Selected work
Explore MAX’s guides to distribution-substation equipment and power flow, circuit-breaker feeder cable sizing, and vacuum circuit-breaker current chopping. These articles show the range of electrical topics covered in his published work.
Latest from MAX
Neutral Switching and Protection: Linked Poles, Isolation and Safe Boundaries
“Can a breaker or switch be installed in the neutral?” has no useful worldwide yes-or-no answer. A separate neutral pole operating with the line poles is different from…
Neutral Conductor Sizing: When a Reduced Neutral Is Not Justified
The neutral conductor is not inherently smaller than the phase conductors. In a balanced three-phase linear load, fundamental-frequency phase currents cancel at the neutral point. In an installation…
MV Transformer Feeder Cable Sizing: A 20/3.3 kV Calculation Workflow
An MV transformer feeder cannot be sized from transformer MVA and an ampacity table alone. First identify which winding the cable serves; then establish insulation duty, route-specific thermal…
Marine Terminal Blocks: Corrosion, Vibration and Connection Verification
A corrosion-resistant marine terminal block is not a complete corrosion-resistant connection. The contact system, conductor preparation, cable support, enclosure and operating environment must work together. Selection should start…
Substation Energy Metering: CT/VT Scaling and Commissioning Checks
Accept substation energy metering only after verifying the chain from primary conductors through instrument transformers and meter configuration to the reported energy register. Correct CT/VT ratios do not…
SPD Selection for TN, TT and IT Earthing Systems
Select a surge protective device from the earthing arrangement at its actual connection point, not from the supply voltage alone. Identify the available conductors, the voltage between each…
MCB Tripping Causes: A Safe Diagnostic Path Before Resetting
An MCB trip is a protection event, not permission to install a larger breaker. First identify which device operated, when it operated and what changed on the circuit.…
Ferroresonance in Transformers and VTs: Evidence, Diagnosis and Mitigation
Suspect ferroresonance when a switching event leaves a credible interaction between nonlinear magnetic excitation and system capacitance, particularly under a lightly loaded or unusual phase configuration. Confirm the…
86 Lockout Relay Design: Trip Matrix, Close Blocking and Reset Authority
An 86 lockout function retains a protection action until an authorized reset. Design it by specifying which causes latch it, which equipment it trips, which closing paths it…
Pluggable Terminal Blocks for LED Driver Maintenance: A Safe Interface Review
A matched pluggable terminal interface can make an LED driver easier to replace without repeatedly disturbing every field-wire termination. The benefit exists only when the connector, driver, LED…