Typical ArresterWorks Projects
ArresterWorks first and for most is a consulting firm that is dedicated to the overvoltage surge
protection industry. Any project that involves surges in the form of lighting, switching, temporary overvoltage or other
on power systems is a project to be considered. No projects are too big or too small. No location in the world is
too far given the internet in this day.
Since the first days of Arresterworks, the projects have been of tremendous variability. The following list should give you an
idea of what we do. If you have something you think we might be interested in, don't hesitate to email or call.
If you would like to see an actual report, email Jonathan.Woodworth@ArresterWorks.com
Arrester Forensics
When an arrester experiences an overload for whatever reason and fails, it often is important to know why it failed to help determine if there is a system issue, product issue, or something else. If you want to be proactive, having a failure analysis may be just the right move. ArresterWorks specializes in this type of analysis .
Sample of Customers Served: Georgia Transmission, Progress Energy, TVA, and many others.
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Insulation Coordination Studies
As the electric grid expands in size and complexity, the need to better understand the transient response of its insulating systems also increases. Insulation Coordination studies are the tool most often used to insure that the insulation in a substation or on the line is optimum in performance and cost.
ArresterWorks has prepared numerous insulation coordination studies for utilities and consulting firms. The studies are based on IEEE methods as outlined in IEEE 1313.2. The software used for these studies include. ATP-ATPDraw, IEEE Flash, Hileman Software, and homemade Excel spread sheets.
Customers Served: Power Engineers, Rising Edge Engineering, Georgia Transmission, CLECO, Dominion Virginia Power, EPRI and others
Lightning Studies
Lightning studies come in many forms, and all are of interest to ArresterWorks.
Example 1 - A major utility constructed a line through the mountains using techniques that had worked hundreds of times in the past. Much to their suprise, flashovers began to occur. Since this was a critical line on the exit of a power plant, flashovers and outages were highly undesirable. A lighting study resolved the issues.
Example 2 - A large utility in the US experienced a failure of a power transformer during a lightning storm and needed to know why the arresters did not protect it. A lightning study showed that the arresters should have taken care of the issue and that they did not have a system issue. It appears that the SiC arresters installed to protect the transformer may not have done the job of an MOV arrester. ArresterWorks helped them determine the real issue.
Example 3 - A large US utility was experiencing outages even though they had arrester located per the RUS standard at 4 per mile. ArresterWorks was asked to do a lightning study to determine what was causing the outages. The system was a 34.5kV distribution system with poor grounds and no shield. The result was not as expected. For their system, 4/mile was not adequate, they will have to install arresters at every pole to attain the outage rates they are looking for. ArresterWorks can study any system using the state of the art transient analysis software ATP and ATP Draw. "Coming Soon" ArresterFacts 29 on the ArresterFacts Page of ArresterWorks.com
Transmission Line Arrester Studies
If you are a utility and need to improve your outage index, transmission line arresters maybe the solution to your problem. Using the latest transient analysis software and advanced arrester models, ArresterWorks can determine everything that is necessary for you to improve those index numbers in the most cost effective means. ArresterWorks can also assist you in specifying the arrester that will best fit your towers.
System Flashover Issues
System outages that happen during lightning storms are not always due to the lightning activity. Lightning needs to be relatively close for it to cause a flashover. ArresterWorks has had several projects to determine the cause of the flashover on a system. If your power system has experienced an outage or several ArresterWorks can help you determine the root cause whether it is lightning or not.
Case 1: An industrial system was experiencing routine flashovers. They had changed several insulators, but the outages continued. A visit to the site resulted in locating the root cause and it was not lightning. The issue turned out to be contamination issue from a local cooling tower. The solution was simple once the root cause was found. Move the poles affected by the cooling tower or increase the creep distance of the insulators at risk. (More on this later)
Case 2: A house caught fire during a lightning storm. The local utility determined the cause of the fire to be lightning. Since it was an act of nature, the home owners insurance company was responsible for the claim. The insurance company wanted to make sure it was a lightning strike to the power pole that caused the fire so they called ArresterWorks in to do a distribution system/lightning investigations. After only a few hours, it was determined that the fire was not caused by lightning and that further there appeared to be an issue with some of the utilities equipment.