He joint the High Voltage Laboratory at Toshiba Corporation in 1964 and introduced new methods for the detection of partial discharges in equipment for the 500 kV power networks being introduced in Japan and the USA. During leave of absence awarded by Toshiba, he conducted research on vacuum arcs and post arc phenomena at the University of Liverpool. His invention of the axial magnetic field vacuum circuit breaker and his work on the SF6 puffer breaker took place while he was assistant specialist and, later, section manager of the High Power Laboratory at Toshiba. As Senior Manager of the High Voltage and High Power Laboratories at Toshiba, Dr. Yanabu supervised the development of the 275 kV, 300 MVA SF6 insulated transformer, and the world's first 800 kV, 5 kA gas-insulated substation (GIS). He was also responsible for the development of the CO2 and high power pulsed excimer gas lasers. He then became Senior Manager of the Transmission and Substation Engineering Department at Toshiba, where he led the development of the 1100 kV AC GIS, the 500 kV DC converter, and the DC GIS, and the 1100 kV breaker. In 1993, he was appointed General Manager of the Heavy Apparatus Engineering Laboratory, where he supervised 600 engineers in research and development of all energy related equipment and systems. Dr. Yanabu is presently General Manager of the Technology Planning and Coordination Division, responsible for all technological matters of Toshiba Corporation.
Dr. Yanabu published about 100 technical papers, 130 international papers,
and six books. He holds more than 50 Japanese patents and 70 international
patents. His professional activities include acting as chairman or penalist
at many international conferences such as the International Symposium on
Gaseous Dielectrics, the International Conference on Gas Discharges and
Their Applications, and the International Symposium on Discharges and Electrical
Insulation in Vacuum. He is a member of IEE, Fellow of IEEE, and a member
of the Current Zero Club. He has served the IEE of Japan in many official
capacities and is presently Chairman of the Power Engineering Society.
He is also a member of several government committees.
[©1998].
