Meeting Details

Date: Thursday, October 22^nd, 2009

Topic: "Case Studies 2009"

Location: SRP Information Services Building (ISB), 1600 N Priest Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281

Assorted case studies from APQA members. If you would like to present a case study, contact the APQA Secretary.

Case Study 1 -
Topic: Even in China, Performance Grounding Cannot Substitute for Safety Grounding
Speaker: Ed Weiss, Applied Power Quality Solutions, LLC
Summary: This case study examines a large telecommunications company data center in China where performance grounding considerations compromised equipment and personnel safety.
Biography: Ed Weiss has been a power quality consultant since 1986. Working for Prime Computer (Natick, MA), he developed and managed that company's power quality value added services program. In that role he was responsible for the education and professional development of more than one hundred power quality specialists in eighteen countries. Working in a variety of business sectors, Mr. Weiss has solved complex power quality and operating environment problems for a variety of companies in the United States, Europe, and Asia. For the past twenty years, Mr. Weiss has focused his attention on power quality problems affecting the medical industry; particularly in imaging, radiology, oncology and neurology. From 1991 through 2003, Mr. Weiss was Vice President of Power Quality Engineering (Phoenix, AZ) and in July 2003, formed Applied Power Quality Solutions, LLC (Scottsdale, AZ) which provides power quality products and services to hospitals throughout the US. In 2005 APQS introduced the Rad-X Medical Power Filtration System (Rad-X Filter). This unique product is manufactured exclusively for application on high-end X-ray and Magnet based medical systems. Mr. Weiss is a published author and a popular speaker in his field, and has written technical procedures and standards for power quality, and evaluated products of all description for implementation by high-tech users in this country and abroad. Mr. Weiss is a co-holder of two patents. US Patent Number 4,998,067 Portable test apparatus for low current circuit breakers. US Patent Number 5,535,087 Circuit for reducing the effects of transient events on electronic equipment. Professional Organization Affiliations: IEEE Associate Member Central Arizona Society for Healthcare Engineering (CASHE) Associate Member Arizona Power Quality Association (APQA) Founding Member and Former President Arizona Electric League (AEL) Power Quality Instructor for the Building Operators Program

Case Study 2 -
Topic: Utility Generation Station Grounding Survey
Speaker: Bill Russell, SRP
Summary: Power Quality Services and Generation Engineering partnered to answer NGS questions about their plant grounding system. What is its condition? Is it safe? Has it been damaged by corrosion, wear, or dig-ins? If so, who should fix it and how? Power Quality Services and Generation Engineering do an instrument survey and find some interesting results.
Biography: Bill Russell is an electrical engineer in the Power Quality Services group at SRP, a utility serving the metropolitan Phoenix area. Bill performs power quality studies and investigations for disturbance-sensitive customers. He also instructs courses such as Grounding and Bonding for Safety and Performance, Power Quality for Electricians and Technicians, Understanding Power Factor, Harmonics, and Power Quality for Small Businesses. Prior to joining SRP, Bill worked as a consulting engineer for Power Quality Engineering where he conducted power quality studies and designed mitigation solutions. He also spent 21 years working in the field of electronics and avionics. In this capacity, Bill designed and developed radar systems as well as supervised teams throughout the world on various airframes such as the SR-71 and RF-4C. Bill received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Northrop University in Southern California and is currently a member of the Arizona Power Quality Association.