Title:

Manitoba Hydro’s Experience with Live Line Maintenance at 550 kV AC

Date:

12:00 Noon, Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Location:

Holiday Inn South, 1330 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg

Speaker:

Jeff Laninga

Abstract:

Manitoba Hydro experienced two flashovers of FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) hot sticks during cold weather 550 kV AC live line work under steady-state system conditions. Subsequent laboratory testing demonstrated the reduced voltage withstand capability of the hot-stick resulting from extremely light levels (~2-3 mg/cm2) of Equivalent Salt Deposit Density (ESDD) contamination, particularly under freezing conditions. Hot-stick hygiene protocols have been created to address threshold contamination levels. Further cold weather testing is presently underway to address Manitoba Hydro’s full spectrum of field work.  Manitoba Hydro’s flashovers in 1997 and 2002, under freezing conditions, have demonstrated that the greater threat to live-line worker safety comes not from the small probability of switching surge overvoltage (for which the hot-stick lengths are determined) but from the more likely possibility of inadvertent contamination at levels so light as to be unnoticed during normal work.

Speaker Bio:

Jeff Laninga, P. Eng. is the section head of the Live Line Procedures section at Manitoba Hydro. He is responsible for both energized and de-energized work procedures, training and tools for transmission lines up to 550 kV AC and 500 kV DC. He is presently completing his Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Manitoba.

Cost and Registration:

  • Lunch served at 12:15 PM.
  • Meeting concluded at 1:30 PM.
  • Cost of the meal (payable at the door).

Early Registration

  • IEEE Members – $16.00
  • Non-Members – $20.00

Late Registration

  • IEEE Members – $18.00
  • Non-Members – $22.00

The IEEE PES Winnipeg Chapter must guarantee a minimum attendance to the hotel, so please take a moment to register early by RSVP to Kang Liuby Friday Noon, 21 March 2014, in one of the following ways: