Utilities, +4
Utilities
Woolsey Fire: Electrical Fires, Utility Violations, and Regulatory Outcomes
A loose guy wire caused the Woolsey Fire; later proceedings addressed 26 safety violations, penalties, and utility cost recovery.
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Review of Case Materials
Reviews records, documents, testimony, data, and other relevant materials and consults with counsel regarding technical issues related to the matter.
Provide Expert Analysis
Applies specialized knowledge and experience to evaluate the technical or professional issues involved.
Form Expert Opinions
Develops independent, supportable opinions based on the available evidence and relevant standards.
Prepare Expert Reports
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An arc-flash calculation can be reviewed by examining the electrical system configuration, system voltage, available fault current, conductor or electrode configuration, enclosure characteristics, working distance, protective-device settings, and clearing times used in the analysis. The review should also determine whether the selected calculation method is appropriate for the equipment and voltage range being evaluated and whether its assumptions and input data are supported. Because changes in these inputs can materially affect predicted incident energy, equipment condition may also be relevant when it affects protective-device operation or another calculation parameter. An incident-energy calculation estimates the predicted thermal energy at a specified working distance under the modeled conditions; it does not by itself determine what initiated an arc or whether an arc-flash event was likely to occur.
Yes. Surge analysis can help determine whether electrical records, equipment response, insulation damage, surge-protective-device evidence, and other physical findings are consistent with a transient electrical event or with a failure originating within the equipment. Relevant factors may include circuit configuration, the possible surge environment, available waveform data, equipment withstand characteristics, and competing failure mechanisms. IEEE C62.41.2-2025 provides standardized characterization of surge environments for low-voltage AC power circuits, but matching a standardized surge waveform to observed damage does not establish that a particular historical surge actually occurred.
An electrical converter can operate outside its intended output because of abnormal input conditions, excessive or unsuitable loads, switching-device or passive-component failures, component degradation, overheating, control or feedback problems, protection-system operation, or faults elsewhere in the connected circuit. Relevant evidence may include input and output voltage or current waveforms, switching behavior, component ratings, thermal damage, controller behavior, protection functions, and system records. The investigation should consider the type of converter and its intended operating range because the relevant output characteristics and failure mechanisms vary among rectifiers, inverters, and DC-DC or other power-conversion systems.
Utilities, +4
Utilities
Electrical Engineering, +4
Prepares clear, well-supported expert reports outlining methodology, analysis, findings, and opinions.
Provide Deposition Testimony
Explains findings and opinions under oath and responds to questioning during deposition testimony.
Testify in Court
Presents specialized findings and opinions clearly to judges, juries, arbitrators, or other decision-makers.
Electrical and mechanical causes can be evaluated by correlating voltage, current, commands, winding condition, torque, speed, load, mechanical resistance, temperature, and physical damage. An electrical problem can prevent an otherwise functional mechanical system from operating correctly, while binding, excessive load, or another mechanical problem can increase electrical current and heating in components that initially functioned normally. Because electrical and mechanical conditions can interact, the timing of abnormalities and the sequence of physical damage should be evaluated together rather than assuming that the causes are mutually exclusive.
Electrical Engineering, +4
Utilities
Electrical Engineering, +3
Insurance