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Brief History of Materials Used in High Voltage Insulator Construction

As the power grid continued its expansion in the latter part of the 19^th century, it became even more critical to safely and effectively insulate the high voltage lines from its surroundings. Telegraph lines had been supported primarily by glass insulators for decades, but these same glass insulators weren’t sufficient for high voltage power lines. Similar in its ceramic nature, but more durable in its construction, porcelain became the primary material for high voltage insulator construction.

MOV, or metal-oxide varistor, surge arresters are widely applied to protect critical utility equipment and improve grid reliability. Surge arresters come in various designs to protect distribution, transmission and substation assets. The characteristics of the surge arrester are customized to meet the varying requirements of each application. IEEE and IEC standards govern the minimum requirements for all surge arresters, however other characteristics must be considered to meet Hubbell’s demanding quality standards.

There are numerous traits that ensure the quality and longevity of MOV surge arresters. Five key characteristics tend to overshadow others. These include:

During line work, it is commonplace for lines to be de-energized and grounded for worker protection in the event there is a fault current, which could be due to a variety of issues. In this blog, we will look at some common misconceptions about temporary personal protective grounding.

If you have ever driven along a river, the ocean, or a large lake and come across a massive, imposing, messy stick nest on a distribution or transmission power line, chances are you are looking at a nest of an osprey. These large raptors (birds of prey) with a global distribution are well-adapted to specialize on small to large sized fish. They nest along fish-bearing waterbodies - historically in the tops of broken tree snags, but as power poles became common across the landscape, they became valuable real estate for nesting osprey, particularly those near water.  

Hubbell | Greenjacket Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received permission to distribute a white paper entitled, "Under the Covers: Investigating Animal Mitigation Covers and Infrared Thermography" by Jay Bowen and Will Bauer on the issue of IR Scanning of electrical equipment while it is protected by cover-up.

At Hubbell Power Systems, Inc. (HPS), we are committed to providing our customers with outstanding service, whether in our hometowns or halfway across the world. In 2019, prior to COVID-19, two engineers from HPS spent two weeks giving presentations and training crews in Sri Lanka on the application and installation of CHANCE® helical piles and anchors manufactured by HPS. Here is their story:

To maintain worker safety while performing de-energized and grounded line maintenance, two important factors must be accomplished in the event of a fault:

1. The fault current must be cleared in the fastest available time
   
2. The current across the line worker must be limited to a safe level by creating an Equi-Potential Zone (EPZ)

Birds have no doubt been interacting with power lines and substations since the latter first appeared on the landscape. Indeed, the first record of avian collision mortality from power lines dates back to the late 1800’s, and at least one record of electrocution in North America was made as early as 1922. These incidents occur when a bird simultaneously contacts two energized components of a pole that are each at different electrical potential (referred to as a phase-to-phase fault or electrocution), or they simultaneously contact one energized component on a structure and one grounded component (referred to as a phase-to-ground fault or electrocution). These incidents not only cause injury or mortality to the birds themselves, most of which are legally protected, but they also impact the integrity of the power system.

CHANCE® Personal Protective Ground Sets are an important tool for lineworkers to use during de-energized line maintenance. The ground sets serve two purposes; one is to provide an Equi-Potential Zone (EPZ) minimizing current flow through a lineworker and the second is enabling the clearing of the fault in the fastest available time. In order to make sure the personal protective ground sets will function properly during daily use, daily inspection and periodic testing must be performed.

Although we are just starting out the new year and snow is covering the ground in much of the USA and Canada, tis’ already the season for romance and courtship for great horned owls, the largest owl in North America, and one of the earliest “spring” nesters. These majestic birds aren’t much for construction or renovation, and instead take over old nests of other birds such as crows and red-tailed hawks. To the frustration of many utilities, they sometimes choose old nests in electrical substations as their chosen spot to raise a family; these substations offer protection from the elements, a heat source (important when incubating eggs, sometimes in temperatures of -30C), and protection from most mammalian predators, thanks to the chain-link fencing. What they don’t realize is the high electrocution potential for themselves and their clumsy fledging young.