IEEE Standards Association
January 2012 | In This Issue
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Hot Off The Presses
Putting Fiber Optic to Work In Nuclear Power Safety
Managing One of the Most Complex Electrical Systems On Earth...Or Sea
Giving Hydro Systems a Name That’s More Than a Name
Standard Specifies the Structure of Proof That Underlies a Software Assurance Claim
Updating Standards for the Transformers You (Don’t) See Everywhere
Featured Standard
Fast, flexible and resistant to many types of stress that can impact copper wiring, fiber optic cable is well-suited for use in nuclear power facilities. But that doesn’t mean it can be taken for granted. In an environment as critical as nuclear power safety systems, it’s important to have clear standards and methods for testing and evaluating the use of any component.
That’s what IEEE 1682™-2011, Standard for Qualifying Fiber Optic Cables, Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems in Nuclear Power Generating Stations, sets out. It provides specific directions for the implementation of IEEE 323™-2003 for qualification of fiber optic cables, including hybrid cables, connections and optical fiber splices for use in safety systems of nuclear power generating stations. This includes requirements, directions, and methods for qualifying fiber optic cables, connections, and optical fiber splices.
The use of fiber optic in nuclear power stations is growing. Utilities, plant owners and regulators will all benefit from the assurance that clear standards for its use will provide.
Purchase IEEE 1682™-2011 now! 
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Newly Published Standards
Managing One of the Most Complex Electrical Systems On Earth...Or Sea
A skyscraper that floats, a power plant that also houses and protects those who use it... a ship today is all of these things, as complex a piece of machinery as any on earth. With complexity and the growth of technology comes the need for specificity and focus in addressing the design and installation of shipboard components such as electrical systems. Which is why IEEE is taking the existing standard, IEEE 45™, for electrical installations on shipboard, and dividing it into a top-level document and six sub-documents each addressing specific aspects of shipboard systems.
IEEE 45.2™-2011, Recommended Practice for Electrical Installations on Shipboard Controls and Automation, establishes recommendations for controls, control applications, control apparatus, and automation on shipboards, reflecting present-day technologies, engineering methods and engineering practices. The audience for this standard reflects a truly global range of parties—from ports and shipping companies, to off-shore exploration and production facilities, to the U.S. Navy and other navies around the world.
Giving Hydro Systems a Name That’s More Than a Name
One of the most valuable things the power industry does is learn from itself. The sharing of knowledge on subjects from consumption to disaster prevention benefits everyone, from utilities to consumers. But one of the things that can complicate this communication is irregular naming conventions that can reflect anything (geographic location, installation dates, etc.) and convey little to outsiders.
IEEE 807™-2011, Recommended Practice for Unique Identification in Hydroelectric Facilities, seeks to provide a unique identification system for hydro facilities that segregates and incorporates plant, unit, system and component identifiers as a minimum. The system is structured to allow expansion of identifiers in a standard format to any level of detail that may be required.
This recommended practice can be used as a unique identification system to delineate failure reporting, maintenance management, and design. Utilities, generation plants and hydroelectric facilities will all benefit from a naming convention that conveys information instantly wherever it is used.
Standard Specifies the Structure of Proof That Underlies a Software Assurance Claim
As software grows ever more complex, it can be hard to know what programs or systems are even promising to do—let alone whether they can do it. An assurance case is a kind of regularized format for establishing that a system or a product sets out to fulfill certain expectations or requirements. Somewhat like a mathematical proof, it builds its case a step at a time, so that assurance of the top-level claim at the end is built on the evidence and systematic argumentation that establish the subordinate claims underlying it.
IEEE 15026-2™-2011, Standard Adoption of ISO/IEC 15026 Systems and Software Engineering — Systems and software assurance—Part 2: Assurance Case, specifies minimum requirements for the structure and contents of an assurance case. This part of ISO/IEC 15026 does not place requirements on the quality of the contents of an assurance case—only on their existence in a particular format. While several notations and slightly varying terminologies are currently used in practice, this part of ISO/IEC 15026 does not require the use of a particular terminology or graphical representation. Likewise, it places no requirements on the means of physical implementation of the data, including no requirements for redundancy or co-location.
Standardizing this format will aid in the development and adoption of software-intensive systems that must meet certain critical requirements.
Updating Standards for the Transformers You (Don’t) See Everywhere
At one point in a documentary about the cartoonist Robert Crumb, he’s shown snapping photos of the phone poles and power lines in an alley. He explains that they’re the kind of background detail that no one ever looks at—but which everyone will know if he draws them inaccurately. Overhead-type distribution transformers are one of the most common pieces of equipment in America, yet no one really sees them there, hanging on poles. Only utilities and their manufacturers pay any attention to making them safer and more efficient.
IEEE C57.12.20™-2011, Standard for Overhead Type Distribution Transformers, 500 kVA and Smaller: High Voltage, 34 500 Volts and Below; Low Voltage, 7970/13 800Y Volts and Below, covers certain electrical, dimensional, and mechanical characteristics and safety features of single- and three-phase, 60 Hz, mineral-oil-immersed, self-cooled, overhead-type distribution transformers 500 kVA and smaller, high voltages 34 500 V and below and low voltages 7970/13 800Y V and below. It’s intended for use as a basis for determining the performance, interchangeability and safety of overhead-type distribution transformers and to assist in the proper selection of this equipment.
Utilities and manufacturers alike will benefit from updating this standard to the latest referenced documents and standards, reflecting enhancements in efficiency and safety for this ubiquitous, yet largely unnoticed, piece of our power grid.
Get your copy of IEEE C57.12.20™-2011 now!
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New issue of the IEEE Standards Education e-Magazine now available
The First Quarter 2012 issue of the IEEE Standards Education e-Magazine focused on Smart Grid standards is now available. Find articles on standards and education, Smart Standards for the Smart Grid, Flexible Education for Smart Grid, detailed updates on Smart Grid Standards activities and much, much more.
The IEEE's Standards Education eZine is a free publication for those who learn, teach, use, deploy, develop and enjoy Standards! Read the latest issue.
IEEE Standards Power & Energy Dictionary App Now available
An Application for your iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch®. Professional experts and students alike will gain an in-depth understanding and appreciation for the wide range of IEEE power & energy standards' terms and definitions—not found in any other single source.
- Over 3,500 terms and definitions
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IEEE-SA Overview – A Video
Collaboration can accelerate the pace of technological innovation. IEEE-SA encourages collaboration through the development of standards in many industries. Our consensus-driven approach delivers benefits to all who participate.
Opinions presented by the speakers in this video are their own, and not necessarily those of their employers or of IEEE.
Crash-Free Commutes
There are about 33 000 traffic deaths annually in the United States and 39 000 in European Union countries. Ninety percent of roadway deaths could be avoided simply by making cars smarter, according to Alberto Broggi and Azim Eskandarian of the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society. Their solution: Get rid of the drivers and let the cars drive themselves. Read the complete article.