Need an electrical testing update fast? Grab a power webinar
by Yier Toh
Free expert webinars cover topics such as circuit breaker testing and cable faults
—Sponsored article by Megger
Knowing how difficult it can be for professional engineers and technicians to refresh their knowledge of testing techniques and keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the field, Megger produces a series of monthly webinars that provide concise information about carefully chosen key topics.
The 2015 series of live webinars has concluded, but the good news is the recordings are available online. So, if you’d like a convenient way to enhance your testing know how without even leaving your desk, why not take a look? The topics in the 2015 webinar series are:
• Basics of recloser testing
• Applications of time-domain reflectometry
• Medium and high voltage circuit breaker testing
• GPS/IRIG-B timing methods for end-to-end relay testing
• Battery testing for compliance with NERC standards
• Chasing medium voltage cable faults in branched networks
• Detecting cable deterioration before the fault
• The importance of demagnetising transformer cores
• Guide to low resistance testing
• Improvements in transformer winding resistance testing
Each webinar lasts for about an hour, but five-minute samples of the webinars are available on YouTube, so it’s easy to ‘try before you buy’, even though all webinars are absolutely free to view. To check out the YouTube clips, simply go to Megger’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/meggerUS.
You can always find the latest information on all previous and upcoming webinars on our webinar landing page at www.megger.com/webinars.
Battery testing
As an example of the type of content you’re likely to find in these webinars, let’s take a look at the battery testing and NERC standards webinar. It starts with an overview of battery basics, including definitions of key terms and a discussion of battery types.
It then covers failure modes for various types of batteries, such as sulphation and hard/soft shorts in lead-acid batteries, and separator deterioration in nickel-cadmium types.
This introductory section is followed by an examination of the importance of maintaining batteries regularly, to ensure that conditions such as blocked ventilation systems and corrosion are detected before they lead to a breakdown or, in the worst cases, a catastrophic failure.
The IEEE standards applicable to various battery types are introduced before the second half of the seminar moves on to consider the importance of compliance with mandatory NERC requirements.
Test methods that will ensure compliance is achieved are explained in detail, with full coverage given to the benefits and limitations of impedance testing, as well as to the correct procedures for discharge testing, which is the only completely dependable way of measuring battery capacity.
The webinar concludes with information about recording, analyzing and trending test results. If all of this sounds interesting, but the topic you particularly want to see isn’t in the list, it may be coming up in 2016 because we listened to your suggestions when planning the next series.
Here’s a sneak preview of some of the new topics:
• Insulation diagnostic methods for transformers and bushings
• Advanced end-to-end testing
• Partial discharge and tan delta measurements for improving grid resiliency
• Improving the efficiency of transformer commissioning
• Advances in high-current injection testing
More topics will soon be added to the list, so check Megger’s webinar landing page frequently for details, especially if you want to participate in the live webinars to interact with Megger’s subject matter experts.
Based on overwhelming feedback from our webinar attendees, in 2016, we will extend the Q&A segment by 30 min after the conclusion of the webinar. This way you can stay online and chat with the presenter to get your questions answered.
For power professionals, Megger webinars are the fastest, most convenient, and most reliable way to keep up to date on trending technical developments and best practices in the industry. You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your office to participate!
Yier Toh is a marketing engineer with Megger.
Megger designs and manufactures portable electrical test equipment. Megger products help you install, improve efficiency, reduce cost and extend the life of your or your customers’ electrical assets. To learn more visit www.megger.com
To view more articles on electrical testing, visit the Electrical Testing Centre on CanadianManufacturing.com
