Estimating the cost of power quality
Article Abstract:
Estimating the cost of power interruption can demonstrate the advantage of backup power supplies. Equations to calculate costs appear in the IEEE 466-1987 standard Orange Book for power-interruption costs. Estimators first figure the costs of power interruption per incident, including loss of productivity and scrap. Estimators should include employees' rate of pay and overhead, cleanup costs, equipment damage and restart time. Estimators should also consider loss of opportunity such as interest payments. Companies can then compare the estimates with the costs of improvements. Groups of companies could use their estimates to figure the loss caused by power interruptions to their industry. Costs to service and commercial sectors should be figured instead by estimating the probability of power interruption, the number of commercial facilities in the US and the average energy used per year.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1993
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Quality of life takes the spotlight
Article Abstract:
It is easy for biomedical practitioners to be so overwhelmed by the capabilities of new medical devices to sustain life that they fail to consider the effect of the devices on the quality of a patient's life. The use of heart pacemakers is cited as an example of a technology that extends the lifespan of thousands of people each year, but which must be able to respond to a variety of situations to allow patients an active, productive lifestyle. Rate-sensitive pacemakers sense body motion, increasing the heart rate as body motion increases, but they can be fooled to increase the rate when travelling over a bumpy road, for example, or to keep the rate low when riding a stationary bike. Also described are techniques intended to allow medical diagnosis without surgery and devices that restore some hearing to those who have lost it.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1991
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Acoustic System Takes Snapshots of Wind
Article Abstract:
The Doppler Acoustic Sounder developed by AeroVironment uses pulses of sound and antennas to record wind characteristics. The wind data is converted into graphics and illustrated in color. The system is useful at airports, power plants, refineries, and smelters for air pollution control.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1984
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