Westinghouse Electric

About: Westinghouse Electric is a company organization based out in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Brake & Signal. The organization has 27959 authors who have published 38036 publications receiving 523387 citations.

Generating an integrated graphic display of the safety status of a complex process plant

Abstract: The real time actual and reference values of parameters pertinent to the key safety concerns of a pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant are used to generate an integrated graphic display representative of the plant safety status. This display is in the form of a polygon with the distances of the vertices from a common origin determined by the actual value of the selected parameters normalized such that the polygon is regular whenever the actual value of each parameter equals its reference value despite changes in the reference value with operating conditions, and is an irregular polygon which visually indicates deviations from normal otherwise. The values of parameters represented in analog form are dynamically scaled between the reference value and high and low limits which are displayed as tic marks at fixed distances along spokes radiating from the common origin and passing through the vertices. Multiple, related binary signals are displayed on a single spoke by drawing the associated vertice at the reference value when none of the represented conditions exist and at the high limit when any such condition is detected. A regular polygon fixed at the reference values aids the operator in detecting small deviations from normal and in gauging the magnitude of the deviation. One set of parameters is selected for generating the display when the plant is at power and a second set reflecting wide range readings is used the remainder of the time such as following a reactor trip. If the quality of the status, reference or limit signals associated with a particular vertice is "bad", the sides of the polygon emanating from that vertice are not drawn to appraise the operator of this condition.

High-Speed Distance Relaying Using a Digital Computer I - System Description

Abstract: An experimental general-purpose process-control digital computer system provides high-speed phase-and ground-distance fault protection of one 230 kV transmission line. The stored program performs all of the relaying functions using the output of an analog-to- digital converter which reads the instantaneous value of the power- system currents and voltages. Model line tests described in a companion paper (II -Test Results) form the basis for preliminary performance evaluation. An automatic oscillograph and diagnostic programs will allow a study of field performance.

Circuit breaker with protection against sputtering arc faults

Abstract: A circuit breaker includes an electronic trip device which responds to sputtering arc-type faults. Level detectors compare the current in the protected circuit to a plurality of threshold levels and timers time the intervals that the current remains above each threshold, with the threshold levels and intervals selected to generate a response envelope for a trip signal which approximates, with a selected margin, the response of the protected circuit to introduction of a selected inductive load such as the starting of a motor into the circuit. If the sensed current falls below a threshold level which was being timed, the associated timer is not cleared unless the current falls below the lowest threshold, so that if the sensed current increases above the associated thresholds timing resumes where it left off, and a trip signal wall be generated sooner than for an initial excursion above the threshold. Both analog and digital timer implementations are presented.

Interpretation of range measurements for kilovolt electrons in solids

Abstract: The maximum range of electrons, as distinguished from the extrapolated or practical range, has been measured in Al, Ni, Ag, and Au for electron energies between 1.0 and 10.0 kev. The technique utilized involves the detection of the onset of penetration through freely supported evaporated films by observation of the current collected in a $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ geometry. The range defined in this manner may be compared with the predictions of stopping theory, with little influence of scattering processes. The results show no significant $Z$ dependence of the exponent in the range-energy relation, in agreement with results at higher energies. Some indications exist for an increasing value of the absolute range with increasing $Z$ when expressed in mg/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$, in accordance with the theoretically predicted decrease in stopping power for heavier elements. The results are compared with recent measurements using the onset and decline of luminosity in a phosphor layer to define the range, which leads to a strong $Z$ dependence of the range-energy relation in the oppasite sense to that observed by absorption techniques. It is shown that the differences in results may be traced to the nature of the detecting technique. The luminescence detector is sensitive to the total energy carried by the penetrating electrons in excess of a certain critical value rather than to their number.

Extinction of an A-C. Arc

Abstract: The transition from high conductivity to high resistivity which an a-c. arc undergoes on extinction is studied. Theory and approximate calculations are given for the rate of recovery of dielectric strength of the arc space for short arcs, and results are given of experiments on short arcs, and arcs in holes and slots in insulating material and insulating plates. The influence of chemical activity in arc gases is discussed. Factors contributing to the success of the a-c. oil circuit breaker are suggested.