Greg Waite, CEO of InventionShare, has announced that the PowerWindings transformer design is a significant breakthrough in transformer manufacturing, and so much so that manufacturers can reduce the cost of a transformer by up to 30% using existing tooling and manufacturing processes. PowerWindings designs were developed by two senior inventors with over 30 years of…
ABB reclosers meet stringent performance requirements with improved efficiency
As part of its continuously evolving product offering, power and automation technology company ABB has announced a new multiple controller offering for the ABB recloser product line, including the PCD, RER620, and SEL-651R controllers. ABB reclosers have a long history of proven field performance with more than 15 years of installations worldwide. The ABB recloser…
Siemens to supply data center of Amazon Web Services with clean energy
Siemens will supply 65 wind turbines and 67 transformers for the Amazon Wind Farm (Fowler Ridge). The customer for this onshore project in Indiana is Pattern Energy. With a capacity of 150 megawatts (MW), the wind power plant will provide Amazon Web Services’ data center with eco-friendly electricity. Installation is scheduled to begin in July.…
Report update: Large Power Transformers and the U.S. Electric Grid
This executive summary and introduction is from a 52 page, U.S. DOE report on large power transformers and the U.S. electric grid. This study updates the initial June 2012 study under the same title, Large Power Transformers and the U.S. Electric Grid. In this report, the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, U.S. Department…
Magazine Fortune China names that country’s top ten innovators
Fortune China, the Chinese language version of the global business magazine, honored 25 companies for innovation in its Aug. 13, 2012 issue. Sixteen firms were new to the list in 2012. The top five include the online media company Tencent Holdings Ltd., SAIC Motor Corporation, SANY Heavy Industry, the web services company Baidu Inc., and China…
Monitoring transformers key to predictive maintenance
Mike Dickinson, Pacific Coast Transformers, www.pacificcresttransformers.com Transformers serve as a hub for collection and distribution of energy changing the voltage level at different locations of the grid. They are a key component of the Smart Grid, loosely defined as an automated, widely distributed energy delivery network, characterized by a two-way flow of electricity and information,…
Transformers pass severe shake (earthquake) test
The manufacturer of liquid-filled distribution transformers says its transformer designs has withstood rigorous seismic testing performed at an independent engineering testing laboratories. The testing showed that units from Pacific Crest Transformers (PCT) are suitable for mission critical applications, including hospitals, command centers, and generation stations. The same transformer was subjected to tests simulating six violent…
This transformer includes terminal lugs
All standard, ventilated Jefferson Electric transformers (75 kVA and smaller) now include terminal lugs. The mechanical lugs on units from the Franklin, Wisc. company are electro-tin plated and UL listed to 90°C. Lugs are required to connection wires to the transformer terminals. Providing lugs with the transformer lets the installer complete the installation faster and eliminates…
What are the electrical & electronic components in a wind turbine?
Motors and drives: nacelles on utility scale turbines are filled with motors and drives. The latter devices are part of the turbine controls that tell motors what to do. Generally, electric motors pitch the blades on turbines with less than 1.5 MW outputs and point nacelles in appropriate directions. Utility-scale turbines can have up to…
300 ton transformers, heaviest yet, head by rail to west Canada
A milestone in project cargo movement was recently reached at the Head of the Lakes as crews handled the heaviest Canadian Pacific (CP) direct, single-line rail move from the Port of Duluth-Superior to western Canada. Two, 300-ton transformers arrived at the Clure Public Marine Terminal in Duluth on Nov. 5. Both units were manufactured in…
Why do wind turbine transformers fail so often?
Tom Steeber, Vice President, Pacific Crest Transformers, Medford, Oregon, pacificcresttrans.com Using conventional off-the-shelf distribution transformers to cut costs is downright foolish. The unusual duty cycle of wind energy calls for an updated design. A rush to install wind turbines has outstripped the usual developmental learning curve, one in which new technologies mature by trial and…
Small power transformers handle 5 to 15 MVA
The recent line of small power transformers is customized for use in municipal power substations. The utility-focused smaller power transformers, from Pacific Crest Transformers, Medford, Oregon, are rated from 5 to 15 megavolt-amperes. They are ruggedly built, using disk-wound coils with cruciform miter-cut cores and proprietary 360° cooling ducts. The design improves reliability because it…