'I am an electrical engineer with more than 20 years
hands-on experience in the power industry (in New Zealand), but also
another decade in the computer industry. Now working on Y2k issues in the
NZ power industry, I have a foot in both the power systems and IT camps
which makes for very interesting viewing
_____
'Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 13:19:39 +0100
To: year2000-discuss@year2000.com
From: "Y2K Maillist (Via: Amy)" <amy@year2000.com> Save Address Block Sender
Subject: Re: Sighting: Power Grid
Reply-To: year2000-discuss@year2000.com
From: "Richard Donaldson" <richard@utility.co.nz>
To: <year2000-discuss@year2000.com>
Subject: Re: Sighting: Power Grid
Date: Sat, 1 Aug 1998 14:10:44 +1200
I have watched much discussion about the Y2K issues associated with
electric power systems for many months now. Some very good points have
been made, but there is also a huge amount of emotive misinformation being
put forward.
I would like to add my voice in full support of what Herbert Jacobi has
said. Like Herbert, I am an electrical engineer with more than 20 years
hands-on experience in the power industry (in New Zealand), but also
another decade in the computer industry. Now working on Y2k issues in the
NZ power industry, I have a foot in both the power systems and IT camps
which makes for very interesting viewing.
Having said that, I contend that for electricity systems and their embedded
electronic technology we are "Mining For Diamonds". That is, the system
faults or flaws are rare, hard to find and when found are very valuable.
They are special design problems which are diverse in the way they manifest
themselves. When found, they can often be worked around by simple
procedures. Quite a lot of lateral thinking is required to devise
mechanisms to expose them. If not found they may have devastating business
consequences. This is very dependent upon the extent of system
interconnection where these flaws are located. End to end testing of these
interconnnected systems is therefore a vital step in the process.
Our task today, for those involved in this work, is to meticulously screen
every piece of equipment in the power generation and delivery process (and
don't forget telecommunications), distil the equipment that is obviously OK
from that which has a possible problem. Seek Y2K status information for
what remains, then test and retest it. The end result will be high quality
proof of Y2K status before the millennium transition, including a precise
audit trail of what was done that demonstrates due diligence has been
applied. "High quality" does not mean perfect, and therefore on top of
this work it is imperative that there be contingency and risk management
plans put in place to cover the possible consequences of failures.
Given all of this, a power company has its best chance of survival without
major disruption to its business or attacks from litigants.
Richard Donaldson
Director, Utility Services Associates Ltd
Wellington, New Zealand
----------
> Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 08:21:00 -0700
> From: "Jacobi, Herbert - TNE" <hjacobi@bpa.gov>
> Subject: re: Sighting: Power Grid
> To: year2000-discuss@year2000.com
>
> While it is true that I am not a US Senator (aren't they just about all
> lawyers?) and I haven't attended any Senate hearings lately: I am an
> Electrical Engineer with 25 years working for the Bonneville Power
> Administration (BPA). I've spent five years in Testing and Energization
> installing everything from 500KV PCB's and Xfmers to 69kv breakers.
> I've spent several years in Substation Engineering as well as Design and
> over 15 years In System Protection and Control.
>
> All PCB's can be manually switched. They have a control handle both in
> the plant\substation and at the PCB itself. They are switched by DC
> (batteries) either 125 or 240 volts (occasionally lower voltages in very
> small substations). This is true of 500KV PCB's (that's the big ones
> on the Grid) as well as 13.8KV. distribution level. Every single PCB
> in all of our 500 KV, 230KV, 115KV and lower Substations (which makes
> up the Grid as you call it ) can be manually operated. Operators switch
> them when they are taken out of service for the line to be worked on or
> if work is done at a substation. The vast majority (99%?) of PCB's
> don't have any chips in them at all. A few of the newer ones have boxes
> for controlling the close on zero point crossing but that is not vital
> and can be bypassed. And the chips are looking at the voltage wave not
> the date and time.
>
> All disconnects can be manually switched. They have to be in order to
> be opened an locked (physically locked) when a PCB is taken out of
> service for maintenance.
>
> You simply don't know what you are talking about.
>
> I'm not really impressed with the argument of how many embedded chips
> are in anyones system. It's what they do or more importantly don't do
> that matters. Somehow people have this idea that each and every piece
> of equipment has a chip in it and each chip MUST have a calendar in it
> and this calendar MUST control something and WILL go wrong at the
> transition between 1999 and 2000. And of course this chips MUST control
> something (everything?) that's important or better yet vital. Sometimes
> all they do is tell the date and time. We have a lot of relays that if
> you turn them off the date and time reverts to a default date in 1975.
> That should tell you how important the correct date and time are to
> their working properly.
>
> Sometimes all a wrong date and time tell you is that the date and time
> are wrong. |
