DC Motor Operation
Coils of wire on the rotor carry a d.c. current which generates a magnetic field. A stator magnetic field is created using either permanent magnets or...
Introduction to Traction Substations
Following on from my post on railway electrification voltages, I thought an introduction to traction substations would be a good idea. Traction substations...
Tips for a better Low Voltage Protection Discrimination Study
Carrying out a protection system discrimination study is critical to ensure the correct functioning of the electrical system in the event of faults. ...
Gas Insulated or Air Insulated Switchgear
Various arguments exist around SF6 Gas Insulated (GIS) and Air Insulated (AIS) medium voltage switchgear. Recently we had to change a GIS design to AI...
Robots - Interesting Videos
The robot folding towels post below was interesting enough at the time to post a link. Recently I’ve come across a couple of other interesting videos...
Cable Sizing Software
When sizing cables nearly, everyone uses some form of software. This ranges from homespun spreadsheets to complex network analyses software. Each has its...
Back to basics - the Watt (or kW)
When thinking about watts (W) or kilowatt (kW = 1000 W) it can be useful too keep in mind the fundamental ideas behind the unit. Watt is not a pure electrical...
What does N+1 mean?
The term 'N+1' relates to redundancy and simply means that if you required 'N' items of equipment for something to work, you would have one additional...
Periodic Electrical Installation Inspection – What to Inspect?
This is the second post in a series of two on periodic electrical inspections. In the first post, I discussed how often inspections should be carried out...
Lithium Ion Battery
Over recent years the Lithium Ion battery has become popular in applications requiring high power densities with small weight and footprint. Today Lithium...