Milestones:Electronic Quartz Wristwatch, 1969 and Milestones:Nelson River HVDC Transmission System, 1972: Difference between pages

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Nelson River HVDC Transmission System, 1972

IEEE Winnipeg Section, Dedication: 3 June 2005

On 17 June 1972, the Nelson River High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system began delivery of electric power. It used the highest operating voltage to deliver the largest amount of power from a remote site to a city. The bipolar scheme gave superior line reliability and the innovative use of the controls added significantly to the overall system capabilities. Finally, the scheme used the largest mercury arc valves ever developed for such an application.

The two plaques may be viewed at either Manitoba Hydro's Radisson and Henday Station (Nelson River),Manitoba, Canada, or at Manitoba Hydro's Dorsey Station, Rosser, Manitoba, about 26km northwest of Winnipeg, Canada.

The Province of Manitoba is situated in the center of Canada, immediately north of the Midwest United States. The Nelson River, located in the province, was up until the early 1960s an untapped resource for hydroelectric power. To provide electricity to the growing demand of the province, the government decided to tap into this abundant resource. Approximately 4,000 MW of generating capacity w as developed, 3,600 MW of which was hydro. Most of the hydro generation is located in the northern portion of the province. Quite remote from the load center in the south, Manitoba's two largest generating plants, Kettle Rapids and Long Spruce, with a combined capacity of 2200 MW, are located in the north.

More than 550 miles of transmission lines from the Kettle Generating Station to Winnipeg were constructed. Power is generated in alternating current (ac) and converted to direct current (dc) for economical reasons. Direct current was chosen because it loses less power and is more stable. Also, dc lines are 2/3 less expensive than ac lines.

To support the dc transmission line, over 3,900 guyed towers and 96 self supporting towers had to be constructed. One of the challenges of establishing this transmission line was the varied terrain and the presence of permafrost, which existed in some areas at 30ºF to 32º F (-1ºC to 0ºC), making the foundation subject to a reduction in soil strength and settling of up to 3 feet (1 meter).

The output of these plants (Kettle and Long Spruce) is then transmitted from Radisson and Henday Converter Stations (ac to dc) , via the Nelson River dc line, more than 600 miles (965 km) southward to Dorsey Station, located near Winnipeg. Initial DC service was established in 1972 and expanded to match generation additions, bringing the present total transmission capability to 2 , 500 MW.

The significance of this low-voltage line lies in the fact that for the first time two HVDC bipoles were paralleled and deparalleled using high voltage high-speed switches, the system being unique in the sense that Bipole 1 uses mercury arc valves while Bipole 2 comprises second generation thyristor valves.

A bipolar transmission line is defined as having two conductors consisting of one positive pole and one negative pole, which normally operate at equal current. The term bipole refers to the conversion equipment in the converter stations at both ends of Manitoba Hydro's HVDC transmission lines.

The other major advantage of the HVDC system is very low electric rates, one of the lowest in North America.

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-== Electronic Quartz Wristwatch, 1969  ==
+== Nelson River HVDC Transmission&nbsp;System, 1972  ==
-[[Image:Electronic Quartz wristwatch Japan.jpg|thumb]]
+[[Image:Nelson River HVDC System.jpg|thumb]][[IEEE Winnipeg Section History|IEEE Winnipeg Section]], Dedication: 3 June 2005&nbsp;
-[[IEEE Tokyo Section History|IEEE Tokyo Section]], Dedication: 25 November 2004&nbsp;
+''On 17 June 1972, the Nelson River High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system began delivery of electric power. It used the highest operating voltage to deliver the largest amount of power from a remote site to a city. The bipolar scheme gave superior line reliability and the innovative use of the controls added significantly to the overall system capabilities. Finally, the scheme used the largest mercury arc valves ever developed for such an application.''
-''After ten years of research and development at Suwa Seikosha, a manufacturing company of Seiko Group, a team of engineers headed by Tsuneya Nakamura produced the first quartz wristwatch to be sold to the public. The Seiko Quartz-Astron 35SQ was introduced in Tokyo on December 25, 1969. Crucial elements included a quartz crystal oscillator, a hybrid [[Integrated Circuits|integrated circuit]], and a miniature stepping motor to turn the hands. It was accurate to within five seconds per month.''
+'''The two plaques may be viewed at either&nbsp;Manitoba Hydro's Radisson and Henday Station&nbsp;(Nelson&nbsp;River),Manitoba, Canada, or at Manitoba Hydro's Dorsey Station, Rosser, Manitoba, about 26km northwest of Winnipeg, Canada.'''
-'''The plaque can be viewed at the Seiko Institute of Horology, 3-9-7, Higashi-Mukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan.'''
+The Province of Manitoba is situated in the center of Canada, immediately north of the Midwest United States. The Nelson River, located in the province, was up until the early 1960s an untapped resource for hydroelectric power. To provide electricity to the growing demand of the province, the government decided to tap into this abundant resource. Approximately 4,000 MW of generating capacity w as developed, 3,600 MW of which was hydro. Most of the hydro generation is located in the northern portion of the province. Quite remote from the load center in the south, Manitoba's two largest generating plants, Kettle Rapids and Long Spruce, with a combined capacity of 2200 MW, are located in the north.
-The principle of quartz timekeeping had been known since Warren Marrison developed his first quartz clock in the 1920s. Research toward its practical utilization took place in Switzerland, the United States and Japan, the major task for scientists and engineers being how to miniaturize the mechanism. Among them, the development of the quartz wristwatch by the Seiko group was a pioneering work, and the following are key historic events.
+More than 550 miles of transmission lines from the Kettle Generating Station to Winnipeg were constructed. Power is generated in alternating current (ac) and converted to direct current (dc) for economical reasons. Direct current was chosen because it loses less power and is more stable. Also, dc lines are 2/3 less expensive than ac lines.
-. Research engineers at Seikosha factory, Suwa City, Japan, had conceived the idea of applying quartz technology to develop a new type of chronometer, and they succeeded to manufacture a practical quartz timepiece in1958 for use at a broadcasting station (CBC, Chubu Broadcasting Corporation) in Nagoya, Japan. However, it was still the size of a filing cabinet and it was obviously impossible to carry it.
+To support the dc transmission line, over 3,900 guyed towers and 96 self supporting towers had to be constructed. One of the challenges of establishing this transmission line was the varied terrain and the presence of permafrost, which existed in some areas at 30ºF to 32º F (-1ºC to 0ºC), making the foundation subject to a reduction in soil strength and settling of up to 3 feet (1 meter).
-. In 1959, Suwa Seikosha embarked on a quartz timepiece development mission called the "59A Project". This led to the creation of the marine chronometer, a clock that became Seiko's first entry in the Neuchatel Observatory Chronometer Competition in 1963.
+The output of these plants (Kettle and Long Spruce) is then transmitted from Radisson and Henday Converter Stations (ac to dc) , via the Nelson River dc line, more than 600 miles (965 km) southward to Dorsey Station, located near Winnipeg. Initial DC service was established in 1972 and expanded to match generation additions, bringing the present total transmission capability to 2 , 500 MW.
-. In February 1964, a commercial version of the clock, called the crystal chronometer, was produced and it was successfully used when Seiko served as the official timing for the Tokyo Olympics that year. Subsequently other small quartz clocks were developed for the driving rooms (cockpits) of the Japanese Bullet Trains, Tokaido Shinkansen, which is also an IEEE Milestone.
+The significance of this low-voltage line lies in the fact that for the first time two HVDC bipoles were paralleled and deparalleled using high voltage high-speed switches, the system being unique in the sense that Bipole 1 uses mercury arc valves while Bipole 2 comprises second generation thyristor valves.
-. In 1967, Suwa Seikosha developed a prototype of quartz wristwatch and entered the Neuchatel Observatory competition for the first time with quartz wristwatch.
+A bipolar transmission line is defined as having two conductors consisting of one positive pole and one negative pole, which normally operate at equal current. The term bipole refers to the conversion equipment in the converter stations at both ends of Manitoba Hydro's HVDC transmission lines.
-. Eventually Suwa Seikosha took a totally new approach from consumers stand point of view to develop [[Quartz Watch|quartz watches]]. After the extensive effort of engineering team and production factory, they finally succeeded in developing a practical quartz wristwatch type 35SQ (product name: SEIKO Quartz Astron) and it was first sold by K. Hattori &amp; Co., Ltd. (present-day Seiko Corporation) on Christmas Day 1969. Within one week of the introduction, 100 18-karat gold watches had been sold, at a retail price of $1,250.
+The other major advantage of the HVDC system is very low electric rates, one of the lowest in North America.
-This quartz watch is accurate to plus or minus five&nbsp;seconds a month, or one minute per year. Its quartz crystal oscillates at a rate of 8,192 cycles per second, replaces the hairspring, the balance wheel, and the escapement in a mechanical watch. The watch’s movement has an electronic divider with an integrated circuit. It is powered by a miniature battery, which is made of silver, will last more than a year. Seiko's production and commercialization of this consumer type wristwatch stimulated the succeeding developments of both an improved and an advanced types of watches and clocks accelerating the transition from a mechanical to an electronic world, bringing a new age when everyone can hold an exact time conveniently. This was really the innovation in daily life of public and also innovation in manufacturing industry.
 == Map ==
-{{#display_map:35.713322, 139.809265~ ~ ~ ~ ~Seiko Institute of Horology, Tokyo, Japan|height=250|zoom=10|static=yes|center=35.713322, 139.809265}}
+{{#display_map:54.218428, -97.613096~ ~ ~ ~ ~Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada|height=250|zoom=10|static=yes|center=54.218428, -97.613096}}
-[[Category:Computing and electronics|Wristwatch]] [[Category:Oscillators|Wristwatch]]
-[[Category:Computing_and_electronics|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Energy|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Power_engineering|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:High-voltage_techniques|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Power_generation|{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Power_distribution|{{PAGENAME}}]]