Due Date: Thursday, May 7th by 8AM
Please be advised. The senior team will not conduct any exit interview in which the student has not turned in a passing research count and completing this blog. In addition, you are expected to dress as you would for a job interview.
Content:
(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?
My essential question is "How can a power engineer best optimize the electrical grid to ensure maximum operating efficiency?" Now I know it seems a little bit complex, so let me help break it down a bit. A power engineer, in essence, is someone who manipulates electrical energy to make it flow more efficiently. In this case, they are looking for ways to enhance the electrical grid, the world's largest electrical delivery system, so ensure that everything is running safely, reliably and resiliently. So basically, they are asking themselves, "Hey, we have this giant system to run, so how are we going to make sure that it's delivering power 24/7 while keeping the supply and demand in constant balance?"
After talking to a power engineer named Amanvir Sudan, he told me that there are two types of power: active and reactive. Active power is used for purely resistive loads, such as our lights and television sets, while reactive power is used for inductive loads, or things that require a magnetic field to operate, such as motors, compressors, transformers, etc. As it turns out, one of the main problems that power engineers are facing today is controlling the amount of reactive power being generated at electrical substations. Having too much reactive power puts a heavier strain on the power source, as well as the power source's distribution system. Since many of the loads in industrial electrical distribution systems are inductive, they require a combination of active power and reactive power to operate. So the question became, " How can you continue to deliver reactive power to these loads without putting a heavy strain on the system?" The answer: Voltage and VAR control. VAR is just a fancy way of saying reactive power, which is measured in volt-amperes reactive. The way power engineers control the amount of reactive power being generated is through capacitor banks. Capacitor banks act like sources of reactive power in a distribution system, so if you put them near your inductive loads, you can minimize the distance that the reactive power has to travel, thereby increasing the operating efficiency of the grid.
Another one of the great things about Voltage/VAR control is that allows power engineers to optimize the power factor of their system.
Power factor is a measure of how effectively electrical power is being used. A high power factor (approaching unity) indicates efficient use of the electrical distribution system while a low power factor indicates poor use of the system.
(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
If you really want to know, it took me about 8 hours to arrive to this answer. It was the day of my third interview with my mentor. We were just about finishing up for the day when he told me about this power engineering seminar in Ontario, CA. He said that they were going to be having a couple of presentations about microgrids, my first answer. I asked him, "Are you serious?". He said, "Yeah, I'll forward you the email with the information if you want." Later that day, I signed up. I knew that it would be happening on a school day, but it didn't matter. That opportunity was too valuable to pass up.
Fast-forward to March 3rd, and I gathered my things for the seminar. I knew there would be plenty of professional engineers in my field of study, so I got dressed up, much like today, and set off with nothing more than a double handful of questions and the optimism of gambling addict. I spent the whole day going to presentations, listening to engineers speak, interviewing experts in the field about my EQ. It was quite surreal, I have to admit. I felt truly humbled being among such esteemed experts in my topic. I felt like the paparazzi at times, trying to get just a few minutes with that one celebrity to ask them that one question that is one everyone's mind.
But anyway, after a handful of interviews, I decided to start analyzing their answers, looking for patterns and other similarities, Turns out, most of the engineers I interviewed had at least one answer in common, and that was Voltage/VAR Control. And from there, I researched more and more, hoping to further support the claims of the engineers.
(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
The biggest problem I faced with this answer was simply explaining it in a concise and meaningful way. Out of all three answers, my best answer is definitely the most technical in regards to the terminology used to explain its significance as well as the technology used to implement it. Also, most of the research I have on my best answer only describes very general applications for Voltage and VAR control and how it can improve the operating efficiency of the grid. However, in the end, I was able to overcome my problem with the help of my mentor. Sometimes, you just need to look at things from a different perspective, and his opinions really aided my understanding of the applications of voltage and VAR control to the electrical grid.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
If I had to pick only two sources, I would probably choose this government proposal by the National Electrical Manufacturers' Association (NEMA) called Volt/VAR Optimization Improves Grid Efficiency. IT provided me with invaluable background information about Voltage and reactive power management in general, as well as its inherent benefits to a distribution system.
The second source I would choose is my interview with power engineer, Amanvir Sudan. He provided me with a plethora of knowledge about the applications of capacitor banks to reduce the electrical line losses of industrial loads, such as substations and factories. He taught me the basics of how the power triangle works, how Voltage and VAR regulation effects power factor, and how power engineers can optimize it using capacitor banks.
Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response. It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.
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