Keith Nelson regularly acts as a consultant to numerous industrial
and
legal interests requiring analytical, design and diagnostic services,
particularly
in the physical phenomena underlying the operation of power system
equipment.
-
Forensic Engineering
-
It is not always
obvious why electric power equipment fails. Uncovering
the mechanism of failure is usually of paramount importance:
-
To initiate corrective design modifications.
-
To assign responsibility in cases of legal litigation.
Analytical services, tear-down analysis, field and laboratory tests are
all techniques employed, where appropriate, in this process.
- Dielectric Design
With 30 years of
experience in the design of structures to withstand high
electric stress, Keith Nelson is in a position to undertake and advise
on design tasks to optimize the use of modern materials by applying a
variety
of stress mitiaging techniques. All such design inevitably involves
some
compromise as a result of the constraints of the particular situation
and the selection of appropriate materials. These issues not only apply
to high-voltage situations, but are also applicable to high stress
situations brought about by miniaturization such as occurs in the
medical field.
Finite element analysis is used extensively to assess prevailing
stress
magnitudes and distributions so as to be able to compare design
strategies.
This can be done at various levels of sophistication.
- High-Voltage Technology
Having managed a large high-voltage facility and a short-circuit
testing
laboratory, a wealth of experience exists to provide consulting
services
on the generation, measurement and utilization of D.C., A.C. and
impulses
voltages, including fast pulse-power facilities. This includes safety
aspects,
RFI shielding, and the analysis of pulse forming networks. Partial
discharge
detection and other non-destructive techniques (i.e. acoustic and
optical) are of particular importance.
Electrostatic Phenomena
Although electrostatics, as a discipline, can trace its roots back
to
the year 600 BC, in recent years numerous applications relying on
electrostatic
phenomena have been commercialized. This has been fueled primarily by
advances in materials science. At the same time, electrostatic
discharge
problems have emerged which require control. Dr. Nelson has been a
leading
figure in aspects of both of these areas for nearly 20 years. This
results
from his position as a principal investigator on programs to develop
advanced
electrostatic precipitator technology, and to understand and mitigate
streaming
electrification in large power transformers. This has also involved the
development of experimental methods and instrumentation.
- Diagnostic Instrumentation
Financial investments in large power equipment coupled with the
availability
of cheap computing power has made it very attractive to use
computer-based
diagnostic techniques to apply artificial intelligence to determine the
state of equipment. Considerable experience has been obtained in
assessing
the state of an insulation systems through the analysis of partial
discharge
signatures and the use of acoustic probes.
These methods have also proved valuable in schemes for predicting
maintenance
needs, end-of-life determinations and for optimal control. Dr. Nelson
holds
patents in some of these areas.