3 Phase Associates supports UTC’s College of Engineering and Computer Science
3D CAD Modeling Substation Design
Substations can be modelled in three-dimensions, allowing customers to see full scale in isometric views, or any views relative to positioning that they would not have had before with traditional 2D designs. Proper construction of electrical equipment in most 3D software also allows for efficient go-by production, as elements can be plugged in or removed in minutes, and entire substations can be remodeled according to revisions or to create whole new designs.
The ability to change the virtual materials of 3D models also allows for consistent and accurate representation of the substation. Instead of having a matte, grey mass in the shape of a transformer, circuit breaker, switches, concrete foundations, steel structures, insulators, and copper connection points can be expressed with proper physical dimensions of density, mass, etc., and includes appropriate colors that anyone who observes real-life substations can recognize.
Memphis Light Gas & Water Rejects 20-Year TVA Power Contract
The Memphis Light Gas & Water (MLGW) board decided to reject the long-term agreement with power supplier TVA. “The deal – if approved – would have included a 3.1% base rate decrease, but a TVA spokesperson said since the deal was rejected, the company is committed to holding rates steady for the next decade, following the past four years of no rate increases.
‘We are just so excited that we broke through on this issue,’ Protect Our Aquifer Executive Director Sarah Houston added. ‘We have been adamant for months that TVA’s never-ending contract is a bad deal for Memphis.’ “
Two 230kV Power Delivery Substations in NC Damaged by Gunfire
By MarketWatch:
A criminal act is being investigated by the local authorities and the FBI that caused major substation damage to its power transformers and other equipment. This criminal act occurred sometime on Saturday night, Dec 3, 2022, in Moore County, NC.
The repairs could take weeks while several customers will remain without power. Crews will be working around the clock in order to replace the damaged equipment and to restore the power outages.
“Andrew Wilkins, a conservation advocate who grew up in Moore County, was driving Saturday night from Washington to his parents’ small farm in Whispering Pines when he noticed all the street lights were out in the county seat of Carthage. He arrived to a ‘pitch black street’ and little information about the cause or scope of the blackout. ‘When the power was cut, the flow of information was cut too.’ ”
China Reveals World’s Biggest Offshore Wind Turbine
By PowerMag:
“Two Chinese companies announced production of the largest offshore wind turbine built to date, a 16-MW unit developed by China Three Gorges (CTG) and Goldwind.
The groups on Nov. 24 showed off the turbine at a factory in Fujian province. The turbine has a 252-meter rotor diameter, with a 50,000-meter sweep area. The hub height is 146 meters.
Lei Mingshan, chairman of CTG, in a statement said, ‘the successful rollout of the 16-MW unit marks that my country’s wind power equipment industry has achieved a historic leap from ‘following’ to ‘running alongside’ and then to ‘leading’, creating the latest benchmark for the development of global offshore wind power equipment.’ ”
FERC Tightens Regulations for Inverter Based Resources
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued “new mandatory standards for inverter-based resources (IBRs) in an effort to enhance the reliability of the bulk electric system. IBRs are solar photovoltaic, wind, fuel cell and battery storage resources that use power electronic devices to change direct current power to alternating current power, to be transmitted on the bulk-power system.
In its November 17 action orders, FERC focused on three IBR-relateded actions:
- An order directing the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) to develop a plan to register the entities that own and operate IBRs;
- A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to direct NERC to develop reliability standards for IBRs that cover data sharing, model validation, planning and operational studies, and performance requirements; and
- An order approving reliability standards that are related to IBRs, which NERC proposed earlier in 2022.”