Protection Workshop
ReliabilityFirst is hosting a virtual Protection Workshop on Aug. 5, 2026, focused on the practical challenges and emerging trends shaping protection and control of the Bulk Electric System.
This interactive session brings together industry experts to share real-world insights, lessons learned, and applied approaches that participants can leverage in their day-to-day work. Topics include transformer protection challenges, advanced line differential schemes, impacts of inverter-based resources, recent international blackout events, and high-speed system monitoring techniques.
Designed for both early-career and experienced professionals, the workshop provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen core protection fundamentals, explore evolving system conditions, and connect with peers across the industry.
Click here to register!
Intended Audience
The ideas, suggestions and stories shared during this highly interactive, free event are especially relevant for:
- Protection Systems and Communications engineers
- Relay & Control, and Design engineers
- Commissioning engineers
- Substation maintenance personnel
Agenda
| Presentation | Presenter | Time (Eastern) |
| Welcome and introductions | Thomas Teafatiller, RF | 9:00-9:10 AM |
| Case study: Detection of turn-to-turn faults in load tap changer mechanism | Zachary Summerford, Austin Burfield, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) | 9:10-9:40 AM |
| Blackouts in Brazil and Spain: What we can learn | Ricardo Abboud, SEL | 9:40-10:25 AM |
| Break 5 minutes | ||
| Milliseconds matter: Monitoring fast load changes in modern power systems | Richard Kirby, SEL | 10:30-11:00 AM |
| Dependable and secure line current differential protection over packet-based wide-area networks with parallel redundancy protocol (PRP) | Motaz Elshafi, SEL | 11:00-11:30 AM |
| Break 5 minutes | ||
| The effects of renewables and inverter-based resources on effective protection and control of the electric power system | Ellery Blood, SEL | 11:35 AM -12:20 PM |
| Transformer differential tripping on inrush currents | Daniel Zhang, PGE | 12:20-12:50 PM |
| Wrap-up and closing remarks | Thomas Teafatiller, RF | 12:50-1:00 PM |