Super Bowl Relay Failure?

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highvolts582

Senior Member
Location
brick nj
relay installed to protect the stadiums equipment? Can anyone shed any light on what this device could be Im trying to picture in my head what really happened. I was surprised when power was restored and everything checked out. It could be a defective piece of equipment ,but the trouble shooter inside me feels like that can not be it. Does anyone think its possible someone could have invented some sorta device that could trigger a building Gfi and that all they would have to do is hold a wand up to a piece of conduit and cause it to trip? Maybe all the beer coolers kicked on at exactly the same time.
 

zog

Senior Member
Location
Charlotte, NC
Issue was a relay that was not properly commisioned, something like a SEL or Basler with many functions. Mo ome triggered a GF with a wand, this is likely a matter of improper commisioning or an incorrect PDC study.
 

Mgraw

Senior Member
Location
Opelousas, Louisiana
Occupation
Electrician
I was wondering how accurate these trip setting are to the actual trip point. Entergy is still adamant that the relay tripped before it was suppose to and did so in testing after the outage.
 

Mgraw

Senior Member
Location
Opelousas, Louisiana
Occupation
Electrician
I read another report saying that it was an S&C gear and relay and that the setting was improper, it functioned according to the setting.

Yes I read that too. But Entergy's response to that was during testing, after the outage, with S&C people present, it tripped before it was suppose to.
 
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Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
I read another report saying that it was an S&C gear and relay and that the setting was improper, it functioned according to the setting.


I agree. We have installed Schweitzer controls, then forgot to reprogram the default settings to match our system. And it tripped early, early being a relative term. The control did what it was set to do. It was early according to what it SHOULD have been set at. Of course, we weren't supplying the Super Bowl either.

S&C Electric Co., the equipment’s manufacturer, said the device cut power to the stadium because the electric load current exceeded the trip setting that had been selected.

“Based on the on-site testing, we have determined that if higher settings had been applied, the equipment would not have disconnected the power,” Michael Edmonds, a vice president with Chicago-based S&C Electric, said in an e-mail.


And yes, if I was Entergy, I would blame the manufacturer also. S&C sells them enough to take the blame and continue sales after the hooplah dies down.
 
I agree. We have installed Schweitzer controls, then forgot to reprogram the default settings to match our system. And it tripped early, early being a relative term. The control did what it was set to do. It was early according to what it SHOULD have been set at. Of course, we weren't supplying the Super Bowl either.

S&C Electric Co., the equipment?s manufacturer, said the device cut power to the stadium because the electric load current exceeded the trip setting that had been selected.

?Based on the on-site testing, we have determined that if higher settings had been applied, the equipment would not have disconnected the power,? Michael Edmonds, a vice president with Chicago-based S&C Electric, said in an e-mail.


And yes, if I was Entergy, I would blame the manufacturer also. S&C sells them enough to take the blame and continue sales after the hooplah dies down.

I have to say that even though S&C seems like old class/technology equipment, but it is of uncompromising quality. I like that they are not trying to be an all encompassing supplier of electrical equipment, but only do what they excell in. I would call it the Rolex of the distribution equipment.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
I have read a very convincing explanation of this event on the palookavillepost web site.

:)

For those of you who do not know what that site is, think the onion.com.
 

ron

Senior Member
S&C manufactures and sells switchgear and fuses. They place other vendors relays in their equipment if requested.

Blaming S&C is like blaming Panasonic for the 12:00 blinking on your old VCR.
 

Mgraw

Senior Member
Location
Opelousas, Louisiana
Occupation
Electrician
Silly comparison. S&C was paid to be there for commissioning and testing. Everything points to the system being setup wrong. That puts them in the mix.
 

Mgraw

Senior Member
Location
Opelousas, Louisiana
Occupation
Electrician
I agree. But until all the information is released we won't know. Entergy still claims the relay did not trip when it was supose to. That appears to me to be an indication the system was not set up according to specs. Even S&C's explanation that the operator could have adjusted the trip point seems suspect to me. Entergy has been given until April to give a definitive report to the city.
 
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