1. 20 Engineered Systems APRIL 2016
By Timothy Oergel, Ph.D.
Circuit breakers go digital
GUEST COLUMN
In general, we’ve made so many existing platforms
“smart” in other industries (e.g., computers, phones,
cars, and household appliances), but we’ve neglected
the very thing that powers all the rest — electricity. In
simple terms, we still manage and operate the electrical distribu-
tion system through antiquated mechanical, thermal magnetic-
based types of equipment. It’s an approach that, in essence, has not
changed in the past 100 years but may finally be ready to join the
21st century.
Atom Power is an energy technology company formed in 2014.
They immediately started developing circuit breaker technology
that utilizes digitally controlled solid-state components incorpo-
rated into what became a new product called the Atom Switch. The
Atom Switch is a “digital” circuit breaker that provides all of the
functionality of a traditional circuit breaker but is software-driven,
allowing operators to dynamically change its characteristics.
“We have the analytics and controls over everything else,” states
Ryan Kennedy, founder/CEO of Atom Power, LLC. “Electricity got
left out. Circuit breakers, through which electricity is distributed,
open with a switch and close with a switch — purely mechanical.
Their characteristics cannot be altered.”
THE DIFFERENCE IN FACILITIES
Isn’t it our collective responsibility to make risk mitigation a priority?
Let’s consider this from the perspective of safety and performance.
Most infrastructure systems have an electrical distribution sys-
tem within the building, and they have an incoming utility service
that is typically protected by a series of circuit breakers that “trip”
or interrupt the flow of electricity in the event of a power overload,
commonly referred to as a “short circuit.” Many of these com-
mercial buildings have multiple branch circuit breakers that feed
everything from the step-down transformers to support the entire
spectrum of equipment, from the HVAC system to the racks and
servers, to the lights and receptacles.
When the circuit breaker is slow to respond to a short circuit,
huge amounts of energy are released, with risks that include fires,
explosions, and personal injury. Imagine having a facility that has
circuit breakers that can communicate and self-coordinate. Better
yet, imagine the breakers being “self-aware” and preventing fault
currents before they occur. With the hardware and software tightly
integrated, this type of switch is extremely fast, operating over
16,000 times faster than mechanical circuit breakers. It is able to
manipulate the ampacity, thereby mitigating short circuit and arc
flash hazards (700 nanoseconds to be exact!).
“Using the Atom OS software platform, the Atom Switch can be
controlled for different ratings at any time. The Atom Power team
is currently developing their breaker ratings range from 20 amps up
to 4,000 amps,” Kennedy explained at a recent closed-door confer-
ence in Charlotte, NC.
ATCC AWARD
This “Disruptive-Technology” was formally recognized by the
Allied Testing and Commissioning Council, and AATC Univer-
sity presented the 2016 Gold Heart Award to Kennedy for the
efforts of his organization to support the future of the mission
critical industry. ES
When the circuit breaker is slow to respond to
a short circuit, huge amounts of energy are
released, with risks that include fires,
explosions, and personal injury. With the
hardware and software tightly integrated,
this type of switch is extremely fast, operat-
ing over 16,000 times faster than mechanical
circuit breakers. It is able to manipulate the
ampacity, thereby mitigating short circuit
and arc flash hazards.
A presenter from ES standby power webinars spots a promising
development in critical power management.
Dr. Tim Oergel is the founder/CEO of AATC University
and serves as the Chief Academic Officer of Educa-
tional Affairs and Services. In this position, he promotes
global academic and educational innovation at the
Advancing Achievers Technology
University by combining data cen-
ter, mission critical, social network-
ing, and evidence based instruc-
tion to drive profitability and better
student outcomes. He is also the
COO of Cx Testing Services.
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