Dictionary of Electrical Engineering

Commonly used terms in the Electrical industry.

fault tree
the identification and analysis of conditions and factors that cause or contribute to the occurrence of a defined undesirable event, usually one that significantly affects system performance, economy, safety, or other required characteristics.
fault-tolerant control system
a system that exhibits stability and acceptable performance in the presence of component faults (failures) or large changes in the system that resemble failures.
frequency regulation
the change in the frequency of an unloaded generator with respect to its frequency in a fully-loaded state. Typically applied to small, isolated power systems such as emergency power units.
fulgurite
a vitrified tube of fused sand created by power fault arcs or lightning strikes to sandy soil.
full load amperage (FLA)
a value, found on the nameplate of an induction motor, indicating the expected current drawn by the motor when operating at rated voltage and load.
full-load amperage
the current measured at the input of an electrical apparatus which has a rated variable at the output. The full-load amperage is also defined as a value that permits the system to operate in a safe condition if it is equal to the rated value. The full-load amperage is equal to the rated value if and only if the voltage is at its rated value. The full load is defined with the electrical power in the case of transformers, generators, or power electronics converters and it is defined with the mechanical power for electrical motors.
full-load speed
the speed of a motor that produces rated power when operating at rated voltage and, for AC motors, frequency.
full-load torque
the torque of a motor that is producing rated power at rated speed.
full-wave analysis
the rigorous computation of electromagnetic fields without approximations (apart for numerical discretization) is often referred to as full-wave analysis.
full-wave control
both the positive and negative half cycle of the waveforms are controlled.
full-wave rectifier
a device that passes positive polarity portions of a signal and reverses negative polarity portions of an AC signal. Ideally, for a sinusoidal input vi(t) = Vm cos(ωt), the output of an ideal full-wave rectifier is vo(t) = |Vm cos(ωt)|.
gas insulated switchgear
circuit breakers and switches whose primary insulation is compressed gas.
ground fault interrupter
a protective device used in commercial and residential wiring which monitors equipment connected to an electrical outlet and shuts off the power when a ground fault in the equipment is detected.
ground fault neutralizer
an inductor connected between the neutral of Y windings of a generator or transformer and ground. It is tuned to the machine's capacitance so as to minimize ground fault current.
ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)
a device designed to detect ground-fault current above a threshold value (several milliamperes) and then interrupt the source of electrical power by opening a circuit breaker or a set of contacts. GFCIs are designed for personnel protection and are generally available in the form of circuit breakers and receptacles.
harmonic load-pull measurement
a measurement method where transfer characteristics of a device at the fundamental
frequency can be measured by electrically changing the load impedance at harmonic frequencies.
impulse
a unit pulse.
See impulsive transient
impulse breakdown
a test of electrical insulation in which lightning or switching impulses are applied.
impulse generator
(1) an electronic device delivering single pulses of various shapes, preferably square.

(2) a high-voltage trigger generator.
impulsive transient
a rapid frequency variation of voltage or current during steady-state operation in which the polarity is mostly unidirectional.
Powered by The Filipino Engineer