Tony Parsons of Eaton

Modern, digital microprocessor protective relays represent a significant upgrade over traditional electromechanical protection, allowing for increased versatility, reliability, and safety in modern power systems.  Unfortunately, they are often not used to their full potential.  Engineers responsible for developing relay settings may not be aware of how to take advantage of the full capabilities of the relays, setting them up instead as the digital equivalents to single-function electromechanical devices.  Errors during installation and commissioning can create problems that may go undetected or undiagnosed for long periods of time.

In this presentation, we will review typical electronic relay features, discuss common examples of situations where things are often "left on the table", and review several Case Studies where improper relay application, installation, and/or commissioning led to problems. 

Biography:

Antony Parsons received the BSEE degree from the University of Houston in 1995, then received the MSE and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 and 1999, respectively, all in electrical engineering.  He has more than 20 years’ experience with power distribution systems, and is presently an Advisory Engineer with Eaton, where he is responsible for providing analysis, design, and troubleshooting support to commercial and industrial facilities.  Antony is a Senior Member of IEEE, a member of the IEEE Industry Applications Society, and of the IEEE P1584 working group on Arc Flash Hazard Calculations.  He is a licensed engineer in the state of Texas.

Email:

Address:4616 W. Howard Ln., Bldg. 2, Ste. 500, Austin, Texas, United States, 78728