| Finepoint's 19th Annual Circuit Breaker Test & Maintenance Training Conference October 1-5, 2012 Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
In 1994 Finepoint inaugurated the annual Circuit Breaker Test & Maintenance Training Conference, the electric power industry's premier event for substation/switchgear maintenance personnel. Participants receive practical training from users' perspectives, learn factory authorized test and maintenance procedures, network with their peers, and view cutting-edge products at the supplier exhibits each evening at the Hospitality Expo. The conference provides attendees, speakers, and exhibitors with a high quality, low key opportunity to exchange information with their peers and learn from the experts.
Many conference topics focus on medium and high voltage circuit breakers. However, related substation and switchgear topics such as power transformer maintenance, oil testing and filtration, SF6 gas handling, safe work practices, and asset management issues are also covered. Finepoint's objective is to provide useful, unbiased, non-commercial, and positive information that can be immediately applied to substation and switchgear maintenance work. One unique aspect of the conference is that most speakers are the electric utility and testing company delegates themselves, not suppliers.
The five-day conference begins the first Monday of each October with a welcoming reception that evening. The factory day is on Tuesday. The expo of supplier exhibits debuts Tuesday evening and is also open to participants Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The conference presentations and training seminars are scheduled each year on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please view our agenda for current information about the 2012 conference.
Future conference dates and locations are October 7-11, 2013 in Atlanta GA and October 6-10, 2014 in Pittsburgh PA.
The full day at a circuit breaker manufacturing plant has been a unique feature of the conference since 1996. Participating manufacturers are ABB (Greensburg/Mt. Pleasant PA in 1996, 2000, 2005, 2007, and 2010), Alstom Grid (Charleroi PA in 1997, 2001, 2006, 2008, and 2012), HVB AE Power Systems (Suwanee GA in 2004 and 2009), Mitsubishi (Warrendale PA in 1998, 2002, and 2008), Pennsylvania Breaker (Canonsburg PA in 2007),and Siemens (Jackson MS in 1999, 2003, and 2011). Please note that invitations to participate in the factory day event are given at the discretion of our factory day host.
The 2012 Factory day host will be Alstom Grid who is hosting for the fifth time. Alstom Grid is an industry leading manufacturer of high voltage circuit breakers with R&D, manufacturing and service facilities located in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. The Charleroi factory is the Alstom Grid Center of Excellence for research and development, testing, and manufacturing of dead tank circuit breakers for worldwide distribution. Alstom Grid has been manufacturing circuit breakers for over 100 years and has been present in the US for over 40 years under names such as Cogenel, AEG, GEC Alsthom, Areva T&D, Delle, English Electric, and Sprecher & Schuh. Visit www.alstom.com/grid for further information.
For information and photos regarding ABB's 2010 Factory Day, click here to be directed to their press release.
The venue for Finepoint's 19th Annual Circuit Breaker Test & Maintenance Training Conference will be the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With a blend of classic sophistication and modern elegance, this renowned hotel has served as Pittsburgh's premier hotel since 1916. John F. Kennedy, Lawrence Welk and guests from around the world have been captivated by the opulence, striking beauty and charming presence of this Historic Landmark. And with a recent hotel restoration, Finepoint has chosen this enchanting hotel to host its conference once again.
For each of the three evenings, The Expo begins in the two-tier Grand Ballroom with its dramatic decor. The hours of this well-planned event pass by quickly as the participants continue browsing throughout the entire 17th floor familiarizing themselves with each supplier exhibit. The flow of traffic, down each exhibit-filled hallway and then maneuvering into each of the four adjoining rooms cleverly spaced with more exhibits, makes every evening of The Expo pass by comfortably for its attendees. Graciously decorated tables and seating in each of the exhibit areas offer the opportunity for discussions and meetings among the participants, exhibitors and speakers in a relaxed, down-home atmosphere. Complimentary food stations and bars are scattered throughout the entire 17th floor to highlight this unique venue.
The industry's "Top 100" manufacturers and suppliers will exhibit their products and services. With nine hours of exhibit time, this conference provides participants with an unparalled opportunity to get to know their substation/switchgear equipment suppliers.
In addition to more than a dozen presentations, each year the conference features two half-day training seminars at no additional charge. The 2012 conference will include seminars of vital interest to the electric utility industry. The "Circuit Breaker Lube by Number" seminar is on Wednesday afternoon, October 3, and the "Air Disconnect Switch Maintenance" seminar is on Friday morning, October 5.
Approximately half of the circuit breaker failures worldwide can be traced to lubricant degradation, improper selection, or misapplication. The "Circuit Breaker Lube by Number" seminar will examine the act of lubrication on nine different surface contact points common to circuit breakers. Lubrication products and application methods for each of these surface contact points will be subsequently discussed with regard to their possible effect on maintenance interval and equipment reliability. The seminar is designed for Electricians, Engineers, Technicians, Managers, Specialists, Foremen, Planners and Instructors, and will present a simplified systems approach to lubrication planning, selection and implementation. It will be co-presented by Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones and lubricants, and FirstPower Group, the channel distributor/repackager for Molykote specialty lubricants used in the power and utility industry. FirstPower Group will also be exhibiting at the Hospitality Expo each evening during the conference and information about them can be found at FirstPower Group.
There are over 750,000 disconnect switches in the U.S. alone in various states of disrepair. Pascor Atlantic's lineage includes R&IE, ITE, Ghould, Brown Boveri and ABB, and their 102 years of service to the electrical industry has provided them with unique opportunities to help many customers with their disconnect switch maintenance needs. Pascor Atlantic's Paul "PJ" Catron will delve into the advantages of bringing older equipment back to "like new" condition, and cover telltale signs to look for in your substations that indicate refurbishment is needed. He will perform the actual procedure on a set of live parts, cover all the materials required, and provide insights on how to avoid missteps to ensure a smoothly run refurbishment project. This is a training experience that can save your company real dollars by choosing refurbishment in lieu of total equipment replacement. Pascor Atlantic will also be exhibiting at the Hospitality Expo each evening during the conference and information about them can be found at Pascor Atlantic.
Are you planning to attend the conference and want to get more out of your training investment? Megger is hosting a free pre-conference Substation Maintenance Best Practices Seminar at the Omni on Monday, October 1, from 9 AM to 4 PM. The seminar will address many of the critical and costly aspects of substation maintenance. The interactive sessions will feature practical presentations on current methods and practices to help ensure the reliability of high voltage circuit breakers and power transformers. Participants of this training seminar will improve their skills, share insights, and learn from Megger's technology specialists as they share their expertise by addressing many of the challenges seen in the electric power industry today. Megger will also be exhibiting at the Hospitality Expo each evening during the conference. Separate registration is required for this seminar. Visit Megger Pre-Con Seminar to register.
Cleaveland/Price, a leading manufacturer of motor operators and disconnect switches with ratings to 345 kV, is opening its doors to Finepoint registrants (no vendors or competitors, please) for a pre-conference facility tour on Monday, October 1. Bus pick-up at the Omni is scheduled for 11 AM and bus return at 4 PM. The Cleaveland/Price plant is the most vertically integrated manufacturing operation of any US switch manufacturer. Visitors will see how switch parts are fabricated and assembled, and will learn how Cleaveland/Price applies lean manufacturing techniques in switch production. Their lean manufacturing approach was one basis for acceptance into the Green Suppliers Network. The tour will include demonstrations on how switches are tested to ANSI Standards and show the results of their on-going R&D efforts. Cleaveland/Price will also be exhibiting at the Hospitality Expo each evening during the conference. Separate registration is required for this tour. Visit Cleaveland/Price Pre-Con Tour to register.
Alliant Energy is a public utility holding company serving more than 1.4 million customers in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The company has an internal four-year substation apprenticeship program that relies significantly on the Finepoint Conference. If Mike Welsh of Alliant Energy had his choice of only one conference to send his company's apprentices to, it would be Finepoint's Circuit Breaker Test and Maintenance Conference. In fact, it is the main conference that Alliant's apprentices and journeymen attend for training and for continuing education. "We feel the amount of knowledge that comes from the presenters and the conference in general make it useful as a training facility" said Welsh, the substation electrician foreman at Alliant. "It's the best one around the country we have found; Finepoint covers the gamut of everything inside the fence - everything that deals with substations." Each year the conference host asks for feedback in order to serve the attendees. Bill Myers, the president of Finepoint, continues to move the conference forward by listening and responding to suggestions. As a result, Alliant has been sending people to the conference for many years. Welsh said that they appreciate the total access to the session speakers. "They have the people there to answer your questions."
Knowledge about circuit breakers declines at most electrical utilities each year because of people in the industry retiring and because of the extended maintenance intervals of equipment, according to Charles Currin, senior engineering technical support specialist for Progress Energy. That's why Currin attends the Finepoint Circuit Breaker Test and Maintenance Training Conference. He has attended 13 of the 18 past Finepoint conferences and was a speaker in 2009. His current role is in the Asset Management Department, Component Engineering Unit, serving as the transmission breaker component engineer for the Carolinas and Florida transmission grids for 69 kV and above voltage class equipment. His responsibilities include the development and implementation of maintenance procedures and programs, equipment repair and troubleshooting information, technical guidance and support to field maintenance organizations and other engineering units. Currin says that many of the people he has met at the conference have become friends who are not only resources of information in the industry, but also people he can call on in times of need. He highly recommends the conference to all of his colleagues. Currin says, "This conference is a good tool for enhancing your breaker skills, learning about breaker issues, maintaining your breaker assets, and collaborating with other utility employees. You need to be willing to look and ask for information from other attendees. Interaction with peers is the biggest source of information at any conference. The nightly exhibits sponsored by various vendors offer great opportunities for interaction and conversation as an added benefit."
Bob Sicker is a major equipment supervisor at FirstEnergy and has attended 10 conferences to learn more about his field of expertise, transmission substation maintenance. In 2006 he was on the other side of the podium as a speaker at the conference. Bob does not usually do presentations at conferences, but he likes the focus of the Finepoint Conference. He started out as a substation maintenance engineer in 1980 at The Ohio Edison Company now a part of FirstEnergy. He spent a lot of time in the field, and eventually progressed to supervisor. FirstEnergy is headquartered in Akron, Ohio, and is the nation's fifth largest investor-owned electric system, serving 4.5 million customers within 36,100 sq miles of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. "My area of specific interest is substation major equiment, particularly breakers and transformers, and this is one conference geared specifically to that equipment," he said. "Probably 80% of the topics are circuit breakers, and the rest are transformers or related equipment." He says that broader-based seminars try to "be everything to everybody" and so there are always several subjects that don't interest him. He can maximize his time at the Finepoint Conference because the topics are on target, and the vendors are focused on the same subjects. "It's where I generally update my card index every year because the majority of the breaker manufacturers are there, and the related companies or test equipment and services are all there at one place at one time. I recommend this conference to anyone in the utility industry who has involvement with transmission substations, because it is focused on that and because of the utility people that you will meet."
The nuclear side of the electric power industry is represented at the Finepoint Conference. Dennis Hudson, nuclear maintenance supervisor at Duke Energy, has attended six of the conferences and has presented papers on circuit breaker timing. He is one of the maintenance supervisors of a crew responsible for the inspection, maintenance, and repair of the Duke Energy nuclear switchyards' HV circuit breakers, GSU and auxiliary transformers, bus, switches and associated switchyard apparatus. He has attended several other conferences and says that "the Circuit Breaker Test & Maintenance Conference is by far the most informative conference available and has been since 1994." One of the greatest benefits of the conference for him is that many of the people attending the show are field technicians who have the hands-on expertise. He said that much information is shared among the technicians from various utilities worldwide. "I've spent many hours in the evening after the presentations, networking, swapping stories and sharing tricks of the trade, so to speak," he said. But the best attribute of the conference is the information presented in the sessions, according to Hudson. He feels the presentations are understandable and the knowledge can be applied to his own maintenance practices. "Never, have I failed to bring something back from this conference that I can't apply to my job." Hudson continues to attend the conference whenever possible even though it is held in the fall, the busiest time of year for nuclear stations. Duke's nuclear stations are in refueling outage, and the plant-related apparatus maintenance has to be performed during shutdown.
The Finepoint Conference serves anyone in the electric power industry who operates, maintains, or manages substation and switchgear assets, particularly the rural electric utilities. Dale Thompson, substation construction and maintenance superintendent for the Minnkota Power Cooperative, has attended the conference 10 times in the past several years. Thompson is responsible for the maintenance on all of the transmission and distribution substation equipment at Minnkota, a regional generation and transmission cooperative serving 11 member-owner distribution cooperatives. Minnkota's service area of 34,500 square miles is located in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The conference program is geared toward the equipment that Minnkota owns, according to Thompson. "It is an excellent program," he said, and Minnkota usually sends several people to the conference each year. The Circuit Breaker Conference is often the only one that Dale attends. "One of the best things about the conference is meeting the other people from across the country. The vendors are great, also." In fact, one year Thompson and his colleagues from Minnkota discovered, from a vendor, sources for old parts of a breaker that they didn't know existed. Thompson said he will continue to attend the conference in the future. "It's a great service to the electrical industry."
ElectricEnergyOnline.com is planning to again power the Circuit Breaker Test & Maintenance Training Conference eNewsletter. It will be sent via e-mail to more than 50,000 Electric Energy subscribers, conference attendees, and exhibitors.
Electricity Today magazine has been the Official Show Guide for the Finepoint Conference for many years. Electricity Today, a CCAB audited publication, is published 9 times a year by The Electricity Forum (a division of the Hurst Communications Group Inc.), the conference management and publishing company for North America's electric power and engineering industry. It is distributed free of charge to electric utility personnel and electrical consulting engineers across Canada and the United States, providing up-to-date information and timely articles on topics relevant to today's electrical power industry.
Since 1916, the Omni William Penn Hotel has captivated guests with its striking beauty and charming elegance. The two-tier Grand Ballroom with dramatic balconies is a unique Hospitality Expo venue. Please make your hotel room reservation directly with the Omni, the conference host for all events, by calling 412-281-7100 and requesting the Circuit Breaker Conference special group rate of $205 per night. We encourage all participants to stay at our host hotel for convenience and maximum networking benefit. Visit Omni Hotels to book your room on-line.
Copyright © 2012, Last Revised 2/5/12