Fire Mitigation For Distribution By G&W Electric
Published 07 Dec 2020
Electric Power Solutions
Achieve Quick Progress With Advanced Technology Solutions
The following Whitepaper by G&W Electric and presented by Thorne & Derrick describes strategies and technologies designed to minimise or even prevent the threat of electric power-induced fires. These solutions are focused on distribution protection equipment that can be quickly applied to high fire risk areas.
Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors of Substation, Electrical Safety, Cable Jointing & Accessories to UK and international utilities and contractors providing electrical power at distribution and transmission voltage levels.
Introduction
In recent years, the electrical power system has increasingly been the source of wildfire ignition. Environmental factors (e.g., climate change, increased temperatures, dry air and land, and high winds) combined with the arcs generated by electric power system equipment significantly increase the risk of wildfire.
To ensure public safety, it is vital to plan, prepare and identify solutions for fire mitigation. Electric utilities implement fire mitigation strategies during high fire risk conditions through preventive maintenance, strategic operational practices, enhanced system protection and system hardening.
Strategic operational practices range from selective relay protection schemes to more extreme, fail-safe measures such as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) de-energization programs. Selective relay schemes may include reclose blocking, fast fuse curves and more sensitive ground fault protection, while PSPS shuts off power to the high fire risk area and sectionalizes the perimeter of the unaffected area.
Enhanced system protection reduces the likelihood of ignition through technological advancements such as fast fault clearing schemes, downed conductor detection and communications- assisted system automation.
System hardening strategies help create a more robust, fire-resistant grid by upgrading aging infrastructure to mitigate and eliminate ignitions caused by sparks.
This Whitepaper provides a comprehensive review of distribution protection technologies available today for fire mitigation. These solutions are summarized in the Appendix table.
Contents
- Introduction
- Scope of Fire Mitigation Strategies
- Enhanced System Protection
- System Hardening
- Conclusion
G&W Electric
Overview of G&W Cable Accessories
In 1905 G&W introduced the first disconnectable cable terminating device.
Over 100 years later, G&W continues to create technical innovations that have improved performance and reliability. With over 100 years experience, G&W is the name you can trust for quality cable accessories. With sales representation worldwide, G&W has a proven track record for success.
G&W cable accessories are designed to accommodate cables from all manufacturers and can be created to accommodate any customer cable system. The optional mechanical shrink feature offers an easier and faster installation while reducing possible damage during installation. G&W also offers installation supervision and installation training, which can be customized to suit the audience.
G&W offers a variety of transmission cable accessories for extruded dielectric cable systems. Cable terminations are available for outdoor applications to 230kV and include porcelain or composite insulator options and premolded designs. Gas insulated substation designs are available to 230kV.
Transition cable splices and cable joints are available to 138kV and include premolded designs. All cable terminations and cable joints incorporate built-in stress control and dielectric fluid. Dry type designs are also available for maximum ease of installation.
Substation, Electrical Safety, Cable Jointing & Accessories | 11kV 33kV 66kV to 400kV
