what could u have done different to make it up to mark!

[KatyLied P.E.]

My experience with the April 2014 showed me that it really helped to have extensive experience with the design and maintenance of a typical utility electrical grid. If I had not had that experience I would have been at a loss. I know that may sound like an obvious statement due to the nature of the PE. However the previous times I took the test it seemed to focus more on the theoretical. Having said that there are several texts which focus on maintenance of transformers, breakers, etc. I have copies somewhere between my attic and work and if find them I'll be glad to post titles. Sorry won't be able to loan out or sell. Finally, word to the wise, be careful about being overly specific on questions.

 

[knight1fox3]

My experience with the April 2014 showed me that it really helped to have extensive experience with the design and maintenance of a typical utility electrical grid. If I had not had that experience I would have been at a loss. I know that may sound like an obvious statement due to the nature of the PE. However the previous times I took the test it seemed to focus more on the theoretical. Having said that there are several texts which focus on maintenance of transformers, breakers, etc. I have copies somewhere between my attic and work and if find them I'll be glad to post titles. Sorry won't be able to loan out or sell. Finally, word to the wise, be careful about being overly specific on questions.

I'd be interested in said text titles. +1 on watching what you post regarding exam content.

 

[KatyLied P.E.]

Listed below are references for your reading pleasure. Some of these might prove useful if you have limited experience in the actual design/maintenance of a utility electric grid:

Electrical References Transformers and Power Equipment - Anthony Pansini - Excellent, practical info on power equipment (transformers, breakers, fuses, meters, relays, etc.). As I'm looking I realize I'd forgotten how good this book is. Most of this stuff I know from having worked around it but if I'd remembered I would have taken this book in the test for moral support. Pansini has other good books too. His titles are worth Googling or Amazoning.

A Guide to Transformer Maintenance - J.J. Kelly, S.D. Myers, R. H Parrish - The bible of transformer maintenance. if you were marooned on a desert island, surrounded by the natives, their test equipment, and associated instruction manuals you would have no trouble in setting up their transformer maintenance program. I don't even know if they publish the book anymore but S.D Myers (the company) has a website devoted to transformer training.

Electric Power Engineering handbook/Leonard Grigsby and Electric Power Transformer Engineering/James Harlow - These are published by CRC Press. Their site is worth investigating for several other good titles also.

If I only bought one it would be the Pansini book. Supplement that with internet searches. In fact, if there are exam questions that stumped you I'd Google the heck out of them. The other books are good but, aside from building up your personal library, might be TMI. Your choice. To quote Edward R. Murrow, "Good night and good luck". (Google if you don't know who I'm talking about. His story is worth reading.)

 

[KatyLied P.E.]

I meant "Transformers" not "References" in the Pansini title. Too many beers. Too late at night. :40oz:

 

[PEoct]

I meant "Transformers" not "References" in the Pansini title. Too many beers. Too late at night. :40oz:

haha good one

 

[J-Dubbs]

Another thing I was caught off guard by was the transformer cooling questions with abreviations OA/FA/FOA. None of my books had anything on this so finding a good transformer design book will also be a good idea. Wildi, Grainger, and Chapman didn't have anything on this topic. I also have the Glover book and it lacked this info too.

There was really an exam question on the cooling method for a power transformer? Seems very application specific and not really focusing on core concepts.

Believe it or not, there were several questions similar in nature to this one. Specific applications seemed to be the name of the game this time around, and the idea of "core concepts" was thrown completely out the window.

Also, be careful guys. Getting awfully close to to discussing specific exam questions in here.

 

[Ship Wreck PE]

I took the October 2013 power exam and I am sure my score was real close. But I remember a few questions straight out of the Granger power systems book. They were out of left field, but I looked in the index and went to page listed and the answer was word for word.