Applied Science for Facility Ratings
SAM has created a proprietary, patent-pending methodology to help electric utilities comply with FAC 008 guidelines that is as accurate as traditional methods but is safer and more than 10 times faster. With SAM, system-wide facility rating projects can be done in months rather than years.
NERC FAC 008 Compliance
To meet NERC’s FAC 008 guidelines, electric utilities must identify the most limiting component along their entire bulk electric system by recording ampacity for all transmission and generation assets >100kv.
Many firms can collect the data from the plates but lack an affordable way to do the same for the conductors.
In response, SAM created a way to collect the manufacturer’s data for the conductors accurately without climbing and de-energizing lines from up to 400 feet away. SAM can also collect imagery for component data plates with state-of-the-art, ultra-high resolution imaging systems and design LiDAR for modeling and thermal analysis to check component efficiency.
Once collected, the data and methodology are available immediately to clients without delays for in-office additional calculations or processing. We have integrated this methodology into our proprietary application, SAM InspectTM, for data management. In addition, thanks to specialized GIS web forms, the data and documentation are at our client’s fingertips 24/7. Our process has been proven accurate on over 10,000 measurements for clients in the past year.
Applied Science for Facility Ratings Benefits
No interruption to energy flow
1-2 person crew
Conductor diameter within .03” accuracy
More than 10x faster than traditional techniques
Up to 50 measurements per day
Measurements up to 400 ft. away
What We Offer
Rapid Results
- More than 10 times faster than other measurement techniques
- Up to 50 measurements per day by a single crew
- Using proprietary software, results are provided from the field
- Nation-wide rapid deployment
Safe
- No calipers or bucket trucks
- Measurements from more than 400 ft. away from energized line
- No interruption to energy flow
Affordable
- Fraction of the cost to determine ampacity
- 1-2 person crew
Accurate
- Measurements accurate to 0.03 in
- Proven accuracy on 10,000+ measurements
- Certified photogrammetrist QA
- 1,000+ hours of on-site experience
Easy Data Management
- Data available 24/7
- Web-based data storage
- Proprietary SAM InspectTM data management
- Historical data management
Bryan Fitzpatrick, our Business Development Manager, with almost two decades of aviation experience, including nearly ten years at SAM, spearheads the Applied Science for Facility Ratings program. He helped lead the development of SAM’s patent-pending technology that is changing the way utilities inventory their equipment. Reach out to Bryan to learn how SAM can deliver a safer, faster, and more cost-effective way to become NERC FAC 008 Compliant.
Innovation Series: Applied Science for Facility Ratings
SAM’s patent-pending methodology provides a cost-effective, safe, and accurate solution to ensure compliance with NERC FAC 008 guidelines. System-wide facility rating projects can be done in months rather than years. The data we collect is managed on our proprietary application, SAM InspectTM and available to our clients 24/7 via web-based GIS. No one else in the industry has this method or the thousands of hours of on-site experience we do.