Electrical Power Systems for Non Engineers

This course focuses on the building blocks of electrical engineering, the fundamentals of electrical design, and integrating electrical engineering know-how into the other disciplines within a business or corporation. It begins by reviewing basic electrical circuits and electrical laws. You are then exposed to the basic principles of electrical generation, transmission, and distribution. Electrical distribution is covered in considerably more detail, followed by power system protection and its components in terms of isolators, fuses, and circuit breakers.

The course continues with an examination of AC and DC motors and lighting and illumination. Other major topics include electrical safety, national codes, and customer installations. A topic of great interest to executive management in a company (and indeed municipalities and governments) is load forecasting which is also examined.

The course concludes with modern developments in electrical engineering such as substation automation, smart grids, and industrial data communications.COURSE BENEFITS

• Online electrical course
• Lectured recordings
• Study at your own pace
• Includes one (1) engineering eBook
• Highly affordable
• Certificate of Completion

YOU WILL LEARN:

• The basics of electrical power engineering
• Basic electrical design rules
• Practical steps in selection, installation and commissioning of electrical systems
• How to work more effectively with electrical engineering professionals

Video 1: OVERVIEW:

• Units and electrical quantities
• Voltage, current, resistance, power, energy, frequency
• Inductance and capacitance
• Ohm’s law, rms and average values
• Single and three phase systems
• Power factor

Video 2: POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION:

• Various forms of energy, energy conversion
• Modern power station
• Coal-fired power plant, hydro and nuclear
• Impact on environment
• Solar, wind, geothermal
• Transmission of electricity, distribution
• Power demand and tariffs, power factor
• HVDC

Video 3: ELECTRICAL MEASUREMENTS AND APPLICATIONS:

• Electrical parameters – W/VA/VAr
• Measuring
• Power and energy measurement
• Smart metering
• Measuring voltages, currents and resistance

Video 4: TRANSFORMERS:

• Magnetic fields
• Electromagnetic fields
• Transformer operation
• Step down and step up
• Construction
• Single and polyphase transformers
• Cooling
• Oils and coolants
• Efficiency
• Tap changers
• Voltage regulation
• Earthing (also known as grounding) of transformers

Video 5: EARTHING (GROUNDING):

• Need for earthing (grounding), direct and indirect
• Shocks, touch and step potential
• Types of earthing (grounding), system and protective earthing (grounding), isolation
• Earth conductors and electrodes
• Measurement of earth resistance
• Lightning protection
• Bonding connection

Video 6: POWER SYSTEM PROTECTION:

• Incipient and solid faults
• Need for protection, overloads, overvoltage and overcurrent
• Fuses, circuit breakers, relays
• Protection of equipment

Video 7: FUSES, CIRCUIT BREAKERS, RELAYS:

• Isolation
• Electrical faults,
• Fuses
• Isolation, switching, tripping
• Circuit breakers
• Components of circuit breakers
• Medium voltage circuit breakers

Video 8: ELECTRICAL ROTATING MACHINES AC DC:

• Basic principles
• Machines
• DC motor operation
• Speed, flux and armature voltage
• Speed control
• Single phase AC motors
• 3-phase induction motor
• Synchronous machines
• Torque versus speed
• Efficiency and power factor

Video 9: ELECTRICAL LIGHTING AND ILLUMINATION:

• Incandescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, mercury vapour, metal halide lamps, fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, LEDs
• Luminaire concepts
• Energy efficiency

Video 10: ELECTRICAL HEATING IN INDUSTRY:

• Principles of heating, electrical heating, resistance heating
• Welding
• Electric arc furnaces
• Induction heating

Video 11: POWER ELECTRONICS AND APPLICATIONS:

• Semiconductor devices
• Motor controllers
• Rectifiers
• AC motors and soft starting
• Variable speed drives

Video 12: POWER QUALITY:

• Power quality problems
• Voltage variations
• Overvoltage and under-voltages
• Voltage imbalances
• Voltage and frequency variations
• Interruptions and surges
• Lightning and harmonics
• Harmonic compensation

Video 13: ELECTRICAL SAFETY AND NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODES:

• Key elements of National Electrical Codes (AS3000/NEC/CEC/SANS)
• Electrical hazards
• Electrical shock
• Arc flash and burns
• Personal protective equipment
• Safety through better design and installation
• Work permits
• Permitted personnel
• Training and first aid
• Legislation

Video 14: CUSTOMER INSTALLATIONS:

• Metering and billing
• Tariff structures
• Connections

Video 15: THE ENGINEERING TEAM:

• Design rules, specification, procurement
• Installation
• Commissioning
• Punch list of defects
• Contractual disputes
• Certificate of compliance

Video 16: PLANNING AND LOAD FORECASTING:

• Load forecasting principles
• Forward planning
• Supply and demand side management
• Evaluation of electrical projects

Video 17: MODERN DEVELOPMENTS:

• The smart grid
• Substation automation and industrial IT
• Data communications (including wireless)
• Cost of carbon/emissions trading

PRACTICAL: DYI LAB EXPERIMENTS

• Basic Design Q&A
• Instructions on a range of practical experiments that could be done

WHO SHOULD COMPLETE THIS COURSE?

Anyone who may work with switchgear, circuit breakers, switchboards and cabling, plus:

• Civil, mechanical, chemical, mining engineers, technologists and technicians
• Electrical contractors
• Managers who are involved with or work with staff and projects in electrical engineering
• Non-electrical engineers and technicians
• Non-electrical personnel who want to understand the broader picture
• Plant and facility engineers
• Procurement and buying staff
• Project managers
• Sales engineers
• Electrical and instrumentation technicians