User:G.klaus98/Csikós Béla

Dr. Béla Csikós (Jászágó, 1922. augusztus 4. – Budapest, 1994. december 7.) was the former Deputy CEO of MVM OVIT Zrt. and one of the most distinguished figures in the domestic electrical energy supply. He was the inventor, designer, editor, and implementer of tools and technology for Live Line Working (FAM).

He developed the economical sizing and operation of large transformers, as well as the techniques for preserving and repairing oil and paper insulation. His work was of utmost importance in the Hungarian electrical energy industry, both in theory and practice, for the establishment and uninterrupted operation of high-voltage power grids. Among his many patents, the development of FAM methods, specifically FAM1 and FAM2, stands out as the most significant tools and protective gear used not only in Hungary but internationally as well.

Early age
"Out of thirst for knowledge. I proved to myself that I am not worse than others..." (Dr. Béla Csikós on how he reached one of his inventions.)

He was born on August 4, 1922, in Jászágó, a village belonging to the municipality of Jászárokszállás. He grew up in a poor peasant family. His father didn't want to let go of the workforce from home, but his mother stood by her son, allowing Csikós to complete elementary school. He had to walk six kilometers every day to attend the undivided rural elementary school in Jászágó. He completed the six grades in four years, and as a result, he was offered a state scholarship to attend a high school, which he completed in Jászberény. In 1949, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering, specifically electrical engineering, from the Budapest University of Technology, under the guidance and as a colleague of Professor László Verebély.

His Career
fter completing his university studies, he didn't leave Budapest, so his first job was at the Ganz Electrical Works. At the factory located at 39 Lövőház Street, he initially designed electrical transmission lines and power plants. Later, he was appointed as the head of the small machine manufacturing department, and then as the deputy head of the technical development department. In 1952, he was transferred to the Power Plant Investment Company. In 1954, he joined OVIT, where he became the chief mechanic in 1954. From 1955 onwards, he led the Central Maintenance Service and Electrical Department of the Power Plant Trust. Apart from rapidly advancing in his career, he also excelled in the scientific world from the very beginning. Between 1956 and 1960, he wrote a total of 540 pages of studies. Until 1961, he worked as a chief engineer at OVIT, where he participated in the creation of the first domestic 400/120/18 kV, 360 MVA Göd transformers in the mid-1960s, and 10 years later, the 750/400/15 kV, 1100 MVA Albertirsa transformers. From 1961 to 1985, under his technical leadership, the national and international cooperative 220 kV, 400 kV, and 750 kV high-voltage networks were built, along with 3500 km of transmission lines and 30 transformer stations. He is credited with the invention of 70 types of small machines and tools, including tools for working under voltage. He developed the technique for economically sizing and operating large transformers and preserving and repairing oil and paper insulation. In 1974, the Soviet Union and five Comecon countries—Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR)—signed a General Agreement for the construction and operation of the Vinnytsia-Zapadnoukrainsk-Albertirsa 750 kV connection.

Under Csikós Béla's leadership at OVIT, he personally contributed to the development of the construction technique for 750 kV transmission lines. The state's major investment, the 750 kV program, was inseparably linked to a significant invention, the FAM (live-line working) procedure developed by Dr. Csikós Béla, the company's chief engineer at the time, and several patents are attributed to his name. His method was unique in that he personally tested every tool and procedure he designed before allowing their use by colleagues, only when he was convinced of their safety. In 1984, he retired as the Deputy CEO of Technical Affairs at OVIT. In 1992, he organized the first ICOLIM event held in Europe in Keszthely.

Live-Line Work (FAM)
In Hungary, the FAM (Live-Line Work) technology was first applied in 1967. Thanks to this technology, electrical equipment can be maintained and repaired without interruption, ensuring continuous operation of electrical systems without power outage, allowing consumers to receive uninterrupted service during maintenance. One of the pioneers in this field was Csikós Béla. The unique Hungarian method was initially developed and applied at 400 kV voltage in 1969 and later at 750 kV voltage in 1979. According to an article written by Dr. Csikós Béla, the main differences between the Hungarian and international methods in the 1960s and 1970s were as follows:

Instead of commonly used fine-stranded, large-surface-area, open-structured polyamide insulating ropes, the development, production, and use of wide-thin polyethylene film-wrapped, closed-structured, small-surface-area, water-repellent insulating ropes.

Instead of wire-inserted protective clothing with low protection and high resistance, the development, production, and use of metallic protective clothing with a protection efficiency exceeding 0.998 and resistance below 0.2 ohms, woven sparsely, providing good ventilation, and suitable for prolonged use even in summer. This clothing includes an insulating, distance-maintaining, sweat-absorbing, and evaporating layer between the body and the metallic fabric, hooded metallic visor protection for the head, face, and eyes, and protection against transient currents of mandatory 10 A in the event of a technical fault.

Instead of the generally used foam-filled epoxy glass tube ladder for repairing insulator chains, the development, production, and use of solid plastic long-rod insulator-fitted tube-framed assembly seats. These seats ensure a comfortable sitting position and its retention even in case of unconsciousness, eliminate the need for climbing, prevent high forces, and eliminate the risk of falling. They free the hands for work and provide mechanical and electrical protection.

For repairing the highest voltage insulator chains, the development, production, and use of sliding epoxy resin saddle-type assembly seats and 50-70 kN load-bearing insulator replacement tools, which slide on the unblemished insulator chain, are moved between the pole and the damaged area, and have a half-cylinder shape.

Foreign companies also noticed these FAM techniques and ordered equipment from Hungary. A total of 170 Hungarian and foreign FAM installers and supervisors were trained on our 500 kV voltage-regulated test track, which includes 8 distinctive column types and 400 kV and 750 kV line sections, designed and built specifically for this purpose. In the late 1980s, efforts were made to develop solutions suitable for all voltages, column, and line systems. These solutions utilize the smallest insulation space possible, do not require the use of the most sensitive insulating ropes in high-field locations, fundamentally reduce the duration and proportion of work involving high voltage contact. The new technique makes FAM safe, simplifies it, and speeds it up on lines with small insulation spaces and especially on double-system transmission lines. The absence of dirty-wearing-aging plastic insulating ropes eliminates the risk of flashovers caused by sudden summer showers or autumn foggy dew deposition. The insulator chain can be repaired away from the line, in a low electrical field, or in a voltage-free state on the pole. The duration of work involving high voltage contact is reduced to a few minutes for the lower release and reconnection of the damaged and repaired insulator chain. The movement of the FAM installer, the transport of the damaged and repaired insulator chain between the pole and the line, is ensured by the semi-circular back-and-forth rotation of the rotating console extending from the plane of the pole. Csikós believed that FAM (Live-Line Work) technicians working on high-voltage and high-load transmission lines should also be protected against magnetic induction. For this purpose, he designed FAM techniques, tools, and technologies that protect FAM technicians from harmful levels of magnetic induction. This way, the maximum magnetic induction exposure to FAM technicians could be reduced to half, a third, or a quarter, to less than 500 pT. He patented new methods, equipment, small machines, and tools for performing live-line work at voltages of 750 kV, 400 kV, 220 kV, and 120 kV, which differed from other solutions and were well applicable in Hungary. He made significant contributions to the practical use and dissemination of these methods both domestically and internationally. Under his direction and direct involvement, OVIT developed an economical technology for the construction of high-voltage transmission lines and established a base for the design, production, and maintenance of special network installation and operation equipment and large tools. OVIT equipped and trained the operators of the Ukrainian 750 kV transmission system and the Soviet-Polish 750 kV transmission line with the complete FAM technology (tools and procedures) developed by Dr. Csikós Béla. In Hungary, the grid supervisors received FAM equipment and training.

Among the numerous interventions, it is worth mentioning the restoration of a torn-down holding chain of a 750 kV transmission line during a storm in the Nyírség region and the restoration of protective conductors worn out by signal lights (Balisor lamps) in the Gerjen-Duna crossing of the Paks-Sándorfalva 400 kV transmission line. Dr. Csikós Béla developed the electrostatic protective clothing that must be used during FAM work. The concept of this protective clothing is still used worldwide.

Based on Dr. Csikós Béla's concept and plans, OVIT built the NaF FAM training track near the Göd substation. The Göd NaF FAM training track was used for the training, practice, and examination of builders and operators of 750 kV, 400 kV, 220 kV, and 120 kV transmission lines in the NaF FAM (High-Voltage Live-Line Work) technique developed by Dr. Csikós Béla. For training, practice, and examinations in the NaF FAM technique, which was patented and extensively detailed by the inventor in terms of necessary equipment and procedures, an all-weather, adequately sized test room was needed, where at least 400, and for some operations and equipment up to 750 kV nominal voltage, NaF FAM interventions could be performed independently of the weather. There are few such rooms in Hungary, with the High Voltage Laboratory at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics being one of them.

After his death
In the early 2000s, with the approval of his widow, the Csikós Béla Live-Line Work (FAM) Training Center was established at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) High Voltage Laboratory.

In 2022, on the occasion of the centenary of Dr. Csikós Béla's birth, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) Department of Electrical Power Engineering (VET) organized a memorial event at the Csikós Béla FAM Training Center (FAMOK), which operates within the High Voltage Laboratory (NFL) of the university.

On November 30, 2022, the Dr. Csikós Béla Foundation for the Past and Future of Hungarian Energy was registered, with the main purpose and activity of caring for Dr. Csikós Béla's intellectual legacy. The chairwoman of the foundation's board of trustees is Anita Földi, their goddaughter, as per the last wish of Csikós Béla's late wife, Éva Németh.

Awards
In 1973, he was honored with a State Award for his work.

He is a recipient of the Déry Award, Zipernowsky Award, and Electrical Engineering Award, having received the Gold Medal of the Outstanding Inventor distinction.

He is a member of the Electrical Engineering Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In 1993, the Scientific Qualification Committee recognized him as a Doctor of Technical Sciences.

Private life
Married, his wife, Éva Németh, was his partner both in work and in private life. After his death, she preserved her husband's legacy for posterity.