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Electrical Troubleshooting Quiz — Sept.18, 2018

Sept. 18, 2018
What strategy might you take to nail both nuisance breaker trips and motor failures?

The closing of your plant ended your job as the plant electrical engineer. But on the recommendation of a friend, you’ve just been hired through a temp agency to serve as another plant’s interim plant engineer while they conduct a search. A clause in the contract allows the company to hire you for that position after 90 days with the agency, and you really want the job.

It just so happens this plant has been plagued by nuisance breaker trips. The previous plant engineer had flailed away at this problem, but didn’t devote much time to it because motor failures were consuming the time he could devote to electrical issues. What strategy might you take to nail both problems?

The two problems are likely related. A good strategy would involve looking for root causes. For example:

  • Pick a feeder that’s had both problems. Conduct an inspection for bonding deficiencies, use a power analyzer to look for power anomalies, and identify any large motors that start across the line.
  • Measure power factor at each large inductive load, and correct at the load as needed.
  • Examine the transient protection scheme. Remember that transients from outside the plant are less of a concern than those generated inside the plant. So, the transient protection needs to be built into the power distribution system in a way that protects individual circuits from large load-generated transients.
About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.

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