Power System Blackouts Preventive Measures

Introduction

Major blackouts are caused by not investing into your infrastructure, failing to carry out enough planning, lack of contingency planning and not analyzing your power system voltage requirements and operational conditions correctly. With any transmission and distribution system, reliability of the system is fundamental to preventing power outages and to ensure that regional and national assets are protected. The result of not planning and preventing power outages can have dramatic effects such risk to life through essential services such as supplies to Hospitals, Businesses not being able to function correctly, loss of revenue, unacceptable power quality and telecommunication transmission problems. This GLOMACS training course has been designed to ensure that you understand these issues and furthermore, can plan ahead to mitigate the risks to your power infrastructure.

This training course will highlight:

• Power quality and risks with instability
• In-rush/cold rush effects
• Voltage control and regulation
• Blackout/power outage prevention
• Power system reliability
• How Blackouts occur
• Voltage and frequency concerns
• Load shedding

Objectives

By the end of this training course, you will be able to:

• List methods used to improve power quality
• Discuss analysis concepts when investigating potential power quality and interruption issues
• Analyze power quality
• Risk assess Power outages
• Understand how power outages can start and cascade
• Apply procedures to ensure power continuity
• Consider a variety of planning techniques for Power Blackouts
• Consider the use of SMART technology

Training Methodology

A variety of adult learning techniques, that have proven successful or popular with adult learning, will be utilized. Every section is covered theoretically, followed by a practical exercise or discussion, where applicable. The focus is on enhancing understanding, comprehension, and the retention of vital information. Every day starts off with reference to the previous day’s work, as well as an opportunity to ask further questions. Exercises are either conducted individually or in groups, depending on how the greatest benefit can be obtained. Delegates are encouraged to think of applications and problems that they have encountered in the own working environment, and to put these forwards for classroom participation, discussion, and debate, in order to provide the delegate with better options and possible improved solutions to work-related problems. Delegates are encouraged to keep an open mind.

Organisational Impact

The impact from sending your work force onto this training course are wide and far reaching. Candidates will gain a variety of practical and theoretical knowledge which complies with current practice and legislation. The knowledge gained by candidates can be applied back in their work roles and can be used to ensure the following:

• Current practices onsite can be reviewed (or changed) to ensure power quality is of the highest level.
• Designers, Engineers, Technicians and Responsible Persons can gain knowledge of current practices when looking to ensure reliable power supplies.
• Designers, Engineers, Technicians and Responsible Persons can obtain knowledge to understand how Blackouts occur and how to mitigate against such occurrences
• Key personnel can prepare contingency plans for power quality issues and potential power outages
• Apply knowledge gained to limit negative impacts on customers when dealing with power outages

Personal Impact

• Candidates will be able to learn new practices to ensure power quality and reliability
• Candidates will be able to refresh their knowledge
• Candidates will be able to fully appreciate and understand power quality issues such as Blackouts and poor-quality power
• Candidates will be able to apply methods discussed and demonstrated, to ensure a reliable power supply on your power infrastructure