Introduction:
David Wilburn Parton was an American electrical engineer who was born on March 3, 1921, and died on December 6, 2013. He is well-known for his contributions to the development of electrical power systems, particularly in the field of protective relaying. In this article, we will take a closer look at the life and work of this pioneering electrical engineer.
Early Life and Education:
David Parton was born in the small town of Cleveland, Tennessee, and was the son of a Methodist minister. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering in 1942. After graduation, he served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.
Career:
After the war, David Parton began his career as an electrical engineer with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). He spent more than 30 years at TVA, where he worked on a variety of projects, including the development of protective relays for power systems. During his time at TVA, he also served as the chairman of the relay committee for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
In the 1970s, David Parton left TVA to become the president of the Relay Testing Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He also served as a consultant for a number of utility companies, including the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Contributions to the Field of Electrical Engineering:
David Parton made significant contributions to the field of electrical engineering, particularly in the area of protective relaying. Protective relays are devices that are used to protect electrical power systems from damage caused by faults, such as short circuits or overloads. Parton was instrumental in developing new techniques for designing and testing protective relays, which helped to make power systems more reliable and efficient.
One of Parton’s most significant contributions was his work on the development of the Time-Current Coordination technique. This technique is used to ensure that protective relays operate in a coordinated manner, so that faults can be isolated and cleared quickly and efficiently. This technique is still widely used in the design of protective relays today.
Parton was also a strong advocate for the use of digital computers in the design and testing of protective relays. He was instrumental in the development of software tools that made it easier for engineers to design and test protective relays using digital computers.
Honors and Awards:
David Parton received numerous honors and awards for his contributions to the field of electrical engineering. In 1981, he was awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor, which is the highest award presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was also a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Conclusion:
David Wilburn Parton was a pioneering electrical engineer who made significant contributions to the field of protective relaying. His work helped to make power systems more reliable and efficient, and his legacy continues to be felt in the field of electrical engineering today. We can learn a great deal from the life and work of David Parton, and his contributions to the field of electrical engineering will be remembered for generations to come.
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