FW: Would anyone be interested?.... ,
 Martin,

Any thoughts on this project?

Vince

 -----Original Message-----
From: =09Mihura, Brian =20
Sent:=09Thursday, August 16, 2001 8:17 AM
To:=09Kaminski, Vince J
Subject:=09Would anyone be interested?....

Greetings Vince!
=09During the brief idle moments we have here in the lab, I have been ponde=
ring yet another possible project.  We have built sensor boards and written=
 programs to calculate the current flow along High Voltage Direct Current l=
ines, the type that form the Western Inter-tie.    There are six of these l=
ines to the west, i.e. to the WSCC  - four between WSCC and MAPP and two be=
tween WSCC and SPP.  It would seem to me to be valuable to know when there =
there power supply differences between these NERC regions and when power wa=
s flowing between them.  (In this case, directionality is no problem.  For =
once there is actually something flowing!)  Of course if this is useful, th=
e project could expand to other inter-regional zones.  HVDC lines exist in =
the northeast between the large Canadian hydro projects and the metropolita=
n cities in New England.  Globally, there are several large grids being for=
med - one in Scandinavia, one in North Africa, an East Russian/Chinese syst=
em and a Russian/Korean/Japanese system.  Naturally these have to connect i=
nternally with DC lines as there are power frequency, power reliability and=
 power control differences between each of the generating countries.
=09You are the first person that I have told about this.  I didn't want to =
get anyone, especially my immediate supervisors, excited about a technology=
 that I wasn't ready to provide.  I know that once I say that we could do i=
t, the powers that be will want it NOW.  If you think that there is a marke=
t for this imformation I'll sneak out some weekend and collect a bit of dat=
a.  The nearest HVDC inter-tie is just north of Dallas so testing it would =
only take a day or two.  I am currently juggling two running chainsaws, a r=
abid dog and three vial of hepatitis so one more item in the mix won't make=
 much of a difference at this point.  If no one needs to info, I'll just pu=
t the hardware and software on the shelf.

p.s.  Gina and I would like to take you out to lunch or dinner soon to a Sa=
rdinian restaurant.  Let us know when you would be free.  ( Your wife is in=
vited, of course!)
martin.lin@enron.com