� Meralco Engineers( from left) Manuel Galvan, Ronaldo Garrido, Ronoel Dellota, Ismael Cruz and Mercedo Delgado took INMR in 1998 to visit a special internally-developed site devoted to monitoring how pollution levels were affecting insulators near Manila. All were also involved in a new test program to evaluate covered conductors as well as polymeric MV arresters for acceptance in the Philippines.
� Professor Kurt Feser, one of Germany’ s respected academics in high voltage engineering, met INMR in 1995 during our visit to the University of Stuttgart. At the time, he and colleague Wolfgang Köhler( left) were conducting research on diagnostics as part of new monitoring equipment being developed for arresters, transformers and GIS systems.
� Marc Weber of Geneva’ s main power utility, SIG,( right) stands alongside Verbois Substation Manager, Edouard Besson, and surveys the switchyard at the giant 400 kV facility. When INMR visited them in early 1999, Besson was considering himself very lucky not to have been anywhere near a 130 kV air blast circuit breaker that had been making strange noise before suddenly failing violently.( He apparently was inside at that precise moment, making a call to report the noise). The resulting explosion ejected porcelain shards over a radius of 300 meters and collateral damage to nearby equipment blacked out 400,000 residents across the Canton. Weber soon found himself involved in a major investment project to re-insulate Verbois, this time mostly with silicone-housed insulators, arresters and bushings.
“ If you look at existing lines in Switzerland, it’ s true that some 90 % use porcelain long rods. But what’ s more relevant is that 90 % of new lines in our country are using composite types.”
Konstantin Papailiou, CEO( retired) Pfisterer, Germany / Switzerland, January 1999
Photos: INMR ©
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