Previewing the 2018 IEEE Switchgear Committee Fall Meeting

Dianoush Emami is an electrical engineer with over 35 years of experience in the areas of electrical distribution and high-voltage transmission. In addition, Dianoush Emami serves as a member of several professional organizations, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Switchgear Committee. 

The IEEE Switchgear Committee will host its annual fall meeting between October 14 and October 18 at Marriott Downtown in Kansas City, Missouri. A valuable networking opportunity for individuals and businesses in the electrical engineering industry, the meeting will open with a Sunday-evening reception that allows guests to catch up with peers and meet first-time attendees. The gathering will also include a social event at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. 

Moving to the more technical offerings at the 2018 Switchgear Committee meeting, Monday proceedings will revolve around an afternoon training session, IEEE MS Word Template for Standards Development. The session is open to all attendees, but will be especially useful for active group officers. For more information about training sessions at the upcoming meeting, as well as materials regarding the 2018 Switchgear Committee Spring Meeting, please visit www.ewh.ieee.org.

IEEE Switchgear Committee Offers Reliable Power System Infrastructure

Electrical engineer Dianoush Emami received his BS from the University of Southern California. After his academic training, he worked for Bechtel Power Corporation, where he was in charge of the overhead and underground electrical engineering team. Moreover, Dianoush Emami is a member of the IEEE Switchgear Committee.

One of the Standards Developing Technical Committees of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, the Switchgear Committee consists of technical professionals and managers representing manufacturers, consultants, vendors, and consumers of electrical switchgear.

The Switchgear Committee recognizes and works toward the Society’s need to develop and maintain a safe and reliable power system infrastructure. Its scope of responsibilities includes dealing with matters related to the design, construction, and device operation that affect electric circuit connections. The treatment covers the automatic reclosers and sectionalizers, fuses and cutouts, gas-insulated switchgear, power circuit breakers, and other switchgear devices.

The Switchgear Committee also sponsors and develops standards, practices, guidelines and policies related to the various aspects within its scope. With over 200 members, it gathers twice annually at different North American locations.

RTUs and IEDs - Essential Components of a SCADA System

With almost four decades of experience as an electrical distribution and transmission high-voltage engineer, Dianoush Emami has enhanced the efficiency and performance of high-voltage electrical transmission equipment, components, and systems. During his career, Dianoush Emami created four task forces, one of which addressed remote terminal unit (RTU) and intelligent electronic device (IED) data exchange. 

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems collect data and control large-scale systems by monitoring network functions at the supervisory level. They can regulate a process, or control machinery. RTUs and IEDs are two components of a SCADA system that perform monitoring and controlling functions. 

An RTU is most often used in industrial environments for remote monitoring and control of automated devices and systems. A self-contained computer, an RTU has a processor, memory, and storage. It is intelligent enough to control multiple processes without user intervention or a master controller. This allows an RTU to send telemetry data to distributed control systems (DCS) and SCADA systems. RTUs monitor equipment within the SCADA system, including IEDs.

An IED creates communication between remote sensors and controllers and a communications network. It can control many parts of a piece of equipment so the equipment works in accord with the rest of a system. It also gathers information from power equipment within the SCADA system. For example, if an IED senses a certain level, such as voltage, is too high or low, it can initiate a control function to correct the level back within normal limits.

IEEE’s Power and Energy Society Switchgear Committee

An electrical engineer with more than three decades of experience as a safety and quality management professional, Dianoush Emami is responsible for the development and implementation of safety, health, and environmental programs. Dianoush Emami also belongs to multiple committees for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), such as the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Switchgear Committee. 

The committee produces and maintains documents for the IEEE C37 Standard Collection and keeps a record of important matters involving the electrical engineering practice, such as environmental effects and statistics for increased employment. Standards outlined by the committee support the need for continuing development, and an efficient power system infrastructure maintained through safety and reliability. Members of the committee consist of managerial and technical representatives from end-users, vendors, consultants, and manufacturers of electrical switchgear components.

Committee members oversee sponsorship and development for a number of operational points, including standards, policies, and recommended practices. They also handle matters regarding the design, construction, and operation of assembled gear and devices for electric circuits. The scope of these devices range from fuses and cutouts to gas-insulated switchgears and power circuit breakers. 

Committee meetings take place twice a year and focus on technical discussions with a strict non-commercial policy.

A Look at the California ISO’s Market Processes and Products

Dianoush Emami is a graduate of the University of Southern California and has served as a safety professional for nearly forty years. The former director of WESCON, Dianoush Emami has emerged as a leader in the safety industry due to the scope and quality of his work.

For example, Mr. Emami completed a technical audit for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) that involved a review of the generation control systems for the state of California. An independent electrical grid operator, CAISO manages the flow and distribution of electricity across California’s electrical grid.

CAISO also operates a wholesale energy market that includes five core service offerings. In addition to a day-ahead market in which energy is distributed based on a bidding system, the organization manages a real-time market that allows utilities to purchase power to cover electrical shortages not met by bids placed in the day-ahead market.

CAISO also offers ancillary services to maintain grid stability, and financial instruments known as congestion revenue rights (CRRs) that allow utilities to address grid congestion costs. Moreover, participants in the electrical market can engage in convergence bidding through CAISO. Convergence bidding allows energy to be bought in the day-ahead market and sold in the real-time market.