2016 q2 iiee magazine

E n e r g y S e c r e ta r y C u s i o n N u c l e a r , C o a l a n d R e n e wa b l e s Volume xlv NO. 2 2016

THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTE OF INTEGRATED electrical engineers of the philippines, inc.

MAKING OUR HOMES AND WORKPLACES ELECTRICALLY-SAFE WHAT WORKING ON ’TOP’ MEANS TO OUR LINE MEN?

BY THE PEC POINTERS ON SERVICE DISCONNECTING MEANS

TRIED VOLT-MEAT-ER PIZZA LATELY? BOOK WORMS IN EE CAUTION, IT’S HOT! EE AS FIREWOMAN SIMPLE STRETCHES AT WORK

ONE OF THE WORLD'S PUBLICLY OPEN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (AND WE AIN’T DREAMING!)

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ABOUT THE COVER

I N T E G R I T Y. I N N O V A T I O N . E M P O W E R M E N T. E X C E L L E N C E .

2016 THEME

S O A R I N G H I G H T O WA R D S G L O B A L I Z AT I O N

MEET THE TEAM

T H E E L E C T R I CA L E N G I N E E R E D I T O R I A L B OA R D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSOCIATE EDITOR TECHNICAL EDITOR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

KRISTIAN CARLO B. VICTORIO MARVIN H. CASEDA ALLAN C. NERVES RAMON P. AYATON

E D I T O R I A L S TA F F EDITORIAL ASSISTANT/LAYOUT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CONTRIBUTING GRAPHICS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

GELYN O. LEE MISHA BORBON YNNA MARIE CRUZ VINCENT BRYAN VELEZ ANDREI MANANGHAYA APRIL ZAMORA ROLANDO QUE JR.

P U B L I CAT I O N S C O M M I T T E E CHAIRMAN VICE CHAIRMAN MEMBERS

OVERSEER

KRISTIAN CARLO B. VICTORIO RONALD VINCENT M. SANTIAGO MARVIN H. CASEDA SHERWIN I. DELA PAZ ALLAN C. NERVES MA. CRISTINA F. SANDOVAL VICTORIANO J. SANTOS ERLINDO C. TACNENG JR. NOEL T. FERNANDEZ

A DV E R T I S I N G A N D M A R K E T I N G MARKETING SUPPORT

APPLE JUNE P. UBAY-UBAY

2 0 1 6 I I E E B OA R D O F G OV E R N O R S NATIONAL PRESIDENT VP-INTERNAL AFFAIRS VP-EXTERNAL AFFAIRS VP-TECHNICAL AFFAIRS NATIONAL SECRETARY NATIONAL TREASURER NATIONAL AUDITOR GOVERNOR-NORTHERN LUZON GOVERNOR-CENTRAL LUZON GOVERNOR-METRO MANILA GOVERNOR-SOUTHERN LUZON GOVERNOR-BICOL GOVERNOR-WESTERN VISAYAS GOVERNOR-EASTERN/CENTRAL VISAYAS GOVERNOR-NORTHERN MINDANAO GOVERNOR-SOUTHERN MINDANAO GOVERNOR-WESTERN MINDANAO INTERIM GOVERNOR- MIDDLE EAST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

LARRY C. CRUZ JOEBE B. PANHILASON FLORIGO C. VARONA NOEL T. FERNANDEZ ANGEL V. DE VERA JR. CIRILO C. CALIBJO FLORENCIO D. BERENGUEL MELCHOR S. LICOBEN NELSON S. ANDRES LYNDON R. BAGUE JEDDPER N. DE CASTRO ALWIN M. LUNAS DON D. BATICADOS WILFREDO P. CANIZARES DARWIN T. DAYMIEL MARY ANN M. BANTAYAN MARLI P. ACOSTA DE-FIESTA ROBERT U. MABULAY RAMON P. AYATON MARJORIE AGUINALDO-MUÑOZ

I I E E N AT I O N A L S E C R E TA R I AT D E PA R T M E N T H E A D S ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNICAL MARKETING MEMBERSHIP FINANCE

MA. ELENA U. LIONGSON MARY ANN B. GUILLEN ALLEN M. PIDO ALMA C. LARCE EMEE F. SULIT

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY The Electrical Engineer is published quarterly by the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (IIEE), with editorial and business office at #41 Monte de Piedad St., Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.

Tel Nos. (632) 414-5626, Fax Nos. (632) 721-6442 & 410-1899.

Website: www.iiee.org.ph; E-mail: eemagazine@iiee.org.ph.

For an e-copy, you may visit our website, www.iiee.org.ph The present circulation of the magazine is 35,000 copies per issue to members and industry stakeholders.

So what’s inside one of the world’s publicly open nuclear power plant (the other one is in the Idaho National Laboratory, US, the first atomic power facility ever). The cover shows it all: the reactor that should have held the radioactive fuels needed to power up the plant, complicated and heavy machines that can lift the reactor during maintenance, high domed ceiling, gigantic nuts and bolts to connect other parts, water tanks and pipes, and many more curious things to discover.

These and many more can be found in the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, a dream that we love to see into reality.

With cascading issues on secure, sufficient, and reliable source of electric power for the growing Philippine economy, we can always rely on coal, as what the present administration thinks so, but in nice levels; increase investments in clean energy technologies; and bring back to the table energy efficiency and conservation, the sleeping giant in Bataan is a waiting alternative to explore and be given a second change.

The Philippines is the country who first fulfilled its nuclear dream. But after all of the construction, it has remained to be dream until now. So are we ready to wake up and embrace the gift of atomic energy, before it’s too late?

COVER PHOTO: ROLANDO QUE JR. V O L U M E X LV NO. 2 2016

MISSION • To enhance the competencies of electrical practitioners to make positive contribution towards new trends and technologies • To be an authority of electrical engineering services that results to safe, reliable and efficient systems • To consistently deliver high quality products and services duly recognized by international organizations and institutions • To promote awareness on the use of environmentally friendly electrical products, services and resources as well as active participation on disaster preparedness and recovery programs VISION To be the leading electrical professional organization globally The views and opinions expressed by the contributors of The Electrical Engineer magazine do not necessarily reflect the views the editors and publishers of the magazine or of Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (IIEE). IIEE and the editorial board carry no responsibility for the opinions expressed in the magazine.

Articles or visual materials may not be reproduced without written consent from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept, edit, or refuse submitted materials for publication.

COVER STORIES

24 THE NUCLEAR DREAM

VOLUME XLV

“The 30 years the plant spent hibernating, external politics and interests came to fill the gaps and created a narrative ensconcing ignorance and fear, leaving the nuclear energy sector at a disadvantage with public understanding,” Misha Borbon writes about the unfortunate fate of Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

CONTENTS No. 2 2016

NUCLEAR, COAL, RENEWABLES

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi makes it clear that “The new government is currently weighing and exploring its options, especially that nuclear is still a highly contentious issue in the country. It remains imperative to seek public acceptance before the opening of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant can finally push through.”

Features

36 THE LINE MEN STORY

“A lineman is someone who helps bring electricity to thousands of people’s homes,” describes Ynna Marie Cruz. She continues: “... A lineman also demands focus and a great deal of dedication… It involves not only individual work, but coordination and teamwork as well.

Surely, being a lineman is no simple task.”

38 #BOOKEEREADS

Health

41 GET FIT WHILE AT WORK

“All too busy for traditional workout? Why not try these six (6) moves at work to get our blood flow for the sake of mental and physical health,” suggests Mary Ann Guillen with awesome illustrations from April Zamora.

Technical

42 DESIGN FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY

In this first of two parts, Bert Brouwers highlights “the most important hazards associated with the use of electricity. An overview of the methods and systems available in electrical engineering to reduce and mitigate these risks to acceptable safe levels is given in the sections that follow.”

So what’s on the engineers and electricians shelves aside from PEC and other books about technical stuff? We ask around and you might found another book junkie in this growing world of electrical engineering.

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Travel

10 PLACES ENGINEERS & ELECTRICIANS MUST VISIT IN THE METRO

De-stress and explore as Vincent Bryan Velez give us a tour around the places PEEs, REEs, and RMEs can enjoy in the busy and insomniac Metro Manila. From the best eats to free movies, from cool museums to exciting plays, there is more than the capital than its traffic and erring trains.

EE Woman

40 THE CIRCUIT BREAKER OF SETH

“Like a ‘circuit breaker’, you must protect oneself and other important things and people in your life,” Fire Protection Officer Rosette Marqueses metaphors about life.

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President's Desk

• National President Larry Cruz commits high quality services to all members and enduring partnerships for stakeholders

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Feedback

• Burnt exhaust with continuity got response from IIEE TechInfo team

Ask the EExperts • •

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No Interruption for Neutral Conductor? IIEE Technical Information Committee explains why Service Disconnecting Mean Points from William Yang, PEC Committee Chairman

What's the News

• IIEE, ICA renews partnership at Baguio Convention • Amora named Outstanding EE • IIEE, DOE team up to end power woes • Over 300 attend Central Luzon Confab • Safety Committee inspects schools • Chapters bring light to public schools • Student Chapter launches Annual Leaders Forum • Mid East convenes for global excellence • Bohol hosts Visayas Conference • EE cited as Bagong Bayani Outstanding Employee • Energy Department highlights EE in nation-building

FEEDBACK

EE Humor

BURNT EXHAUST WITH CONTINUITY GOT RESPONSE FROM IIEE TECHINFO TEAM

Ask the EExperts

BURNT EXHAUST WITH CONTINUITY Taken from Registered Master Electricians Facebook Group

John Keenan F. Martirez

Ano po kAyA nAging possible cause nito?

Naginstall ng 5 HP induction motor for exhaust system. Nasunog yung motor and then may isa pang nakakagulat, biglang nagkaroon ng continuity ang power supply. 230 V, 3 phase, pero nung ni-rewire naman, we found out that they has 3 juction box pero wala namang mga tama ng sunog or something suspicious matter. Ang matindi pa, Line 1 Line 2 Line 3, lahat po may continuity pati ground. Ngayon ko lang naencounter after 3 years practicing my profession. Di naman din sunog ang controls. Ano po kaya ito? Derated na kaya ang wire? Someone help me pls.

I

n order to answer this, we need to visualize the problem. Generally, the single line diagram for the power panel/ controls and the motor for the exhaust fan is like the one below:

answers “Baka po may moisture yung hinihigop niyang hangin…”

–Alvin Kenedy Lozo Bituin “Thanks bro, posible din kasi ang moisture. Kasi ang mga conduit niyan ay nasa hood lang din mismo ng exhaust duct.”

-John Keenan F. Martirez

SOURCE: 9 GAG

“Yes Sir, mag iba kayo ng motor diyan… yung may IP 65 or 66 yata.”

–Alvin Kenedy Lozo Bituin “Baka naka kasa po yung nasirang motor?”

–Generoso Cuevas Francisco Jr.

A culture is strong when people work with each other for each other. A culture is weak when people work against each other for themselves.

-Simon Sinek

ATTENTION READERS We welcome your ideas, questions, and feedbacks regrading our previous issues. The Electrical Engineer reserves the right to edit articles for the sake of clarity, grammar, and brevity.

Contributors of feature articles, technical papers and photographs will receive special token from The Electrical Engineer.

Send your feedbacks and contributions to eemagazine@iiee.org.ph.

“Binago ko po lahat ng starter control. Sira po ang overload at contactor baka naapektuhan siya nung nag high current ang motor the same time nirewire ko po yun between breaker ng exhaust to 3rd junction box. Kasi may line to line fault talaga siya. Salamat po sa inyong lahat.”

-John Keenan F. Martirez

“Job well done. Nice.”

–Alvin Kenedy Lozo Bituin IIEE.ORG.PH

However- for this case the location of the power panel and its circuit breaker is three junction boxes away from the motor and the exhaust fan. Possibly this setup (see the diagram below) is similar for that of usually installed at industrial plants. Since it was not mentioned, the following factors may change our answer to the problem: I. Location of the motor and condition 1. Possible dust accumulation 2. Possible low voltage input due to distance to source II. Integrity and Specs of Motor 1. Country of Origin 2. Aging 3. Input voltage rating III. Wiring and Ducting 1. Conduit used from controls to particular motor 2. Presence of a dedicated breaker and wiring Power Panel

Junction Box #1

3. Since continuity is relative, the mentioned continuity should be particular (line to line, line to ground, end of line to other end of line?)

1st issue 2016.indd 9

So, without those information, we can only surmise that the probable cause for the burnt motor is due to overvoltage, because of the following assumptions and leads: 1. No mention of the presence of an overload relay 2. Wiring and controls are okay.

3. Wires and controls are probably rated 600V at 90 degrees Celsius (as usual for those in an industrial manufacturing environement).

4. Presence of an overcurrent relay is required for all motors especially for exhaust fan motors due to distance.

Junction Box #2

Junction Box #1

Location of the power panel and its circuit breaker is three junction boxes away from the motor and the exhaust fan.

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PEC1 2009

OUTSI CIRCU

WORDS: Willi

P

ees, R severa by mo conductors. D building can conductors c service drop conductors ta entrance con the utility com permits these exceptions 1,

However, the desirable to h supplied with compound w company. Suc construction, and managed situations can constructed i more building savings on in decision.

Then, what a designs and i Article 2.25 – is the primary discusses con connections b and outdoor structures (po that apply to Table 2.25.1.2

With this, PeC of Part 2.25.2 Structure, as buildings and other than by conductors fo one branch c the service di where the po also states “u ensure that th undertake the wiring and eq There are exc feeder” requ Article 2.30 -

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FEEDBACK

OUR FAULT

WHAT'S HAPPENING

In the article Lineman's Rodeo livens up Butuan Conference, we mistakenly attributed the hosting of the 20th IIEE Northern Mindanao Regional Conference last April 7-9 to Butuan Chapter. It was the Surigao Chapter of the Institute who hosted the event held in Butuan.

We regret this error.

OOPPS! We got the abstract of the award-winning project from the EE students of University of Mindanao-Matina Campus wrong last issue. Here is the brief description of how they brilliantly recover waste heat using thermoelectric generator.- Ed DEVELOPMENT OF WASTE HEAT RECOVERY SYTEM USING THERMO ELECTRIC GENERATOR University of Mindanao – Matina Campus This project describes the design if a waste heat recovery system using thermoelectric generator (TEG). The objective of the study were to design and fabricate a waste heat recovery system using TEG, conduct a functionality test and present the cost of the fabricated design. Hence, the researchers’ aims to study the potential usage of the exhaust waste heat of combustion engines and produce power from waste source. And in order to validate the function modeled design certain measurements needed to be taken from the prototype during its operation. Thus, the study showed that energy can be tapped efficiently from the engine exhaust also in the near future TEG can be a prospective source of alternative energy with further studies and innovations.

• 4th Western Mindanao Regional Conference October 7-8 Venue: Zamboanga City • Seminar on Protection Relay Coordination* • Seminar on Electrical Inspection Audit & Safety* October 7-8 • Seminar on Arc Flash Analysis* October 14- 15 • Seminar on Industrial Power System Design* • Seminar on Power Quality* October 21- 22 • Seminar on Motor Operations & Maintenance* October 28- 29 • 41st Annual National Convention November 23-26 Venue: SMX Convention Center, Pasay City • IIEE Christmas Party December *Venue: IIEE National Office

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Ask the EExperts

NO INTERRUPTION FOR NEUTRAL CONDUCTOR?

By IIEE Technical Information Committee

John Politico

I’m a retired RME and want some clarification regarding a section in the electrical code which says the neutral conductor must never be interrupted by any protective device and so on. What are the implications and why are there none available safety switch or circuit breakers with neutral busbar in market especially in the provinces where the distribution voltage is line to neutral?

ANSWER

Disclaimer: Since the use of this answer is wholly voluntary, the IIEE Technical Information Committee nor its main organization (IIEE) accepts no liability for any personal injury, property or other damage, of any nature whatsoever, whether special, indirect, consequential, or compensatory, directly or indirectly resulting from the publication, use of, or reliance upon or any actions taken on the basis of the information or answer provided by this committee.

IIEE Technical Information Committee excludes any warranty, express or implied, as to the quality, accuracy and timeliness of the information presented. Views or opinions presented in this answer are solely those of the committee and is for general information and educational purpose only. They do not necessarily represent those of the main organization.

Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission from IIEE must be obtained for other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, for resale or redistribution or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works or media. This especially applies to those not intended to be the recipient of such answer.

As a general rule, the shortest path to ground should not be broken. So neutral conductors shall not be interrupted by any protective device- if it is the “intentionally constructed, permanent, low impedance electrical conductive path designed and intended to carry current under ground-fault condition from the point of a ground fault on a wiring system to the electrical supply source and that facilitates the operation of the overcurrent protective device or ground fault detectors on high impedance ground systems” (PEC 2009 Part 1 Vol. 1, Section 2.50.1.2 and Section 2.50.1.4.A(5)). Exceptions to this are separately derived ac systems (Section 2.50.2.11).

Maintenance of which involves engineering supervision and constant monitoring using equipotential test for the two groundings.

As for the commercial availability of a safety switch or a circuit breaker with neutral busbar- usually the enclosure for the safety switch or circuit breaker contains the termination for the neutral. This is true even for 8 major distribution utilities outside of Meralco implementing the 2-wire system.

It is impractical to have a neutral busbar attached to the frame of the switch and breaker itself, since it is not in its purpose to be attached to it.

IIEE.ORG.PH

VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 | 9

Ask the EExperts PEC1 PART 2.30.6

SERVICE DISCONNECTING MEANS POINTERS WORDS: William Yang, Chairman, PEC 1 Committee

W

Figure 1. Illustration of PEC1 Part 2.30.1.6

orking on the Philippine Electrical Code, Part 1 (PEC1), the subject of service disconnecting means in relation to services has always taken a substantial time for discussions on whether certain popular types of arrangements of disconnecting means meet Code requirements.

Popular in the sense of what are usually observed in actual installations. In the process, the PEC1 Committee assesses the clarity of the wordings used in the Code if these can be easily understood by the readers.

Following are some determinations drawn from such discussions.

Location of disconnecting means As we know, the service equipment consists of two components – the service disconnecting means and the overcurrent protective device. The two can be mounted in separate enclosures adjacent to each other or mounted together in one enclosure. The service disconnecting means can be located either inside the premises (e.g. house or building) served by the utility nearest the point of entry of the service-entrance conductors or outside the premises served [PEC1 Section 2.30.6.1(a)(1)].

The inside location does not mean the front wall or the adjacent walls near the front wall of the premises assuming the service-entrance conductors come from the front of the premises. If this is taken as the meaning of the requirement, then, the service disconnecting means will be located beside or near the front door

which is unsightly.

We have to look at the definition of what is considered (or still considered) as outside of a structure – PEC1 Section 2.30.1.6. This section allows the service disconnecting means to be located where the serviceentrance conductors come from the outside, such as in a utility closet near the kitchen or elsewhere inside the premises (Figure 1).

The outside location does not mean the service disconnecting means has to be mounted right on the outside wall of the premises. The location can be some distance from any outside wall of the structure provided it is readily accessible.

Permitted for each service Service as defined in PEC1 – “The conductors and equipment for delivering electric energy from the serving utility to the wiring system of the premises served.” The service is terminated at the service point to service-entrance conductors which, in turn, are terminated at the service equipment.

PEC1 permits one set of service-entrance conductors for each Service with exceptions where more than one set can be connected to one Service (PEC1 Section 2.30.4.1). The Code also permits one or more service disconnecting means at each Service location depending on the exceptions. What we should remember is the Code permits a maximum of six service disconnecting means for each Service (PEC1 Section 2.30.6.2). These six shall be grouped together either

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Fig. 2 Provision of Main SDM

Fig. 3 Combinations of Main SDM

in their separate enclosures or all in one enclosure. In the event there is a need to have more than six service disconnecting means, a main service disconnecting means ahead of the more than six individual service disconnecting means can be provided (Figure 2).

Combinations of service disconnecting means – main and individual – is permitted provided utility power can

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be shut off completely to the premises served with the operation of a maximum of six service disconnecting means (Figure. 3).

It is worthwhile to digest the requirements of PEC1 Article 2.30 for an accurate interpretation of the Code on the subject on Services of which service disconnecting means is a part.

THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER TARGETED AUDIENCE

THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER magazine tightly targets and uniquely connects all areas of the electrical engineers community interests and passions. This aspect of a niched (but big) club membership means that you can tailorfit ad messages, whatever appropriate and effective, to sell your products (and/or services).

REACH "HIGH VALUE CUSTOMERS"

THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER readers are educated, technically-skilled, and have higher purchasing power. Likewise, the THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER delivers to you the hard-to-reach and influential opinion leaders in its field.

ACTIVE MEDIUM

The active, involving process of reading ensures focus on and understanding of your company's brand message. Reading requires total concentration, leading to better recall of your ad messages.

COMMUNICATES BETTER

Its reader involvement in advertising delivers more awareness of the brand message than TV or newspapers.

TELL THE ENTIRE BRAND STORY

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2 3 4

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INFORMATIVE MEDIUM

Given its niche position, THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER significantly influences purchase behavior early in the decision-making process giving its readers ideas to buy your product, more so than newspapers or TV.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER is a very personal media. The powerful intimacy rubs off onto your advertising, awarding it an authority and trustworthiness. As such, there is a positive effect on the perception and absorption of your advertisement.

A LASTING MESSAGE

Many electrical engineers clip, mark and save your advertisements for future reference. Such ad clippings or markings provide lasting and durable messages with time to study your brand's benefits.

FLEXIBILITY

THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER provides opportunities for inserts, supplements, advertorials and a variety of size and positioning options to meet your specific marketing and creative needs.

GENERATES RESPONSE AND DRIVES SALES

THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER allows in-depth, After reading your ad, targeted consumers are motivated detailed communication of your brand story. Your brand to shop for and purchase your products (or services), IIEE.ORG.PH VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 | call 11 benefits are spelled out in greater detail, creating more ways your company hotline, or go to your website. Response is to connect with your target. immediate.

FROMTHEEDITOR

Misha Borbon is a casual sports fan and a dog lover.

She writes alot and, sometimes, she gets paid for it. Book she loves: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

LEAP OF FAITH

Back in high school, our Physics teacher made our class to debate on the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). I was asked to led the group to argue against it (my opponent and I turned out to be EEs in the future). To make the story short, the debate came to a draw but I think I won brilliant insights from the activity.

Fast forward to college, one of our elective subjects was Nuclear Energy Technology taught by one of the former inspectors of the first nuclear energy facility in the country. After the course, my perspective on atomic energy has never been the same again.

This issue of The Electrical Engineer brings you inside one of the world’s only open-to-the-public nuclear plant. I have been to the Bataan facility before but doing this article was another leap of faith.

I don’t want to pre-empt the cover feature masterfully written by Misha Borbon. I will let yourself find out what is The Nuclear Dream she is referring into. But I guess the question we should ask right now is that are we willing to take our electricity from nukes?

The issue is contentious. From the plant location, it’s size, fuel type and source, radioactive waste materials to long term effects of radiation, security threats, and other ideas that exist in somebody else’s mind, the debate could be endless. So, are we willing to have out CFLs lit up at night by nuclear power?

How about its clean emissions, redundant security technology that gets tougher in time, stable world market price of fuel (uranium is really cheap in the world market, and it has a huge, huge energy density compared to petroleum and coal), among others? Do you prefer to enjoy the vibrant ambiance of a commercial mall power up by nuclear energy?

Many decades since its construction, the mammoth of this project cost every Filipinos a whooping USD 2.3 billion to be mothballed in the 90s and until now under maintenance and preservation efforts by the National Power Corporation (and it cost Php 40 million annually). Nuclear power is one of the cheapest in the world that matches coal. Aren’t we interested to charge our gadgets from the power of atomic nucleus?

Whether we are for nuclear energy or not, whether we want to see Bataan Nuclear Plant running (it never run with fuel, just a few cycles up to check if it’s working) or otherwise, what we need to do is a leap of faith. A change of perspective. Cora Baluyot, public information officer of the facility always narrates in her enthusiastic lectures that only engineers can determine if the plant is safe to run or not. But I guess, more than just being an engineer, we need to be professionals with different perspective, we need experts with leap of faith.

So welcome to another issue that we know you are waiting for. We prepared 48 pages that will make you rock your boat, jump to another ship, or pause and think for a while. Because that is what our profession trained us to be - deep thinkers, mature, rational, scientific. And we are sure that you are!

Kaycee kayceebvictorioofficial iieephils

Ynna Cruz usually deals with computers but she is also a bookworm, a foodee and a wanderer.

She also edit videos and write songs. Book she loves: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

Vincent Bryan Velez, incumbent Editor-inChief of The Engineering Spectrum, is currently taking BS Civil Engineering yet still chasing his dream as a journalist. Book he loves: I Am Number Four

by Pittacus Lore April Zamora is a freelance artist and animator who loves anime, games and ducks. Visit her portfolio site at aprilsworkshop. tumblr.com. Book she loves: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs.

Rolando Que Jr. is a photographer by day, diva by night. Book he loves: Foundation

by Isaac Asimov.

Andrei Mananghaya is a student, adventurist, leader and a change on the country. Book he loves: Paper Towns by John Green.

Bert Brouwers obtained an MSc in Mechanical Engineering at TU/e in 1972 (cum laude).

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VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 | E : EatonSEA@eaton.com W : www.eaton.com

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PRESIDENT'S DESK

HIGH QUALITY SERVICES AND PARTNERSHIPS National President LARRY C. CRUZ

T

he Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. has envisioned itself as the authority in providing high quality services to electrical engineering professionals; strengthen our partnership and coordination with the government agencies and private sectors in advocating reforms that are both beneficial to the industry and national development.

Amidst challenges persistently confronting the EE profession, our Institute continues to sustain professional excellence, promote advancement among its members and active participation on disaster preparedness and recovery programs. While it is true that globalization and ASEAN integration open great opportunities to our members, greater demands and challenges will also be brought to the forefront.

Moving forward to global recognition, this year’s leadership is committed to bring significant difference to the lives of its members and electrical practitioners – quality membership service remains the core of our endeavors.

Guided by the Institute’s Vision 2020, we humbly share with you the highlights of the Institute’s achievements for the past four months.

FINANCIAL GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY Historically, the Institute spends less than its budgeted expenses and smart spending leads us to budget utilization of 33.42% in August 2016. To ensure accuracy of this year’s financial statement, the Institute engaged the service of an actuarial consultant.

MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT & SATISFACTION Our membership strength is now at 48, 421 active

professionals equivalent to 16.70 % growth as compared to July 2016.

The recent oath taking ceremonies made a significant growth in the membership of Professional Electrical Engineer with 60 new members. Great efforts made by the Institute had resulted considerable increase to its membership in ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer and ASEAN Engineer Registries through AAPER Committee – it has already exceeded the target set for the year reaching 83 ASEAN Engineers and 56 ACPE Engineers.

For effective services and convenience of its members, the Institute through Membership and Chapter Development Committee has an ongoing database enhancement which will be launched during the Annual National Convention.

CORPORATE BRANDING Looking forward to becoming the authority of electrical engineering services, the Institute conducted courtesy visit to its partner government agencies.

• Professional Regulation Commission with Chairman Teofilo S. Pilando Jr. last May 13, 2016; • Department of Energy with Undersecretary Arwin Ardon last August 5, 2016; and • Senate of the Philippines with Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV last August 17, 2016 purposely to discuss the new proposed EE Law Moreover, the Institute signed a Memorandum of Agreement last August 8, 2016 for the organization of task forces consisting for DOE personnel and IIEE members that will conduct the technical assessment of the generation and distribution facilities in the country.

Likewise, the audit envisioned to disentangle and unbundle the flaws in the generation-distribution that cause deficiencies in the country’s power supply.

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OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & PROCESS INNOVATION This year’s leadership instituted operational efficiency by implementing process improvement in the delivery of service to the members and stakeholders.

Giving due consideration to ISO transition from 9001:2008 to 9001:20015, IIEE employees were provided with seminar to understand new system requirements and adapt to the changes brought by the transition.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & ADVOCACY Aiming to contribute to the industry’s growth and to national development, the Institute supports the following programs and activities: a. Electrical Safety Enforcement & Awareness conducted the Training the Inspectors Program in Tacloban City and Bacolod City last May 22-23, 2016 and August 26-27, 2016, respectively. b. Switch Asia Project: High Efficiency Motors (HEMS) - envisioned to increase deployment of efficient electric motors and drive systems in the country; technical presentations were made during 2016 National Midyear Convention, 17th Central Luzon Regional Conference, 16th Eastern/Central Visayas Regional Conference, 3rd Metro Manila Conference and 19th Southern Mindanao Regional Conference were conducted. c. EU-ASEAN SHINE Project - technical Presentations during 2016 National Midyear Convention, 17th Central Luzon Regional Conference, 16th Eastern/ Central Visayas Regional Conference, 3rd Metro Manila Conference and 19th Southern Mindanao Regional Conference to increase the market share of higher efficient air-conditioner in ASEAN particularly in the country. d. Electrical Safety Month Celebration - with primary purpose of raising public awareness on the importance of electrical safety, the Institute marked the electrical safety month celebration with a unity walk at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds last May 2, 2016. e. IIEE Ladies Auxiliary Balik-Eskwela Program - in preparation for the opening of classes, IIEE Ladies Auxiliary conducted Balik-Eskwela Program in Baguio City last May 27, 2016 after the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 National Midyear Convention. They have donated over 500 bags packed with school supplies.

Paving our way to Vision 2020, the Institute upholds various activities and continuously supporting its valued partners’ endeavors: • Philippine Technological Council’s Regular Board Meeting which was held last May 12, 2016, July 14, 2016 and August 11, 2016. The Institute successfully hosted the Council’s Meeting last June 9, 2016.

Likewise IIEE brings global and professional challenges in the forefront of its members and electrical practitioners by holding the following regional conferences: • 2016 National Midyear Convention held last May 27-28, 2016 at CAP Convention & Cultural Center, Camp John Hay, Baguio City which was attended by over 800 members from different chapters all over the country.

• 18th Central Luzon Regional Conference held last June 24-25, 2016 at Crown Royale Hotel, Balanga City, Bataan. It was graced by over 300 delegates from Central Luzon and nearby provinces.

• 16th Eastern/Central Visayas Regional Conference held last July 21-22, 2016 at Bohol Tropics Hotel, Tagbilaran City, Bohol with over 300 delegates.

• 4th Middle East Regional Convention last July 8-9, 2016 at Oryx Rotana Hotel, Doha Qatar which gathered 359 delegates on the first day and 312 delegates in the second day.

• 3rd Metro Manila Conference last August 5-6, 2016 at Meralco Multi-Purpose Hall, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City. It was attended by over 200 members from Metro Manila and nearby regions.

• 19th Southern Mindanao Regional Conference last August 19-20, 2016 at Big 8 Corporate Hotel, Tagum City, Agusan del Sur with over 500 delegates.

Product lines and Services BATTERY Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) Vented / Flooded type Deep Cycle / Solar / Golf Car Traction / Motive Power Nickel Cadmium (Nicad)

DC POWER SYSTEMS Industrial type Battery Charger Switchmode Rectifier Modular Traction Battery Charger

AC POWER SYSTEMS Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) Inverters

SURGE PROTECTION (TVSS) AC Power Photovoltaic Telephone Line Data Line High Frequency Coaxial Gas Discharge

Engineering Services Installation Commission Testing Preventive Maintenance

Thyristor Type Charger Microprocessor Controlled Remote Access Load Sharing Operation

#335-A R.S. Cristobal Sr. Street, Sampaloc, Manila Philippines 1008 Telefax No.: (+63-2) 7814626 Email: inquiry@genikos.com IIEE.ORG.PH VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 | 15 Tel. No.: (+63-2) 5220103 Website: www.genikos.com Mobile No.: 09189515040 (Smart), 09178632002 (Globe), 09328583975 (Sun)

WHAT'S THE NEWS

IIEE, ICA RENEWS PARTNERSHIP AT BAGUIO CONVENTION It was an eventful three-day event as the 2016 National Mid-year Convention unfolded at the CAP John Hay Trade and Cultural Center in Baguio City last May 26-28.

Around 800 delegates and 60 exhibitors attended the event highlighted by the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the IIEE and International Copper Association represented by its Project Director- South East Asia, Bek Chee Jin.

Highlighting the National Mid-year Convention at the CAP John Hay Trade and Cultural Center in Baguio is the continued partnership of IIEE and International Copper Association (ICA) in the promotion of electrical safety. Larry Cruz, IIEE National President (seated, second from the left) together with Bek Chee Jin, ICA Southeast Asia Project Director (seated, third from the left) signs the agreement with Electrical Safety Enforcement and Awareness Campaign chair Pol Leoncio and Jessie Todoc of ICA Philippines.

PHOTO: Gelyn Lee

The agreement manifested the continued commitment of IIEE and ICA in the promotion of electrical safety through the Electrical Safety Enforcement and Awareness Campaign (ESEA).

Baguio City councilor Leandro B. Yangot Jr. graced the event with an inspiring message emphasizing on the evolution of technology and its impact on globalization.

The event also conducted technical sessions to help electrical practitioners cope up with the changing times.

AMORA NAMED OUTSTANDING EE Former IIEE National Auditor Dominico A. Amora was conferred with the outstanding EE award by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in its 43rd annivesary.

This is also in conjunction with the Professional Regulation Week wherein PRC awarded 36 outstanding professionals, three accredited professional organizations and outstanding professional regulatory board, June 27.

Previously, Amora, former governor of Region 7, has received IIEE’s most outstanding EE in Industry (1996) and Consultancy (2002).

Amora has also been known to organized CESEEPS, a PRC/IIEEaccredited CPE provider and trained some 3,000 young EEs from all over the country. Aside from his involvement in IIEE, he also serves in various organizations such as Nasipit Lawanit Jaycees, COSPO and Maintenance Association of the Philippines (Cebu Chapter).

The awarding ceremony held in the Manila Hotel was graced by former Senate President Manuel Villar. Villar urged PRC to maintain its high standards in regulating the practice of professions to produce globally competitive Filipino professionals that will be on par with global counterparts.

Amora, currently IIEE Legislation and Legal Affairs Committee member has been honored for his professional competence meaningful professional activities, contribution to the advancement of the professional, and participation to socio-related activities.

The outstanding EE has 41 years of EE practice in consultancy, construction, installation and maintenance of electrical systems. Amora has been instrumental in the development of the new EE billed recently filed in the 17th Congress.

Amora, center, holds his PRC Most Outstanding Electrical Engineer Award with his family, friends from IIEE, and officials from PRC and Board of Electrical Engineering

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PHOTO: Gelyn Lee

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IIEE, DOE TEAM UP TO END POWER WOES

IIEE National President Larry Cruz and DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi inks the agreement to conduct assessment to power facilities in the country, as IIEE and DOE officers look on.

PHOTO COURTESY: Department of Energy

IIEE and the Department of Energy joined forces to understand further the current electric power system infrastructure of the country, expecting to end power interruptions.

In a brief ceremony at DOE office in Energy Center, Taguig, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and IIEE National President Larry Cruz signed a memorandum of agreement to “organize task forces to jointly conduct a technical assessment of the complete generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure of the country,”August 8.

As part of the agreement, IIEE will mobilize its 47,000 members to assists DOE in the conduct of the assessment of power facilities, on a pro-bono basis.

The audit specifically aims to “disentangled and unbundled the flaws in the generation-transmissiondistribution chain” in order “to ensure the safety, efficiency, quality, reliability, and security of power system.”

IIEE-DOE teamed up following the reports of insufficient power supply “consistently aired” by In a statement, Cusi stressed the importance to "determine the National Grid Corporation and electric power the causes, whether technical or contractual, of the current distribution utilities. power supply situation. We have to find a lasting solution to this recurring problem as well as establishing and IIEE expects to organize its member-volunteers as soon institutionalizing far-reaching formulae, because it is our as DOE details and finalizes the list of facilities to be people who are bearing the brunt of power interruptions assessment, identify the scope of work, schedule, and and we cannot allow that to continue.” other matters.

OVER 300 ATTEND CENTRAL LUZON CONFAB

The IIEE Bataan Chapter successfully hosted the staging of the 18th Central Luzon Regional Conference at the Crown Royale Hotel, Balanga City, Bataan last June 24-25 with over 300 delegates and 20 exhibitors participating.

The two-day event, which had a series of technical presentations, product presentations, and a boisterous practitioners’ night, provided a fitting avenue for technical enhancement and was also a taken as a chance to develop unity and camaraderie among the electrical practitioners of the region.

Balanga City Mayor Francis Anthony S. Garcia provided a very inspiring message during the opening ceremonies while Elenita D. Go, general manager of SMC Global Power Holdings Corporation was the event’s closing keynote speaker.

The host of the Central Luzon Regional Conference reads the plaque of appreciation to Balanga City Mayor Francis Antony Garcia.

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PHOTO: Eustaquio Libo-on

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WHAT'S THE NEWS

SAFETY COMMITTEE INSPECTS SCHOOLS A public school safety Inspection was conducted by the IIEE in two Manila public schools last May 30 as part of the Electrical Safety Committee’s (ESC) advocacy and campaign for electrical safety in public schools, government and private buildings and establishments.

The ESC team, composed of Justo Ma. J. Lopez Jr., Rodolfo J. Renolla, Jessie L. Todoc, Ernesto C. Valdez, Wilfredo L. Valeroso, Mark Duane P. Soriano, and representatives from Meralco, carried out the inspections at P. Gomez Elementary School in Sta. Cruz and Legarda Elementary School in Sampaloc, using the safety checklist developed by the committee.

Jun Lopez of ESC team inspects one of the panel boards (top). ESC team discusses with Gomez Elementary School officials the conduct of inspection.

PHOTO: Micah Crisologo

ESC encourages IIEE chapters to conduct the same to support the Balik Eskuwela program of the Department of Education, as well as to promote electrical safety and management with the general public.

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CHAPTERS BRING LIGHT TO PUBLIC SCHOOL WITH DAGITAB. Apart from the usual electrical inspection

of public schools, IIEE leveled up its commitment to make every public school safe and every pupils studies in a conducive classrooms with a new project Dagitab. Dagitab fuses the activities of Brigada Eskuwela, a long time program of the Department of Education; Balik Liwanag at Bigay Liwanag, aims to bring indoor lighting to classrooms through grid connection, solar PV connectivity; and school supplies donation for students in preparation for school year 2016-2017.

Active chapters who participated in the program as it ran from May to June this are: Baguio-Benguet, Southern Laguna, Camarines, Iriga-Rinconada (2), Cebu, Leyte-Samar (3&6), North Cebu, Ormoc, West Cebu, Antique, Capiz (8), Negros Occidental (5), Cagayan de Oro (7), Iligan, Davao (1), Northern Davao, Davao Oriental (4), Zamboanga del Sur, and State of Qatar (9).

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WHAT'S THE NEWS

STUDENT CHAPTER LAUNCHES ANNUAL LEADERS FORUM

WORDS: Andrei Mananghaya

The student arm of the Institute, the Council of Student Chapters (IIEE-CSC), through its Batch 30 recently held the 4th Annual Leaders Forum (ALF) last July 30, 2016 at the Technological Institute of the Philippines – Quezon City.

this August and the simultaneous student regional conference will happen this September 15-16 in various locations in the country.

ALF is a gathering of student chapter officers of the IIEE-CSC to present the plans and programs for the year and to address the concerns on the previous year. The said event also featured the oath taking of the new sets of officers led by the IIEE National President, Larry Cruz.

Motivational speaker Lloyd Luna delivered an inspiration talk on leadership before the attendees of the forum. The forum also featured the accomplishments of the previous IIEE-CSC batch.

The 4th Annual Leaders’ Forum is the first event of the IIEE-CSC to kick start this school. Membership drive for school chapters will happen

The participants of the IIEE-CSC Annual Leaders Forum at TIP Quezon City (top).

Bea Louise Paulino Bustos, Steven Chang Marzan, Benjamin Tanzon Tiongson, Franchesca Joy Corpuz Magalong, Ronnel Delos Santos Magbitang, Andrei Calalang Mananghaya and Matthew Emil Rocha Tuiza pose as new officers of CSC.

MID EAST CONVENES FOR GLOBAL EXCELLENCE 7-9 aligned with the theme IIEE-Soaring High Towards Globalization.

The 4th MERC was considered a huge success for having Filipino electrical practitioner attendees coming from the IIEE Regions - State of Qatar, Central Region Saudi Arabia, Eastern Region Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Among the honored guest who supported the event were Hon. Wilfredo Santos, Ambassador of the Philippines to Qatar; Hon. David Des Dicang, POLOOWWA Labor Attaché; Hon. Francis Mapile, PRC-BEE Chairman; Engr. Jaime Mendoza, PRC-BEE Member; and Engr. Larry Cruz, National President.

Interim Middle East Governor Mabulay and other officers Middle East members during the conference.

“To empower Filipino engineers with global excellence and competitive spirit,” was what Engr. Edgardo Estebal, Chapter President of IIEE-SQC and overall chairman of the 4th Middle East Regional Convention, told the more than 350 participants at City Centre Rotana Doha last July

Hosting the anticipated convention has been a great pride of the Middle East Regions since IIEE-SQC initiated holding the first MERC in 2013, followed

by IIEE-UAE in 2014 and IIEE-Bahrain in 2015. And, during the event, the host chapter proudly announced that in 2017 the 5th Middle East Regional Convention be hosted by IIEE-SQC for the third time.

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BOHOL HOSTS VISAYAS CONFERENCE motors, efficient lighting design for buildings, short circuit and power systems, substation protection and automation, among others.

BEE chairman Francis Mapile served as closing keynote speaker, encouraging professionals to work together for the upliftment of the profession.

Bohol governor Edgardo Chatto receives a plaque of appreciation from IIEE National President Larry Cruz and other officials of the Bohol chapter.

PHOTO: Gelyn Lee

The IIEE Bohol Chapter hosted the 16th Eastern/Central Visayas Regional Conference at the Bohol Tropics Resort last July 21-22 in line with the IIEE 2016 theme: Soaring High Towards Globalization.

Bohol governor Edgardo Chatto opened the program to highlight the accomplishments and contributions of IIEE and its members in improving the lives of Boholanos.

The conference features presentations on household solar photovoltaic design and installation, high efficiency

PowerGen

Integrated Solution Company Ltd.

41ST CONVENTION LOGO UNVEILED Two months ago, we The Electrical Engineer asked engineers, electricians and students to submit logo design for the 41st Annual National Convention (ANC) logo gearing with the theme IIEE: Soaring High Towards Globalization. With all of the overwhelming number of submissions we have received, the design of Raf Deocuariza, EE student from PUP Manila stood out among the submission. Addition design from John Bermejo has been used to enhance the logo appeal. Congratulations to Raf and John Bermejo. And thank you to all who supported this endeavor. See you at the 41st!

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“We only carry original CUMMINS Generator Sets and spare Parts�

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WHAT'S THE NEWS

EE CITED AS BAGONG BAYANI OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE A former officer of the IIEE Central Region Chapter-Saudi Arabia was named as one of the 16 Bagong Bayani awardee last June 7 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City.

Engr. Daniel Galano Cabasa, 2014 president of IIEE CRC-SA was given the Bagong Bayani Award for Outstanding Employee “in recognition of his significant contributions for the benefit of the Filipino workers” in the Middle East, “including his involvement in many socio-civic activities.”

Bagong Bayani Foundation, Inc. (BBFI), the sponsor of the award, described Cabasa as “a project manager who possesses solid leadership and technical skills in the field of power and energy sector providing inspiration to other Filipino electrical practitioners and skilled professionals.” Cabasa is currently working with ABB Saudi Arabia.

Daniel Cabasa (center) receives his Bagong Bayani Award for Outstanding Employee.

Bagong Bayani Awards is a worldwide search for the country’s outstanding and exemplary Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) headed by the BBFI with the assistance of the Department of Labor and Employment and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

PHOTO COURTESY: BBFI Facebook Page

AT THE METRO MANILA CONFAB

ENERGY DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS EE IN NATION-BUILDING

The Energy department took the pleasure to thank, update, and encourage electrical practitioners in the opening of the Metro Manila Conference at the Meralco, Pasig City.

Department of Energy’s (DOE) Patrick Aquino, director of the Energy Utilization and Management Bureau was the keynote speaker during the opening ceremonies.

Dir. Aquino talked about the DOE’s overall vision of providing “energy access” and ensuring reliable and affordable energy to the Filipinos.

Aquino boasted the electrical engineers of DOE as “one of the best among others line agencies”.

The DOE official encouraged the participation of the private sector for the “realization of efficient and judicious utilization” of electric power given challenges in the present demand of power in the country including El Nino and other inclement

weather conditions. “Weather-proofing our power substations and its associated transmission and distribution line facilities is one big major challenge both our government and to our electrical engineers”, Aquino said.

Officers of the IIEE Board and Metro Manila Chapter all smiles with DOE Director Patrick Aquino (fourth from the left, seated).

PHOTO: Gelyn Lee

He further pushed IIEE to support in keeping our electrical professionals updated on “various research studies and current technological development and advancement.”

Around 200 electrical practitioners from Metro Manila trooped to the Meralco Multi-purpose Hall in Pasig City last August 5 to attend the 3rd Metro Manila Regional Conference despite heavy rains.

Metro Manila regional governor Lyndon Bague took the opportunity to present the region’s objectives, plan and programs for 2016. Bague also explained to the delegates the purpose of creating the Metro Manila region, which is strengthening the capacity building programs for Metro Manila electrical practitioners.

A fellowship night, technical seminars and product presentations filled the two-day event.

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THE NUCLE

The Philippines is the first in Southeast Asia to fulfill its a a growing nation. The Electrical Engineer tours inside on realizes the dream has remained a dream for many d

WORDS Mi PHOTOS Rol

r DREAM

atomic energy ambitions, not as weapons but to power ne of the world's publicly open nuclear power plant and decades. Is it time to wake up and make it come true?

isha Borbon lando Que Jr.

COVER STORY

T

he banshee winds come wailing down on Napot Point saddled on the back of a violent monsoon storm. The rain pelts the thick concrete walls and obscures the window view. Ceaseless, the water has found its way inside. Six floors above the ground, the roof is old and failing, succumbing to the torrent of rainwater until the turbine floor is soaked all the way across.

Two guys from the janitorial staff are mopping it up the best they can.

At the end of the flooded room is a gigantic red half-dome, flanked by a network of equally gigantic red pipes. This is the plant turbine, still as a coma patient. Like every other organ of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, the giant red turbine is suspended in a thirty-year-old nuclear dream state.

Grey steel stairs adjoins every floor of BNPP. weather. The wallpaper has bubbled.

Rain is leaking through the foam ceiling. Various buckets are lined up along the narrow hallway to catch the spill. Here we meet the plant’s Environmental Management Specialist for the standard tour orientation.

Between the one-meter thick concrete and the one-and-a-half-meter thick steel body of the nuclear reactor vessel is the annulus, a narrow space that snugly fits the size of four people. Here is the reactor’s second line of defense against radiation leaks.

Unbent, unbowed, unused Keeping the unwaking power plant from falling into complete disrepair costs the national coffers an annual forty million pesos. Most of the money goes into the preservation of core equipment and maintenance work, a job dutifully carried out by thirteen regular employees, forty-two guards, and thirty-six janitorial staff against the 356-hectare property.

The plant itself is a gigantic cylindrical tower boxed in by a compound of several other concrete buildings. It looks like the foot of a giant elephant, a magnanimous relic of the Marcoses’ infamous edifice complex – unbent, unbowed, and completely unused.

Nearby, a smaller building contains most of the administrative staff.

The interior of this building is, too, yielding to the years and the

A short, kind-faced woman in her middle aged years, Cora Baluyot is passionate about the BNPP. She has worked in the energy sector for thirty-five years, twenty-two of those in the thermal power plant industry, and the last thirteen at the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. During her time, the BNPP decided to open itself to public tours to encourage ‘nuclear awareness’. The endeavor was well intentioned. But carrying it out was a choice between marketing gimmicks and eschewing misinformation.

Ain’t tourist spot The plant is not a tourist spot, says Baluyot. They’ve had to say no to requests to use it for pre-nuptial photo-shoots. In one instance, they turned away the production team of Captain Barbel. Richard Guiterrez’s title character was supposed to chase the main villain after stealing thorium from the nuclear plant – a senseless and humanly impossible act, says Baluyot.

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Given the narrative the BNPP has to deal with, it’s not hard to see why the BNPP administration is determined not to fuel anymore misconceptions about what they do. It’s impossible to bring up developing nuclear energy without dealing with the public’s constant obsession over radiation leaks and nuclear accidents.

When the BNPP was mothballed, so were attempts to nurture an energy environment with a mature attitude towards nuclear ambitions. In the 30 years the plant spent hibernating, external politics and interests came to fill the gaps and created a narrative ensconcing ignorance and fear, leaving the nuclear energy sector at a disadvantage with public understanding.

Never practiced The obsessive fear is damaging, and it is also unnecessary. Every power plant has a contingency plan, explains Baluyot. They are embedded in the instructions for operations. The BNPP has a radiological emergency plan that contains multilateral implementing procedures for agencies across the government. But whether or not these plans will work is pure speculation. Because the plant has never been in operation; its risk and disaster resilience plans never been practiced.

In short, the fear is understandable but unfounded. Yet that hasn’t stopped fear from being used as a currency to inflate concerns about not just the readiness of an inoperative plant to respond to imagined disasters, but also the construction design and siting dignity, the transparency issues with all-things Marcos, and the operability of a thirty-year-old nuclear plant.

Reasonable concerns.

But there is a world of difference between responding with caution and responding with fear.

Three Mile, Chernobyl

1979 by requesting the addition of extra safety features. Later, reports would reveal that the accident in Pennsylvania was not caused by faulty designs, but by human error and poor decision-making.

In comparison, when the catastrophic Chernobyl disaster occurred in 1986, two months after Marcos was ousted and democracy was restored, Cory Aquino decided the right thing to do was to shut down the Bataan nuclear project completely. But Chernobyl, unlike the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, was the result of poor design. There was an element of inevitability of catastrophe, a quality that, insists Baluyot, the BNPP simply does not share.

It’s clear that Philippine leadership plays a key role in deciding the state of the country’s long-forgotten

IIEE ON NUCLEAR ENERGY IIEE saw the birth of the first nuclear power plant in Southeast Asia. But it has never been vocal about its position on the use of atomic energy until 2004 when the Institute expressed “aims to advocate the use of energy such as, but not limited to the following: bio-energy, renewable energy, and nuclear energy” through public education on the latest trend in the electric power industry.

It was in 2009 when IIEE publicly supported the moves of Pangasinan Representative Mark Cojuangco to re-commission the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. An IIEE delegation even attended a public hearing in the House of Representatives as guest and pro-active supporters of harnessing the power of the atom. And the rest is history.

Ferdinand Marcos responded to safety concerns in the light of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in

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nuclear dream. Unfortunately, it’s a role that’s vulnerable to political gerrymandering and misinformation.

It doesn’t matter that the BNPP is relatively safe from tsunamis, or that the nearest volcano from Napot Point, Natib, has been inactive for the past 70,000 years and unlikely to explode and trigger a nuclear meltdown. It doesn’t matter that the West Valley Fault is more likely to kill more people during a massive earthquake, because, unlike Metro Manila, the BNPP wasn’t built near any fault lines.

The small nuclear-positive community faces an uphill battle to overcome a narrative that tolerates and encourages the public’s morbid fascination with everything that could go wrong. The only way to wrestle decisions as careful and as expensive, with impacts as pivotal, as nuclear energy development from the passing whim of political leaders, says Baluyot, is to develop coherent nuclear energy policy built not on fear but on facts.

11 years It took eleven years for the project developers to settle on Napot Point in Morong, Bataan as the final site for building Philipine Nuclear Power Plant 1 - the BNPP’s official name. The BNPP was intended to be the first of many. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) checked in to review and monitor developments in 1977 and 1978 before a construction permit was issued in 1979.

In preparation for these, Philippine government signed a contract with Westinghouse Electric Company way back in 1976, the same manufacturing company responsible for designing three nuclear reactor contemporaries of the BNPP, namely Krsko in Slovenia, Kori-2 in South Korea, and Angra in Brazil.

All three remain operational to this day. Appraisal visits to ensure site readiness were done in 1984 and 1985. On May 28, 1984, for the first and only time without the use of uranium fuel, the BNPP generated a few minutes-long charge of energy before falling into a deep sleep for the next three decades.

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COVER STORY

At most, the plant needs to replace 25% of its equipment, say Reynaldo Punzalan, electrical control operator of BNPP and one of the people present during the power plant's hopeful planning years.

Pool of water Reynaldo Punzalan, electrical control operator of the BNPP, was one of the people present during the power plant’s hopeful planning years. A former marine engineer, Punzalan meets us at the plant’s driveway with a broad-shouldered hulk. He ushers us through the Balance of Plant, a room full of giant machines and pipes common in all ship engine rooms and power plants. Parts of the machines and pipes are standing in a large pool of rainwater.

The roof of the turbine building is disintegrating, explains Punzalan, and the BNPP doesn’t have the money to fix it. Most of the fixed budget goes into maintaining and preserving the old machines that are turned on as scheduled to make sure they don’t stock up.

Surely, many of these old equipment and machines would be replaced in the event that the new national government approves of restarting the BNPP? Not at all, says Punzalan, leading us through an inactive portal radiation

monitor. To our right are Health Physics Room and the laundry room for decontaminating people and uniforms. At most, the plant probably needs to replace 25 percent of its equipment, says Punzalan. That entails converting the analogue computer system into digital, upgrading the monitoring system, and replacing the electrical wiring and control cables.

An inspection by the Korean Electric Power Company in 2010 advised the then Arroyo administration that the restarting of the BNPP, and subsequent replacement and upgrading of certain equipment, will most likely cost the country an uptick of one billion US dollars.

Pressurized water The BNPP, as a pressurized water reactor (PWR), uses a water system that goes through a cooling and heating cycle to generate thermal energy. Its location in Napot Point is ideal, facing the West Philippine Sea and standing 18 feet above sea level, with ready access to nearby seawater. Like other nuclear power plants around the world, 60 percent

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of which uses PWR, the BNPP’s operational lifetime is placed at 30-40 years by the World Nuclear Association. Granted, of course, that they’ve been in operation, therefore, subject to the natural wear and tear.

Even then, few retire. Most nuclear reactors that have reached old age simply apply for licensing extensions upon satisfying the requirements to replace obsolete, degraded, and worn equipment. This means, quite simply, that the BNPP is as good as new, having incurred a total of zero operational years.

Punzalan takes the team into the heart of the nuclear reactor. The reactor building is made up of onemeter thick concrete. Between that and the one-and-a-half-meter thick steel body of the nuclear reactor vessel is the annulus, a narrow space that snugly fits the size of four people. Here, Punzalan explains,

The inside of a nuclear reactor is a rare sight. The air feels stagnant. It’s like being inside a vertical steampunk cave. Above, the hollow ceiling is crossed by a rail of gigantic cranes. Fifteen feet below are components of the reactor, most of them still in their original plastic casing.

is the reactor’s second line of defense against radiation leaks. On a normal operating day, the annulus acts as a negative space, trapping any radioactive air that might, by accident, escapes through the steel vessel. The negative pressure prevents the air being siphoned through any holes or cracks in the concrete.

Instead, the contaminated air is sucked in through a ventilation system and goes through charcoal treatment before being released into the atmosphere.

It’s one of the plant’s many safety parameters, explains Punzalan as we continue through the air locked door into the nuclear containment vessel.

The inside of a nuclear reactor is a rare sight. The air feels stagnant. It’s like being inside a vertical steampunk cave. Above us, the hollow ceiling is crossed by a rail of gigantic cranes.

Fifteen feet below are components of the reactor, most of them still in their original plastic casing. Giant screws, as big as logs, are piled at the bottom. The fuel assembly rods stand together like a giant circular comb. Punzalan patiently explains the purpose of each part, with each word giving a spark of understanding, to the fragmented pieces.

This is where the nuclear aspirations of the Philippines have gone to sleep, its hopes of escaping into a constructive 21st century nuclear discourse choked by an analogous space of negative propaganda in the energy sector, and boilerplate negligence in the government. In the midst of the storm, Punzalan and Baluyot, and others stand a hopeful watch over their sleeping giant, waiting.

THE LAST WELDER IS A WOMAN Rosita Gudoy, 53 now, started working at the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant at the young age of 17.

She was trained alongside 25 other girls under the American Welding Society to work on the plant’s turbine. The architects prescribed female aptitude, requiring their delicate control to weld some of the engine components, slipping under large slabs of steel, melting metal with argon gas, and molding bit by bit the nuclear dream. Like any job, it was hard in the beginning, said Rosita. But as soon as they got the technique of it, it became easy.

Rosita understands more than anyone how debilitating fear can be.

She had to deal with naysayers and frightening rumors about exposure to chemicals rendering women infertile.

It was all a load of crap, she said, her eyes crinkling with mirth. After all, years after, she was able to give her military husband six children.

Life moved on, even as her first child – the BNPP fell into a permanent stasis over the years. Rosita welded for other power plants and at a time for Philipp Morris. There were plenty of jobs for female welders because they were small and could crawl and work under large machines. But in the end, there was nothing like helping build the BNPP, admitted Rosita with a quiet sense of pride. She eventually went back to the BNPP to work as part of its maintenance force, keeping watch over a dream that has not given up – not yet.

Learn from Contemporaries A week later, the BNPP Asset Manager Mauro Marcelo meets us in his National Power Corporation (NPC) office in Diliman, Quezon City.

Marcelo was part of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, known back in the day as the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission, as

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COVER STORY part the of licensing and technical evaluation team of the BNPP. Marcelo reckons that the time to restart the BNPP is now or never while the current nuclear technology is still using fission reaction. If the country wants to break into nuclear energy, it needs to do it while it can still learn from its contemporaries.

More than technological compatibility, perhaps the biggest reason why the country needs to revive its nuclear ambitions is the fact that it needs it. Back in 1986, the BNPP was projected to answer 20 percent of the country’s energy requirements.

This was part of the Philippine Development Plan. Following Aquino’s decision to shut down the plant, Marcelo recalls that there were no provisions made to replace the 600 megawatts of energy the country was expecting the BNPP to generate.

This contributed to the sluggish growth and the rampant blackouts that plagued the following decade.

Insecure Thirty years later, the country’s energy sector remains insecure.

The Philippines’ electricity rates are the second highest in the region.

Fluctuations and power failures are rotational in regional areas, making it difficult for people to run their livelihoods, and hampering business development from spreading to places outside of the capital.

Economists over the recent years have pressured the government for failing to answer the demands of growth, underspending for infrastructure and the basic resources necessary to sustain the current

economic growth and to make it inclusive.

grid, another plant has to lower its generation.

In his first State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte was pretty blunt about his thoughts on the carbon emissions limitations set by the Paris Climate Deal signed by the previous administration last April. Despite the fact that the Philippines was at the forefront of fighting for curbing emissions to achieve global warming reduction to 1.5oC, Duterte firmly criticized First World expectations of the country’s compliance. The Philippines cannot be expected to fulfill its climate change commitments if it comes at the cost of its economic development. Materially, that means the country will not be scrapping its reliance on coal-powered plants.

Renewables like wind and solar have priority dispatch because their sources are unpredictable. That would require other plants to lower their inputs, which would be simply inefficient. The way to work around that is to store the energy generated by the wind or the solar farm. But storage undoubtedly adds more to the costs of generation.

But of course, there are alternatives.

Surely, the country doesn’t have to go nuclear. Wouldn’t the one billion US dollar price on restarting the BNPP be better spent propping up renewables?

Not if they raise the price of electricity, advises Marcelo.

Renewables Can be Costly Renewables are easy, but they can be costly. They’re more likely to raise energy prices than lower them, especially if they’re fitted into the grid. The electrical power system in Visayas and Luzon is connected in one grid, Marcelo explains. The way the grid works is, one can’t put in more energy than you need, or you risk raising voltages. Ergo, the input is moderated. Any time a power plant has to add more energy into the

That’s not to say the country shouldn’t invest in renewables, clarifies Marcelo. They remain an important investment, especially for reaching isolated areas and communities.

Duterte’s Decision But Marcelo is confident that the country’s energy sector will begin to sustainably meet demands, both energy-wise and environmental, if the Duterte places their faith on restarting the nuclear project. The BNPP can supply seven percent of Luzon’s energy requirements, and after that, who knows?

Needless to say, a coherent nuclear policy framework must be established for any of these possibilities to materialize. The answer to the country’s development and energy drawbacks might just be under our noses, and it would be a shame to let the opportunity slip through our fingers again. But it will take sincere, transformative commitment from the government and the energy sector to engage the public with a scientific attitude, and to recover the fearless mindset that once allowed this country to dream the nuclear dream.

The sealed tunnel that connects the nuclear reactor with the rest of the facility. This should be tightly shut when the plant is on operation.

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nuclear, coal, renewables

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seasoned public servant, Alfonso Cusi is not new with the schemes of the government.

But his new portfolio with the Duterte administration is different. As the secretary of energy, he needs to ensure that every house in the country is lit, power plants are supplying continuous power to the grid, and there is a balance between energy and the environment. With almost three months in the post, we ask Secretary Cusi five questions about coal, the government’s energy legacy, and the future of Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

President Duterte mentioned the importance of coal-powered plants in fueling our continuous industrialization. How do you see this as a policy direction considering that we have an international image to maintain as one of the negotiators of the Paris COP 21 deal ON one side, and the Environment and Natural Resources Secretary will be more tough in licensing coal mining in the country side, on the other?

The Department of Energy (DOE) has formulated a blueprint for the energy sector whereby policies are aimed at striking a balance between environmental protection and economic development.

At the moment, the country depends largely on coal-fired power plants to meet the needed baseload capacity for a constantly reliable, stable, sufficient and reasonable electricity supply. Data shows that developing countries like the Philippines has low carbon emissions. President Duterte is correct in saying that the country is still in the process of industrialization. The country must therefore necessarily use whatever energy resources are available and affordable for power generation.

While the Philippines signed the Paris Agreement last year, the country compelled by our level of economic development did not allow us to rely completely on clean energy sources. This however does not mean that we are setting aside our aggressive quest for cleaner energy.

Coal power plants are expected to produce less and less emissions as advances in technology proceeds. The DOE emphasizes that any power plant or even industry at large must strictly comply with environmental standards set by the government and agreed upon by the international community, especially with the environmental compliance certificate being issued by the

The DOE is cognizant that these power generation resources are considered cleaner and the use of newer technologies results in lesser carbon emissions, Cusi explains.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

This will also support the DOE in achieving its environmental commitments to the international community. Thus, there is no cause for alarm regarding environmental compliance of coal plants that are in operation in the country.

Does this mean that the country will be having a slow time shifting to a low-carbon economy?

A low-carbon economy is not a far-fetched dream for the Philippines. We already have strong policies to support this thrust, including the Renewable Energy (RE) Act of 2008. As of the end of 2015, RE comprises 25% of our generation mix, while natural gas contributes 23%.

The DOE is cognizant that these power generation resources are considered cleaner and the use of newer technologies results in lesser carbon emissions. The DOE is vigilant in promoting investments in energy efficiency through its massive information, education and communication campaign focusing on reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, hence, lesser emissions.

How do the new government intend to balance the energy mix of the country?

The Philippines requires having a diversified energy source to support its growing economy. There is a standing energy mix policy wherein 30% will be from coal, 30% natural gas, 30% renewable energy and the remaining 10% from oil-based and other available alternative resources. The constant stand of the DOE is hinged on the diversification of energy resources to safeguard us when a crisis strikes.

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COVER STORY Cusi notes: The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant has been on preservation mode since 1986. The DOE is looking at options through further studies on the integrity of the BNPP, and if it is still economical to revive the plant.

The Energy Secretary with the officials of International Atomic Agency and National Power Corporation.

PHOTO CREDIT: conceptnewscentral.com

To ensure the compatibility of this to the current Philippine setting, the DOE sought the assistance of USAID in reviewing its existing energy mix policies to guide us for the next steps.

Currently, the DOE is studying the capacities of all the existing power plants to be able to effectively and efficiency classify if they are baseload, mid-merit or peaking plants. Thus, our country can better strategize where the appropriate investments in the electric power industry will be needed.

What is the new government’s take on the use of nuclear power?

What is the fate of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in the Duterte administration?

Last 30-31 August and 01 September, the Philippine government hosted the largest nuclear conference in the ASEAN Region. This signifies the interest of the country into considering the viability of nuclear power development.

The new government is currently weighing and exploring its options, especially that nuclear is still a highly contentious issue in the country. It remains imperative to seek public acceptance before the opening of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant can finally push through. There is also a need to build capacities as regards the workforce who will undertake a study about the nuclear program before any nuclear development will prosper.

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant has been on preservation mode since 1986. The DOE is looking at options through further studies on the integrity of the BNPP, and if it is still economical to revive the plant.

What milestone does the Duterte administration wants to impress in the energy sector?

The Duterte Administration aims to provide energy access for all that is reliable, stable, sufficient, sustainable and affordable through the aggressive implementation of policies governing the energy sector, the promotion of energy investments, while dedicated to always benefitting the consumer, especially the marginalized.

The DOE has partnered with the Manila Electric Company to realize and improve the delivery of basic electricity services to relocation sites and informal settlers. Likewise, in tandem with the National Electrification Administration and the Electric Cooperatives nationwide, the DOE through its Household Electrification Development Plan, has initiated a roll out guide to accelerate the implementation of the country’s total electrification program.

On bringing down the electricity rates, the DOE will be scrutinizing all the costs that go into the consumers’ bill including universal charge transmission and distribution charges.

In conclusion, the DOE is assessing the realization of an inter-connectivity of the transmission grids by connecting the Mindanao grid to the Luzon and Visayas grids. This would stabilize the Mindanao power situation.

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TRAVEL

10 Places Engineers & Electricians Must Visit in the Metro Hassled by looming deadlines and hectic schedules? Tired with meetings and demanding bosses? Maybe you should take a break. Check these awesome places in Metro Manila, only a jeep or a bus or an LRT away! Destress and explore!

WORDS: Vincent Bryan M. Velez

1. Megawatt Delectable dishes with an electrical engineering ambiance? This restaurant in Gilmore will make you feel like home.

Opened only four months ago, Megawatt is an electrical-themed restaurant that will surely please your appetite with pizzas, chickens, burritos and burgers! The beauty of the restaurant is inspired after one of the owners’ visit to a plant in Cotabato where pipes and wirings appear left and right, shared its manager Sarah Jane Esteban.

Note: Some of their must-try treats are “Cheese, cheese, cheese”, a crispy thin pizza filled with six types of cheese, and “Volt-MEAT-er”, pizza topped with pepperoni, ham, bacon and angus beef!

HOURS OPEN: 11am to 9:30pm LOCATION: 41-A N. Domingo cor.

Gilmore, Brgy. Valencia, Quezon City PRICE: Food ranges for as low as P150 for warm-ups to P300 to P800 for pizzas!

2. Art in Island Experience arts you’ve never experienced before!

This interactive art museum in Cubao will make you look like you’ve been eaten by a huge crocodile in your Facebook profile picture or standing in a surfboard before a crashing tidal wave! Arts in Island showcases three-dimensional

paintings which gives its visitors a lifelike realistic view of sharks, falls and even aliens, good for your photo-obsessive self.

Though most museums don’t allow picture-taking or physical contact with artworks, this museum is indeed an exception.

So ready your camera, your socks (shoes are prohibited) and your best modeling poses!

HOURS OPEN: 12nn to 6pm LOCATION: 175 15th Ave., Brgy.

Socorro, Cubao, Quezon City FEE: FREE for children 3ft and below. P500 for adults.

3. Meralco Museum From a mass transport service provider to electricity distributor, Meralco Museum will surely take you back to its monumental history.

A full 20-minute video presentation will welcome you at the beginning of the trip, presenting Meralco’s days beginning in 1903 in the field of electric railway system until it focused only on electricity service. The museum highlights its time warp-like theme where you can witness the past of Meralco through memorabilia from previous employees, a makeshift tramvia, a landscape of the tramvia lines of Old Manila and many more! Interactive

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exhibits are also present, allowing its visitors to learn electricity in an amusing way!

HOURS OPEN: 9am to 5pm LOCATION: Meralco Compound, Exchange Rd., Ortigas, Pasig FEE: Free!

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TRAVEL 4. Book Museum Located in Marikina, the Book Museum cum Ethnology Center will surely satisfy your book-loving side.

Started by Mr. Dominador Buhain, the owner of Rex Publishing Inc., the museum features a variety of books from 223 countries and islands worldwide. It even includes the smallest tablet in China and the smallest “The Lord’s

HOURS OPEN: 9am to 5pm LOCATION: 127 Dao Street, Marikina Heights, Marikina FEE: Php 100/pax for a group of 5

5. LazerXtreme Play a thrilling laser tagging with your barkada with a Star Warslike feel in LazerXtreme in Market Market!

Placed in a dark room with strategically positioned walls, ramps and stairs, experience the suspensefilled game by shooting as many distinct body parts of other teams’ players in order to score points!

After the 15-minute game, though it feels like an hour, a tabulated tally of scores will be shown to display who’s the best shooter.

Outdoing yourself in that exciting game, you can also order drinks and snacks to celebrate your victory or just to fill your tired self!

HOURS OPEN: 11am to 9pm LOCATION: 4F Market Market, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig FEE: P190 every weekdays/P220 weekends

6. PAF Aerospace Museum Indulge yourself with aircrafts and airplanes in Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum!

Prayer” in the world! And though it is a museum, no one will stop you from reading and relaxing.

Indigenous artifacts, from the tribal ethos of Ifugaos to the Islamic culture of Maranaos, are also displayed in the museum. Plus, a great deal of James Dean collection will greet you in the entrance!

Built in 1974 as an honor to the heroes of PAF, the museum displays the history of aviation in the country and exhibits the beauty of aircrafts. Dioramas, relics and other memorabilia of early military aviation will let you recollect on our air force’s past; while the aircraft miniatures and mockups will entertain your love for airplanes!

And to add more interest, fill your cameras with pictures of you, riding

airplanes in a plane-filled themed park to end your visit!

HOURS OPEN: 8am to 6pm LOCATION: Col. Jesus Villamor Airbase, Pasay City FEE: P20/person

7. Laruan Atbp Torn between wanting to have fun and getting your stomach filled?

Laruan Atbp is the place to be!

This entertainment-filled café in Maginhawa Street is a proof that games are made interesting with food at arm’s length. Opened only last December 2015, the Kamikazee band vocalist-owned restaurant allows its customers to enjoy pastas and smoothies while playing Jenga or Uno Cards all at the same time.

According to Karen Sandra, one of its owners, their goal is to expose their customers to board games and engage them in conversation. And although some games are unfamiliar, game experts are ready to help you out!

HOURS OPEN: 12pm to 2am LOCATION: 1F Luisa Bldg 2, 107 Maginhawa Street, Teacher's Village.

Quezon City PRICES: Food and beverage ranges from P150 to P600! Then play!

8. Mystery Manila You only have an hour to free yourself and your barkada out of a dark room. Are you up for it?

Mystery Manila will stretch your mind through complicated puzzles and mentally-taunting riddles in order to solve the mystery your chosen room is designed for.

Ranging from a Harry Potter-themed aura to a murder scene vibe, each mystery will bring out your detective and deductive skills after searching for clues and decrypting hints all throughout 60 minutes or less.

If you’re lucky to solve the puzzle in less than 30 minutes, exciting prizes will await your exit!

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HOURS OPEN: 1pm to 9:30pm LOCATION: 2nd floor, G. A. Yupangco Building, Jupiter St. and Gil Puyat Avenue corner Reposo St., Brgy. Bel Air, Makati (there are two other venues, one in Century City Mall in Makati, and the other one in Eastwood) FEE: Price depends on the number of person (P400/head for 5-6 person)

9. Cinematheque Center Looking for a place to watch “Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak” or “Madrasta” in big screen and with a real movie theatre vibe? A place in Kalaw, Ermita will give you just that!

Botong Francisco’s “First Mass in Limasawa” and Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo’s “Governor Dasmarinas”.

It is also the refuge of different sculptures made by renowned Guillermo Tolentino and Napoleon Abueva. Apart from its huge collection of art masterpieces, National Museum also introduces our history with artifacts and relics; and science with its planetarium, botany and zoology exhibits!

HOURS OPEN: 10am to 5pm LOCATION: Padre Burgos Drive, Ermita, Manila FEE: FREE!

The Philippine Cinematheque is the program initiated by the Film Development Council of the Philippines that encourages Filipinos to patronize our very own films. There, you can watch Filipino mainstream and independent classics like “Himala” or contemporaries like “Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros”!

The National Office is at the heart of all this exciting places in Metro Manila. Visit the Institute at 41 Monte de Piedad Street, Brgy. Immaculate Conception, Cubao, Quezon City. You will receive a coffee of your choice for every visit.

While waiting for your chosen movie schedule, get to be amazed with Cinematheque’s collection of antique cameras and other documentaries in its lobby!

HOURS OPEN: 10am to 7:30pm LOCATION: 855 TM Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila FEE: FREE!

10. National Museum Now available without any admission fee, you should never miss the house of the famous Juan Luna’s Spoliarium: our very own National Museum in Manila.

Apart from Luna’s painting, you’ll also be stunned by other well-known works of art like Carlos IIEE.ORG.PH

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FEATURE

The Line Men Story

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WORDS: Ynna Marie Cruz

ven before we come of age as young adults we have often dreamed of what we wanted to be when we grow up. We see what adults do and the kinds of career they have and it gives us an idea of where we want to be someday. But of all the jobs we knew, who has ever wondered of becoming a lineman?

The work of a lineman can be described in many ways but one thing we can be sure of. It is never easy. Most of us may not be aware, but usually, these men who repair our electric powerlines literally tend to put their life on the line. When things get worse, a lineman’s job can actually be fatal.

What does it really mean to become a lineman? What do we know of their work? We often see men climb electric poles whenever we experience power shortages. Other times, some of us probably wonders how cool it must be to ride a basket and reach high places. Well, they are regular people who do regular job like us. Digging deeper.

A lineman is someone who helps bring electricity to thousands of people’s homes. It means that linemen are responsible for building and maintaining power systems through the point of generation until it reach the customers. It can go from erecting poles that hold the power lines to trimming trees to avoid hazards and fires.

It also includes operating heavy equipment and different machineries to accomplish the job.

Yet, more than the physical tasks that the job undertakes, a lineman also demands focus and a great deal of dedication. It requires the ability to accurately assess a situation and determine what course of action is needed to solve a problem. Good health and sound mind are both necessary tools of the trade.

Moreover, it involves not only individual work, but coordination and teamwork as well. Surely, being a lineman is no simple task. This is something that Alain Radaza, leadman from Bukidnon Second Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Roy Imperial, lineman and transformer electrician of Camarines Sur 1 Electric Cooperative, Inc. both can agree with. And these men have shared their story with us.

Roy is someone most people can relate to. Before becoming a Registered Master Electrician he studied at Bicol College of Arts and Trade with the course Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology major in Electrical then later on took his internship at Camarines Sur 1 Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CASURECO 1) where he was hired as a transformer technician aid.

Eventually, in search of growth and continuous learning, he grabbed the opportunity to take on the Lineman Training Course. It proved to be challenging but Roy never gave up until he officially became a lineman.

Further, Roy shares that a lineman’s duty often involves fieldwork, which means working under the glaring heat of the sun, strong winds or heavy rainfall. He puts to mind the safety of the consumers above his own.

“To be a lineman is never easy.

It requires strength, wit, nerve and guts, discipline and a full-barrel of patience,” is what Alain Radaza, leadman of Bukidnon Second Electric Cooperative, Inc. have shared.

But it goes without saying that to be effective and efficient in his job, he must still be extremely careful and cautious in any situation he may encounter. What is more challenging is dealing with cases that cannot be reached by their vehicle wherein they have to carry all the equipment to deal with the situation. It means working for long hours away from his family and under difficult conditions.

In Roy’s ten years as a lineman, he had experienced getting electrified and falling from the pole he was climbing to handling angry customers who chase his

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“If you want to be a lineman, kailangan lang ng bukas na isip para sa mga kaalamang maaari mong matutunan," encouraged Roy That all said, one can imagine how immense the responsibility of a lineman is. We can only imagine the dangers that Roy and Alain have witnessed and experienced but to them it is an everyday occurrence and it does not stop them from continuing their chosen profession.

team away with a gun. Despite these, Roy feels fulfilled after satisfied customers thank them for a job well done.

At the other hand of the archipelago, Alain, a valedictorian of his lineman’s training class has learned the basics of the job from scratch back in 1999 when there was no formal training for linemen yet. It meant carefully observing other linemen on duty and doing his own researches.

They even encourage other people who has the passion and perseverance to serve to become a professional lineman. It may be difficult but it is truly satisfying. Both Roy and Alain are proud to become linemen.

To Roy, the “willingness to learn, drive to explore and the heart to fulfill your work not only for yourself but for the people who will benefited by it” is what propels him forward. Alain adds that with everything considered, to become a lineman, “only a few men can take on the challenge. Only great men takes the challenge. Only great men can be linemen!”

More than the risk in climbing heights, facing difficult weather and the possibility of electrocution while on the job, he placed emphasis on the dangers of rebels with firearms lurking at the remotest areas of their franchise.

Compared to other linemen working in urban areas, linemen like Alain in rural areas face greater dangers and more challenges. But he does not waver from continuing on through this career path as he shares how much he appreciates his job. Working at Bukidnon Second Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BUSECO), he has embraced its seven corporate cultures which includes: discipline, hardwork, honesty, teamwork, thrift, cleanliness and palabra de honor; highlighting “discipline” as every lineman must consider “Safety First”.

A defining moment in the 17 fruitful years of his career was in 2007 when he was sent to be part of a Task Force in Lanao Del Sur alongside policemen and the marines to restore power lines and finish reconstruction in the area that were destroyed by the rebels. Then he faced one of his most challenging experiences, after Typhoon Frank hit Aklan in 2009 and Typhoon Yolanda destroyed Tacloban. He narrated the long and tiring days when they had no decent place to stay while restoring electricity in the affected cities.

Nevertheless, Alain considers it all worthwhile when he sees the hope restored in families and the smiles of gratitude from the people he has served.

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FEATURE

FUTURE OF THE S IC S Y PH yor Peñama - R ic h a r d

TH E TAL ES OF BEE DLE TH E BA RD -Ka yce e Vic tori o

M O T IVAT IO N AND GOAL SETT IN G -D e xt e r Ve rg ar a

WHY S TA R T W IT H d B u al n o m -A ll an R ay

C O L AT R FOR CHO L IK E WAT E U sa n a -J u an C ar lo

OF A MAN RE FL EC TI O N S -E rik a Vi st an

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THE APO -Mar

T U E S D AY S W IT H M O R RI -E st h e r D aw n R e b o ll o

38 ISSUE2016 2016 38 || VOLUME VOLUME XLV XLV 22ndndISSUE

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#bookEEreads PHOTOS: Google Images

THE ALCHE M IS T -A n to n io M ar lo S ib u g

E TR IA OLLO LS OF rvin C ased a

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Electrical engineering professionals do not just read PEC and Advanced Power System books for leisure. So what does our electrical people read when they are not facing the hazards of electricity? We ask our members and editors about the books they are reading in their spare time - a time to relax, enjoy the world and prepare for their next electrical assignment.

AFTER YOU -Jovel Bulan

O F WA R T H E A RT ondoc -B la ir e B

V EN LI FE PU RP O SE D RI lly pi -S en a Ku zh up

C A P T IVAT IN G -L o u d e e le n G ar

H LY OF HIG S T I B HA THE 7 VE PEOPLE TI C E ural EFF e li C a b g n A - A r is

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ci a

HA RR Y PO TT ER -V iel ka Ve nt ur a

AN G PER A NA HIN DI BIT IN -Na riel Pat olo t

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EE WOMAN People don’t know that I am Emotionally open and a good listener, that I can express my opinions and could listen to anyone without criticizing them.

I am really good at Specialist software such as AutoCad and Photoshop, solving mathematical, technical and electrical issues, including troubleshooting.

I am an EE practitioner because I am an EE practitioner, because of two (2) reasons. First, it’s because of my father’s influence. He is an electrical technician in an electrical company in our province. He told me before that he really dreamed to be an electrical engineer, but failed to do so because of financial problem, and so he told me that he wants me to continue his broken dream. Secondly, Ithink that designing and troubleshooting are the most rewarding and interesting things to do.

If I am not an EE practitioner, probably I am An architect.

When woman works It is more process-focused and more delineated. Women tend to see all sides of a situation, and can be more passionate and persistent with regards to work. Women are very good team player.

The Circuit Breaker of Seth Up-Close and Personal with Fire Protection Officer Rosette Marqueses

Guys, first of all, Seth is still single. But wait, in his late 20s, she learned enough concepts of gender sensitivity to keep the butt of ungentlemanly guys out of her way. Hailed from Albay, Seth become an engineer in 2011 and worked first as property manager. Three years later, she decided to shifted gears, take hosts, and carries in mind and heart the motto “To serve and protect”. Meet our lady Rosette Marqueses, the woman who makes fire out and keeps our homes and building safely inspected, through her thoughts as an EE Woman.

Call her Seth I believe that life is Like a “circuit breaker”, you must protect oneself and other important things and people in your life, once you detect overloading and fault that could cause damage, pause, think and don’t be afraid to “reset” and start over again.

Life is always different in Electrical Engineers compared to the other engineering field.

Because, Architects work on design, Civil Engineers work on building structure, and Mechanical Engineers work on pipes and machines, and us – Electrical Engineers work on electrical wiring and installation.

Considering that electricity is the one that gives life to all the buildings and structures, it is like their “blood”, that without it, everything will be paralyzed and non-operational. And we EE practitioners are is the one responsible on how it works. Thus, it defines the difference of our function, roles and purpose to other fields.

At the end of the day I just want to serve and protect my fellowmen and my country as well.

As an electrical engineer who works as a firefighter, what do you think is your biggest contribution to the profession?

My greatest contribution to my profession, is imparting and using my knowledge and skills I gained. Since as stated in the Fire Code of the Philippines (RA 9514), engineers have a huge role when it comes to fire safety, through inspecting buildings, before, during and after it is built of course with the accordance to the Code, thus ensuring everyone’s safety. And also is has been known that the most common cause of fire incidents in our country is electrical in nature.

Do you agree that females have a disadvantage in the electrical profession?

No, I beg to disagree. Females have no disadvantage in the Electrical profession. Women could be as good as men who is in the Electrical profession. Size, masculinity and strength that a man possess, could never be a basis of preference over a woman. As long as a woman possesses the interest and willingness to learn everything about the electrical world, she could be better than those men.

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HEALTH

GET FIT WHILE AT WORK PHOTOS: April Zamora WORDS: Mary Ann Guillen CREDITS: The Washington Post

With the everyday hustle and bustle we face at work, what can a chained to the desk and glued to the computer worker do to get our body moving, burn calories or at the least, maintain our ideal weight?

All too busy for traditional workout? Why not try these six (6) moves at work to get our blood flow for the sake of mental and physical health.

Do 10 to 20 reps to circulate blood thru body and brain which will help you stay focus and engage. What is more convenient i is that you can easily perform any of these exercises in the confines of a bathroom or at your desk. We also suggest using Just Dance kind of music to keep the beat alive.

1. OVER THE HEAD (20 REPS) Warm up by marching in place, push toward the ceiling with your palms up and thumbs almost touching your shoulders. Make it harder by holding water bottles.

3. THE LEG DEFINER (20 REPS) Bend arms at the elbow while you bring one foot up towards your rear end.

Straighten your arms so that your hands are down when your foot is up, observe an opposite arm and leg position for this exercise.

5. THE HULK (20 REPS) Lean while marching and with your elbows bent and fists together in front, move your arms back like wings. Try to touch your shoulder blades together. Try adding some sound effects as the Hulk does it will surely be more fun.

2. THE PUNCH (20 REPS) Stretch the tensed muscles as you rock foot to foot while punching with alternating arms, try not to fully straighten your arm. This will reduce elbow stress.

4. THE KNEE LIFT (20 REPS) Lift your knee up in front as your arms go down.

6. THE NAE NAE (20 REPS) Sweep arms above your head and down again as you step side-to-side.

Actually yelling singing the “Nae Nae� is optional.

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VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 | 41

TECHNICAL

FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY Bert Brouwers (Egemin Consulting N.V.) | Bruno De Wachter, Angelo Baggini (Reviewers) | Cu0194 | June 6, 2014 PROBLEM ir.DEFINITION FIRST OF TWO PARTS INTRODUCTION— is difficult imagine a modern HAZARDS ASSOCIATEDItWITH THEtoUSE OF ELECTRICITY

The heat generated in the cabling system is balanced by the heat dissipated into the environment, and will result in aatemperature Since the related amount to of heat Various hazards can occur with electricity. These hazards originate from number of rise. mechanisms Electricity is used in a vast variety of forms, including generated evolves quadratically to the current intensity, thermalconveying effects, energy direct effects of electric current on living organisms (and the human body in particular), in its purest form, processing and the resulting temperature rise will be more significant electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic andthe non-electrical hazards byand thecan usebe of very electricity. transmitting information at dazzlingradiation, speeds, and during circuitinduced overload, dramatic in short control of machinery and various real world systems. circuit conditions.

Electrical engineering brings together both the energy FIRE AND IGNITION transmission and information processing characteristics.

Depending on the environmental conditions and the Electric energy can be converted to heat energy. Examples of useful applications electric heating systems materials in contactare with the cabling system, such Unleashing the limitless of electricity act as anisignition source and furnaces.

Electric current possibilities flowing through cablinginsystems iselevated partiallytemperatures converted tocan heat.

This generally technological applications, however, requires proper causing fire. referred to as conductive losses and is scientifically explained by the Joule effect. caution and care. Handling vast amounts of energy— in any form—comes with significant hazards. When The operation of electrical circuits—and in particular The heat generated in the cabling system balanced by the heat dissipated into in the environment, and willelectric energy is released in an undesired way,isthe results can switching elements these circuits—can cause beadevastating. needs consider is explainedtoby thecurrent inductive properties of result in temperatureOne rise.only Since the to amount of some heat generated sparks. evolvesThis quadratically the intensity, manifestations of unwanted energy release in nature the circuit that cause the current to continue the resulting temperature rise will be more significant during circuit overload, and can be very dramatictoinflow for a such as lightning strikes or earthquakes, to realize that period of time after the opening of the switch contacts. short circuit conditions. handling energy requires due care.

When a flammable or explosive atmosphere is present, Fortunately, manifestation of energy in and the form such canwith act as an cabling ignition source Depending on thethe environmental conditions the of materials in sparks contact the system,causing such fire and electricity can be controlled—and thus can be made explosions. elevated temperatures can act as an ignition source causing fire. safe—relatively easily. Since its discovery, numerous methods and systems have been developed for The operation electrical particular switching harnessing of electricity.

This circuits—and has enabled theinbenefits of elements in these cause electric electricity in circuits—can everyday use and avoided its sparks. hazards.This is explained society that does not rely upon the use of electricity.

by the inductive properties of the circuit that cause the current to The first section of this Application Note provides a continue to flow period of time after the opening of the switch synopsis of for the amost important hazards associated with contacts. the use of electricity, resulting in a clear definition of

Figure 1 – Inductive spark generation the problem. An overview of the methods and systems Figure 1 – Inductive spark in electrical engineering to reduce and mitigate When aavailable flammable or explosive atmosphere is present, such sparks can these risks to acceptable safe levels is given in the Another electric phenomenon that can act as ignition generation act as an ignition source causing fire and explosions. sections that follow. source for flammable atmospheres is electrostatic discharge. Although this is not directly associated to Another electric phenomenon can act as ignition source the foruse flammable atmospheres PROBLEMthat DEFINITION of electricity, it needs to is beelectrostatic noted. When nonH s d r z a A d e t a i c o s h t i w e h t U e s f o E y i r t c e l conductive objects (or isolated conductive discharge. Although this is not directly associated to the use of electricity, it needs to be noted. When objects) nonVarious hazards can occur with electricity. These hazards become electrostatically charged, this can result in a conductive objects (or isolated conductive objects) become electrostatically charged, this can result in a originate from a number of mechanisms related to discharge through sparks of significant energy levels, discharge through sparks significant energy levels, in the ignition of a flammable or explosive thermal effects, directofeffects of electric current on resultingresulting in the ignition of a flammable or explosive living organisms (and the human body in particular), atmosphere. atmosphere. electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic radiation, and non-electrical hazards induced by the use of electricity.

Other Thermal Hazards OTHER THERMAL HAZARDS Certain hazards still need to be considered, even in and Ignition environmental the temperature CertainFire hazards still need to be considered, even in environmental conditions conditions where thewhere temperature rise of rise of Electric energy can be converted to heat energy. parts of the electric circuit do not result in a fire hazard: parts of the electric circuit do not result in a fire hazard: Examples of useful applications are electric heating • Hot surfaces can cause burns and scalds systems and furnaces. Electric current flowing through • Electric arcs—such as occur during electric arc  cabling Hot surfaces cause burns and scalds systemscan is partially converted to heat. This welding operations or arc flashes during (severe) referred toas asoccur conductive andarc is welding operations short circuit vast amounts  is generally Electric arcs—such duringlosses electric or arcconditions—radiate flashes during (severe) short of scientifically explained by the Joule effect. heat, with the potential for causing severe burns

circuit conditions—radiate vast amounts of heat, with the potential for causing severe burns

The huge amount of energy involved in electric arcs is at the origin of the high hazards associated with arc 42 | VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 IIEE.ORG.PH flash incidents. Depending upon arc current and the duration of the radiated heat, pressure waves due to rapid expanding air, projection of shrapnel, emission of vaporized material as a plasma cloud, and intense

The huge amount of energy involved in electric arcs is at the origin of the high hazards associated with arc flash incidents. Depending upon arc current and the duration of the radiated heat, pressure waves due to rapid expanding air, projection of sharpnel, emission of vaporized material as a plasma cloud, and intense (ultraviolet) light are some of the phenomena to be expected.

The thermal effects can also cause damage to installations, buildings and property in general. While these are not considered in this document, it must be noted that malfunctioning of damaged installations can lead to a safety hazard.

Electrification and Electrocution The term electrification (of a person, or other living organisms such as livestock) is used to indicate an event where a person is subjected to electrical current either accidental or as a resolute act. The term electrocution refers to electrification with lethal consequences.

The effects a person experiences are not directly related to the voltage, but rather are associated with the current passing through the body. Basic application of Ohm’s law reveals the link between voltage applied, current flowing, and resistance of the circuit. During electrification, the resistance of the person’s body is part of the circuit.

The effects of the current passing through a human body depend on numerous factors. For instance, the path of the current through the body has an important effect: current passing from one finger to another finger of the same hand is less likely to affect vital functions, than current passing from hand to hand through the rib cage. The severity of the effects is directly related to the length of time the current flows through the body. Direct current and alternating current of various frequencies

have significantly different effects as well. Table 1 gives an overview of the effects of common industrial power frequencies (50Hz and 60Hz).

Slight differences can exist between persons, as well as between the results of various studies, but the general tendencies are quite consistent.

It is immediately clear from Table 1 that allowing currents of over 30 mA to travel through a person cannot be considered safe, and depending on circumstances even currents as low as 5 mA can constitute a hazard to persons.

An electrification incident can occur due to either of the following: •

•

Direct contact, when a person comes into contact with the actual current carrying components of the electrical installation (e.g. bare copper bus bars, damaged power cables with exposed conductor cores, power outlets with missing protective covers, et cetera) Indirect contact, when a person comes into contact with an object that has become electrified, but is not intended to be current carrying (e.g. the metal housing of a machine with faulty insulation, steel structural elements incidentally contacting a conductor, et cetera)

A special case of indirect contact can occur in some earth fault conditions where (due to current dispersion) an important voltage gradient can exist in the ground.

This is usually associated with high voltage earth fault and lightning strike incidents.

In special circumstances, the phenomenon of electrostatic discharge, indicated above as a potential ignition source, can pose a risk to persons as well.

Table 1 – Indicative effects of electrical current on the human body Indicative Effects Of Electrical Current On The Human Body (industrial frequency) Current

Reaction

<1 mA

Generally not perceptible

1 mA

Faint Tingle

5 mA

Slight shock felt. Not painful but disturbing. Average individual can let go. Strong involuntary reactions can lead to other injuries.

6 to 25 mA (women) 9 to 30 mA (men)

Painful shocks. Loss of muscle control. The freezing current or so-called let go range. If extensor muscles are excited by shock, the person may be thrown away from the power source. Strong involuntary reactions, however, can render an individual unable let go. In either event, this can lead to other injuries.

50 to 150 mA

Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscle reactions. Death is possible.

1.0 to 4.3 A

Rhythmic pumping action of the heart ceases (fibrillation). Muscular contraction and nerve damage occur. Death is Likely.

10 A

Cardiac arrest, severe burns, Death is probable.

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VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 | 43

TECHNICAL Electromagnetic Fields And Radiation In recent years, a substantial controversy has grown over the possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields and radiation. Given that even renowned scientific institutions tend to disagree on the possible effects of various exposure scenarios, it is not the intention of this Application Note to address this question. However, a few particular cases must be noted.

High-power, high frequency electromagnetic fields, and radiation encountered in industrial radio frequency and microwave heating applications present a potential hazard. Persons entering the effective area or radiation escaping the technical installation due to faulty shielding can lead to localized internal and/or superficial overheating of tissue, resulting in specific types of burns and scalds, with potentially very severe impact.

An electric arc—whether from welding or arc flash fault conditions—will, in addition to the significant amount of heat, emit a broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. The emitted spectrum encompasses the visual and ultraviolet light ranges. This intense radiation can affect a person’s health and safety through effects on the eyes (actinic conjunctivitis) and skin (similar to sunburn).

Non-Electrical Effects of the Use of Electricity In many applications, the use of electricity can introduce specific non-electrical hazards. This is not, as such, a property of electricity. Any other source of energy to power the application (compressed air, steam, combustion engines, et cetera) can introduce the same or similar hazards. A few examples of such hazards are: • •

•

Moving parts and mechanical forces resulting from them, especially in case of unexpected start-up Malfunction of apparatus, machinery, or control systems due to, for instance, over or under voltage, EMI/EMC issues, or static discharges, leading to unintended actions.

Failure of critical systems due to power outage, e.g. life support systems or critical safety systems

To design a safe product, installation, or application requires a firm understanding of what constitutes safety.

Communications concerning safety requires clear and unambiguous definitions of a number of concepts and terms. Table 2 gives an overview of some essential terms when discussing electrical safety.

The distinction between risk and hazard is of particular importance in the context of electrical safety.

The hazard associated with a person coming into contact with a high-power electrical supply, either directly or indirectly, is clear and very severe: potential death through electrocution. This hazard is governed by the rules of physics and cannot be removed unless replacing the high-power source by a very low power source is an option.

The probability of a person coming into contact with the electrically energized parts of a system can be substantially influenced by appropriate design.

Thus, the risk associated with the electric power system is made greater or smaller through design and construction.

What level of risk is tolerable or acceptable is a notoriously difficult question, in every engineering domain. For the electrical engineering domain, most national authorities have established specific sets of rules governing electrical safety. In such a context, it can be assumed that an electrical system that meets the legal requirements is sufficiently safe. Country specific differences do exist between the various rules and regulations. The general approach is however quite similar for the vast majority of countries. The level and method of enforcement of the governing rules is a noteworthy exception to this general observation.

Proper design of an electrical system can reduce the risk associated with the use of electricity to an acceptable level.

To achieve the goal of a safe electrical system, the design effort needs to identify and account for all of the existing hazards. Design strategies should aim to either reduce the possible consequences or reduce the probability of occurrence of hot surfaces, incendiary sparks, electrification of persons by direct or indirect contact, et cetera.

Various risk reduction strategies can be envisaged: • Reduction of voltage levels • Avoid contact by screens, guards, and shields • Conductor sizing to limit temperature during normal operation

Table 2 – Terms and definitions in the domain of electrical safety Term Safety Risk Hazard

Definition Freedom from unacceptable risk [ISO/IEC Guide 51] Combination of the probability of occurrence of a hazard and the severity of that hazard Potential source of harm

Tolerable risk

Risk which is accepted in a given context based on the current values of society

Residual risk

Risk remaining after protective measures have been taken

Electrical hazard

Potential source of harm when electric energy is present in an electrical installation

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• •

Detection and elimination of fault conditions Limiting exposure by decreasing the time the hazardous conditions remain present Other strategies

equipment generating the extra-low voltage must be reliable. An unreliable voltage source experiencing occasional voltage surges would still be quite dangerous.

• One only needs to imagine the consequences of contact coinciding with a voltage surge to grasp the necessity for voltage surges would still be quite dangerous. One only needs to imagine the consequences of contact A wide array of standard design solutions for electrical reliability and fault tolerance of the voltage source. coinciding a voltage surge to grasp thethese necessity for reliability and fault tolerance of the voltage source. systems has with evolved over time.

Virtually all of standard solutions incorporate elements of one or more To distinguish between various levels of reliability, two ofTothese risk reduction strategies. voltage systems for safety related distinguish between various levels of reliability, twotypes typesofofextra-low extra-low voltage systems for safety related application are defined; all other types are referred to as application are defined; all other types are referred to asfunctional functional but not safety related ELV systems: but not safety related ELV systems: In this section, a number of widely used technical design • Safety extra-low voltage (SELV) system  are Safety extra-low (SELV) system solutions discussed.

The voltage main angle of approach Electric system in which the voltage cannot exceed the is how design contributes to electrical safety.

Where valuethe of value extra-low voltage voltage Electric system in which the voltage cannot exceed of extra-low appropriate, indications of specific benefits and possible ◊ under normal conditions and underlinked normal limitations and o trade-offs to conditions appropriateand design ◊ under single fault conditions, including earth o under single fault conditions, including earth faults in other electric circuits solutions are given. faults in other electric circuits • Protective extra-low voltage (PELV) system  Protective extra-low voltage (PELV) system Extra-Low Voltage Systems: SELV, PELV (FELV) Electric system in which the voltage cannot exceed the system in which thedepends voltage on cannot exceed of extra-low The effect Electric of an electrification incident valuethe of value extra-low voltage voltage the current going human body. When ◊ under normal conditions and o through under the normal conditions and the electrical power source has a limited voltage, then by under single fault conditions, except earth faults o under single fault conditions, except earth◊ faults in other electric circuits application of Ohm’s law it is immediately clear that the in other electric circuits  willFunctional voltage (FELV) problem • Functional extra-low voltage (FELV) current be limited extra-low as well. The most difficult in applyingAny thisother principle is determining the appropriate Any other circuit that or does notcircuit. fulfill extra-low-voltage circuit that does not fulfill theextra-low-voltage requirements for an SELV PELV resistance value for a human body. (Note: trying to the requirements for an SELV or PELV circuit. Although Although the FELV part of a circuit uses an extra-low voltage, it is not adequately protected from measure the human impedance by applying a voltage the FELV part of a circuit uses an extra-low voltage, it is contact higher voltages in othernot parts of the circuit.

Therefore, the protection to personsaccidental volunteering as testwith subjects is not without adequately protected from accidental contact with danger.) requirements for the higher voltage have to be higher voltages in other parts of the circuit.

Therefore, applied to the entire circuit. the protection requirements for the higher voltage have Based on scientific research and international to be applied to the entire circuit.

A SELV system needs protective separation from all conventions, the IEC (International Electrotechnical SELV PELV non-SELV has or adopted non-PELV systems, andaresimple Commission) standard values that L1 considered sufficiently safe. separation from all PELV systems, protective earth,

and all other SELV systems.

A typical arrangement for Extra-low voltage (ELV) is defined as a voltage not implementing a SELVvoltage systemlimit is the of RMS a safety exceeding the relevant of 50use V AC and 120 V DC (ripple free) Also known as band I defined in separation transformer providing galvanic separation IEC 60449. from the mains supply, with voltage output Incharacteristics a dry skin condition, extra-low voltage can be and withinthisthe ELV voltage limits, assumed safe to touch, for an indefinite period of time. offering adequate isolation between primary and Thus, the SELV and PELV systems aim to reduce the secondary windings insulation, protective risk resulting from direct (double contact with current carrying parts by reduction of the that safe screen, et cetera).

Theconsequences. output circuitNote is floating (not to touch does not automatically imply comfortable to referenced to earth) to avoid influence from earth touch. These limit values are also referred to as absolute faults in other A separate transformer is conventional touchsystems. voltage limits. used for each SELV system.

L2 L3 PE

PE

PE L N

Figure 2 – Typical SELV/PELV circuit configuration

Figure 2 – Typical SELV/PELV circuit configuration

A SELV system needs protective separation from all non-SELV or non-PELV systems, and simple separation However, in wet skin conditions, lower voltage levels from all PELV systems, protective earth, and all other need to be observed since the contact resistance is SELV systems. A typical arrangement for implementing a A PELV system needs protective separation from all non-SELV or non-PELV systems, but can have connections significantly lowered. In general 25 V AC and 60 V SELV system is the use of a safety separation transformer to is other PELV systems and skin protective earthing. arrangement forseparation implementing a PELV system DC considered safe for wet conditions.

When A typical providing galvanic from the mains supply,is the submerged in water this is further reduced to 12 V AC with voltage output characteristics within the ELV use of a safety separation transformer providing galvanic separation from the mains supply, with voltage voltage and 30 V DC. The reader should note that these wet limits, and offering adequate isolation between primary output characteristics within the ELV voltage limits, and offering adequate isolation between primary and condition values can be different in various national and secondary windings (double insulation, protective secondary windings (double insulation, protective screen, et cetera).

The output be earthed implementations of electrical safety regulations. screen, et cetera).

The outputcircuit circuit can is floating (not and referenced to earth) to avoid influence from earth faults multiple PELV systems can be supplied from the same transformer.

Obviously, if persons can come into contact with in other systems. A separate transformer is used for each a reduced voltage electrical system, the technical SELV system.

Typical arrangements for realizing a SELV or PELV system are supply from batteries, dedicated combustion engine driven generators, solar panels, galvanically separated switched mode power supplies, among others.

IIEE.ORG.PH VOLUME XLV 2nd ISSUE 2016 | 45 Adequate reliability of the output voltage levels must be incorporated in the design.

TECHNICAL A PELV system needs protective separation from all nonSELV or non-PELV systems, but can have connections to other PELV systems and protective earthing. A typical arrangement for implementing a PELV system is the use of a safety separation transformer providing galvanic separation from the mains supply, with voltage output characteristics within the ELV voltage limits, and offering adequate isolation between primary and secondary windings (double insulation, protective screen, et cetera).

The output circuit can be earthed and multiple PELV systems can be supplied from the same transformer.

Typical arrangements for realizing a SELV or PELV system are supply from batteries, dedicated combustion engine driven generators, solar panels, galvanically separated switched mode power supplies, among others.

Adequate reliability of the output voltage levels must be incorporated in the design.

Typical arrangements for implementing FELV systems are autotransformers, non-galvanically separated power electronics, and potentiometric voltage dividers.

The nature of all ELV systems makes them less suitable for high-power applications. The low voltage levels require elevated currents to transmit power, which can prove notoriously difficult to harness.

Typical applications of SELV are welding (exposure of the welding operator to the metal), specific medical applications in hospital operating rooms (protecting the patient from electrification requires very stringent electrical separation), and power supply to devices for use in high electrification risk environments (such as metal enclosed confined spaces and those near water basins). Typical applications of PELV are various control systems, in particular machinery control circuits constructed to EN-IEC60204-1.

Grounding, Protective Earth, and Earth Connection Systems The protective earth concept aims at reducing the risk resulting from indirect contact. The basic intent is to avoid elevating the electrical potential of the casing of an electrical apparatus to a dangerous voltage level with reference to the earth surface. If the voltage between the apparatus casing and the floor on which a person is standing cannot reach dangerous levels, then electrification risk due to indirect touch is eliminated.

In an ideal world, a (close to) zero impedance connection between the conductive housing of a device and the earth would solve all indirect touch issues. Unfortunately, the earth does not come readily equipped with a low impedance connection terminal. Creating a real world earth connection is cumbersome: earth rods driven into the soil, buried earth plates or (meshed) cabling underneath building foundations are some of the technical solutions. The impedance of real world earth

connections is highly dependent on local conditions. In good circumstances, relatively low values in the range 5 to 30 Ohms are easily reached. Bringing the impedance down to acceptable levels can be challenging in more difficult environments such as dry sandy ground or mountain bedrock.

The question of what constitutes an acceptable impedance value of a protective earth connection has no readily available answer. The main factors in determining acceptable impedance levels are: • The earth connection system used (IT, TT, TN see Briefing Paper Earthing Configurations, Paul De Potter, Cu0101 for more information on these systems) • Type of protective system used (fuses, circuit breaker, residual current device in TT or TN earthed networks, insulation monitor in IT earthed networks) • Power supply type (single phase, tri-phase, et cetera) and voltage level (low voltage, high voltage) • Cable design calculation results such as operational current, expected prospective short circuit current, cable cross section, et cetera • Environmental conditions with respect to exposed persons (wet or dry, persons in close contact to, or isolated from, conductive structures, et cetera) The basis for achieving an appropriate level of safety in an IT earthed network is the interruption of the current loop by the isolation of the power supply, thus preventing dangerous currents from flowing through a person touching a device housing containing compromised insulation. Such a fault condition needs to be detected and resolved as soon as possible, since the occurrence of a second fault elsewhere in the network can have serious, even deadly consequences. This explains the need for a continuous insulation monitoring system in such a network. In general, the electrical system can be allowed to continue operation during faultfinding and repairs, which is the main advantage of the IT system.

The basis for achieving an appropriate level of safety in a TN network is the well-defined earth fault current (fully-engineered return path) of sufficient magnitude to operate the short circuit protective system virtually instantly, thus selectively switching off the device or network branch containing an earth fault. This is discussed further in the section on Short circuit and overload protection. Once the faulty circuit is switched off, the indirect touch hazard is eliminated. In particular cases (e.g. extend cable runs), the design calculations can indicate a diminished earth fault current, thus compromising the basis for safety. In this event, the design engineer has to provide a resolution using either modified cable sizing or the introduction of a residual current device.

To be continued on the next issue.

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