July 2, 2011

Electrical Engineering Terms - B

  • Baker Board - A insulated platform used to work above the ground on a pole.
  • Balanced Load - Refers to an equal loading on each of the three phases of a three phase system...
  • Balanced polyphase system - A polyphase system in which both the currents and voltages are symmetrical.
  • Ballast - A device that by means of inductance, capacitance, or resistance, singly or in combination, limits the lamp current of a fluorescent or high intensity discharge lamp. It provides the necessary circuit conditions (voltage, current and wave form) for start.
  • Bandwidth - The data carrying capacity of a transmission path, measured in bits or bytes per second.
  • Bank - A group of electrical devices, usually transformers or capacitors, connected in a way to increase capacity or to inter connect as three-phase.
  • Basic impulse level (BIL) - A reference impulse (voltage) insulation strength expressed in terms of the peak value of the withstand voltage of a standard impulse voltage wave. It is used to express the ability of electrical equipment such as transformers to withstand certain levels
  • Basic Insulation Level - A design voltage level for electrical apparatus that refers to a short duration (1.2 x 50 microsecond) crest voltage and is used to measure the ability of an insulation system to withstand high surge voltage.
  • Battery - A combination of two or more chemical cells connected together electronically to produce electrical energy.
  • Battery Tray - A contained with a base and walls for holding several cells or batteries.
  • Bay-O-Net - A fusing device frequently used to protect transformers and downstream devices. A Bay-O-Net fuse may include a Partial Range Current Limiting Fuse in series with n under oil fuse link.
  • Beacon - In wireless networking, a beacon is a packet sent by a connected device to inform other devices of its presence and readiness.
  • Beam Spread - With regard to outdoor light, the angle between the two directions in a plane in which the intensity is equal to a stated percentage of the maximum beam intensity. The percentage is typically 10% for floodlights and 50% for roadway luminaries.
  • Belt - Refers to a lineman's climbing belt.
  • Bias Current - The current used as a bias quantity in a biased relay.
  • Biased Relay - A relay in which the characteristics are modified by the introduction of some quantity, and which is usually in opposition to the actuating quantity.
  • Bikeway (Lighting) - Any road, street, path or way that is specifically designated as being open to bicycle travel, regardless of whether such facilities are designed for the exclusive use of bicycles.
  • BIL - 1) See Basic Insulation Level. 2) See Basic Impulse Level.
  • Blackout - The complete interrupting of load to an electric utility customer or group of customers.
  • Blowing - The act of installing fiber optic cable into a duct using air pressure.
  • Bluetooth - A wireless computing and telecommunications specification that defines how mobile personal computing devices work with each other and with regular computers and phone systems within a close range.
  • Bonding - The joining of metallic parts to form an electrically conductive path that will ensure electrical continuity and the capacity to conduct any current to be present in a safe manner.
  • Boomer - A lineman that moves from job to job.
  • Boost Charge - A charge applied to a battery which is already near a state of full charge, usually of short duration.
  • Booster Transformer - A current transformer whose primary winding is in series with the catenary and secondary winding in the return conductor of a classically-fed A.C. overhead electrified railway.
  • Breakdown Voltage - The voltage at which a dielectric material fails.
  • Breaker - See "Circuit breaker".
  • Brownout - Refers to a reduction of voltage on the system. This dims the lights as a means of conserving energy.
  • Buck - The act of lowering the voltage.
  • Bucket - A basket or platform that supports one or more linemen attached to a boom of a truck.
  • Bucket Truck - An aerial lift truck used to lift men high enough to work on overhead lines.
  • Building Wire - Conductors and cables used in commercial building construction.
  • Bulb - The outer enclosure of a light source; usually glass or quartz.
  • Bulb Envelope Lighting - The outer enclosure of a light source; usually glass or quartz.
  • Bull Line - Heavy line used to pull wire or cable into a conduit or into an overhead configuration.
  • Bull Wheel - A reel device used to hold tension during the wire installation process.
  • Bunched Stranding - A term applied to a number of wires twisted together in one direction in one operation without regard to their geometric arrangement.
  • Bundle - Multiple cables used to form one phase of an overhead circuit.
  • BURD - Buried Urban Residential Distribution.
  • Burden - Load imposed by an electronic or electrical device on the measured input circuit, expressed in volt-amps.
  • Buried Urban Residential Distribution - Refers to the system of electric utility equipment installed below grade.
  • Bus - A conductor, which may be a solid bar or pipe, normally made of aluminum or copper, used to connect one or more circuits to a common interface. An example would be the bus used to connect a substation transformer to the outgoing circuits.
  • Bushing - An insulator having a conductor through it, used to connect equipment to a power source.
  • Bushing Well - See Universal Bushing Well.
 



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