About Sumatron
 

Sumatron, a California State Corporation, was founded by its principal engineer, Tom Baker in 1982 based on patents he developed for electrical power. Sumatron is currently engaged in the electrical power engineering support of large nuclear, coal, oil, and gas generating stations, emphasizing plant and high voltage interconnection protective relay practices. Tom has reviewed over 35,000 megawatts of large generating station protective relay designs and settings for both new construction and existing plants. In 2002, Sumatron partnered in the design of an EE Helper software program with the founder's son, John Baker, BS in Computer Science. The EE Helper program automates the tedious calculations for generating station protective relay settings, and plant engineering support. By 2004, the company cooperated with Dr. Isidor Kerszenbaum to develop a Repetitive Surge Oscilloscope (RSO) test instrument that would detect shorted turns in large generator cylindrical rotor field windings. Today, Sumatron is currently the leading supplier for RSOs worldwide.

The Sumatron EE Helper software performs 132 different calculations and each has an associated graphical illustration of the circuitry, formulas, and references. In 2005, it was decided to incorporate the software graphics into a 4-day comprehensive electrical power engineering Power Point training seminar. By 2006, Sumatron partnered with IEEE to secure continuing educational credit for seminar attendees. Since then, the training program continues to be enhanced with Baker's 2012 CRC Press book entitled "Electrical Calculations and Guidelines for Generating Stations and Industrial Plants" and an IEEE paper "Improving BES Reliability at Large Generating Station Locations" that was presented at the 2014 Texas A&M University Conference for Protective Relay Engineers.

In 2018, the 2nd edition of Baker's CRC Press book was published, and in 2019, he presented a paper for an IEEE conference at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, titled "A System Perspective for Connected Generation." Tom's new book "Revisiting the Bohr Model of the Atom – Over 50 New Conceptual Theories" is expected to be released by Dorrance Publishing at the end of 2021, and is the first book to fully explain theoretical concepts for ac power.

Baker is currently coauthoring a 3rd CRC Press book with Bruce Rockwell, Engineering Director, for American Electrical Testing Company entitled "Interconnection – Power System Instability and Protective Relaying" with an expected release date at the end of 2022. During 2022, Sumatron will begin licensing educational material for eight different one semester courses in electrical power engineering. In addition to course specific books, and software, the licensing options will include Power Point slides, video presentations, and base case study data to populate the ETAP program. With the exception of introductory 2nd semester physics, and single phase ac, the remaining six courses are senior or graduate level, and in aggregate, represent the most comprehensive and practical electrical power engineering program available today.