I have come across some strange things around switchgear and offen wonder if they were factory installed or "rigged" in the field. Another major explosion was caused by a triangular steel plate that the 4000 amp switchgear's lifting eye was screwed into??
you just don't know, in some cases... there is stuff that makes my hair
stand on end.... something to give you pause for thought....
1982, texaco refinery, wilmington. cogen. two 70 mw turbines, methane fed.
switchgear was 34.5kv, 3000 amp bus. roll in breakers. made by a
now defunct company called abbot labs, in buena park, calif.
UL listed manufacturer, until that weekend, anyway.
thanksgiving weekend, wednesday night..... foreman asked if i could stay
an hour over, and pull some covers off the main gear, which was brand new
and going to get hipotted and meggered over the weekend, in preparation
for being put into service.
ct's were on tip out doors that were on back of gear, and when you
unfolded them, it disconnected them from the bus tabs.
disconnected the ct's, opened this and that according to the directions
of the muppets from hampton tedder, and they tried the hipot... wouldn't
make it. corona walking all over the bus tabs, cause they had sharp corners.
poor workmanship..... ok, down the test, and start pulling covers from the
main busway, in preparation for fixing the stuff.....
i wished i had a picture.... inside the main 34.5 kv bus chamber, in the
center of the gear, all the cables from the ct's had been ran thru 1/2"
flex for shielding. no fittings. the belden cables went thru 3/8" unbushed
holes in the bulkheads, and the flex was attached in place with ty raps
and STICKYBACKS. they had peeled loose, and the flex was dangling
about a foot above the bare bus... there were two stickybacks still
hanging on for dear life, and when they went, the 1/2" flex would drop
across a, b, & c phase... it would have made a lovely plasma ball...
there were six of us, and we stayed there on double time from wed.
afternoon till monday afternoon, and disassembled and rebuilt the gear,
under the eyes of the texaco engineers and attorneys, who brought
the cameras and donuts. food was brought in, and when you couldn't
stand it any more, you slept a couple hours in your car, and then came
back to work. five 24's. the money came to 240 straight time hours pay
without a break. they fed us, they wouldn't let us leave, and we had
to take the money.
and the resulting lawsuit bankrupted the switchgear manufacturer.
anyway..... i still remember that gear when i thiink i know exactly what
is going on inside a piece of UL listed gear.......
