The original design of what’s now the COSI-CT was developed at NxtPhase in about 1999. When I was with NxtPhase Winnipeg from 2001-2003, I was involved in an informal internal evaluation of the system, and recommended significant changes. It wasn’t that the design was bad, but that it could be improved to make it better suited for the power utility market.
A NxtPhase CT redesign was undertaken around 2003. When I joined Alstom Grid in 2013 to work on the COSI-CT, it was practically identical to the 2003 redesign, but had a few extra components grafted on – an optional internal power supply, and a digital card. The design was tired and had developed serious flaws, which we were trying to fix.
Everyone agreed that a new approach, the next generation of COSI-CT (called “Gen4”), was needed. As part of GE-Alstom after the merger, we undertook the exciting new development of Gen4.
I travelled to Florianopolis, Brazil, and met with the team at GE-Reason. They had developed an amazing array of networking, merging unit, and recording equipment before their acquisition by Alstom in 2015. Together, the engineers at Reason and I, set about to architect COSI-CT Gen4.
After my return to Phoenix, we collaborated constantly, often in communication daily. We worked in Atlassian Confluence, developing the architecture. We consulted with other GE experts in Merging Unit design, and our own marketing team.
Unfortunately, just as the initial architecture was completed in late 2017, GE faced a cash crunch and had to lay off many staff, including me. This was a big disappointment, as we were really excited about the potential for the next generation.
Oh well, hopefully Gen4 of the COSI-CT, whenever it emerges, and in whatever form, is wildly successful.