Never without… my radio!

Kris Van Duyse is responsible for the SecSys Lab. He is also the only (direct) employee of the lab. However, he regularly receives people from other departments. And if it gets too quiet, fortunately there is still the radio!

“I started at MAC high voltage in 2004, but for the past two years I have been working here in the SecSys lab in Schaerbeek. The radio was already here. It’s a legacy of my predecessor and a pretty old thing. The brand has become unreadable and he sometimes struggles to maintain the correct frequency. To be honest, I listen more and more digitally via the computer. But for now, I keep it.

I am responsible for the SecSys (secondary systems) lab. These are the protections and control devices of the high-voltage grid at the electrical level. Compare it to the fuse box in your home but then (many times) larger and more complex.

In the lab, we are currently mainly testing the functions of new devices and software that fall under the SPACS3 framework agreement. SPACS stands for Standardized Protection, Automation & Control Schemes. With the third generation of standards that has been in place since 2021, we have taken an important step towards more digitalisation.

We also investigate unexpected tripping or problems, and the solutions that are offered. The Operational Center of Excellence (OCE) is responsible for all working methods and expertise within Assets in terms of safety, quality and competences to achieve operational excellence in these areas. In this way, OCE SecSys forms the bridge between Asset Management and MAC in the field.

I say ‘we’, but in principle, I am the only one directly attached to the SecSys laboratory. That said, colleagues from OCE SecSys Nat come in as reinforcements, for example when developing REX and adaptive plans. REX stands for ‘Return on Experience’: what lessons do we draw from a particular incident for the future? They also assist with qualification tests of material that falls within the new framework agreements: new rectifiers, metering cabinets, distance relays…

So sometimes it is quite busy here: six people in the lab is no exception. On other days I’m working here alone, then it’s ‘me and my radio’. But that variety works fine for me!”