Notes

RLC Circuit, Resistor Power Loss - some Modelica experiments

By Steven McFadyen on 1/20/2014 1:32 PM

Modelica is an open source (free) software language for modelling complex systems. Having never used it before, I thought I would download a development platform and see how it stacked up. This... read more..

Lead Acid Batteries

By Steven McFadyen on 3/3/2012 12:57 PM

Lead acid batteries are cost effect and reliable, making them suitable for many applications.This note examines topics of interest associated with the use of these batteriesLead acid batteries are co... read more..

Capacitors - Energy Storage Application

By Steven McFadyen on 6/29/2013 8:24 PM

Capacitors have numerous applications in electrical and electronic applications. This note examines the use of capacitors to store electrical energy. The sidebar shows details of a typical c... read more..

Calculating Cable Fault Ratings

By Steven McFadyen on 1/6/2014 1:22 PM

When selecting a cable, the performance of the cable under fault conditions is an important consideration. It is important that calculations be carried out to ensure that any cable is able to withstand ... read more..

Our internet address and Vanity URLs

By Steven McFadyen on 6/2/2011 5:03 AM

Visitors who like to type web address rather then click menus may be interested in how our URL structure works... read more..

Variable Frequency Drive

By Steven McFadyen on 3/28/2012 9:58 PM

Variable frequency drives are widely used to control the speed of ac motors. This note looks at the mechanisms which enable d... read more..

IEC 60287 Current Capacity of Cables - Rated Current

By Steven McFadyen on 2/18/2013 5:58 AM

In the previous note we looked at the approach taken by the standard to the sizing of cables and illustrated this with an example. We then looked at one method of applying the standard and iden... read more..

Understanding LV Circuit Breaker Fault Ratings

By Steven McFadyen on 12/18/2011 12:20 PM

I think this post is going to be helpful to several of our readers. While the IEC low voltage circuit breaker Standard [IEC 60947-2, Low voltage switchgear and controlgear - Part 2: Circuit-breakers] ha... read more..

Earth Electrode Resistance

By Steven McFadyen on 5/17/2012 11:37 AM

Earthing of electrical systems is essential for the correct functioning and the protecting of life and equipment in the event of faults. The earth electrode (connection of the earthing system t... read more..

Post Authorship

By Steven McFadyen on 4/15/2012 1:53 PM

In 2011, with the introduction of it’s Panda search ranking algorithms, Google introduced tools for determining the original author of posts. The intention is to provide more relevant search... read more..

Operational Amplifier

By Steven McFadyen on 5/17/2012 12:47 PM

The fundamental component of any analogue computer is the operational amplifier, or op amp. An operational amplifier (often called an op-amp,) is a high-gain electronic voltage amplifier with a diffe... read more..

Post Editing Tips

By Steven McFadyen on 5/28/2012 2:08 PM

If you at all familiar with programs like office and outlook, then adding and editing posts is pretty straightforward and intuitive. However, there are a few things which which can life a easier t... read more..

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Meeting room of the future

The IET site has a video of a visit showing of a high tech meeting room developed at Napier University in Edinburgh. It a good demonstration of innovative...

Introduction to Lighting

When looking at the design of a lighting scheme it is useful to have an understanding on the nature of light itself and some of the basic theory associated...

How to refer fault levels across a transformer

Over the past year or so I've been involved in on going discussions related to referring fault levels from the secondary of a transformer to the primary...

Generator Sizing & Operation Limits

When selecting a generator, there are inherent limits on the active and reactive power which can be delivered. Generators are normally sized for a certain...

How a Digital Substation Works

Traditionally substations have used circuit breakers, current transformers (CT), voltage transformers (VT) and protection relays all wired together using...

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...

Low Voltage Fault Tables

The following tables provide quick order of magnitude fault levels for a a range of typical low voltage situations.

Magicians of Engineering

The other day I was reading 'Night of the New Magicians' by Mary Pope Osborn with my son. The story is about a young boy and girl who travel back in time...

Periodic Electrical Installation Inspection – How Often?

How often installations are inspected is up to the owner of the installation, provided such durations do not exceed any regulatory maximums in force. ...

Michael Faraday (the father of electrical engineering)

Famed English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday was born on September 22, 1791, in Newington Butts, a suburb of Surrey just south of the London Bridge...

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