In the mid-1980s, I embarked on a mission to resolve persistent “power failure” complaints from the National Accelerator Centre (NAC) in Faure, Western Cape, now known as iThemba LABS—the largest accelerator facility in the Southern Hemisphere. Invited for private tours, I delved into their operations, even entering the high-stakes environment of the operating room. Witnessing […]
Monthly Archives: October 2023
Throughout my time in the power transmission and distribution industry I have probably had experiences that many others may never have. In a previous post, I talked about the current and voltage unbalances and how a large factory in the Western Cape in South Africa was severely affected by negative phase sequencing. In this post […]
To mitigate the effects of Load-Shedding, many homeowners have decided to install PV Solar Energy systems. And, as I said before, they are more worried about how much it would cost than the quality of the products. If they can pay the lowest possible price for the entire installation, they are happy and do not […]
With our comprehensive Negative Phase Sequence Consulting Services, we deliver expert analysis and innovative solutions to effectively manage negative sequence currents in three-phase electrical systems. Our services are designed to identify and address issues caused by unbalanced loads, faults, and system abnormalities, ensuring system stability, reducing equipment wear, and significantly enhancing overall power quality. We […]
Practical imperfections which can result in unbalances are: A three-phase equipment such as induction motor with unbalance in its windings. If the reactance of three phases is not same, it will result in varying current flowing in three phases and give out system unbalance. With continuous operation, motor’s physical environment cause degradation of rotor and […]
In recent times, I have attended several seminars and that makes me wonder whether the entire process of Solar Energy Systems installation has anything to do with Electrical Engineering, or is it perhaps closer to something like tree cutting where there are so many claiming to be “experts” in that field. Almost daily, we receive […]
Extremely long—hundreds of kilometers—untransposed high and extra-high voltage transmission lines with a flat, horizontal conductor configuration significantly contribute to negative-sequence voltages and, to a lesser extent, zero-sequence voltages. The incidence of negative-sequence voltages rises with increasing electrical load. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Eskom operated two 400kV transmission lines to the Western Cape: […]
In a balanced three-phase network, the magnitudes of the voltages and currents in all three phases are the same and these voltages and currents phase are shifted symmetrically by 120 degrees to each other. If the magnitudes are not the same and phase-shifts are different from the 120 degrees, the network is unbalanced. Eskom strive […]