It’s National Engineers Week! At Seattle City Light, we have more than 240 engineers working to improve our power system and communities.
From fixing equipment to advancing new technology, our engineers help improve our grid each day. Engineers play an important role in keeping the Seattle area powered and ready for the future.
Let’s look at some of their recent work.
A stronger system at East Pine Substation
At the East Pine Substation, our engineers recently replaced an old transformer. The new transformer, which weighs 125 tons, improves capacity, safety, and earthquake resilience.
“A large power transformer replacement requires contributions from a team of engineers to ensure a safe and reliable installation,” Electric Power Systems Engineer Hans Guttman said.
This project team included:
- Electrical engineers designed the transformer to fit into the existing electric grid.
- Civil engineers upgraded the oil system to prevent spills.
- Structural engineers reinforced the foundation. They also added features to keep the transformer safe during earthquakes.
The new transformer will be energized in March as part of a larger plan to update Seattle’s power infrastructure.
Designing better power poles
Our engineers are also improving how we design and replace wooden power poles. Power poles support the electrical wires that keep the city running. The Wood Pole Design team has made designing power poles faster and more accurate.
Over the last two years, they’ve replaced more poles than planned by using advanced tools like:
- 3D Design Software (Computer-Aided Design) helps the team predict how poles will handle conditions like wind and ice.
- Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) devices capture precise measurements and can measure poles even after engineers leave the site.
A major improvement was drafting the work themselves. “Drafting our own sketches allows us to get exactly the design we want without all the back-and-forth that was previously required,” said Joint Use Wireline Supervisor Jonathan Nyhuis. This change helps the team replace poles faster and keep our power system more reliable.
Building more electric vehicle charging stations
City Light engineers are helping build more public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. A new charging station recently opened at the Town & Country Market in Shoreline. Design Engineer Katrina Alexander helped bring the Shoreline project to life. She calculated transformer sizes, specified materials, and prepared designs to guide crews.
The project required creative problem-solving from our engineers, such as rerouting cables when an older underground conduit couldn’t be used.
“The crew made it work, as they always manage to do,” Katrina said.
Thanks to Katrina and our engineers, the EV chargers are now operational.
Using smart technology to improve reliability
Distribution automation technologies are important to improving grid reliability. An example is FLISR: Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration. FLISR detects problems on the power grid, isolates the issue, and restores power by rerouting energy. All of this is done remotely. This technology can bring back power in minutes instead of hours.
In the last ten years, FLISR projects have prevented longer outages for more than 10,000 customers. The latest FLISR system at the Creston Nelson Substation went live last October. It delivered immediate results.
“Within two days, it prevented over 3,000 customers from experiencing sustained outages,” Engineer Ryan Pham shared.
Thank you to our engineers!
City Light engineers are always working to improve our power system, making it safer, more reliable, and ready for the future. Thank you to all our engineers for everything you do!
If you want to make a difference, think about becoming an engineer. You could one day join the City Light team and help power a brighter future for our region.
Happy Engineers Week!