Author: Mikee Sanchez

Aging infrastructure in power distribution grids are at risk of causing blackouts and brownouts in their respective regions. One of the contributing factors for this is the lack of an automated thermal detection system that exposes critical problems at substations, such as transformer fluid leaks or internal insulation breakdown, which in turn cascades to overheating and a series of failures. This can cause massive problems at banking facilities, security systems, manufacturing plants, food refrigeration, communication networks, and traffic control systems. Repairs and other preparations to get electric facilities up and running again will incur considerable cost and time, luckily there’s a way to save from ever encountering challenges of this degree.

Where it all started

In the mid to late 1980s, utility companies first began using infrared scanning inspection to monitor condition of their substations. But it was only in the early 1990s when this practice achieved remarkable results due to improvements in camera technology and increased resolution provided by the focal plane array.

Revealing the unseen

Saying that substation maintenance is tedious and dangerous work is an understatement. Substations are vast machineries, and they are typically made up of thousands of bolted, crimped, and sliding connections and contacts.  There’s no room for errors in keeping critical components in good working condition, such as lighting arresters, transformers, oil-filled circuit breakers, capacitor banks, voltage regulators, control cabinets, and battery rooms.

It’s a good thing that infrared scanning is such a remarkably effective method for substation maintenance, mainly because it’s non-invasive. Thermographers get readings by capturing several thermal images during an aerial survey on the facility. Readings are achieved even when the facility is operating at peak load. Since this method relies on thermal images instead of manual ocular inspection, safety risks and misreadings are minimized

Worth the trouble

In the field of substation maintenance, infrared scanning is still a method that’s widely used today. Putting effort in inspection work more than pays for itself. In addition to preventing outages, this help keep maintenance staff safe and puts you in good position to avoid any unnecessary costs.

If your organization runs with the support of a substation, periodic maintenance will be definitely required. Much like with cars or any motor vehicle, a range of problems can affect your substation after a point in time, especially in terms of reliability and performance. If these issues are overlooked, you may end up facing breakdowns and even safety issues, which aren’t only expensive, but can be dangerous for people.

Substations are the most important part of any electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations may include transformers to alter voltage levels between high transmission voltages and lower transmission voltages, or somewhere in between of two different transmission voltages. Generally, substation are unattended and remotely supervised and controlled.

Substation maintenance is a process of periodic and planned inspection, repair, and replacement of all switchgears, structures, and ancillary equipment in substation installations. In other words, substation maintenance is routine preventative checks and actions carried out to ensure substations are kept in good working order. The typical process involves a series of strict visual and physical inspections and actions carried out in clusters.

Primary Testing

Circuit breakers and transformers are some of the most important components in a substation. These components experience wear and tear with time and continuous use, hence regular maintenance is done to prevent any malfunctions. Circuit breakers are tested and analyzed to identify the possibility of anomalous operations. Some of the parameters to be checked are poles synchronism, open and close timing, coil condition, and contact resistance. Another thing to look at are the transformers since they play a critical role in substation operations. Transformers tend to experience tremendous thermal stress, hence the need for regular testing too.

Secondary Testing

A secondary test is conducted as a “safety” to the primary test. The objective is to ensure that the established protection scheme delivers. Areas for assessment for the secondary test are relays, wiring, and protection panels.  Overcurrent testing, distant testing, frequency testing, voltage protections, and reclose schemes are also looked into. To recap, much like any other machinery, substations require periodic maintenance to keep it healthy and in good working condition. Substation maintenance involves visual and physical inspections that’s done in two phases. These inspections ensure that wear-and-tear components of the substation are taken care of, and that operations will run smoothly.

To recap, much like any other machinery, substations require periodic maintenance to keep it healthy and in good working condition. Substation maintenance involves visual and physical inspections that’s done in two phases. These inspections ensure that wear-and-tear components of the substation are taken care of, and that operations will run smoothly.

PowerPro offers substation maintenance services such as Current Transformer Services, Power Transformers Services, Switchgear Services, Grounding Services, HV Cable Insulation Test, and Aerial Infrared Scanning Services. Find out more about it by contacting us at (02) 577-1290, 0917-70-9140, 0917-701-6090, or info@powerpro.ph

While many people pay little attention to it, electrical safety in the workplace is important because of the many types of hazards that could set off some serious damage when left neglected. The subject at hand should be of high priority for any organization, taking into consideration the figures below.

• In the U.S, 97% of professional electricians who participated in a survey reported that they have been shocked at least once in the span of their careers. While they’ve only suffered minor injuries, what’s worrying here is the how often this takes place.
• Electrocution ranks as the 4th most common cause of workplace deaths.
• In the U.S, around 3,600 people are rendered disabled because of workplace electrocutions.

Human lives are at stake, and there’s high damage to property that would leave your organization crippled if electrical hazards are ignored. Let’s stay safe with these few tips.

Avoid overloading outlets

Electrical outlets are designed to only deliver a certain amount of electricity. Plugging in too much devices in an outlet at once will eventually start a fire.

Avoid extension cords as much as possible

There are those times when you have extra devices that you need to plug in, but as mentioned above, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Have your electrician install new outlet instead for better safety.

Replace or repair damaged power cords

If you see the protective coating on a wire being stripped away, be sure to replace it or at least cover it with electrical tape as soon as possible.

Keep electrical equipment away from water

This one’s a no brainer, yet often overlooked. Water is a conducted and the slightest exposure can lead to injury. Wipe up any spills that are near plugs or electrical devices to avoid trouble.

Install proper physical barriers around electrical hazards

Warning signs may not be enough from preventing people from touching dangerous electrical panels, or going in places where they can come into contact with exposed wires. That’s why it’s more prudent to restrict these areas by installing doors and cabinets around them.

Allow only trained personnel to work on live wires

Any live electrical hazard should only be handled and managed by trained personnel. If you ever see one, it’s best to notify safety personnel who would then place barriers around the hazard.

Climate change is real and it has caused considerable damage to man and the environment, and will continue to do so in the future if no substantive steps are made.

Climate change’s true terror in the Philippines

According to the Global Climate Risk Index in 2015, the Philippines is the number one most affected country by climate change. While development efforts and geography are also factors that contribute to its high ranking, it’s hard to deny the degree of influence climate change plays here. The Philippines is situated in the western part of the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by naturally warm waters. As our planet continues to heat up, average sea-surface temperatures continue to rise, and the hotter the ocean and air gets, the more frequent and violent the typhoons are. This is exactly what we’ve seen in the Philippines over the last decade, as five of the ten deadliest typhoons made landfall here.

Individual efforts against climate change

While there’s a lot of movements going on globally to fight climate change, it’s always a great thing to make our individual contribution in saving our planet, and one of them is by owning an electric vehicle.

Why electric vehicles matter

Carbon emissions and pollution are an ever-growing threat to nature and society, and electric vehicles minimize those because of its distinct traits versus a conventional car or vehicle.

Electric vehicles have no tailpipe, hence produce zero carbon dioxide emissions, which results in reduced air pollution in the long run. They’re also generally quieter too, which helps reduce noise pollution. Another thing is that it you only need to recharge its batteries at a certain period instead of refueling at a gas station, which saves you cash in the long run.

Only drawback of electric vehicles vs conventional cars in terms of emissions is that constructing the former utilizes more energy than the latter, although it’s worth noting that with the fast advancements of our technology today, manufacturers are bound to find a solution for this.

Electric vehicles are the future

Manufacturers like Tesla popularized the innovation, and more and more mainstream manufacturers that have strong presence in the Philippines are adopting this technology. To date, use of electric vehicles aren’t that popular yet locally because of lack of public charging points and these products aren’t marketed in general, but the likes of Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai already have some electric vehicles in our shores. With the strong value electric vehicles provide, it’s not hard to imagine a future where they electric vehicles populate Philippine roads.