
Prior to the storm, JCP&L took many proactive steps to try and minimize the anticipated impact of Sandy. For example, crews re-inforced dozens of JCP&L substations with sandbags, including this substation in Morristown, New Jersey.
28 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
mutual-aid assistance crews along with 1,200 forestry workers.
The utility also took action ahead of the storm to help mini-
mize the storm’s expected impact. Waterways near substations
in New Jersey were inspected and debris that could be driven
into equipment in the event of fl ooding was removed. Crews
also placed sandbags around substations most susceptible to
fl ooding.
Once Hurricane Sandy made landfall, crews throughout
the service area had to wait until whipping winds died down so
bucket trucks could operate safely. Downed trees and branch-
es made many roads impassable. To get a handle on the dam-
age, JCP&L had helicopter crews patrol and assess storm dam-
age to power lines.
Forestry crews worked to remove debris so linemen could
access trouble spots to make the necessary repairs. Crews re-
sponded fi rst to hazardous situations and high-priority dam-
age locations, including the transmission and substation facili-
ties that supply power to local distribution systems.
Among the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy were the long,
slender barrier islands that protect New Jersey’s coastline. Be-
fore Sandy struck land, JCP&L proactively shut down power to
customers on the islands in Monmouth and Ocean counties,
Once the high winds and storm surge subsided, JCP&L personnel needed to do signifi cant cleanup just to access and assess the damage at many substations, including this one in Sea Bright, New Jersey. The debris gathered in this yard includes remnants of a roof, a residential propane tank, sheets of plywood and even a football helmet.
which were one mandatory evacuation order, to protect public
safety. The utility de-energized substations serving the islands
remotely, before high tide, to protect equipment and speed
restoration efforts once the storm had passed. Local offi cials
and law enforcement were notifi ed in advance and helped to
coordinate the timing.
To restore power to JCP&L’s 1.2 million customers, a total
of 13,800 line workers, hazard responders, forestry workers,
call center representatives, management and support person-
nel participated in the storm response. To handle the logistics,
JCP&L set up nine staging areas to house and supply the in-
fl ux of crews from states as far away as California and Oregon.
The sheer volume of materials required for the rebuild
was massive. JCP&L replaced 6,700 utility poles and 19,200
crossarms damaged by the storm. In addition, 3,600 trans-
formers were replaced and more than 400 miles (644 km) of
overhead conductor wire were installed.
While the restoration effort from Hurricane Sandy was
massive and completed in a timely fashion, the work is not yet
done. FirstEnergy and the industry as a whole will continue
to review storm practices to see what enhancements can be
made.
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30 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Connecticut Light & Power
Located on Long Island Sound, CL&P customers
are regularly exposed to nature’s fury — including
last autumn’s Hurricane Sandy. The combined ef-
fects of Sandy and the trailing Nor’easter resulted
in more than 850,000 of CL&P’s 1.2 million customers expe-
riencing power outages. Weather conditions brought on by
Sandy included winds up to 85 mph (137 kmph) and record-
high tides.
For CL&P, the devastation of this storm was similar to
Hurricane Irene in August 2011, which knocked out power
to 670,000 of its customers. In the year following Hurricane
Irene, CL&P underwent signifi cant improvements to its emer-
gency preparedness and response plan, and Sandy provided
the fi rst real-life exercise of that revised plan. The result was
a strong storm performance, executed with support from
CL&P’s sister companies and utilities across the United States.
In anticipation of Sandy’s landfall, CL&P prestaged both
contract and its line personnel. Multiple staging areas sup-
ported the strategic deployment of people and materials
to the hardest-hit areas. Safety professionals were assigned
throughout the service territory to ensure safe restoration,
while hundreds of additional personnel were dispatched to
guard downed power lines.
CL&P maintained contact with the New England Mutual
Aid Group and the New York Mutual Aid Group to secure
mutual-aid assistance. Because Mid-Atlantic and New England
utilities were signifi cantly affected by the storm, they were
unable to release resources at the outset of the restoration.
CL&P’s sister utilities — under parent company Northeast
Utilities — were able to send crews to Connecticut once they
completed their own restorations. Together, Public Service
of New Hampshire, Western Massachusetts Electric Co. and
NSTAR provided CL&P with 239 line personnel. CL&P also
was able to obtain an additional 2,695 line personnel from
other utilities and contractors to aid in the restoration. Exter-
nal support personnel included private sources of electricians,
patrollers, downed-wire guards and service personnel.
In preparation for the storm, CL&P contacted logistics ven-
dors to prepare staging areas, ensure the utility’s mobile com-
Manpower Resources Deployed During Restoration
CL&P 351 personnel
Public Service New Hampshire 90 personnel
Western Massachusetts Electric Co. 43 personnel
NSTAR 106 personnel
Mutual aid and line contractors 2,695 personnel
Tree contractors 1,626 personnel
NU support personnel 3,250 personnel
External support personnel 620 personnel
mand center was operational and
confi rmed support staff storm
assignments. In addition, heli-
copters were secured for storm
damage reconnaissance.
Incident Commander Ken
Bowes, CL&P vice president of
energy delivery services, opened
the emergency operation cen-
ter at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28,
and he maintained close contact
with the system operations center
throughout the storm.
CL&P handled more than
661,836 customer calls. Of that
total, the interactive voice re-
sponse system processed calls
from 388,178 customers, while
314 customer service representa-
tives answered 213,815 calls. The
average speed of the answering
of all calls received during the
storm event was 6.5 seconds.CL&P crews remove a tree resting on distribution lines in Greenwich, Connecticut.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 31
SUPERSTORMSandy
Crews from Kansas City Power & Light replace a broken pole and make repairs to multiple sections of distribution lines in southwest Connecticut.
The distribution supervisory control and data acquisition
system remained operational during the rebuild. The system
logged 130,506 alarms and 6,176 operator commands from
distribution system operators.
All areas of CL&P’s service territory received damage. Fall-
ing limbs and trees took down entire sections of poles, wires
and associated equipment.
Damage to the CL&P system was quite severe. During the
rebuild, 1,727 CL&P poles and 1,036 AT&T poles were re-
placed. In addition, 2,198 transformers were replaced. More
than 100 miles (161 km) of new conductor was installed along
with 4,745 crossarms. All of this work was completed without a
major safety incident.
The outage system also provided information to the inci-
dent command center, which was then used for facilitating
dispatch and restoration planning. On the CL&P system, 779
circuits were affected, with a total of 204 feeders locked out.
Total outage causes were reported to be 16,460.
CL&P did not encounter major issues in setting up crew
staging areas, providing housing (mostly in hotels) or obtain-
ing equipment and supplies. In fact, the utility had purchasing
agents to handle the supply chain. To keep crews in the fi eld,
vehicles were fueled at night from mobile tankers.
CL&P had 300 downed-wire crews ready to respond quickly
when called to ensure lines were de-energized before roads
and streets were cleared of downed trees and debris.
One particular initiative paid great customer satisfaction
dividends. Typically, utilities work the feeder backbone fi rst,
then side taps and then catch individual trouble calls from
customers with down service drops. Instead, CL&P decided
to tackle down service drops immediately and simultaneously
with circuit restoration using contracted electricians, so that
when distribution circuits were energized, all customers on
the circuit would have power.
According to President and COO Bill Herdegen, “CL&P
contracted with 700 licensed electricians and 350 electrical
contractors to work through each neighborhood, making
Outage Causes
Circuit breakers 280
Fuses 5,404
Reclosers 990
Service 7,398
Switches 289
Tranformers 1,768
Other 323
Grand total 16,460
32 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
temporary fi xes to secondary circuits including damaged
mastheads and down wire so that all customers would be with
service when the distribution circuits were reenergized.”
The CL&P communications team was responsible for pro-
viding accurate, timely and consistent messaging. CL&P’s
Public Information Offi cer Janine Saunders explained,
“Through the public information
team, we ensured consistent messag-
es were available to our customers
via direct communication, media
and social media. We also provided
consistent updates to key stakehold-
ers, such as government leaders and
town offi cials.”
CL&P created quite a few initia-
tives to enhance storm prepared-
ness after lessons learned from
Hurricane Irene in 2011. But none,
perhaps, had a bigger impact than
the strategy employed to improve
communications and response at
the individual city level.
Rod Kalbfl eisch, CL&P’s director of system operations and
also the deputy incident commander, shared that CL&P had
made signifi cant enhancements to the front-end visualization
screens of its Oracle outage management system so that the
company could not only access but also visually share discrete
outage data, both internally and externally. And because
CL&P already had Telogis tracking devices in all of its fi eld
vehicles and had placed additional Telogis units into to all for-
eign line and vegetation vehicles coming into its service terri-
tory, the utility could track the location and status of all crews
working in the fi eld at all times and display crew locations on
the visualization screens.
According to Liaison Offi cer Michael Haefl ich, “Liaison
personnel were assigned to each of the 149 Connecticut cities
that CL&P serves. With discrete crew location and outage lo-
cation data, CL&P representatives were able to give real-time
updates to city offi cials throughout their service territory.
CL&P also assigned a minimum of one line and one tree-trim-
ming crew to each municipality in its service territory to assist
in clearing electrical hazards.”
Local offi cials appreciated that they were not only continu-
ously updated on progress with storm restoration, but they
also could be a part of the restoration decisions made at the
city level.
CL&P municipal liaisons could show municipal offi cials
on local maps exactly where crews were working. This paid
dividends when a representative was asked why crews were not
working on their city streets. He or she could pull up a local
map on a laptop and point to crews working on nearby feeder
circuits, and even drive out with city representatives to meet
the crews and show what progress was being made to get power
into the city.
This strategy is quite impressive in that it not only provides
immediate information and feedback, but it also keeps local
offi cials in the loop on remedial actions taken.
CL&P has sophisticated information technology systems
in place to respond to both blue-sky and inclement-weather
situations, and is committed to improve processes and com-
munications links, so it will be even more prepared when the
next disaster strikes.
Cust
om
ers
aff
ecte
d (th
ousa
nd
) 600
500
400
300
200
100
010/29 10/30 10/31 11/01 11/02 11/03 11/04 11/05 11/06 11/07 11/0800:00 00:00 03:00 03:00 03:00 05:00 05:00 09:00 09:00 10:00 10:00
Date and time (2012)
Customer restoration following Superstorm Sandy for Oct. 29 through Nov. 8, 2012.
Line crews transfer equipment from a damaged pole to a new struc-ture in southwest Connecticut.
In Good Times and In BadWe Help Make Electric Power Safer, More
Reliable, and More Economical
When communities are exposed to the destructive forces of nature, safe electric power becomes a lifeline. During these difficult times, rapid response and flexibility are critical. That’s why SEL responds to natural disasters by discounting all of our products and services destined for natural disaster relief. We also expedite delivery of all products and services to help restore electric power as quickly as possible. In good times and in bad, SEL is there for you.
To learn more about the best solutions, support, and warranty
in the industry, visit www.selinc.com/disasterdiscount.
34 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
As Hurricane Sandy was churning its way up
the East Coast, utilities in southern New Eng-
land were in the fi nal steps of preparing for the
worst of the storm and hoping for the best.
Weather forecasters predicted the timing of
the strongest winds to coincide with very high
tides, which would contribute to widespread
fl ooding along Connecticut shoreline communi-
ties. While closely monitoring the forecasts days
in advance of the storm’s arrival, Connecticut
Light & Power (CL&P) began staging crews and
protecting facilities located near Long Island
Sound.
Substations near the shore were a spe-
cial concern because the corrosive effects of
seawater could knock a facility out for days or
even weeks. De-watering underground conduits
that carry control cables, and decontaminating
and refurbishing aboveground switchgear and
circuit breakers is a time-consuming task.
One primary concern was CL&P’s South End Substation, located in Stamford, Connecticut. This 115-kV substation serves
tens of thousands of customers in the city’s center, where emergency services, the city hall and a fi nancial district are located.
With the South End Substation just blocks from Long Island Sound, in a low-lying area, it quickly rose to the top of the
corrective actions list for facilities at risk of serious damage from Sandy. Based on updated weather predictions, it became
apparent the south end of the city could be threatened by the multiple high tides during a full moon, making the forecast
even more ominous.
With two sides of the substation built into the side of a hill and well protected, the other two sides, at street level, were
vulnerable. CL&P engineers brainstormed options and came to the creative conclusion of building an unprecedented 6-ft
(1.8-m) cement wall around the substation to protect it from any potential storm damage.
On the evening of Oct. 28, 2012, about 12 hours before the fi rst effects of Superstorm Sandy were expected to be felt in
Connecticut, CL&P civil engineers drafted plans for a temporary concrete block wall to protect the exposed sides of the sub-
station. Concurrently, CL&P system project team members contacted local construction and crane companies to determine
whether resources were available to build such a wall.
The following day, wind speeds began to increase from Hurricane Sandy, and all employees were activated to storm duty,
some of whom were reassigned to work with construction contractors to begin assembling the block wall at 6 a.m.
On the morning of Oct. 29, a state of emergency was declared in Connecticut, limiting travel on I-95 to emergency and
essential services, which reduced traffi c and allowed for faster delivery of the blocks from the concrete plant to the job site.
Additionally, assembly time was saved with an effi cient work process developed by the project managers on-site. Crews
started building the wall at the lowest corner of the substation (at the intersection of Atlantic and Pacifi c streets). Once the
corner was constructed, the crew was split to facilitate two independent crane crews who worked their way down each side
of their respective fence lines, assembling a total number of 600 blocks into a two-tiered wall. As sections of the wall were
completed, follow-up crews sealed the seams between the blocks with insulating expandable foam, and then the entire block
structure was covered with plastic sheeting for additional waterproofi ng.
The construction of the wall was completed in 12 hours (at 6 p.m.), about three hours ahead of schedule and about six
hours ahead of the fi rst storm tide.
Two high-volume water pumps were installed to evacuate any water from the underground conduits, which carry the high-
voltage cable from the substation to the underground network system. Crews staffed the South End Substation during the
high tides to monitor conditions and take action if needed.
While the fl oodwaters were less severe than predicted and never reached the substation, the extraordinary effort to build
the wall was a prudent step to prevent outages and a valuable learning opportunity. New England weather can be uncertain
and severe, and it is CL&P’s goal to be prepared for whatever threat Mother Nature may bring to the system.
Wall Erected to Protect South End Substation
B y Jeffrey S. Franson, Connecticut Light & Power
About 12 hours before the fi rst effects of Sandy hit Connecticut, CL&P civil engineers drafted plans for a temporary concrete block wall to protect the exposed sides of the South End Substation in Stamford. Two independent crane crews assembled 600 blocks into a two-tiered wall. As sections of the wall were completed, follow-up crews sealed the seams between the blocks with insulating expandable foam and then covered the entire block structure with plastic sheeting for additional waterproofi ng. Construction of the wall was completed in 12 hours.
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36 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
In the face of adversity, our industry perseveres.
By Rick Bush, Editorial Director, and Gene Wolf, Technical Writer
When the wind and waves from Superstorm
Sandy crashed along the East Coast’s Atlan-
tic shores, the electric utilities’ supply chain
of workers, materials and supplies experi-
enced enormous strain. Without hesitation, vendor partners
and service providers ramped up to meet the need. Working
together, the industry persevered.
In the days prior to the superstorm’s landfall, manufactur-
ers, contractors, tree trimmers, electric utility workers and
suppliers geared up for the storm. While utilities in the storm’s
path activated their emergency-response plans, mobilized
their employees, contacted their mutual-assistance networks
and battened down their systems, their partners also swung
into action, activating their emergency-response teams to
move troops and materials.
These contractor and vendor teams set up communications
networks between their various divisions and the utilities,
which ensured all requests for materials could be expedited.
Factories, warehousing systems and transportation facilities
were properly staffed to meet the impending demand.
These responders put their lives on hold for weeks to re-
move trees, trim limbs, and rebuild transmission and distri-
bution systems in the storm-ravaged area. Incoming contract
crews and line crews from other utilities formed long convoys
trekking to the storm areas through high winds and drench-
ing rains. They knew that millions of people in the storm’s
path would be depending on them to restore power.
The Edison Electric Institute estimated that more than
67,000 line workers, tree trimmers, engineers, technicians and
support personnel came from all corners of the country to re-
store power in the affected area. Utility workers and contrac-
tors came in waves from more than 41 states and from Ontario
and Québec in Canada.
Line contractors and tree-trimming crews — including
Henkels & McCoy, Quanta Services, MYR Group, UtiliCon
Solutions Ltd., Michels Power, Asplundh Tree Expert Co.,
Davey Tree Expert Co., Townsend Corp. and many others —
were heading into the storm when everyone else was heading
away from it.
Tens of Thousands of Crews
Quanta deployed more than 600 crews with associated
line and bucket trucks to work for 12 utility customers in nine
storm-impacted states, where they worked to restore electrical
infrastructure damaged by Sandy. Quanta’s North American
footprint allowed for resources to be driven and fl own in from
as far away as California and the Pacifi c Northwest, includ-
ing Canada. Crews consisted of transmission and distribution
personnel, storm assessors and substation support.
Approximately 500 personnel from Henkels & McCoy’s
east and central regions were dispatched to restore power
for multiple utilities across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dela-
ware, Maryland, New York and West Virginia. Its restoration
and cleanup effort involved the deployment of 352 pieces of
equipment, including aerial-lift devices, digger derricks, pole
trailers, backyard machines, dozers, dump trucks and boom
trucks.
Henkels & McCoy personnel put their lives aside to travel
and help with the restoration effort. Ryan Crull, director of
central region power operations of Henkels & McCoy, said,
“I’m grateful for these individuals giving their time to help
restore some form of normalcy to the lives of residents affect-
ed by Hurricane Sandy. I’m also very proud of these crews for
braving the harsh conditions and working long hours, all the
while getting through the restoration effort injury-free.”
Ahead of Hurricane Sandy’s landfall, the construction
L.E. Myers Co. (a subsidiary of MYR Group Inc.) journeymen linemen Greg “Tator” Huling and Tom Pender check on the repair sleeves they’ll need to fi x a section of wire for Central Maine Power that was brought down by Hurricane Sandy along Town Landing Road in Falmouth, Maine, on Oct. 31, 2012.
Partners Respond
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 37
SUPERSTORMSandy
subsidiaries of UtiliCon Solutions Ltd. brought in more than
400 additional line workers, but it was quickly apparent more
crews would be needed to help restore power. UtiliCon’s storm
personnel peaked at more than 1,100, which included 700 ad-
ditional employees who were brought in from UtiliCon opera-
tions as far away as Louisiana to assist 16 different utilities that
had requested help. As the crews fi nished restoration on utili-
ties less affected by Sandy’s wrath, many of them migrated to
harder-hit utilities in northern New Jersey and Long Island,
New York.
Despite long hours, strange food and accommodations,
missing out on Election Day and working in a snowy nor’easter
on Nov. 7, 2012, UtiliCon employees completed their work
safely, and most made it home in time for Thanksgiving with
their loved ones.
Michels Power came to the aid of four longtime utility cus-
tomers to help restore power in the wake of the hurricane’s
crushing blow. Michels deployed 244 crew members and more
than 200 pieces of equipment to Rhode Island, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey in the days immedi-
ately before and after Hurricane Sandy’s strike. Brett Hurlburt,
northeast region senior manager for Michels Power, who co-
ordinated the storm-response effort, stated, “It took a full di-
visional effort from our operations on the West Coast, in the
Midwest and on the East Coast.”
Michels Power crews arriving on the East Coast typically
would start the restoration effort at a substation and follow
the entire circuit to power nearby areas. Michels Power Vice
President Mark Harasha said, “Crews contended with downed
lines, downed polls, and blown conductors and transformers.
They also worked on high-voltage transmission lines.”
MYR Group deployed hundreds of its T&D troops — some
from as far away as Colorado — to assist with storm restora-
tion. These storm-restoration crews provided service for eight
utilities in 11 states in the Northeast. MYR Group President
Henkels & McCoy crews repair a damaged distribution circuit along an important transmission right-of-way.
A Harlan Electric (a subsidiary of MYR Group Inc.) lineman works to restore power to Long Island Power Authority customers in Garden City, New York.
38 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Bill Koertner noted, “We appreciate the understanding of our
customers outside the storm area who allowed our crews to
leave their existing projects to assist with the restoration.”
MDR Powerline Construction traveled from Columbia,
Mississippi, to the Northeastern Seaboard to help. “We had
13 crews ready, but we needed the proper tools to outfi t the
extra crews,” said MDR’s Travis Bond. “Altec was there with a
solution when we needed it most.” To get the right tools, Bond
and his team made a stop at Altec Supply in Birmingham, Ala-
bama, to get the tools and supplies they needed, which varied
from hydraulic drills to road signs.
Osmose Utilities Services began receiving calls from many
electric utilities in the Northeast a week before Hurricane
Sandy’s landfall. The calls were for storm-support personnel.
In total, Osmose deployed hundreds of personnel to 10 North-
eastern utilities in eight states. Two-man crews arrived on the
scene in advance of the storm, prepared to begin assessment
and sight safety patrols as soon as Sandy passed. Despite con-
tinued adverse weather and dangerous conditions, Osmose
crews worked 16-hour shifts for as many as 19 consecutive days,
engaging in damage assessment, clearing debris, sight safety,
and logistical and staging center support.
Tree Crews Respond Ahead of Sandy’s landfall, Asplundh helped utilities by mo-
bilizing an extra 2,500 tree workers, but it was quickly appar-
ent that many more crews would be needed to help clear trees
and restore power. This massive storm had left more than
8 million utility customers without power in the densely pop-
ulated Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. At the peak of
Asplundh’s response, more than 4,900 tree workers had been
sent in from 23 different states, the farthest being from Ari-
zona as well as three Canadian provinces. They assisted 22
different utilities from Virginia to Massachu-
setts who requested extra help. As the crews
fi nished restoration on utilities less affected by
Sandy’s wrath, many of them migrated to hard-
hit utilities in northern New Jersey and Long
Island.
Lewis Tree Service worked 20 consecutive
days starting on Oct. 26 to assist in the power
restoration and cleanup efforts. Lewis Tree
Service mustered 1,127 tree working crews in-
cluding alliance partner crews, which totaled
2,923 workers including alliance partners.
Much of the work was around the clock with
16-hour days put in by many workers who
served 27 utility customers in New Jersey, New
York, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont,
Maryland, West Virginia and Ohio. Despite the
long hours, no injuries were reported during
the rebuild.
Doug Roof, senior vice president and COO
led the Lewis utility operations team, oversee-
ing the company’s storm-ready command and
control processes to coordinate the response
On Long Island, an Asplundh tree crew clears a tree leaning on a distribution line. Photo by Greg Messick, Asplundh Region 29.
A Osmose Utility Services storm assessor inspects damage along a backlot line.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 39
SUPERSTORMSandy
to the calls for help. Several Lewis customers used Clearion
tracking and project management software to manage the
storm cleanup.
Wright Tree Service sent 81 crews — more than 200 em-
ployees — to New York and New Jersey to help with the af-
termath of Hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter that followed.
Crews worked for nearly three weeks to clear vegetation so util-
ities could restore infrastructure and power to the more than
8 million people affected by the storm. The 81 bucket truck
and climbing crews were released from utilities in fi ve states:
Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan and Indiana. “During major
disasters, our mission to make positive differences in the com-
munities we serve takes on even more
signifi cance,” said Scott Packard, Wright
Tree Service chairman and CEO.
Townsend Corp., headquartered in
Parker City, Indiana, provided tree ser-
vice crews to seven electric utilities in
Connecticut, Long Island, Delaware,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, West Virgin-
ia and Virginia. Townsend crews peaked
at nearly 600 employees with 350 pieces
of equipment drawn from bases in Indi-
ana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, the
Carolinas and Georgia.
Electric Utilities Unite
Utilities from all across the U.S. and
Canada sent crews to assist in the re-
build. Crews came from city, state, rural
and investor-owned utilities. Union and
non-union alike assisted in the rebuild.
One of the furthest located utili-
ties to respond was Bonneville Power
Administration (BPA) located in the
Pacifi c Northwest. More than 100 BPA
personnel and contractors answered
the call to get the lights back on in the
New Jersey area. “BPA’s line crews, elec-
tricians and other skilled professionals
have the highest level of expertise work-
ing on high-voltage transmission sys-
tems — no one does it better,” said Kim
Howell, regional manager for transmis-
sion fi eld services at BPA.
As part of the Department of En-
ergy’s emergency response, BPA volun-
teered resources that most likely would
be needed in a disaster-recovery effort.
Among those deployed were mainte-
nance transmission crews, a full bare-
hand crew specialized in working with
energized lines, heavy mobile equip-
ment mechanics and vegetation remov-
al contractors.
Along with the volunteers, BPA sent
BPA airlifted tools, equipment, line trucks and bucket trucks in U.S. Air Force C-5s and C-17s from Washington state to assist utilities in the rebuild of utilities in New Jersey.
40 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
71 pieces of large equipment, ranging from utility trucks to
power generators and backhoes. BPA also coordinated with
Clark County Public Utility to move some of that utility’s
equipment and tools for a crew that had previously deployed.
The crews and equipment were deployed in three waves
from Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Olympia, Washington,
and Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. To
move the equipment required an intricate process of weigh-
ing, measuring and developing load plans to place each piece
precisely into the bellies of multiple C-5s and C-17s, huge car-
go planes employed by the U.S. Air Force.
The BPA volunteers worked in coordination with the De-
partment of Energy and FEMA to restore power. Line workers
were deployed for the duration of the rebuild, not knowing
when they would return home.
After receiving the call from Con Edison, Vectren Corp.
staff located in Evansville, Indiana, departed for Flushing,
New York, to assist in the Sandy rebuild. One Vectren crew
was deployed along with several fi eld investigators. The fi eld
investigators assisted with logistical and planning needs in
the restoration efforts. This Vectren team joined nearly 57 of
Vectren’s contractor line specialists and 20 tree-trimming
crews that were released to assist in the storm-restoration ef-
forts. The Vectren employees worked 16-hour shifts for up to
10 days assisting in the rebuild of over-
head circuits.
ComEd out of Chicago, Illinois, sent
underground specialists to assist in out-
age restoration to New York City utility
Con Edison. ComEd deployed a team of
48 top underground specialists to New
York to assist specifi cally with the repair
of underground vaults that power the
city’s skyscrapers. “ComEd has a unique
in-house skill set for repairing these un-
derground electrical systems, which are
typically only found in densely built ur-
ban environments, like Chicago or New
York,” said Terence Donnelly, ComEd’s
executive vice president and COO.
This deployment came in addition to
the more than 900 ComEd and contrac-
tor personnel the utility sent to support
the power-restoration efforts in Phila-
delphia and Baltimore, which were both
in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy.
“With more than 7 million people fac-
ing power outages on the East Coast, it’s
important to provide as much assistance
as we can,” Donnelly said.
A Nebraska Public Power District
(NPPD) crew made up of 16 line tech-
nicians provided assistance to electric
utilities in West Virginia and New Jersey.
This effort was coordinated through the
Midwest Mutual Aid group composed of
various utilities in Nebraska, Kansas and
Missouri. Crew members, led by NPPD
Distribution Superintendent Dennis
Wademan of Scottsbluff, initially assist-
ed Appalachian Power Co. in West Vir-
ginia in restoring power to more than
150,000 customers who were out of pow-
er due to blizzard conditions and heavy
snow. The NPPD team worked 16-hour
days with mandatory 8 hours of sleep
while assigned to restoration duty.
On Nov. 4, NPPD’s crew was then
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42 Transmission & Distribution World
reassigned to assist one of the hardest-hit utilities, Jersey Central Power & Light,
which still had hundreds of thousands of customers without power. In New Jersey,
the team was initially housed in a tent with 200 cots. On Nov. 7, they were relocated
to Flemington, New Jersey, 50 miles (80 km) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From
there, they moved into a semi-trailer converted into sleeping quarters.
John Humphrey, NPPD’s transmission and distribution manager, said, “Our
crews were very complimentary about the logistics and organization, with the excep-
tion of the fuel situation. When they fueled trucks, they were limited to approxi-
mately 50 gallons [190 liters] per vehicle, which was not enough to run all day.” We
are extremely proud of this team’s effort to go above and beyond their normal call
of duty,” said NPPD President and CEO Pat Pope.
Approximately 65 Toronto Hydro employees headed south to New York and Mas-
sachusetts to assist in the rebuild over a 12-day period. The delegation comprised
of both overhead power line and underground distribution network trades people.
Some of the Toronto Hydro employees headed to assist Con Edison in repairing
underground systems in New York City, while others supported National Grid in re-
pairing predominately overhead systems in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Toronto
Hydro crews ultimately restored power to thousands, working long hours in very
diffi cult conditions, often sleeping in their trucks.
We Energies sent DUECO/Utility Equipment Leasing Corp. rental trucks to New
York City. The utility had the trucks on rent prior to the storm and sent them to aid
in the effort. Trucks also needed maintenance during the restoration. DUECO’s
Pennsylvania branch team members serviced trucks in Long Island, performing
repairs and maintenance following the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. In addition,
DUECO’s 18 road service crews were all dedicated to maintaining the wide variety
of DUECO equipment engaged in the restoration effort, including digger derricks
and bucket trucks.
Safety FirstIt was apparent safety was at the forefront in the minds and hearts of the workers,
as reported incidents of accidents were few and minor. As a safeguard, many utili-
ties had technologies available to their workers to make them safer when working in
chaotic or unfamiliar locations.
HD Electric, the manufacturer of the V-Watch personal voltage detectors, was
able to meet the needs of crews working in areas with downed power lines. Many
mutual-assistance crews were called in to mobilize and head toward the East Coast.
For those crews that did not have devices when they left their home bases, HD Elec-
tric shipped V-Watch orders via next-day air to assigned hotels or to the service cen-
ters where crews were assigned to report. One such instance, a major tree service
contractor purchased V-Watch devices for its crews and would not allow workers on
the job site until they received the devices via overnight delivery to their hotel.
In one particularly heartening story, a supervisor working for a nationally recog-
nized contractor reported that he was wearing a V-Watch personal voltage detector
late at night working in a dark residential yard during the Sandy restoration when
the V-Watch he was wearing started beeping. He stopped and realized there was an
energized line directly in the path where he was walking; he never saw it or knew it
was there. It was a potentially lifesaving incident.
Equipment and Supplies to the Front The utility and contract crews required tremendous logistic support in get-
ting equipment, materials and supplies to the frontline. To keep the work fl owing
smoothly, affected utilities were desperate to keep workers on the job site with the
poles and transformers, fuses and lightning arresters, and myriad connectors and
hardware. Restoration efforts required materials and equipment to be delivered
each evening so the appropriate resources could be distributed at the crew level the
next day. This is where a proactive approach to supply chain comes into play, and
Lights on. Calm restored.
Company established in 1938
100% Employee-Owned
since 2000
As the 2nd largest provider of utility vegetation
management services in North America, Lewis
Tree Service is a leader in safety, responsiveness
and innovation. Whether working around-the-
clock in a superstorm or reliably managing your
ongoing utility line clearing needs, you can count
on Lewis to get the job done right.
To learn more, visit www.lewistree.com/storm
or call 800-333-1593
Remembering the victims of Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy Response
510,519 man hours1,127 crews
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Job Done RightLewis Tree Service
44 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Modular Integrated Transportable Substation Speeds Power Recovery
Hurricane Sandy left much
of the upper East Coast
devastated by rain, wind and
rising tides. The residents of
Rockaway Beach, New York,
experienced the power of the
storm fi rsthand.
When Hurricane Sandy hit
Rockaway Beach, the storm
surge left the 53rd Street
Substation under 5.5 ft (1.6 m)
of water according to the local
power authority. The 53rd Street
Substation was an air-insulated
metal-clad design. When the
storm surge entered the metal-
clad switchgear, the result was
a substation so badly damaged
by fi re and salt water that the
authorities soon recognized
that a quick replacement would be needed. The power authority contracts with a large northeastern utility to operate and
provide a wide range of electrical services within their territory. The utility recently had purchased a Cooper Power Systems
Modular Integrated Transportable Substation (MITS) to replace an aging substation for upstate New York, but realized that
the MITS was the ideal solution to help restore the power quickly at Rockaway Beach.
The MITS is well suited for this type of application for many reasons. First, it is completely prewired and tested at the fac-
tory, saving signifi cant time when installing the MITS in a disaster recovery effort. Secondly, the MITS is manufactured to use
the space as effi ciently as possible. The small footprint makes transporting the MITS, even in a disaster area, manageable —
everything fi ts neatly on to one skid.
The MITS designed for service in upstate New York had a simple design with a 5 MVA power transformer to convert volt-
age from 34.5 kV to 13.2 kV. This unit also was equipped with a bank of three single-phase pad-mounted voltage regulators
to provide superior power quality, and a pad-mounted recloser for feeder protection. The entire MITS is powered by a small
single-phase power transformer that supplies 120 V power to the control systems integrated into the unit. This particular
MITS was even equipped with extra features such as built-in spill containment, telescoping fl ood lights and in-cabinet door
lights, which will be helpful for crews that are trying to restore power at night. The MITS design minimized installation time
since the equipment is securely bolted in place on a skid all the interconnections between devices are completed at the
factory. A MITS, once on site, can be safely energized in a matter of days instead of weeks or months. Cooper Power Systems
shipped the MITS directly to the damaged 53rd Street Substation on a dedicated truck. Local line crews worked with utility
engineers and operation personnel made connections between the damaged system and the MITS to restore power.
suppliers showed as much spunk and determination in doing
their part in the rebuild efforts as the frontline workers.
Hubbell Power Systems launched its Hubbell Emergency
Action Team to focus its storm effort. The company used its
distributors, suppliers and logistics partners to react quickly
to storm damage, shipping thousands of connectors, fuse
links, cutouts, pole hardware, insulators, arresters, anchors
and tools to rebuild the utility systems. Hubbell employees go
into 24/7 mode when major storm events occur. Working from
its Centralia, Missouri, headquarters, Hubbell Power Systems
provided more than 40,000 products needed by line workers
to restore the electric system to its pre-storm condition.
Cooper Power Systems maintains a designated storm re-
sponse that allows the company to streamline its response
for affected utilities to provide restoration supplies, includ-
ing overhead transformers, fuses, connectors and protective
equipment. Five days prior to Sandy hitting the East Coast, the
company began contacting utility customers to better antici-
pate their needs. It maintained daily contact with customers
throughout the rebuild.
Many Cooper Power products are engineered to order and
typically require longer lead times. With emergency commu-
nications systems in place, fl exing manufacturing capacity, air
shipping material in from the company’s global supply base,
and workers willing to put in extra hours to get the job done,
lead times on some of these products went from weeks to days.
This MITS was placed on the site of a fl ooded Long Island substation to bring power back to a section of Rockaway Beach.
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com 45
SUPERSTORMSandy
G&W Electric’s approach to Superstorm Sandy was really
business as usual as the company followed routine processes.
G&W is a major supplier of switchgear, reclosers and high-
voltage cable terminations, and its customers include all the
major utilities affected by Hurricane Sandy. During and after
the Sandy devastation, G&W had its 24-hour emergency con-
tact service manned and ready, as it responded to requests
for expedited deliveries of replacement product and service
assistance.
S&C Electric, headquartered in Chicago, has a standard
process in place for responding to major storms. Once a storm
is deemed imminent, a task force comprised of local sales
personnel, internal customer support,
production and S&C’s services orga-
nization hold calls at least daily. The
storm-preparedness team assesses and
prioritizes local needs and ensures that
S&C expedites urgent requirements. In
the case of Hurricane Sandy, this team
was already in place the week before
the hurricane came ashore, shipping
product to the affected region before
the storm even hit to ensure needed re-
placement products were in place.
Once the storm hit, S&C personnel
from throughout the company worked
nights, Saturdays and Sundays to ful-
fi ll storm-related product and other
support requirements, including fuse
links, medium-voltage power fuses,
source-transfer switchgear and circuit
switchers. In all cases, lead times were
reduced to a fraction of what a custom-
er would typically experience.
Similarly, General Electric’s (GE’s)
emergency response teams supported
utility customers impacted by Hurri-
cane Sandy. In addition to providing
transmission and distribution equip-
ment, GE’s fi eld service engineers
helped utilities to evaluate and repair
water-damaged electrical equipment.
Likewise, Siemens ramped up to
assist customers in their time of need.
Because of severe fl ooding, substation
equipment was particularly suscep-
tible to signifi cant damage and util-
ity customers needed replacement cir-
cuit breakers and replacement parts.
Switchgear situated in lower elevations
in substations sustained damage. Sie-
mens responded by providing replace-
ment parts, including linkages, strip
heaters, spring-charged motors and
secondary disconnects. Siemens was
able to expedite delivery of the dam-
aged parts for Siemens devices along with vintage Allis-Chalm-
ers switchgear from its warehouse and manufacturing facility
just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, while also working
with strategic partners to have parts made on an emergency
basis and shipped directly to customers. Having this local foot-
print and expert knowledge enabled utilities to rely on their
own crews to effi ciently restore their assets.
ABB responded when notifi ed that multiple switchgear,
relay houses, controls, transformers and other high-voltage
substation equipment were damaged by the fl ood throughout
the region. ABB employees provided equipment assessment
and corrective action guidance. Response teams, represent-
The fi rst step in effective storm restoration
is an accurate and effi cient assessment of
the damage. Clearion Software provides
mobile, map-based technology for storm
damage assessment that will help your
utility pinpoint the outage locations, record
the needed repairs, prioritize storm crew
activities, and better estimate time to
restoration.
Damage Assessment SolutionsThe First Step in Storm Restoration
To learn more, visit www.clearion.com/storm or email [email protected].
a Lewis Tree Service Company
46 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
ing each of the company’s businesses, met daily to discuss the
needs of affected utilities, prioritize actions and coordinate
the response.
ABB’s Pinetops, North Carolina, team worked around the
clock to produce and expedite shipment of thousands of fuse
cutouts. And across the region, ABB had more than 20 me-
dium- and high-voltage service technicians on the ground
working with utility maintenance crews to repair and upgrade
power delivery infrastructure. ABB employees in the Coral
Springs, Florida, facility worked nonstop over the weekends to
expedite key protective relays and switches. In the Lake Mary,
Florida, facility, manufacturing capacity was added to provide
quick-response lead times for customers needing outdoor cir-
cuit breakers, reclosers and switchgear.
ABB also leveraged the Thomas & Betts facilities in the re-
gion to provide resources and staging areas to assist customers
in their relief efforts.
Connector Products (CP) based in Cinnaminson, New Jer-
sey, started receiving orders and ramping up manufacturing
ahead of the storm. Once the storm hit on Monday, Oct. 29,
all CP workers went to 12-hour shifts. Then, as the news re-
ports and outage reports started rolling in, most workers dedi-
cated 16-hour days to the cause for the next 13 days straight.
CP shipped more than 10,000 taps, 1,000 hot-line clamps and
12,000 automatic splices to the region.
Located in Southern New Jersey, CP was miraculously lo-
cated in a small grid that maintained power throughout the
emergency. The fi rst few days with major trucking operations
closed down because of power loss, the employees were deliv-
ering product to emergency locations in their trucks at any
given time in the 24-hour day. The company also called in pri-
vate carriers throughout each day.
In Hastings, Michigan, the 75-plus employees at Hastings
Fiberglass Products worked around the
clock since utilities began calling. This
includes an around-the-clock effort at
a Hastings factory to meet orders for
ground clamp sets, and this after the
facility was fl ooded.
Hastings Fiberglass Products Presi-
dent David Baum explained, “Our
company’s small size and culture allows
a quick response in emergency situa-
tions.” To respond to Superstorm San-
dy, Hastings customers placed emer-
gency orders for 600 of the company’s
three-phase grounding cable sets. Most
of the cable sets are being delivered
with 1/0 and 2/0 cable.
“Our employees really care about
their customers and really feel like
they are contributing and helping out a
desperate situation,” said Larry Baum,
who continued. “We have never seen
this kind of a rush before.”
IUS Technologies, a provider of
utility-grade voltage monitors and
smart sensors, tracked customer senti-
ment and the response efforts in the
aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the
following nor’easter. Millions of cus-
tomers were without power for days or
weeks, a situation IUS believes could
ABB personnel Tony Conte (left) and Fred Dungan inspect a fl ood-ed medium-voltage switchgear circuit breaker in Monmouth Beach Substation. ABB evaluated the switchgear and replaced all dam-aged components.
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48 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
have been better managed by implementing smart grid sen-
sors on the distribution feeders.
In cases where IUS Technologies’ VS1000 and VS3000 volt-
age and current reporting devices were installed on three-
phase distribution circuits, outages were pinpointed, which re-
sulted in quicker response times and lower outage durations.
Overhead Wire Is EssentialSouthwire in Carrollton, Georgia, shipped in excess of
1,193 miles (1,920 km) of cable to meet its customers’ needs
in response to Superstorm Sandy. The majority of shipments
were made up of bare aluminum conductor steel-reinforced
and 600-V service-drop items. To give an idea of the cable
shipped in the harder-hit areas, 454 miles (731 km) were
shipped to PECO, PSE&G, National Grid, Long Island Power
Authority, Iberdrola and Northeast Utilities along with fi ve
major distributors in the area.
The west Georgia customer service center, the Carrollton
utility plant and the Kentucky plant all played major roles in
responding to the conductor requests. Southwire’s experience
with PECO was typical of the level of response required to
meet the utility need. PECO initiated twice-daily conference
calls with Southwire, during which the company was able to
track all orders down to the hour of delivery.
Emergency calls came pouring into General Cable’s emer-
gency response center, staffed by commercial, operational and
logistics personnel. Associates conducted twice-daily calls to
ensure the delivery requirements of all of the company’s Mid-
Atlantic and Northeastern electric utility partners were being
met. Electric utility cable and conductors were shipped from
General Cable facilities by freight carrier to emergency cable
yards in the utility staging areas.
Low-voltage overhead secondary cables (600 V) and small-
sized bare aluminum distribution conductor made up the
majority of the shipments. General Cable also manufactured
and shipped a great deal of all-aluminum alloy conductor-
type conductor, a specialty alloy product often used in coastal
applications. Over the next two weeks,
more than 100 General Cable associates
across fi ve manufacturing facilities and
distribution centers worked in tandem
24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ship
more than 1,994 miles (3,209 km) of ca-
ble and conductors.
Wood Poles Are Key to Restoration Efforts
Wood poles fl ooded the Sandy-af-
fected areas. According to the Southern
Pressure Treaters’ Association (SPTA),
“In the fi rst week after Sandy’s landfall,
24,600 wood poles and 59,000 wood
crossarms were shipped by SPTA mem-
bers. In the second week, another 24,400
wood poles and 12,500 wood crossarms
were shipped. In total, SPTA reported
its members shipped roughly 65,100 wood poles and 103,500
wood crossarms to utilities.” Cox Industries, DIS-TRAN Wood
Products and other SPTA wood pole providers took part in
the effort.
A deeper look into activities by Cox Industries paints a fran-
tic picture. A week before Hurricane Sandy hit, Cox Industries
made calls to customers in the Northeast to verify inventories
on hand at reload yards and manufacturing facilities. Sourc-
ing materials also were notifi ed, based on the class sizes nor-
mally used by Cox Industries customers. As expected, invento-
ries were quickly depleted in distribution yards in New York,
Massachusetts and New Jersey, and in stock at Cox plants.
Treatment plants in New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama went to work 24/7 for
the duration of the rebuild effort. By the end of the fi rst week
after the storm, Cox Industries had shipped well over 250
trucks of DuraPine heavy-duty poles, distribution sizes from
25 ft to 50 ft (7.6 m to 15.2 m) in class 1 to 7, and transmission
sizes from 55 ft (16.7 m) to 90 ft (27.4 m) in class 1 to 3 and H1
to H6. In addition, Cox shipped more than 30,000 DuraPine
crossarms for distribution and transmission applications.
Bridgewell Resources, based in Tigard, Oregon, produced
and trucked as many as 1,500 poles a day to the Northeast,
but delivering new poles is only part of the battle. Equally
demanding is the need to clean up and recycle the damaged
poles. Bridgewell helped utilities in the Northeast with a
range of services, including arranging the pickup and incin-
eration, reclamation or remanufacturing of damaged poles.
The focus in the fi eld has been on restoring power quickly, but
Bridgewell also averaged the removal of 50 loads of damaged
poles per week.
Meeting the Needs of the DispossessedSouthwire not only worked around the clock to provide
wire and cable needed for the transmission and distribution
circuit rebuild, the company also took time to collect the ba-
sic necessities needed by people in the storm-ravaged areas.
As part of FirstEnergy’s massive storm-restoration effort, the utility established 14 staging areas across multiple states to assist with the logistical resupply efforts, including workers shown here loading poles at Nockamixon State Park near Easton, Pennsylvania. Overall, FirstEnergy utilities replaced more than 10,000 poles, 30,000 crossarms, 6,400 transform-ers and more than 930 miles of wire as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.
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What’s wrong with this picture?
(Nothing, really.)
50 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
Volunteers put out the word in the company’s hometown of
Carrollton for bottled water, hygiene items, ready-to-eat food,
blankets, baby items and nonperishable foods. The response
was overwhelming. Southwire ended up with three tractor-
trailer loads that it took to Neptune Township, New Jersey.
Several manufacturers including ABB, GE and S&C set up
programs to support the American Red Cross to bring aid to
the victims of the storm. The International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers (IBEW), whose members worked so hard
to bring the area back to normal, also thought of comfort for
the victims. Working with the Long Island United Way, IBEW
donated Thanksgiving dinners for hard-hit communities.
Sandy has been classifi ed as the second most destructive
storm to hit the United States. It caused billions of dollars in
damage and destruction, destroyed thousands of homes and
business, left millions without electricity and, tragically, lives
were lost.
When a storm of this magnitude hits, restoring power re-
quires ingenuity, resourcefulness and teamwork — and that
is exactly what the industry delivered. Utilities within the
damage zone coordinated the effort, providing support and
direction. Unaffected utilities from around North America
sent crews and equipment. Manufacturers and suppliers kept
the restoration material coming and the supply line full. The
frontline troops rebuilt the electrical system in the harshest
conditions — sometimes one lateral at a time.
During a major storm, this industry is charged with more
than merely the restoration of power. Assistance on a massive
scale helps people restore their lives.
During restoration, not only did customers bring coffee for work-ers to warm up, many simply threw their arms around them to say thanks as they arrived on their streets. PSE&G customers inundated the utility’s mailboxes with thank you messages during and after the storm.
Storm Response
System Hardening
When the forces of nature cause a disruption to your T&D system, call Osmose. Our experienced technicians are ready to help, in fair weather or foul.
• Damage assessment
• Safety patrols
• Final circuit sweeps
• Site safety
• Pole / equipment stripping
• Logistics & staging support
• Trouble tickets & staking
• Post-storm inventories
• Pole strength restoration with the C-Truss® & C2-Truss™
• Pole capacity upgrading with the ET-Truss™
• Pole loading assessments with O-Calc® Pro featuring Digital Measurement TechnologyTM (DMTTM).
• Third party audits with Video Data CaptureTM (VDC)
• Line patrols with experienced Osmose technicians
Foul-Weather Friends
205.613.7269 • www.osmoseutilities.com/storms
52 Transmission & Distribution World
SUPERSTORMSandy
A Community Responds to SandyBy William Quinlan, Connecticut Light & Power Co.
Superstorm Sandy was the
largest, most intense storm
to make landfall in the
Northeastern United States. The
storm caused havoc for 10 million
electric customers from Maryland
to Maine — the most in U.S. his-
tory. Along the Connecticut shore-
line, the storm ripped apart houses,
destroyed seawalls, razed beaches
and forced the evacuation of thou-
sands of citizens. In some respects,
the impact of this natural disaster
will eclipse the toll imposed by the
Great New England Hurricane of
1938.
Restoring power after a massive
storm requires around-the-clock commitment and coordi-
nation, as we rebuild our system while navigating around
thousands of fallen trees and devastated homes. Some have
compared this process to a military operation. With roughly
840,000 customers affected by Sandy, Connecticut Light &
Power (CL&P) had to set more than 1,700 new poles and re-
place more than 105 miles (169 km) of wire, the approximate
distance from Mystic to Greenwich.
Community ResponseAs CL&P’s senior vice president for emergency prepared-
ness, I want to share with you some of the reasons that Con-
necticut succeeded in delivering a “community response” to
this truly epic natural disaster.
First, the successful operation that took place is a testament
to the skills and dedicated efforts of our employees and the
more than 9,000 people who were quickly assembled from
Connecticut, 25 other states and Canada to support our ef-
forts. CL&P’s customers benefi ted greatly from our ability to
bring in personnel and resources from other Northeast Utili-
ties operating companies, including NSTAR, Western Massa-
chusetts Electric and Public Service of New Hampshire.
Second, the results refl ect the enhanced coordination
among CL&P, many fi rst responders, state and local offi cials,
and other utilities. In that regard, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s per-
sonal and strong leadership was invaluable. One example of
strong cooperation within our communities occurred in Stam-
ford, where, overnight, we turned a newly developed apart-
ment complex into a facility where hundreds of line workers
were provided with food and lodging close to the hardest-hit
area of our service territory.
Third, given the frequency of se-
vere weather events, our utility has
been keenly focused on improving
our emergency preparedness. It is
important to note that three of the
four largest outages in our more than
100-year history have occurred in the
last 14 months.
Here are some of the ways CL&P
was able to deliver a strong response
in the wake of nature’s most recent
challenge:
■ We executed our own emergen-
cy planning drill and participated
in the governor’s four-day statewide
exercise, both of which simulated a
catastrophic hurricane.
■ We leveraged strong partnerships with public and private
entities to quickly mobilize and pre-position critical resources.
■ We nearly doubled our tree-trimming efforts in 2012 to
address thousands of trees that posed a risk to our system.
■ We dramatically enhanced our community liaison pro-
gram through training and technology to communicate bet-
ter with towns and cities.
■ We improved communications with customers by tele-
phoning them before and during the storm, holding media
briefi ngs daily, participating in briefi ngs with the governor
and state agencies, and regularly updating Facebook and Twit-
ter social media sites.
CL&P has long had a major impact on the economic well-
being of the state, but nothing is more important to us than
the health and well-being of our customers. After restoring
power in Connecticut, it was particularly gratifying that CL&P,
along with the other Northeast Utilities companies, was able to
send many crews to aid people in New York and New Jersey.
Our neighbors in the hard-hit tristate area desperately needed
us, and we were there to answer the call.
Our customers showed appreciation for our efforts and
demonstrated patience and understanding. We appreciate
our customers and pledge to continue to improve our plan-
ning and execution so that Connecticut is prepared to handle
nature’s future wrath.
William J. Quinlan is senior vice president of emergency
preparedness for the Connecticut Light & Power Co. He is
responsible for response to emergencies, including storms and
working with state and municipal offi cials during any type of
emergency.
Saluting the Heroes of Superstorm Sandy
Superstorm Sandy shook the Eastern Seaboard
to its core but was no match for the dedicated
men and women who rushed to help.
Transmission & Distribution World
salutes those brave volunteers who
stepped up and lent a hand.
We also thank our industry partners who
made the Superstorm Sandy supplement
(accompanying the March issue) possible.
Transmission & Distribution World
acknowledges their unyielding support.
Visit http://tdworld.com/supplements/
superstorm-sandy-2013/
Read Superstorm Sandy commentaries
from the committed companies listed below.
®
Vista UDS can be customized for your needs. It can be furnished in manual, remote supervisory, and source-transfer models. And any combination of load switches, fault interrupters, bus taps, or tie switches (up to six ways) are contained in a single, SF6-filled, welded stainless-steel tank. Feeders can be rated as high as 900 Amps continuous, and the main bus up to 1200 Amps. Vista UDS provides a major advancement in operating simplicity and safety for medium-voltage switchgear.
To learn more about Vista UDS, or other S&C products and services, visit our website. Or contact your local S&C Sales Office.
www.sandc.com/ vit
©20
08 S
&C
Ele
ctric
Com
pany
680
-A08
09
Vista® Underground Distribution Switchgear fits any application.
UnderCover™ Style Vista UDS can be installed
in wet vaults. It’s completely functional submersed
in up to 3 meters of water. Since all live components
are contained inside the sealed tank, threats from the
environment are nonexistent.
Low-profile pad-
mounted style Vista
UDS accommodates
air-insulated metering
modules through bay-
to-bay bushings (not
shown). Vista UDS is
maintenance-free and
easy to operate.
Operating personnel
can readily confirm
open gaps and integral
ground positions on
load-interrupter switches
and fault interrupters
through Vista’s large viewing windows. Trip
indicators are easily checked too.
j Other ratings are available. Contact your nearest S&C Sales Office.
Vista UDS is offered with these 50/60-Hz IEC ratings
(ANSI ratings in parentheses)j
kV Amperes, RMS
SystemClass
Max BIL
Load- Interrupter
SwitchContinuous &
Load Dropping
Fault Interrupter
Short-Circuit,Sym.
Continuous& Load
Dropping
Interr.,Sym.
12
(15.5)
15.5
(15.5)
95
(95)
630
(600)
630
(600)
25 000
(25 000)
25 000
(25 000)
24
(27)
29
(29)
125
(125)
36
(38)
38
(38)
150
(150)
Coordinating-speed tap curve with definite-time
delay eliminates miscoordination problems frequently
encountered with transformer primary fuses
Vista’s overcurrent control
is PC-programmable,
in the shop or the field.
Choose from “E,” “K,”
“Coordinating Speed Tap,”
“Coordinating Speed Main,”
“ANSI/U.S.,” or “IEC” time-
current characteristic curves.
1000
Vista Tap
Interrupter (Phase)
Min. Pickup Current: 400A
Def. Time Delay: 4 cycle
PhaseOvercurrent Relay
Type: CO-9Time Dial: 3Min. Pickup Current: 720A CTI: 0.15 sec.
Transformer-
Primary Fuse
(100E, Standard
Speed)
10
100
.1
1
TIM
E I
N S
EC
ON
DS
10
100
1,0
00
10,0
00
100,
00
0
CURRENT IN AMPERES
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