An Introduction to Exterior Electrical Power Distribution

J. Paul Guyer, P.E., R.A., Fellow ASCE, Fellow AEI

Course Outline

1.  INTRODUCTION
2.  ELECTRICAL POWER REQUIREMENTS
3.  DESIGN CRITERIA
4.  DIRECTIONAL BORING
5.  BEST PRACTICES – GENERAL ELECTRICAL POWER REQUIREMENTS

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

Upon completion of this course you will:

• Learn guidelines for selection of primary voltage;
• Learn about main electric supply station;
• Learn how design utilization electric supply stations differ from main electric supply stations;
• Learn about primary unit substations to distribute underground medium voltage circuits;
•  Learn design criteria for secondary unit substations;
• Learn guidelines for design and installation of pad-mounted transformers;
• Learn about medium voltage switchgear;
• Learn about application of pad-mounted sectionalizing termination cabinets;
• Learn application and limitation guidelines for power factor correction or to minimize line losses;
• Learn “best practices” for exterior electric power distribution;
• Learn criteria for overhead power distribution lines;
• Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of copper versus aluminum conductors for exterior electrical power distribution;
• Learn when and where to apply surge arrestors;
• Learn the fundamentals of fuse protection; and
• Learn about underground electrical distribution systems.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for electrical engineers and other design and construction professionals wanting an introduction to exterior electrical power distribution systems.

Benefit for Attendee

This course will give electrical engineers and others an introduction to planning and design of exterior electrical distribution systems.

Course Introduction

This is an introduction to the standards and practices for planning and design of exterior electrical distribution systems.

About Course Author

Paul Guyer is a registered mechanical engineer, civil engineer, fire protection engineer and architect with over 35 years experience in the design of buildings and related infrastructure.  For an additional 9 years he was a senior-level advisor to the California Legislature on infrastructure and capital outlay issues.  He has designed and supervised the design of hundreds of construction projects requiring the preparation of detailed working drawings and specifications for federal, state and local public agencies and private companies.  He is a graduate of Stanford University and has held numerous national, state and local positions with the American Society of Civil Engineers and National Society of Professional Engineers.

Course Content

The course content is contained in the following PDF file:

An Introduction to Exterior Electrical Power Distribution

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

This course will give you professional tools that will allow you to better understand the equipment, materials and design for exterior distribution of electrical power.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

---

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

---