Delivery Systems

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Blackout

A blackout is a total power outage on a portion of the electric grid. In some cases the term is used synonymously with “power outage.”

Blowdown

A blowdown is the purposeful venting of natural gas to the atmosphere during well operations and/or during pipeline operations or maintenance to …

Branch circuit

A branch circuit is an electrical circuit within a customer facility that goes from a breaker in the main service panel to serve a specific amou …

British thermal unit (Btu)

A British thermal unit, or Btu, is a common measurement of the energy and is often used to express the amount of energy contained in a quantity …

Brownout

A brownout is a situation where a utility delivers power to a customer at a voltage that is lower than what is considered acceptable under norma …

Bulk electric system (BES)

The bulk electric system (BES) comprises multiple generators and storage facilities that connect into the high-voltage transmission system as we …

Burner tip

The burner tip is the point in the natural gas delivery system where the gas is consumed. Often it is generically used to indicate once the gas …

Busbar

A busbar, commonly called a bus, is a metallic bar or tube that is used to conduct electricity in generator switchyards, substations, and in hig …

California ISO (CAISO)

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is a regional transmission organization that manages the flow of electricity across the high- …

Calorimeter

A calorimeter is a device used for measuring the amount of heat involved in a chemical reaction or other process.

Capacitor

Capacitors are installed at various points on distribution systems and in certain customer facilities to help increase power factor, which is th …

Capacity (electricity)

Capacity refers to the maximum amount of power available from an electric resource or the maximum capability of an electric device to transmit p …

Capacity (natural gas)

In the natural gas industry, capacity measures the capability of a well, processing plant, pipeline, storage facility, or LNG facility to provid …

Capacity factor

Capacity factor is a quantity that describes how fully the capacity of a given power plant is utilized.

Capital expenditure

Capital expenditures refer to money spent to buy or build assets with a life longer than one year.

Cathodic protection

Cathodic protection is used to avoid corrosion in buried metal pipes by making the pipe the cathodic side of an electrochemical cell. It is comm …

Centralized generation

Centralized generation, also sometimes called utility-scale generation, describes electric power plants that connect to the transmission grid (a …

Centrifugal compressor

Centrifugal compressors use centrifugal force to compress gas by feeding it into a wheel, or impeller, with radial vanes that accelerate the gas …

Chromatograph

A chromatograph is a device that separates and identifies chemical compounds by passing a gas through columns containing beads that selectively …

Circuit

A circuit is an intentional close-looped path through which electrons move to provide energy.