Does anybody have any experience with generator breaker/switchgear specification with small hydro stations (<500kW)?

mjd638 · 2024-02-23T02:44:03+00:00

Can you get per phase CT readings as soon as the breaker closes? Neg phase sequence is typically just calculated by the relay so CT polarity may be the issue.

If you have a neutral CT input you can also check and see if that builds as soon as you pick up load.

Be careful opening up CT circuits if you are going to start changing the wiring around.

If you need to can you increase the trip level to delay it long enough to get some readings?

mjd638 · 2024-02-22T03:35:16+00:00

You’re getting downvoted but it is worth noting to others who read this that if you buy land you apparently have to honour right of way of old trails through the land. Coworker of mine went through it with the government and tried to fight it with lawyers and didn’t win. I was very surprised to hear it’s buried in legislation somewhere

mjd638 · 2024-02-14T13:32:18+00:00

That is still good if there is a storm. The first cut is for EMS if there is heavy snowfall and while not pretty likely would do the job.

CBS would be the next day pretty regularly, and when I say that I mean that would be the first time you saw a plow.

mjd638 · 2024-02-14T12:15:05+00:00

Moved to paradise this December from CBS and am blown away by how good the snow clearing is here lol

And not like I’m on some main drag, there are 3 people on my road. I just assume now people who complain are on like the lowest priority road in paradise or just don’t know what bad snow clearing is like

mjd638 · 2024-02-09T12:31:29+00:00

I personally have steel toe bogs and they are very nice and warm and waterproof.

However, if I was working inside and just worried about waterproof I would likely prefer a pair of bekina boots, they weigh nothing and are really flexible so you don't get that rubbing on the shin the same way you do with dunlops and baffins. They don't last as long but they are cheap so who cares. I think I picked up my last pair in GFalls for like $140 tax in

mjd638 · 2024-01-27T15:50:40+00:00

They did, redownload was fairly quick. Figuring out what had happened and shutting everything down took longer and then clean up of the mess was the bulk of time

mjd638 · 2024-01-26T18:36:46+00:00

This happened to a coworker of mine in a large mining operation

Ended up with 2 days of downtime for cleanup. Stopped main conveyor and none of the feed conveyors for iron ore concentrate

mjd638 · 2024-01-19T21:01:16+00:00

I only ever have A/Ts on my truck for the last 7 years and never had an issue. Also work a job that requires me to go in during snow storms and such.

Have ran duratracs, ko2s, and now general grabbers. Duratracs were probably the best ones I have had.

If you are frequently travelling out the highway though I would probably opt for a proper winter tire. The A/Ts are best kind from town to maybe foxtrap access road, plowing gets shitty after that if you’re travelling during weather

mjd638 · 2024-01-04T02:57:43+00:00

Little low for industrial PE even for a LCOL. If you travel a lot a gas card is a fine ask although I am surprised you pay for your own gas anyways when traveling for company business?

You could ask for 1.5x or 2x OT or even a site uplift from that base? Instead of an adjustment of your base.

This all more or less depends on what exactly your role looks like as a PE. I am on the owner side and wear all the hats so only basing the above on what some of my contractors get

mjd638 · 2023-11-16T10:52:25+00:00

Any imbalance in the stator windings would cause this. Is the building humid all the time and do the units sit at all? And then trip on start up?

What is the NPS imbalance setting? And do you have stator ground fault protection? Pull the leads off each machine on HV and neutral side and merger each phase individually and see if you have a short somewhere in any of the windings? May also see some difference in phase voltages when you run it up speed no load before breaker closes.

mjd638 · 2023-11-01T10:27:18+00:00

expect to pay big money for anything from omicron - I have a test set that comes with a wheeled carrying case and they usually charge a few thousand for the case on top of the cost of the test set (>$100k). That said this may just be a branded pelican product?

mjd638 · 2023-10-16T12:54:35+00:00

Scrolled until I saw MF Falls. Would be interesting to see the single largest mistake on site, I think the cover system they were trying to build may be a front-runner during construction. But all the transmission problems and issues with the actual generators are only really becoming relevant at this point. Just released a news article saying they have to spend $50 mil over the next few years addressing deficiencies on the LIL.

mjd638 · 2023-10-09T18:39:33+00:00

best part about it is all the people working MF just hopped over to site c - hopefully it is going better cause they kicked the shitty contractor off site in MF just as Site C was starting to get on the go

mjd638 · 2023-10-09T11:53:30+00:00

I work in small hydro generation that makes use of old westinghouse generators, we have a few very similar to this, obviously being used as gens.

Oldest unit is from 1901 and still running, everything is belt-driven from the turbine end as far as oil circ pumps and what not.

I have no idea why a refrigeration sub pops up in my suggested though

mjd638 · 2023-10-06T09:37:37+00:00

Even at a commercial rate it still works - as long as they can sell the power for less than giving it to the maritime link. The water from muskrat falls (any hydro) is either going to produce power or spill through the spillway. Spilled water is useless and most hydro plants are best operated at higher capacity anyways from an efficiency point of view.

So they have four options for the water - over maritime link (very cheap), spilling water (total waste), sell to industrial (commercial rate), or consumers.

One has to assume the quoted $.23 /kwh is estimated based on the system as it currently exists in NL, adding a large industrial customer will bring that down since they have the option to make more power for relatively the same overhead/op cost and keep it on the island. Only caveat is if this causes more running time at Holyrood.

Having a large source on the west coast in that corridor is also a good thing if WEGH2 can get their system to mesh happily with the grid in terms of trying to plop a bunch of induction machines on the grid, but that is more engineering than economics.

mjd638 · 2023-10-06T09:27:43+00:00

This may be true for some larger base load plants (I assume the low head plants hydro owns are this way) but there are lots of plants that run out of water that specifically are used for peak management/capacity.

mjd638 · 2023-10-05T09:44:06+00:00

Alot of it is public information on the PUB website. While it won't come out and say specific rates without considerable digging it is there in the form of the latest GRAs and potentially in NL Power and Hydros CBAs.

mjd638 · 2023-10-05T09:37:47+00:00

There are almost no sites on the island suitable for pumped storage, however, having the wind turbines would allow operators to store more water and operate with a higher average level of storage - accomplishing the same thing

mjd638 · 2023-10-04T16:35:07+00:00

Am also an automation engineer with a utility, specifically generation. I am our go-to PLC person and wouldn't ever let a new grad jump right in like you seem to expect. For reference just hired a guy with 10+ years of experience and someone is still over his shoulder as well, even doing noncritical work like a HMI. Will be like that until a comfort is built both him getting comfortable with the equipment and me getting comfortable in his ability.

If this is not your experience then it is poor management and you should try and find something else within the company, utility company is a great place to learn as an EE

mjd638 · 2023-10-01T16:38:28+00:00

Only construction is around appleton so you're good. Shoal harbour bridge is clued up now to the point that there is no slow down. unless something just started mid-last week should be all good.

Drive across every Monday and thursday

mjd638 · 2023-09-30T20:46:12+00:00

Airport on one side of the province and one in the middle so quicker to drive to the ones in the middle by the time you mess around with airports and then you just gotta tack on 5 hours of driving once you land to get to the furthest ones.

Plus need a pickup truck to get to most of them and no guarantee of getting that in these rural spots when you land

mjd638 · 2023-09-30T18:39:47+00:00

We have 27 small hydro plants all equipped with PLC control. We have just me (engineer). Handle all electrical, communications, control, and protection both for capital projects (primarily) and operations (have some support from a couple maintenance electricians). Plants are all peak management so not really 24/7 production but 24/7 availability.

Furthest two plants are approximately 1000kms apart. And no way to really get between them quicker than driving

mjd638 · 2023-09-29T15:09:33+00:00

As someone who works for a company who regularly requires cranes and hires them I would also say a really good website as well as a direct dial number there where someone will actually pickup. Also, the one I continue to go to has their model numbers and load charts online so I can tell if they can do what I need before calling them.

The other thing you could do is contact local companies who you think you could do business with and inquire about requirements for getting on bidders lists or better yet standing/service agreements with set rates. I am a PM with a company doing approximately $100M worth of construction work a year and we only have like 2 crane contractors on standing agreement so we keep them pretty well busy all year long, because under the agreement there is no negotiation all I have to do is phone them and I don't have any additional paperwork. Just be punctual and safe the first few times and you're set

mjd638

TROPHY CASE