Rich Brinton finds excitement and satisfaction when he can help a customer solve a real problem and save money at the same time. Since graduating from college he has been involved in introducing new industrial products that solve various issues—which many times never had a solution in the past.
Now Brinton addresses the cable failure problem as vice president of business development at Novinium, Inc., a provider of cable rejuvenation services.
“Utilities are facing mounting cable failures from cables that were installed in the 1970s. They currently do not have the budget, time, or manpower to replace all the cables that are failing,” Brinton said. “Now that FERC has approved capitalization of cable rejuvenation, because it upgrades and extends life for more than 20 years, cable rejuvenation provides a solution that is less costly, easy to implement, takes much less time and labor.”
Brinton is presenting “Cable Rejuvenation for Power Cables” at T&D World University on Oct. 28. The course will cover the definition of cable rejuvenation, history, process choices, risk analysis, chemistry, short-term post-injection reliability, long-term post-injection reliability, and cost comparisons.
“Cable rejuvenation really works. There is lots of documentation to prove it, it can save more than half your budget compared to replacement, and it is easier to do than cable replacement,” Brinton said.
Brinton has taught cable rejuvenation courses to the American Public Power Association (APPA) and the Rocky Mountain Electric League (RMEL). He is a regular speaker on cable rejuvenation at the semi-annual University of Wisconsin Underground Electrical Distribution Systems course. He has also presented technical papers at the IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee, the RMEL, and the National Electric Testing Association (NETA).
As an instructor, he said he would like to help students think proactively instead of being drawn into a reactive situation in their jobs. “If you can anticipate problems, forecast reliability issues, and develop proactive solutions, your life becomes more enjoyable and satisfying.”
Brinton has been involved with cable rejuvenation since 1991, when he purchased the license for cable rejuvenation from Dow Corning, while working as vice president of business development at UTILX, a provider of guided drilling systems and services to utilities.
Each week, he meets with new utility customers to learn about their individual situations and needs for cable rehabilitation. He translates these experiences into the classroom, as well as his varied professional experience, which includes positions at AccuRay Corp., Flow International, Lamb-Grays Harbor, and BBD International.
He is also involved in the selection of cable accessories for injection and cable testing and evaluation. All of his experience allows him to better respond to questions with factual answers.
Whether it is working with customers or teaching a course, Brinton enjoys solving problems. “I like the excitement and satisfaction of introducing a state-of–the–art product to new customers that saves money and solves a real problem that users have. Because it is more cost effective, it helps them stretch budgets and solve a greater portion of their problem.”
Brinton also enjoys reading. He reads fiction each evening “to escape into the characters I read about.”
