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Helios Electric

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Specialty firm with expertise in complex high, medium, and low voltage electrical systems.

Helios Electric offers comprehensive engineering and construction services to meet the growing electrical needs of today and tomorrow. With a vast electrical experience in industrial, utility, commercial, and mission critical systems, we provide services from the conceptual phase of a project through design development, system integration, power studies, facilities construction, and startup/commissioning. Utilizing over 30 years of experience, we strive to ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and performed correctly the first time.

10/13/2026

Most electrical failures do not begin as full-scale events. They often start quietly—with subtle insulation deterioration, intermittent arcing, abnormal current behavior, or a loose connection that can develop over time into equipment damage and an unexpected outage.

Establishing incipient fault protection gives critical facilities the opportunity to recognize those early warning signs before they become costly disruptions. With the right monitoring, intelligent protective relays, and coordinated control strategy, developing conditions can be identified sooner, isolated more selectively, and addressed through planned maintenance instead of emergency response. The result is stronger system reliability, improved equipment protection, fewer nuisance trips, and greater confidence that critical operations will remain online.

This is where Helios Electric brings exceptional value. Our Professional Engineers and understand complex power systems from both the engineering and construction perspectives. We can assess your existing electrical distribution system, perform power system and coordination studies, develop customized protection and control schemes, integrate intelligent relays with SCADA and remote monitoring, and verify system performance through startup and commissioning. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all solution, we tailor the protection strategy to your equipment, operating modes, and reliability goals.

For industrial, utility, transportation, water and wastewater, healthcare, and other mission-critical facilities, choosing the right electrical partner matters. If your operation cannot afford an avoidable interruption, let us help you identify vulnerabilities and build a more resilient power system. Contact Helios Electric ([email protected]) today and let us power your vision into reality.

09/30/2026

What happens when a large synchronous motor falls out of step with the power system?

In high-voltage industrial facilities, ANSI 78 out-of-step—or pole-slip—protection can provide an important layer of protection for large synchronous motors. Rather than responding only to current magnitude, the protective relay evaluates the relationship between system voltage and current—often using apparent-impedance or power-angle behavior—to identify a loss of synchronism.

A severe fault, abrupt load change, switching event, or disturbance on a weak source can cause the motor rotor angle to separate from the rotating system field. If the swing becomes unstable, the resulting current and torque pulsations can impose damaging thermal and mechanical stress on the motor, coupling, and driven equipment—and may allow the disturbance to spread through the plant.

ANSI 78 is engineered to recognize that unstable condition and initiate selective isolation before damage escalates. Its application must be validated against the motor, driven load, source strength, starting and transfer scenarios, and the rest of the protection scheme so that normal starting or a recoverable power swing does not produce a nuisance trip.

Our design, construction, and equipment-manufacturing experience help turn a protection concept into a practical, constructible solution that improves reliability while minimizing disruption to critical industrial operations.

Planning a new installation—or modernizing an existing one? Explore our electrical design capabilities, learn about our retrofit and modernization services, or contact Helios Electric to discuss the proper ANSI 78 strategy for your large-motor application.

09/21/2026

An autotransformer uses one continuous winding with taps, unlike a conventional transformer having separate primary and secondary windings that are electrically isolated. With an autotransformer, the input and output are electrically connected, while the voltage is still transformed. A common autotransformer application is an industrial facility where a small voltage change is needed and electrical isolation is not necessarily required.

Imported or specialized industrial machines require voltage adjustment. This was the case for our water treatment plant client's specialized centrifugal blower that was rated for 575V nominal. With the proper design application, we were able to effectively provide a turnkey autotransformer solution to effectively operate their blower using their 480V rated secondary substation.

09/16/2026

In DC traction power systems for railways, reverse current protection (often known in the industry as ANSI-32 protection) detects when current flows in the unintended direction and trips the associated breaker to prevent equipment damage and unsafe operating conditions.

Reverse current can occur in several situations including regenerative breaking or paralleled feeder switching operations. When the ANSI-32 relay detects reverse current above the established setpoint, the corresponding breaker will trip to isolate the abnormal condition.

The ANSI-32 protective setting must be high enough to avoid nuisance operation due to transient load changes, inrush conditions, and noise; as well as being low enough to detect genuine reverse current before rectifiers or other equipment are exposed to damaging conditions. Establishing proper protection settings requires consideration of train acceleration, braking, switching operations, and fault-clearing events that can cause short-duration reverse current excursions.

Need support with system protection for your DC traction power system? We offer railway electrification expertise spanning AC/DC power system studies, short-circuit and protection coordination, protective relay programming and testing, system integration, and startup and commissioning. Contact our team to develop and verify a protection scheme that improves reliability, safeguards equipment, and minimizes nuisance trips. Visit our website at www.helioselectric.net.

09/08/2026

Distributed generation can strengthen resiliency, reduce demand costs, and support cleaner energy strategies—but only when it is integrated with the right protection scheme. An anti-islanding protection scheme helps ensure that distributed generation disconnects safely when the utility source is lost, reducing hazards for utility crews, protecting equipment, supporting power quality, and helping facilities meet interconnection expectations such as IEEE 1547 requirements for distributed energy resources.

At Helios Electric, our team understands that anti-islanding is not a one-size-fits-all solution—it requires careful engineering of protective relays, generator controls, utility paralleling equipment, SCADA monitoring, commissioning tests, and real-world operating sequences. With full-service electrical engineering and design experience for complex power systems, Helios Electric develops tailored solutions for generation interconnect systems, microgrids, CHP, standby generation, demand response, and mission-critical facilities.

Whether you are adding renewable energy, emergency generation, cogeneration, or a more advanced distributed energy resource, a properly designed anti-islanding scheme helps safeguard people, protect assets, maintain compliance, and improve confidence in your electrical system.

Helios Electric can help power your vision into reality with practical engineering, protection and control design, system studies, integration, startup, and commissioning support. Visit us at www.helioselectric.net.

08/27/2026

In complex industrial power systems, small voltage imbalances can create major reliability issues. That’s where ANSI-59Q protection comes in. Also known as negative-sequence overvoltage protection, ANSI-59Q, monitors three-phase systems for conditions such as voltage imbalance, phase loss, or reverse phase sequence before they lead to equipment stress or failure.

For motors, ANSI-59Q protection helps reduce overheating, over-torque, and premature insulation damage caused by unbalanced voltage. For transformers, it supports safer operation by identifying abnormal system conditions that can contribute to over-heating, reduced efficiency, and shortened equipment life.

At Helios Electric, advanced protection functions like ANSI-59Q are part of a bigger reliability strategy when developing protective schemes. Through electrical design, power system studies, protection and control solutions, field services, system integration, and startup and commissioning, we help industrial, utility, and mission-critical facilities protect critical assets and keep operations running safely and efficiently.

Ready to strengthen your electrical system reliability? Contact Helios Electric to discuss protection, studies, commissioning, or modernization needs for your facility. Visit us at www.helioselectric.net to learn more.

08/17/2026

Electrified railway systems often utilize the running rails to determine the location of trains. To accomplish this on a DC traction power system, the running rails are divided into insulated segments. Across the running rails of each segment, an AC signal is then applied. If a train were to occupy a given railway segment, its wheels/axle would connect the two running rails together to effectively “short out” the AC signal. This arrangement is fail-safe such that the “lack” of a transmitted AC signal (for any reason) signifies that a train has occupied that segment of track.
To ensure proper train operation, impedance bonds are used to connect the insulated track segments to allow the continuity of the DC power supply while restricting the AC signal across the insulated segments. This philosophy of train locating has been used for wayside signaling since the inception of electrified systems and is now also used in modern systems for automated train controls and SCADA integration.
To learn how our design capabilities can benefit you:
https://www.helioselectric.net/design-services

06/24/2026

Normal train system operation (train starting) involves very high operating currents which can be similar in magnitude to a track fault (short circuit). To maintain reliable train system operation, it is important to trip during a fault condition and to sustain operation during normal conditions.

Conventional overcurrent protection struggles with distinguishing a train start and a track fault.

• During a train start, there is high current but at a slow increase.
• During a track fault, there is high current that rises very rapidly.

When properly configured, the rate of rise relay (often recognized by transit agencies as ANSI-7 or ANSI-150RR) solves this problem by focusing on the speed of current rise (di/dt), not just the magnitude.

To learn more about DC system protection or establishing effective relay settings for traction power substations, contact us for your customized solution.
https://www.helioselectric.net/blog/dc-traction-power-protection

06/16/2026

How does implementing ANSI 66 protection benefit large motors?

Large motors are the workhorses of industry—but they’re also vulnerable to one of the most common (and often overlooked) risks: thermal damage from excessive and frequent starts. That’s where ANSI 66 – Motor Starts Per Hour Protection – comes into play.

Instead of allowing repeated starts that silently accumulate heat in the rotor, ANSI 66 actively monitors the start rate and enforces safe limits based on the motor’s thermal capability. This prevents overheating before it becomes a failure, extends motor life by protecting insulation and rotor integrity reduces unplanned downtime caused by thermal stress, and supports reliable operation in high-demand applications.

Think of it as a “recovery manager” for your motor—ensuring it gets the cooling time it needs before being pushed again.

In today’s environments where uptime is critical and equipment costs are high, implementing ANSI 66 isn’t just protection—it’s smart asset management.

Are your motor protection schemes accounting for start frequency and thermal limits?
Reach out to us at www.helioselectric.net to learn how we can help you design and implement smarter, more reliable motor protection solutions for your critical industrial facility.

05/22/2026

Memorial Day | Honoring the Fallen

This Memorial Day, Helios Electric pauses to remember and honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Their sacrifice is the foundation of the freedoms we live and work by every day. Memorial Day is a time for reflection, gratitude, and respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

We extend our deepest appreciation to the fallen heroes and their families. Today, and always, we remember.

Address

362 Christopher Avenue, Suite B
Gaithersburg, MD
20879

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+12405823900

Website

http://www.helioselectric.net/

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