As part of a recent purchase agreement, Argus Technologies was contracted to provide 125Vdc power system training and introduce switch mode modular rectifiers to the technologists and technicians of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. The training course was to cover their new Argus DC power systems, that had been ordered to replace their large monolithic type rectifiers in use for over a decade. They were ready to try new technology and this was the first time Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro would be using a modular DC rectifier system for this application.

These training sessions would span one week and cross the western, northern, and eastern parts of Newfoundland. The itinerary included three days of training: Stephenville, Bishop’s Falls and Whitbourne, with a day for travel between each location.

My adventure began Sunday morning on November 18, with a couple of long connecting flights to Newfoundland that would have me arriving at 1 a.m. NDT in Deer Lake. The final leg of my journey was a 135 km drive from Deer Lake to Stephenville. The drive to the hotel alone took approximately two and a half hours in pitch-black conditions while dodging patches of black ice on the road.

The next morning, I met with some NFL Hydro technicians and engineers for breakfast and a few needed cups of coffee. We then traveled together to the first training location in the Stephenville office.

The power system training course consisted of both theoretical and practical sessions covering Cordex™ 125V 4.4kW rectifier, Cordex™ 125V controller and the Cordex™ software. The practical format had students performing various tasks on a working power system. Each student had the opportunity to perform a specific task with their actions projected onto a large screen so the other trainees could monitor and help during the exercises. At the end of the first training session the most common comment was that the “this modular system was too easy to use and service”.

The next day, I traveled by car to the city of Grand Falls – Windsor near Bishop’s Falls. It was approximately a four-hour drive in clear but very cold conditions. Training at this location was similar in format to the Stephenville location but for an added challenge of a snowstorm that day.

My last day of training started with another four-hour drive to St. John’s. The snow from the storm the day before had cleared from the roads, but a heavy layer of fog had replaced the snow near the coastline. My destination was about one hour outside of St. John’s to the Whitbourne office of Newfoundland Hydro. By the end of the day, we had completed another successful training session.

The technicians and technologists in the training sessions felt confident in the knowledge that had been transferred about the 125V Cordex System and were eager to try the new systems in the field.