Preservative Formulation for Wood Poles

Osmose Utilities Services Inc. has developed a preservative system for in-service poles that promises to set new standards of performance. MP400-EXT is a new and unique blending of inorganic and organic compounds that are highly active at extremely low concentrations. MP400-EXT is designed to provide improved preservative protection, while also reducing both toxicity and pesticide quantities in the formulation. Several years of research resulted in Osmose's combination of four active ingredients, producing near-zero volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and eliminating dependence on oil-based ingredients.

The MP400-EXT formulation includes Osmose's proprietary combination of tebuconazole and bifenthrin, which demonstrated robust protection against fungi and termites in five-year field stake tests. A micronized version of oxine copper was developed and added to protect against strength-robbing surface decay in older poles.
Osmose Utilities Services Inc. | www.osmoseutilities.com

Spacer Cable Systems

Hendrix Spacer Cable is ideal for areas with tree coverage or abundant wildlife and provides an environmentally friendly alternative to overhead or underground distribution circuits.

The conductors are designed with a covering that limits the electrical charge on the outside of the cable, cutting down on the potentially lethal electrical charges and protecting wildlife (like raptors or other large birds) that may come into contact with phase conductors and ground points. With a conductor covering that can withstand temporary contact with tree branches and other vegetation, Spacer Cable systems reduce the amount of foliage that must be removed to accommodate conventional bare wire circuits by 50% to 80%.
Hendrix Wire & Cable www.hendrix-wc.com

EMS for AMI and Demand

Tendril has released the beta version of the Tendril Energy Management System (EMS), an open, standards-based software and hardware system that enables an important dialogue between consumers and their energy providers, allowing them to manage the consumption and supply of energy in smarter, more efficient ways.

The Tendril EMS is a turnkey system that enables utilities and energy providers to implement robust demand-response systems, direct load control and consumer communication in their service areas. Tendril's EMS is compatible with all ZigBee Smart Energy-certified hardware products, and is also compatible with most enterprise-class open, standards-based integration methods.
Tendril Inc. | www.tendrilinc.com

Remote Underground Fault Detection

CURRENT's advanced distribution current sensing and remote underground fault detection system can accurately detect the location of URD cable faults. The CURRENT Smart Grid solution makes continuous detailed measurements of voltages and currents using sensors throughout the distribution system. Distributed intelligence within the sensor systems identifies measurements that may indicate system problems, triggering the messaging of these measurements through CURRENT's low-latency, high-bandwidth communications network. CURRENT Smart Grid software performs advanced analyses on these measurements to identify operational problems and overloads, and to predict imminent distribution system component failures. Alerts are sent automatically to the appropriate person in the utility, or crews can be automatically dispatched.
CURRENT Group, LLC | www.currentgroup.com

In-Home Energy Display

Cellnet+Hunt's ecoMeter — a consumer monitor that installs easily anywhere in the home and displays electric, water and gas usage, along with dynamic pricing alerts — is being commercialized for sale in North America. Developed by Ampy Metering, it is being readied for deployment at several utilities in the United States. Ampy Metering and Cellnet+Hunt are sister companies owned by the Bayard Group.

The ecoMeter display engages consumers by showing real-time and historical electricity consumption, greenhouse gas emission information, and tariff lights for “off peak,” “shoulder” and “dynamic peak” pricing periods. Real-time pricing information allows consumers to adjust their usage to save costs during peak demand periods. The ecoMeter can receive usage information from any electric meter and pricing information from the utility. It is also configured to interface with pulse and flow meters to display consumption of gas and water. A soon-to-be-released ZigBee interface will allow communication directly with advanced metering systems.
ecoMeter | www.ecometer.com.au

Low-Profile PFC Module

Emerson Network Power's 720-W power factor correction (PFC) module has a 2.4-inch by 3.5-inch (6.1-cm by 8.9-cm) footprint and a mounting height of 0.55 inches (1.4 cm), making it ideal for space-constrained applications. The new AIT02ZPFC module features a universal input that accepts any voltage in the range of 85 Vac to 264 Vac at any frequency from 47 Hz to 63 Hz and from 360 Hz to 800 Hz.

The AIT02ZPFC module presents a near-unity power factor to the incoming power line, and generates a typical output of 393 Vdc, which is intended for feeding to one or more high-voltage dc-dc converters for further down-conversion to the low voltages required by the application. Emerson Network Power produces several compatible high-voltage half-brick and full-brick dc-dc converters, with outputs ranging from 1.8 Vdc to 48 Vdc. This fully modular approach enables users to build complete high-performance, low-profile ac-dc power supplies with minimal non-recurring engineering costs and fast turnaround.

When fed with a 230-Vac input, the AIT02ZPFC module has a typical power-conversion efficiency of 93%; it can deliver up to 1.83 A at 393 Vdc and achieves a power density in excess of 155 W/cu inch. The module uses active PFC to minimize input harmonic current distortion and ensure compliance with the RTCA/DO-160D avionics standard at 115 Vac at full load, and EN61000-3-2.
Emerson Network Power
www.emersonnetworkpower.com

Thermal Imagers

Fluke Corp.'s TiR1 and TiR Thermal Imagers incorporate IR Fusion, a patent-pending technology that integrates infrared and visual (visible light) images in full-screen or picture-in-picture views for enhanced problem detection and analysis. IR-Fusion helps users recognize image details and better identify problem areas by quickly scrolling through the different viewing modes.

Fluke SmartView software (with free software upgrades for the life of the product) is included with each thermal imager. A modular suite of tools for viewing, annotating, editing and analyzing infrared images, SmartView software fully supports Fluke IR Fusion technology, enabling users to edit images in five viewing modes and generate customizable, professional-looking reports in a few steps.

The imagers include a 2-GB SD memory card that will store at least 3000 basic infrared images (.bmp file format) or 1200 fully radiometric (.is2 IR Fusion file format) infrared and linked visual images, each with 60 seconds of voice annotation (TiR1 only), as well as an SD card reader for downloading images to a computer.
Fluke Corp. | www.fluke.com

Short-Mast Configuration on Model 1100 CM Drill

Watson Inc.'s Model 1100 CM with the Short Mast uses a “dry” telescoping kelly and can achieve drill depths to approximately 30 ft (9.1 m). In the drilling position, the mast height is 23 ft 4 in (7.1 m) and can work safely under power lines or other low headroom applications. Typical hole diameters are 24 inches to 48 inches (60 cm to 122 cm). The crawler-based drill unit weighs 30,400 lbs (13,818 kgs). The power unit is a John Deere 140-hp diesel.

The Model 1100 is also available mounted on a truck. Both the crawler and truck versions allow exceptional versatility in working in a wide range of low-headroom conditions.
Watson Inc. | www.watsonusa.com