The Phantom Neutral – Why the Feeder Voltage Floated Overnight? 

Emeritus Professor Akhtar Kalam’s Electrifying Mysteries

This webinar series provides a structured examination of real-world engineering challenges. Each session will address specific, technically focused topics relevant to professional engineers.

Webinar details

In power distribution systems, the neutral conductor is often taken for granted, until something goes wrong. This webinar unpacks a fascinating case where feeder voltages became unstable and “floated” overnight, causing equipment malfunctions and unexplained voltage imbalances.

Through detailed system analysis, participants will investigate the causes and consequences of a lost or high-impedance neutral, including shifting reference points, unbalanced loads, and capacitive coupling effects. The session highlights diagnostic challenges and introduces practical methods for detecting and mitigating neutral-related anomalies in both LV and MV systems.

• The webinar will be recorded and will be sent out to registered attendees afterwards.
• A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees who request one near the end of the live webinar session.
• Please note: the time stated on this event is in UTC. You will need to convert this to your own time zone.

Key takeaways from this webinar

• Explain how neutral displacement leads to voltage imbalance and equipment risk.
• Diagnose open-neutral and high-impedance neutral conditions in distribution systems.
• Understand the role of grounding, earthing systems, and load asymmetry.
• Apply field-proven troubleshooting techniques for detecting “phantom” voltage behavior.

Related courses

This webinar/topic relates to our school of Electrical Engineering and is particularly found in the following courses:

• 52894WA Advanced Diploma of Applied Electrical Engineering (Renewable Energy)
• 52888WA Advanced Diploma of Applied Electrical Engineering (Power Industry)
• 52892WA Advanced Diploma of Electrical and Instrumentation (E&I) Engineering in Mining
• 52883WA Advanced Diploma of Applied Electrical Engineering (Electrical Systems)
• Professional Certificate of Competency in Clinical Engineering Fundamentals
• Professional Certificate of Competency in Circuit Breakers, Switchgear & Power Transformers
• Online – Bachelor of Science (Electrical Engineering)

To learn more about tuition fees, please click here.

About the presenter

Emeritus Professor Akhtar Kalam

BSc, BScEng, MS, PhD, FIET, CEng, FAIE, FIEAust, CPEng, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE(Aus), PEV, MCIGRE, Life Senior Member of IEEE.

Professor Akhtar Kalam is a supervisor of EIT’s Doctoral students. He has worked at Victoria University since 1984 and recently associated with the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities. He is the Editor in Chief of Australian Journal of Electrical & Electronics Engineering. Further, he has Distinguished Professorship position in many national and international institutions. He has been recognized internationally and nationally for his research. He is regularly invited to deliver lectures, work on industrial projects, and examine external theses overseas. Professor Kalam is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Victoria (PEV), Fellow of EA, IET, AIE, a life Senior Member of IEEE, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE (Aus) and a member of CIGRE AP B5 Study Committee.