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Inside this issue:■ Ignorance is no defence■ Don’t waste the hard lessons of this
recession■ The drive towards sustainable production■ Distribution the key driver for smart grids
EDF ANNOUNCES PROCESS TOEVALUATE OWNERSHIP OPTIONSThe EDF Group has announced it is
initiating a process to evaluate
ownership options for its electricity
distribution business in the United
Kingdom.
EDF Energy is the largest electricity
distribution network operator in the
UK. It serves London, the South-East
and East of England which account for
40% of the UK’s GDP. It has significant
future opportunities from grid and
distribution network technologies.
EDF Energy is also involved in
unregulated networks businesses
comprising the development, delivery
and management of safe, sustainable
and profitable electrical and multi-
utility networks for owners of major
infrastructures.
Pierre Gadonneix, EDF chairman
and CEO said: “The process to
evaluate ownership options for our
UK electricity distribution networks is
part of the announced asset
divestment programme, aiming to
reduce our net financial debt by at
least €5 billion. It is also part of our
development strategy in the United
Kingdom, which is a key market in
Europe for the Group. This process
follows British Energy’s acquisition
which facilitates EDF’s plans to
develop new nuclear power in the UK
and significantly strengthens our
position as a UK energy player.”
Vincent de Rivaz, EDF Energy CEO
said: “As a responsible company, EDF
Energy will continue the dialogue with
its employees and other key
stakeholders throughout this
evaluation process. This combination
of three regulated networks covers a
key region vital to the UK economy. It
has a highly experienced and skilled
workforce which has a strong track
record of delivery and is well placed
for growth.“
EDF Group financial advisors are
Barclays Capital and Deutsche Bank
AG London Branch. Additional support
will be provided by BNP Paribas.
Cable management Page 10 Drives & controls Page 16 Factory automation Page 20 Lightning protection Page 24
November 2009 Volume 242 No11
Megaman has joined a national
drive to reduce carbon
emissions by 10% in one year.
As one of the first companies to
sign up for 10:10, Megaman has
committed to reduce its carbon
footprint and get staff, customers
and suppliers involved.
Four key areas are being
targeted by 10:10; electricity, on-
site fuel use, road transport and
air travel. The Energy Saving
Trust and Carbon Trust have
agreed to help people to reach
their 10:10 target by providing
advice about energy saving
measures through their help-
lines and websites. Megaman’s
John Murphy, commented: “At
Megaman we are lucky we are
able to not only reduce our own
carbon footprint but help others
reduce theirs by using our
energy saving lamps. As a
company with a strong
environmental ethic we are
proud to be a part of this
initiative”.
For the latest news, products and event information visit www.electricalreview.co.uk
ELECTRICALREVIEW
FIRE PROTECTION IN TOWER BLOCKS A PRIORITYThe fire integrity of tower blocks
must be made a priority, says safety
charity the Electrical Safety Council
(ESC).
Commenting on the BBC’s report
on the fire risks in London’s tower
blocks (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi
/england/london/8290103.stm), Phil
Buckle, director general of the ESC
said: “It’s crucial electrical work
undertaken on behalf of council
landlords is rigorously checked to
ensure that fire regulations have not
been breached, particularly in high-
density accommodation buildings
where the rapid spread of fire can
have devastating consequences.”
The BBC’s report uncovered a
series of fire hazards in a tower
block in Hounslow, west London,
including holes bored through
ceilings to accommodate electric
cables, which would accelerate the
spread of fire.
Phil Buckle continued, “A
building’s structural performance
during a fire can be seriously
compromised by inadequate fire
sealing and ‘making good’ after
modifications that penetrate the
walls and ceilings of a building, such
as the installation of electrical cables.
Maintaining the structural fire
protection in buildings and ensuring
fire regulations are met is crucial in
preserving life in the event of a fire."
www.electricalreview.co.uk 03
Speaking at an Engineering the Future
fringe event at the Labour Party Conference
Lord Drayson, minister for science and
innovation, called for the equivalent of
chief technology officers in government
departments.
Lord Drayson told delegates: "It is
engineers and technologists that will get
this country back on track. To achieve this
and to implement government priorities
effectively and strategically, we need more
technological knowledge within the
government. Science, technology and
engineering represent Britain's ‘big three’
for the future. They are essential to our
economic growth and to maintaining our
quality of life as we tackle the major
challenges like climate change. We cannot
build for the future without world -class
engineers."
The minister’s comments were warmly
received by the audience who agreed the
need was not simply for advice but for
expert representatives who could help
implement new engineering technologies
and projects in practice.
Jonathan Flint, chief executive of Oxford
Instruments, defined engineering as a
discipline that benefits society while
generating wealth. Calling for a rethink of
the place of engineers in corporate
hierarchies, he pointed out engineers
needed to acquire management and
communications skills to complement their
highly-valued numeracy and attention to
detail. “Too often, engineers can limit their
opportunities. We want to see more of
them with the management training that
will put them on boards of companies,”
he said.
Philip Greenish, chief executive of the
Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Lord
Drayson’s recognition of science,
technology and engineering as Britain’s
‘big three for the future’ is excellent news,
as is his acknowledgement that there
should be chief technology officers in
government departments. The next step is
to ensure practical steps are taken to
follow up on these bold new proposals.
Government, business and industry,
education providers and the engineering
community must all now step up to the task
of actually making things happen.”
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGENEEDED
CONTENTS
03 || NEWS
08 || GOSSAGE
10 || CABLE MANAGEMENT
14 || SWITCHGEAR
16 || DRIVES & CONTROLS
20 || FACTORY AUTOMATION
24 || LIGHTNING PROTECTION
28 || POWER GENERATION
29 || PRODUCT WATCH
40 || CLASSIFIED
43 || BLOWN FUSE
Manufacturers areunder ever-increasing pressureto improvesustainability in themanufacturingprocess. Fromvoluntary initiativesand tax breaks tobrand reputation,the requirement isto measure, analyse,improve and reporton themanufacturingprocess
■ The new Machinery Safety Regulations
come into force on 29 December this year
and Wieland Electric is hosting a series of
seminars through November and December
to help engineers tackle the changes and
make a smooth transition. Two new
standards, EN62061 and EN ISO 13849-1, are
being implemented to replace EN954-1 and
are aimed at achieving an acceptable risk
level for machinery. Wieland’s technical
seminars have been designed to provide a
thorough review of the steps necessary to
achieve compliance with the new regulations.
For further information on dates and venues,
or to book a place visit
www.wielandsafety.net which also offers an
easy to understand guide to the new
Machinery Directive and its implementation.
IN BRIEF
04 Electrical Review November 2009
NEWS
■ Twenty million pounds is to be invested in
innovative energy efficiency measures to cut
emissions and energy bills in central
government departments it has been
announced. The allocation is part of the
package of £405m low carbon funding
announced at the Budget in April to help
establish the UK as a market leader in
renewable technology and advance green
manufacturing.
The £20m will be invested in helping
government departments go further, faster in
reducing their carbon emissions across their
estates, realising both carbon and financial
savings. Successful solutions can then be
replicated elsewhere in the public sector.
Energy and climate change minister Joan
Ruddock said: “We know it’s important to
show leadership in this area – if we want
everyone else to retrofit their homes its
important government buildings also get
some treatment.
Some of the money will go on energy
efficiency, some on smart meters, some on
low carbon cars, and some will go on
mapping the possibilities of renewable
energy on public land – that will be led by
the Forestry Commission.”
.■ Two hundred and forty nine 16 year old
students from all over the UK were awarded
one of the prestigious Arkwright
Scholarships, at the IET (Institution of
Engineering and Technology), London, on 30
October. The Arkwright Scholarships Trust
which is celebrating its nineteenth year,
actively promotes science, technology,
engineering and maths through encouraging
a mutually beneficial partnership between
education and industry. This year was the
ninth successive year the IET has hosted the
awards. For more details visit
http://www.arkwright.org.uk.
IN BRIEF
The series of TechTalks hosted by NICEIC is
proving to be the most popular the organisation
has ever put on. In October Wembley Stadium
saw the biggest yet, when 300 contractors packed
the aisles for technical information delivered by
NICEIC engineer, Tony Cable.
“Information at the TechTalks includes
upcoming changes to the 17th edition for
2010/2011 with a specific look at surge protection,
issues specific to the local region and a Q&A
session with any technical questions from the
audience,” explains Tony Cable. “It’s a chance for
contractors to meet NICEIC face-to-face, get some
important technical information and at some of
these locations, experience the stadium tour too.”
TechTalks are taking place all over the United
Kingdom throughout 2009 and into 2010 as follows:
▲ 17 November 2009 Ashton Court Mansion,
Bristol
▲ 18 November 2009 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
▲ 24 November 2009 Newmarket Racecourse
▲ 26 January 2010 Hampden Park Stadium,
Glasgow
▲ 27 January 2010 Murrayfield Stadium,
Edinburgh
▲ 2 February 2010 Pride Park Stadium, Derby
▲ 10 February 2010 Manchester United FC
▲ 11 February 2010 Liverpool FC
▲ 3 March 2010 Cheltenham Racecourse
▲ 4 March 2010 National Motorcycle Museum,
Birmingham
▲ 16 March 2010 Twickenham Rugby Stadium
▲ 13 April 2010 Redworth Hall Hotel, County
Durham
▲ 29 April 2010 Galgorm Resort and Spa,
Ballymena
If you are interested in attending a TechTalk or
would like to know more visit www.niceic.com or
call 0870 013 0382.
WEMBLEY GIG PROVES NICEIC’S BIGGEST EVER
Alstom Wind has signed a contract
with Welsh company Pennant Walters
for the construction of a new wind-
farm – Alstom’s first windfarm contract
in Wales.
The 26 MW Maesgwyn windfarm, to
be built on the site of the former
Maesgwyn and Derlwyn coal mines
north of Glyn-neath, South Wales, will
comprise 13 of Alstom’s ecotècnia 80
wind turbines and is expected to be-
come operational in October 2010.
Under the terms of the contract, Al-
stom will supply, install and commis-
sion the windfarm, followed by
operation and maintenance for the
first five years.
Maesgwyn is Alstom’s second wind
project in the UK following a contract
signed earlier this year for the 15 MW
Clachan Flats project in Scotland. It
marks the entry into the UK market for
Alstom’s ecotècnia 80 wind turbine. It
is also the first windfarm project for
Pennant Walters, whose main business
activity is mining and heavy machinery
leasing but which has diversified into
renewable energy and general devel-
opment (such as the new Ffos Las
racecourse) in recent years.
The contract, worth approximately
�30m follows another recent order for
Alstom in Wales announced in April,
the turnkey 2,000 MW Pembroke gas-
fired power station being built for RWE.
WELSH WIND POWER
■ Schools secretary, Ed Balls, has pledged a further £11m to fund
an additional 2,300 training and education placements from
September 2010. Iain Macdonald, head of education and training at
the Electrical Contractor’s Association said: “The government’s
investment in vocational training is welcome, but the £11m figured
recently announced by Ed Balls is a drop in the ocean and nowhere
near enough to bolster an industry on the edge of a skills crisis. This
extra funding is a knee-jerk response to the unexpectedly high take-
up of apprenticeships and other training placements, and is yet
another example of the current government’s ignorance about the
value of vocational qualifications. Our estimates suggest to
counteract the current worsening skills crisis in the building services
sector alone, Ed Balls should have been quoting closer to £100m,
not £11m. Training is essential to protect UK industry and safeguard
its success into the future.”
■ Professor Christopher Snowden began his year-long term of office
as president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on
1 October. He is currently vice-chancellor and chief executive of the
University of Surrey and has enjoyed a varied career with
considerable experience of the international microwave and semi-
conductor industry.
IN BRIEF
Image: Alstom Ecotècnia
www.electricalreview.co.uk
06 Electrical Review November 2009
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Publishers Ltd 2009. Jan-Dec 2008 8,798
NEWS
New research that could solve the problem of radar in-
terference from wind turbines is underway. Energy and
climate change secretary Ed Miliband announced the
£5.15m pound research in his speech to the British
Wind Energy Association.
The £5.15m fund is made up of £1.6m from wind
companies, £2m from the Crown Estate and £1.55m
from DECC.
Aviation radar objections are one of the largest
causes of wind planning applications being rejected or
withdrawn in the UK. There are currently objections to
over 5GW of wind farms that are in the planning sys-
tem by NATS, (formerly National Air Traffic Services).
Miliband said “I know that delays in the planning
process can cause uncertainty and be a barrier to in-
vestment in renewables and there are specific issues in
connection with aviation and radar that need to be ad-
dressed. This R & D project could resolve wind impacts
on radar in the UK and potentially release 5 gigawatts
of wind power. By 2020, around a third of UK electric-
ity needs to be from renewables, the bulk of that com-
ing from wind. We are making very good progress - it
took the UK 14 years to build our first 1 gigawatt of
wind and we’ve now passed the 4 gigawatt mark, with
the last gigawatt added in just a year.”
Aviation objections are currently holding up over
5GW of wind energy in the planning system and a fur-
ther 5.5GW in early stages of development.
A number of these projects have been granted con-
sent by DECC, the Scottish Executive and local planning
authorities on the proviso that a solution to their poten-
tial radar interference is implemented. If the research is
successful then these conditions could be lifted, allow-
ing these projects to start construction.
Any solution to the problem will mean a much
swifter and more certain planning process for future
wind projects.
NATS director for development and strategy, Ian
Hall, said: “NATS is delighted to be at the centre of a
project to support the UK’s renewable energy target
and we welcome the funding to enable us to continue
our work in this sector. The investment is a significant
step and our experts will work with Raytheon to exam-
ine the potential of this approach.”
RESEARCH TO SOLVE PROBLEMOF RADAR INTERFERENCE
IHC Engineering Business �EB�has announced Dr Tony Trapp�sappointment as chairman of itsSupervisory Board. Toby Bailey isto take over Trapp�s current roleas managing director of thecompany.
�I am very pleased to bepassing over the reins to Toby,this is part of a long termsuccession plan, and it isappropriate to put that plan intoaction now,� explained Trapp.�Although I am stepping backfrom day to day involvement, Iwill remain an active ambassadorfor EB, watching it continue togo from success to success. It isin some ways a new chapter forEB, but in others it is very muchbusiness as usual.�
Toby Bailey, who was untiltoday sales and operationsdirector, joined EB in early 2001
as sales and marketing manager. He has been onthe Board of the company since 2005. �I have
worked closely with Tony Trapp throughout mytime at EB and have learned a huge amount fromhim. He has a reputation for ensuring that thosethat work for him not only achieve their fullpotential, but exceed their own expectations, and Ican certainly attest to that; I thank him for hiscontinued support and encouragement. Ours hasbeen an interesting journey and together with EB�sfirst class management team, I relish theforthcoming challenge working with some of theworld�s best engineers to deliver some trulyground-breaking projects.�
Building services provider, SES, has announcedthe appointment of Fiona Toseland as its newnational bid manager. Toseland will be based in thecompany�s Sheffield office but will work all overthe UK. Toseland joined SES at the beginning ofOctober 2009. The Bid management role aims toensure a �solutions driven� approach is consistentlyapplied to all development activity, and the variedservices and areas of technical authority andexpertise within SES are harnessed andcoordinated seamlessly for its key clients. Workingclosely with both key sector clients and all parts ofthe SES business, Toseland�s role is key to ensuringthat all proposals are specifically value adding.
PEOPLE
Toby Bailey
Fiona Toseland
Tony Trapp
www.electricalreview.co.uk
Companies from across the UK suc-
cessfully helped to cut the amount of
carbon emitted from their buildings
during Cibse’s 100 Hours of Carbon
Clean up Campaign 2009. Universities,
consultancies, museums, hotels and
offices all signed up to reduce energy
use during the six week campaign.
This was the fourth Carbon Clean up
Campaign run by the Chartered Institu-
tion of Building Services Engineers
(Cibse) – the campaign was open to
companies from all sectors who
wanted to reduce the amount of car-
bon emitted from their buildings and
to motivate fellow employees to get
involved. In return they received ac-
cess to expert advice, energy saving
tips, training events and motivational
stickers & posters.
Organisations who dedicated time
to energy saving activities during the
campaign included BBC Wales, Trans-
port for London, EDF Energy, London
Fire Brigade and the Maritime & Coast-
guard Agency. A number of industry
representatives also signed up such as
CABE, Arup, BDP and HLM Architects.
Commenting on the campaign,
Cibse CEO Stephen Matthews said:
“Once again we are delighted with the
range of organisations that have taken
part in the campaign and displayed
their commitment to cutting carbon
emissions. With sustainability continu-
ing to be a key issue, it is more impor-
tant than ever to bring energy saving
measures into the workplace, and to
engage and involve employees in tak-
ing small steps to achieve bigger re-
sults.”
Philip Belton, engineering manager
for Spire Tunbridge Wells hospital, ex-
plained why he found the campaign
helpful: “Participating in the Cibse car-
bon off campaign enabled a dramatic
increase in staff engagement and
commitment to carbon reduction, and
personally I gained and improved a
number of key skills through out the
campaign which I have used as a foot-
ing for further projects. “
CARBON SAVING CAMPAIGN
■ Prysmian has supplied its FP cable for what is said to be the largest
renewable biomass co-firing project anywhere in the world, at the Drax
Power Station in North Yorkshire. The new facility will enable Drax
Power Station to receive, handle, store, process and co-fire with coal a
variety of biomass materials. The new facility enables electricity to be
generated when forestry residues, agricultural bi-products and energy
crops are burnt alongside coal in the existing coal-fired boilers to
provide heat. This process provides benefits to the environment and
the economy. It is a low cost, efficient renewable technology and as
biomass directly replaces burning coal, overall CO2 emissions are
reduced.
■ The forty winners of the prestigious British Safety Council’s
International Sword of Honour 2009 have been announced. The
winning organisations have all been recognised as having exemplary
health and safety systems that are among the best in the world. The
winners will be presented with the Sword of Honour at a Ceremony in
Goldsmiths’ Hall, London on Friday 27 November 2009. In order to
compete for the BSC Sword of Honour, organisations must be able to
demonstrate their specific site has achieved the maximum rating in the
BSC’s Five Star Health and Safety Management System. Inaugurated in
1979, only 40 swords are awarded world-wide.
IN BRIEF
Embarrassed by the closure of wind firm Vestas’ blade
manufacturing plant on the Isle of Wight, energy secretary
Ed Miliband went to the TUC annual conference in
Blackpool. He did so largely in order to announce a £4.4m
grant to Clipper Wind Power. This is to help develop 70
metre long blades for its Britannia project, a 10MW
offshore wind turbine.
He got lots of applause from the TUC, and lots of
favourable press coverage. Strange that. Because the very
self same scheme was announced over 2 years ago by his
predecessor John Hutton. And by last year, Crown Estates
had already agreed to buy the turbine. Just shows you
can’t have too much of a good thing.
OPINION
CHANGE AT CONSERVATIVE HQ? GOSSIP!GOSSAGE!
As befitting his position as the most junior member of the
shadow cabinet, Greg Clark, the Conservative energy
spokesman, has only ever been invited to undertake an
extensive policy interview by the least read of all the national
newspapers. The Independent on Sunday.
In case you are not one of the few hundred people who
bother to buy this newspaper, let me give you the gist of
what he had to say. It was almost entirely about his party’s
attitude to climate change. Which you will be pleased to
learn he was in favour of being against.
Indeed he pledged combating climate change is every bit
as big a priority for his party as it is for the other two main
parties. So we can expect a continuation of existing and
planned interventionist policies, almost all of which seem
inevitably to have the effect of forcing prices up - and so
increasing the record numbers in fuel poverty.
There are now over 5 million British households who are
paying over 10% of their disposable income to try to keep
warm in winter: a dreadful indictment. The government will
not want to be reminded of its pledge at the 2005 general
election to remove all vulnerable households from fuel
poverty by 2010.
So will Mr Clark be taking a portion of the billions of
pounds due to be raised by auctioning permits under the EU
carbon trading scheme - one of the very policies increasing
fuel prices - and dedicate it to improving the homes of the
fuel poor? Sadly the answer is: No. On the contrary, his only
declared beneficiaries will be companies building
experimental projects to capture and store carbon.
These companies are the oil giants like Shell or BP, or
electricity companies like Eon and RWE. All make substantial
profits running into billions every single year. From which
they could perfectly easily fund such research projects.
But, rather than trying to help the least privileged in
society, the Conservatives intend that scarce public money be
lavished upon these wealthy multinationals. On this
evidence, who can believe the Conservatives have changed?
Or as Mr Clark’s leader, Dave Cameron would have it,
“decontaminated the brand?”You have to laugh. The European Commission started congratulating itself far tooearly, upon the successful completion of the first stage in its three year phase-out ofincandescent and low-efficiency halogen light bulbs. As from this autumn, nowhere inEurope should you be able to buy a clear bulb of 100 watts or more. (Bet you can. Butthat is another issue).
However tungsten halogen lamps of the same wattage are not supposed to bebanned yet, for the very sound reason that credible alternatives are currently notdeemed to exist. The trouble is, the way in which the product list was drawn up, thereare a whole range of specialist lighting facilities which now face being outlawed. Andones that everybody thought should be outlawed, but weren’t.
For instance, EU lawmakers omitted to exempt emergency ballasts and explosionproof lamps from their rules, which could result in serious security risks in theinstallations where these products are used. They also managed not to ban certain ofthe least efficient halophosphate fluorescent lamps.These of course are just the aberrations that have been spotted to date, mistakeswhich officials are even now beavering away to rectify. I would bet you LombardStreet to a china orange that there are an awful lot of other changes to thelegislation that will have to be corrected sooner or later. And that is before we get onto trying to eliminate all 60 watt incandescents and their equivalents.
CONGRATULATIONS TOO EARLY
08 Electrical Review November 2009
DÉJÀ VU IN BLACKPOOL
My friends in the nuclear industry have been hugging themselves with joy at
the results of the general election in Germany. All German governments are
coalitions. But out from the new government have gone the Social Democrats,
a party which has long regarded the Great God Atom as the work of the devil,
and want all nuclear power stations closed tomorrow.
Unlike their counterparts in the UK. But then the German party doesn’t
have a leader whose brother is head of PR for one of the biggest nuclear
companies (step forward Andrew Brown, of Electricite de France).
Into their place in the Berlin government have come the Free Democrats. A
very different set of politicians. Don’t be fooled by the fact that, in the
European Parliament, they form part of the same political group as our own
cuddly anti-nuke Liberal Democrats. These guys think the nuclear power
stations are just fine and dandy. And should be kept running as long as
possible. In that vulgar phrase, “they must go until they blow.”
The presumption of the nuclear cheerleaders is this must mean they will be
getting the go ahead to start building new power stations in Germany. I have
news for them. Not only does re-elected Chancellor Angela Merkel have no
intention of sanctioning any new construction. She also plans a special
windfall tax on the operators of the existing power stations.
Her argument is, as a result of the new extension-of-life policy, these
companies (EoN, Wattenfall , RWE) will all be earning unexpected extra
revenue each additional year they operate. She wants a portion of those
monies, thank you very much. Which she plans to spend on – wait for it –
energy efficiency and renewables programmes. You can almost see the
nuclear boys glowing in the dark. With rage, of course.
GLOWING IN THE DARK
10 Electrical Review November 2009
CABLE MANAGEMENT
CONTRACTING companies, and building product
manufacturers less familiar with public sector work, have
been quick to throw their hats into the ring in an attempt
to secure a slice of much-needed business. A good
example of this scramble to win work was the 50 or so
contractors who applied to be part of the academies
framework in England. The framework, part of the
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative, has £4bn
to spend on the design and build of academies.
Those working on public sector contracts – especially
education related – will know they are awash with
acronyms, ranging from the well-accepted PFI (Private
Finance Initiative) to BSF, PCP (Primary Capital
Programme), PFS (Partnerships for Schools) and LEP
(Local Education Partnership). Given the huge sums of
money being invested and the manner in which the
money is allocated and spent, we feel that knowledge of
public procurement processes is vital in assisting clients
with achieving the most desired outcome.
Most school and many hospital projects are delivered
via PFI. We find this makes each job very different and
calls for closer contact with site – more time is spent there
than working off-site with an architect or consultant as
would be normal on a ‘private’ project. There are also
decision makers up and down the chain of command and
it pays to remain in close contact through the
specification, installation and hand-over.
However, it is possible to push aside the jargon and
buzz words in order to understand what’s required of
new-build and refurbished educational and health
facilities. Quite simply they must provide an ultra-modern
environment for today and be capable of adapting to the
needs of future decades.
Applying this mantra to cable management, our specific
area of interest, is easy. All new and refurbished schools,
colleges, hospitals and other healthcare infrastructure
require the very best in ICT (information and
communication technology) provision. For example,
classrooms no longer have blackboards – teachers and
pupils use interactive electronic whiteboards, along with
laptops and other internet-enabled devices. This creates a
need for effective and safe delivery/management of
power and data cables.
As a cable management systems supplier we are
obviously only involved later on in the build schedule.
And, as specifications and fit-out requirements have
become more hi-tech, so the demands on trunking
systems have changed and our range of solutions has
evolved over the 25 or so years we’ve worked with the
education and health sectors.
A good example of this is modular wiring systems, such
as Marshall-Tufflex’s MT32 sytem. Prefabrication has been
a buzzword for a number of years, and modular wiring
systems deliver just this for specifiers and installers. They
are not a trunking solution but work in conjunction with
trunking to deliver a super fast installation that can be
reconfigured at a later date. These factory-tested ‘plug-
and-play’ power connection solutions are a quick and
easy way of taking power from source and delivering it to
final outlets via plug-in connectors. Modular wiring
delivers tool-free, fast-track installation of complete
PUBLIC SECTOR SPEND ON BUILDING PROJECTS, IN PARTICULAR EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTH
FACILITIES, HAS BEEN ONE OF THE FEW GLIMMERS OF HOPE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY THIS YEAR – EVEN AFTER THE GOVERNMENT PUT A SQUEEZE ON SOME OF THE
FUNDING AVAILABLE. THIS SPECIAL FEATURE BY CHRIS SCOTT AT MARSHALL TUFFLEX LOOKS
AT THE EFFECT THIS HAS HAD ON THE CABLE MANAGEMENT SECTOR
Prefabrication has
been a buzzword
for a number of
years, and
modular wiring
systems deliver
just this
Cable management – are youmaking the right DECISIONS?
CABLE MANAGEMENT
cabling runs. There is no on-site wiring required, allowing
installers to simply click together, circuit test and sign-off.
Installation times can be reduced by up to 80%, with
overall cost savings of up to 50% possible. The best
systems are plug and play – keyed connectors do not
allow it to be installed incorrectly, increasing the safety
factor for both contractors and clients. What’s more the
systems can be reconfigured (for example during office
moves), stripped out (during refurbishments) and re-used.
Modular wiring is therefore perfect for future-proofing
projects – install it in an ICT suite today to feed power to,
for example, 15 computers and when 15 become 25
computers, simply unclip the front cover of the trunking,
‘plug-in’ extra lengths of MT32 in order to add new
sockets, circuit test and sign off. Not only does this negate
the need for a major re-wiring exercise, MT32 can reduce
installation times, achieving double the workload with the
same resource.
Purr-fect choiceFuture-proofing data installations can also be achieved
through the correct specification of cable containment.
Historically local area networks were designed with a
Category 3 circuit for voice transmission and a Category 5
or 5e circuit for data. This configuration eventually failed
to cope with rapidly increasing data rates/networked
devices and was replaced with Cat 5e throughout. Now
the industry is looking to Cat 6 and above to deliver
performance required now or in the future.
However, as data wiring develops to handle larger
amounts of information and networked devices, it
becomes dimensionally larger, creating problems for
designers and installers, particularly when cabling needs
feeding around corners. To give an example, Cat 6
cabling is approximately 5-6mm in diameter, with ‘data
bends’ of up to 25-50mm (depending on cable
specification) required within cable containment systems
to channel it around corners. Cat 7 cabling is about
10mm in diameter requiring a bend radius of 40mm
minimum and poses real issues when it comes to cable
containment. Sounds innocuous enough, but if more
space is not allowed for these ‘data bends’ and the cable
is fed through a standard radius bend in a cable
containment system problems may arise – subjecting Cat
6 or higher cabling to standard bends can ‘pinch’ or
compress the copper data cables, resulting in a drop in
performance – data may be lost in transmission or
streaming quality affected.
Marshall-Tufflex has invested heavily in developing
cable management systems appropriate for use with Cat
6 cabling. Design engineers looking for bend radius of
25mm or 50mm can consider its Sterling range or its
tamper-proof, all-curved profile, Odyssey system.
Future-proofing installations by installing Cat 6
compliant trunking is a major consideration where
networks will be required to handle large volumes of
devices and information. But what other factors should
design and build specialist be considering when
considering cable management solutions for schools?
12 Electrical Review November 2009
The latest
generation of
trunking can offer
great performance
coupled with
architect-pleasing
curves
www.electricalreview.co.uk 13
Function or formHow about both? The latest generation of trunking can
offer great performance coupled with architect-
pleasing curves, so there is no need to compromise on
design. Curved profile trunking also offers another
huge advantage – it simply cannot be used as a shelf.
Not only does this keep classrooms, corridors etc clear
of clutter and litter, it also aids cleaning since the PVC-
U can be easily wiped clean, a major benefit when
specified in sensitive environments such as schools. The
curved profiles are also completely in keeping with the
design of many new schools, with architects utilising
softer lines to make learning environments more
appealing.
And curves don’t just apply to the trunking profile –
Marshall-Tufflex offers a special service to adapt its
systems or pre-fabricate specialised and bespoke
solutions. This means trunking can be curved off-site in
order to fit snugly against a curved wall.
Material choiceTrunking is usually steel, aluminium or PVC-U, a proven
material that it is easier and quicker to install than
metal systems. Not only does it reduce time on site for
contractors and maintenance staff, it also reduces
facility down time during refurbishments. In addition,
PVC-U systems can be supplied with EMC screening – a
copper spray is applied to the inside of the trunking,
creating a Faraday Cage to exclude electrostatic
interference, delivering the required screening without
compromising trunking capacity. PVC-U is also tough
and hard-wearing, making it a good choice for areas
where hard knocks are inevitable. When specifying
PVC-U trunking check that it complies with British
Standards BS4678 & BS EN 50086 which govern
impact strength.
Bio-logicalCable containment manufactured from PVC-U can be
impregnated with an antimicrobial agent to help
prevent the spread of infections such as MRSA, E-Coli,
Salmonella and a range of everyday bugs. Antimicrobial
trunking systems come in two variants:
▲ The silver-based formulation is added to the PVC-U
during manufacture, ensuring that it is evenly
distributed throughout the product. Should the
trunking get scratched, the active agent continues to
do its job. This is the system used by Marshall-
Tufflex.
▲ The silver-based formulation is applied to the
surface of the cable containment. However, once
this coating is scratched, germs can penetrate the
surface layer of these products and breed
unchecked.
Specifiers should give priority consideration to
trunking with the antimicrobial agent integral to the
product to ensures maximum performance throughout
the lifetime of the trunking. Those thinking of using an
antimicrobial system should confirm it is registered with
the Environmental Protection Agency and compliant
with the European Biocidal Products Directive.
ConclusionCorrectly specified cable management systems have the
ability to neatly and efficiently deliver power and data
with the minimum fuss and little to no maintenance,
particularly when manufactured and supplied by a
specialist producer with in-depth experience of the PFI
sector. As demonstrated, there are a number of
important factors to be considered when specification
decisions are being made – get those decisions right
and the client will have a power and data delivery
system that delivers now and many years into the
future.
Correctly specified
systems have the
ability to neatly
and efficiently
deliver power and
data with
minimum fuss
CABLE MANAGEMENT
Cable containment manufacturedfrom PVC-U can be impregnatedwith an antimicrobial agent
SWITCHGEAR
Apart from compact
size, vacuum circuit-
breakers offer
excellent electrical
performance
VACUUM interruption is a proven technology, introduced
more than 40 years ago. Arc interruption takes place in a
vacuum ‘bottle’. Vacuum interrupters do not require costly
leakage monitoring equipment. Electrical performance is
comparable and, at times, better than SF6 switchgear. While
capital cost is slightly higher, total life-cycle cost is lower due
to the lower maintenance costs. All materials can be recycled
at end of life.
Continuous development has seen the size of a 15kV
vacuum interrupter bottle come down from180mm diameter
in 1967 to 50mm today. Meanwhile modern sealing
techniques ensure that units retain their vacuum for more
than 25 years. On the rare occasions when leaks do occur,
they normally manifest themselves early in life; so rigorous
production testing helps identify such leaks before units
reach the field. Any leaks are, of course, completely harmless
to the environment.
Vacuum circuit-breakers are suitable for a wide range of
medium voltage switching applications including transformer
secondary protection, capacitor switching and motor
switching. They are used by utilities for ring main units and
MV switchboards in the range 3kV to 36kV. They are suitable
for current ratings from 100A to more than 4,000A and fault
levels from 6kA to 63kA.
Apart from compact size, vacuum circuit-breakers offer
excellent electrical performance. They will normally withstand
a rated a.c. power frequency withstand voltage (an
overvoltage due to power system switching operations) of 2-4
times normal operating voltage. Rated lightning impulse
withstand is 4-12 times normal operating voltage. However,
in normal service the breaker contacts are closed so lightning
overvoltages are mostly seen by the line-to-earth or line-to-
line insulation; in the rare event of a lightning impulse
appearing across the open contacts of the vacuum interrupter,
the current will be quickly broken. Under similar conditions an
SF6 puffer-type circuit-breaker, air circuit-breaker or minimum
oil circuit-breaker would probably explode.
An interesting characteristic of the vacuum circuit-breaker
is self-conditioning of the contacts. Rough spots that can
occur on the contact surfaces are smoothed out by the
discharge when the contacts are opened on-load.
Vacuum interrupters offer exceptional performance under
load switching conditions, far exceeding the mechanical life
of any circuit-breakers and reclosers of which they form a
part. Consequently they are used in railway switching
applications where electrical and mechanical life in excess of
250,000 operations is required. They are also suited to motor
switching duties in excess of one million operations, arc
furnace switching and capacitor switching. Contact resistance
remains low throughout life because contact erosion only
occurs at the cathode and eroded material is deposited
uniformly on the anode; the contacts act randomly as
cathode and anode so the effect is evened out. In SF6 circuit-
breakers, contact resistance increases during life.
HV switchgear – there is HIGH VOLTAGE SWITCHGEAR IS ONE OF THE FEW APPLICATIONS WHERETHE USE OF SF6 GAS IS STILL PERMITTED UNDER GREENHOUSE GASREGULATIONS. THIS IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THERE IS NO VIABLEALTERNATIVE. HOWEVER, IN THE RANGE 1-52KV THERE IS A PERFECTLYVIABLE OPTION IN THE FORM OF VACUUM SWITCHGEAR WITH SOLIDDIELECTRIC INSULATION. VACUUM SWITCHGEAR IS SIMILAR IN SIZE ANDTECHNICALLY EQUIVALENT, IF NOT SUPERIOR, TO SF6 SWITCHGEAR. IT ISBEING USED INCREASINGLY BY UTILITIES IN EUROPE FOR MEDIUMVOLTAGE (1-52KV) APPLICATIONS SAY W PORTE AND GC SCHOONENBERGFROM EATON, IN THE SECOND INSTALMENT OF THIS TWO-PART ARTICLE *THE FIRST PART OF THIS ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.ELECTRICALREVIEW.CO.UK
14 Electrical Review November 2009
Vacuum interrupters are constructed from materials that can
be recovered and recycled at the end of life. They do not
contain greenhouse gases; nor do they present potential health
hazards due to the products of decomposition. No special
precautions are necessary to protect the environment from the
results of leaks or during disposal.
The compact size of modern vacuum insulator bottles
means special measures are necessary to improve insulation
levels. A 150mm ceramic length will only have a basic
insulation level (BIL) of 125kV in air. For this reason insulators
may be immersed in a dielectric medium such as oil or SF6
gas to raise the BIL to 170kV. Oil is being phased out because
of the fire risk, so SF6 insulation is favoured by many
manufacturers.
However, an alternative approach is to enclose the vacuum
interrupter in a potting compound such as polyurethane or
epoxy. In some cases an epoxy insulator with a contoured
profile, similar to the ‘sheds’ used on overhead line insulators, is
used to increase creep distances. This is especially valuable
when the equipment is used in industrial environments
involving heavy atmospheric pollution or condensation. In
some cases the entire interrupter and associated busbar are
enclosed in solid insulation.
Modern vacuum switchgear with solid dielectric insulation is
comparable in size to the SF6 gas insulated equivalent. The
circuit-breaker assembly can operate in a normal enclosure
with no special sealing or gas filling, and there is no need for
costly monitoring equipment. Maintenance is negligible and life
can be expected to be 30 years or more.
Total cost of ownershipWhile the unit cost for gas insulated switchgear is lower than
for the solid insulated switchgear described above, total cost of
ownership is much higher for the GIS equipment. The
specialist nature of the pressure checks needed by GIS
equipment means that trained personnel with specialist
equipment will have to carry out the work. One estimate has
put the annual cost of this maintenance as 9% of the
equipment value per year. This does not include any other
safety and insurance costs.
Disposal costs for GIS equipment at end of life are difficult to
quantify. Recycling of parts and by-products is not practicable
and dismantling, transport and disposal costs will be high. In
contrast the solid-insulated equipment is fully compliant with
ISO 14001, covering environmental management systems and
standards. All parts are capable of being recycled.
ConclusionThere is no justification – environmentally, technically or
financially - for using SF6 gas-insulated switchgear for circuit-
breakers and ring main units up to 52kV. In fact vacuum
interrupters up to 145kV are now in service. However, solid
insulation has yet to catch up with this.
a green ALTERNATIVE - part 2
www.electricalreview.co.uk 15
DRIVES AND CONTROLS
GLOBAL greenhouse gas emissions are down 3% on last
year, according to the International Energy Agency.
Unfortunately this is not a massive triumph of green
technologies, but is a reflection of the reduced economic
activity brought about by the worldwide recession.
This has given us a bit of a breathing space in which to
reassess our position in regards to global warming. And
we must be careful not to waste this advantage with a
headlong rush to rebuild things as they were.
Instead we need to take time to work out how we can
do things better this time around. We won't get everything
right, but the world needs to change and electrical
engineers can play a vitally important part in building a
better tomorrow.
In a recession there is simply less work available, so
businesses have to make financial savings. Ten or twenty
years ago this tended to mean job cuts; but modern
businesses run pretty lean and recognise that losing people
also means losing skills that may never be replaced. So
savings need to be found elsewhere.
A big cost for most businesses is energy bills - and these
can be controlled!
Here we have a conjunction of an economic need to cut
power bills and a social drive to become more energy
efficient. Good housekeeping – switch things off, turning
things down, checking the insulation – will pay worthwhile
dividends. But the real benefits come with a long term
commitment to control energy usage (and therefore costs)
on an on-going basis.
Probably the technology with the best energy saving
potential is variable speed inverter drives, which are fitted
to electric motors to control speed, and therefore costs.
Electrical engineers have long known the basic rule that the
energy saving is proportional to the cube of the speed
reduction, which means that a small reduction in speed will
give a huge reduction in running costs and energy used.
Traditionally, financial managers have often only looked at
initial capital outlay, not recognising the short payback and
significant savings that can be achieved with such systems.
A climate of changeHowever with climate change now so high on the agenda,
traditional thinking is being turned on its head.
Governments around the world are introducing laws and
guidelines to promote the adoption of inverters.
One clear example of this in the UK is the new Part L of
the Building Regulations, which recommends inverters
should be fitted to all pump and fan motors over a
moderate 1.1kW. Doing this will improve the efficiency
grade of the building and actually improve the value of
the building asset.
Don't waste the hard THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY COULD BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF HELPINGORGANISATIONS RECOVER FROM THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, BYINSTALLING ENERGY SAVING EQUIPMENT AND GREEN TECHNOLOGIESTHAT WILL ALSO HELP WITH CARBON REDUCTION REQUIREMENTS. SOSAYS JEFF WHITING OF MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC
Jeff Whiting
16 Electrical Review November 2009
Drives are at the very forefrontof energy saving programes
throughout industry
A modern medium sized office building, for instance will have literally
hundreds of motors tucked away behind access panels. Every fan has its
own motor; pumps in the air conditioning, heating and water supplies are
often motor driven: high powered extracts in the kitchens - motors are
everywhere.
Let's look at a typical example. A 100kW motor is not a cheap thing to
buy. There are more costs in installing and commissioning it. Then there is
regular maintenance. And, not least, it will be running up the energy bill
every time it is used. And the last cost is by far the largest one!
Such a motor will have a typical working life of 15 years. And it is of such
a size it is likely to be assigned a duty where it is running 24/7. In this case
its total energy consumption would work out at £75,000 per year.
Interestingly, most systems have some sort of mechanical damping
device to control or limit flow as motor systems are generally sized for
‘worse case plus’ conditions they are never required to operate at. Include
an inverter and you can control the speed thereby reducing the flow, but
with the added benefit of significantly reducing the power requirements.
Usually you would expect to find the motor never needs to run at more
that 80-90% top speed. Often you can run it at a far lower speed, say 25-
50%, and you could turn it right down or right off at weekends, bank
holidays and possibly other times too.
Do this and energy consumption would reduce significantly, possibly 50-
70% – that is to say a saving of maybe £50,000 each and every year of its
operational life. An inverter can be programmed to make all these speed
changes automatically.
But what of the initial capital outlay? Well most retrofit inverter
installations will pay for themselves in 12-18months, fast enough to
impress even the grumpiest of accountants. Further, there are now grants
available and financial plans that mean you pay for the inverter as you
achieve your energy savings.
Inverter installation costs are, naturally, far less if they are designed into
new build projects, and the payback time is therefore reduced significantly.
While there are many motors in an office, there are significantly more in
a factory with lots of production plant or in a hospital with all its high tech
medial apparatus, or in a leisure facility housing exercise equipment,
catering, computer games etc.
In fact, the manufacturing and production industries are by far the
biggest users of energy, consuming about 40% of the total generation
capacity. 70% of this figure (i.e. 30% of the total) is used to run electric
motors, of which only 17% are fitted with energy saving inverters.
And while you may think that 17% is a poor, it is streets ahead of the
figure for inverter take up by other sectors of the economy.
Culprits unmaskedUntil global warming was recognised as the crisis it so nearly is, for some
lessons of thisRECESSION
www.electricalreview.co.uk 17
DRIVES AND CONTROLS
reason government guidelines always fought shy of
drives, not recommending them with the enthusiasm that
might have been expected. But now the tide has turned
In a recent revison of the McKinsey report, the
management consultants re-aligned the inclusion of
inverters as being one of the most cost effective
measures, creating a big impact on CO2 levels and global
warming.
The government is advised by McKinsey & Company,
the international management consultants, who for some
reason did not acknowledge the full carbon and money
saving potential of drives until their most recent
publication.
Their initial report: Pathways to a low carbon
economy: Version of the global greenhouse gas cost
abatement curve, includes the McKinsey greenhouse gas
abatement cost curve.
A cost curve is a typical tool of management
consultants – and let it be said – they are often very
useful, condensing complex and multi-dimensional
information into a simple two-axis graph. The problem
with cost curves is users know how difficult they are to
compile and that management consultants charge a lot
for them, so they are pre-disposed to trust them and
therefore use them blindly without questioning their
accuracy.
Unfortunately Version 1 of the McKinsey curve
presented variable speed inverter drives as an energy
saving solution with significant cost! A new Version 2
curve, now in circulation puts drives right at the top of
the energy saving ranking, recognizing the high level of
savings that are achieved with such systems. The savings
are only bettered only by a wholesale switch to LED
lighting and thermal insulation of commercial buildings.
Drives are seen as greener than other industrial efficiency
improvements, electricity from landfill gas, biofuels,
geothermal and next generation hydroelectricity schemes.
Let's look at some details of the report. The analysis
finds that if no attempt to curb emission is made, they
will grow by about 40% by 2030. There is potential, if
everyone pulls together, to turn this around to a 35%
reduction. This would cost about £200bn annually, or 1%
of global GDP, and would hold global warming to just
under 2°C, a critical figure if icecap melting and desert
growth are to be contained.
The International Energy Agency's report suggests the
recent recession has bought us a couple of years on
these figures. Unhappily, I would predict at least two
more recessions before 2030, which might win us
another six years (thereby giving us time for yet another
recession and three more years).
The report goes on to define four categories of
abatement opportunities: energy efficiency, low carbon
energy supply, terrestrial carbon (agriculture, forestry),
and behavioural change. Of these energy efficiency has
the most promise; it could account for about a third of all
potential savings, uses mainly proven technologies and
does not rely on changing human behavior.
McKinsey looked at carbon reduction on a global scale,
but this is not a scale familiar to most working engineers.
They look at a rather smaller world; refurbishing some
building controls, a single production plant or design of a
machine.
Until recently it was unheard of that customers or
bosses asked for a reduced carbon footprint. But they are
now being forced to do so (although it is often presented
as a financial saving).
Electrical engineers will be the ones who lead the
widespread adoption of inverters and other green
technologies. And now with business minds so focused
on cost control is a good time to get a firm foothold in
what will become a staple of the sector.
Mitsubishi has reduced the energy footprint of
its own HQ partly by fitting drives to the many
pumps and motors in the building services,
partly with a giant photovoltaic panel
18 Electrical Review November 2009
Drives are fitted in their
thousands to production
lines, manufacturing and
process plants
FACTORY AUTOMATION
In terms of energy
and the
environment, we
have found modern
manufacturers have
many things on
their mind
WITH MANY FACTORS making up the full sustainability
picture- from raw materials extraction to final delivered
product and beyond that, to recycling or disposal of the
product and or its packaging – come many opportunities to
improve efficiency at every step and to improve productivity,
safety and brand reputation at the same time.
Sustainable production must balance environmental and
social performance factors in addition to those for business
performance. Sustainability is not simply about energy, though
of course the reduction of energy consumption throughout
the process should form an integral and measurable part of
any improvements to the sustainability process, there are
several other factors to consider. Emissions, materials, waste
and safety are elements that can each be looked at in
exhaustive detail, not to mention labour practices and product
responsibility.
In 2005, Julian Allwood, from the Institute for
Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, defined sustainable
manufacturing as: “using technologies to transform materials
without emission of greenhouse gases, use of non-renewable
or toxic materials or generation of waste, while optimising
yield and supply chain integrity.” Manufacturers have since
been making clear demands of automation solution providers
like us.
In terms of energy and the environment, we have found
modern manufacturers have many things on their minds. The
list includes energy costs and supply volatility, raw material
and water costs, renewable energy alternatives, recovery and
recycling, raw material reduction, emissions monitoring and
reduction, responsible product and packaging design, carbon
foot-printing and consumer and community imperatives.
Fortunately, this means there is plenty of scope to make
continuous improvements to every step of the supply and
production chain as they progress towards a sustainable
manufacturing future.
Economically, manufacturers are calling out for three main
solutions to stay profitable and competitive while moving
towards sustainable manufacturing targets. First, improved
automation integration and consequent lower cost of
ownership – with more and more automation required to
remain competitive, the initial outlay must be economic and
also integrate where possible with existing equipment and
future procurements. Second, maximum manufacturing
efficiencies must be achieved – increasing throughput and
reducing waste and downtime are vital to achieving both
ecological improvements and increasing production. And
third, of real importance is simplification of the information
flow through improvement of the integration of business to
manufacturing systems- vital for minute, real-time control,
analysis and reporting.
Information as a core component of sustainableproduction solutions.Taking steps to improve performance in these areas is, initially
and progressively, highly dependent on information gathering
as the foundation of solutions management. In terms of
utilities, for example, accurate monitoring of the supply chain,
both upstream and downstream, to determine usage is a key
factor in managing the improvement of efficiency. Within the
plant, modifications to optimise WAGES (Water, Air, Gas,
Electricity, & Steam) and increase the ratio of productivity to
resource used are also highly dependent on the speed and
flow of accurate information from the plant floor to the
management floor and decision makers.
Looking ahead, in some areas of the world the most
significant commodity, particularly in the food and beverage
industry, is, of course, water. The risks of dependence on
water play out both locally and regionally. It is effective water
availability that matters, for example, the right amount of
water, at the right quality, at the right time and at the right
place. In addition to these local production issues companies
have global exposures to water scarcity through their supply
chains. The case for efficient management of resources here is
compelling and will surely become stronger over time.
Fundamental optimisations such as replacing boilers and
motors with more efficient models can also have a huge
Forces at work in drive towards MANUFACTURERS ARE UNDER EVER-INCREASING PRESSURE TO IMPROVESUSTAINABILITY IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. FROM VOLUNTARYINITIATIVES, TAX BREAKS AND LEGISLATION ALL THE WAY THROUGH TOBRAND REPUTATION IN THE MARKET, THE REQUIREMENT IS TO MEASURE,ANALYSE, IMPROVE AND REPORT UPON THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS.THE AIM IS TO ACHIEVE MINIMAL IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT ANDMAXIMUM YIELD FOR ENERGY AND RAW MATERIAL USAGE, THIS SHOULDFORM A KEY ELEMENT WITHIN A MANUFACTURERS’ BUSINESS MODEL ANDTHEIR SHORT AND LONG TERM PLANNING. JONATHAN SMITH, BUSINESSLEADER FOR POWER CONTROL AT ROCKWELL AUTOMATION, EXPLAINS
20 Electrical Review November 2009
Jonathan Smith
Factory Automation2.qxd:Layout 1 5/11/09 12:30 Page 2
impact to reduce utilities usage. It goes without saying such
measures are more often of economic benefit in the medium to
long term and can help reduce vulnerability to fluctuating costs
of energy supply. In this way it can clearly be seen that one of
the key drivers for sustainable manufacturing, that of
environmental legislative direction, both published and
foreseeable, if handled positively and proactively, using simple,
well thought through techniques and good solution
management, can bring clear economic and competitive
advantages to the manufacturer. For UK manufacturing this
reduction of overheads is clearly of significant importance to the
continued viability of UK based plants as opposed to those
based in emerging industrial nations.
Brand equity and the information consumer.Similarly, brand reputation is a cornerstone of the foundation for
sustainable manufacturing. The drivers towards sustainable
manufacturing are reflective of society’s developing attitude
towards the environment and an increasing sense of personal
responsibility taken by consumers, and impressed upon
businesses when they act as a consumer. Manufacturers are
increasingly seen as, and encouraged to be, responsible for the
entire ‘chain of custody’. In the information age the consumer
demands that, before they part with their money, manufacturers
can show them that they source and produce the ingredients,
packaging and product in a safe, efficient and ethical way. Where
they can make a choice between a manufacturer that can show
this and a manufacturer that can’t, or hasn’t tried to, they will
increasingly take the greener option, often even though it may
be more expensive. This attitude is supported by initiatives to
label products with internationally recognised standards that
prove the manufacturer has shown due diligence or taken
proactive steps in these areas. For example, moves towards
publishing the carbon footprint of a product on its label. Clearly
good practice can become a selling point in itself, but perhaps
the point is better made by noting the potential damage that can
be sustained to a brand when things go wrong.
At this point safety becomes an integral part of the process
and can further be used to drive productivity. In our experience,
we have seen that improving safety standards tends to improve
production output through reduced downtime as well as
providing recall ability through tracking and traceability. These
are important factors in preventing potentially brand damaging
goods being produced in the first place, or reaching the
consumer when they are. Using technology to ‘track and trace’
and record all resources used and actions taken during
production gives the manufacturer real-time knowledge of all
raw materials, people, equipment and utilities for each lot. Full
supply chain traceability also supports carbon footprint
awareness initiatives. Action to install safety systems to prevent
accidents and thus reduce downtime as well as improve the
safety record may be simpler, quicker and more cost effective
than many manufacturers realize and all successful measures
support and improve the highly important intangible asset of
brand equity and should be a driver of the move towards
sustainable manufacturing.
Sustainable manufacturing can become a virtuous circle of
improvement when the many forces at work that shape it are
considered rationally and improvement is made continuously
through effective solutions management. Importantly, the same
improvements for the environment, for safety and for brand
equity in a leaner, greener manufacturing environment can be
harnessed to improve competitiveness and productivity.
SUSTAINABLE production
www.electricalreview.co.uk 21
FACTORY AUTOMATION
FACTORY AUTOMATION
AS PART of a complete overhaul and
modernisation of its UK supply chain, PZ Cussons
decided to take advantage of the control and
visibility capabilities offered by a modern process-
capable automation infrastructure. While
establishing the justification for a new UK
manufacturing facility, the company realised much
of its existing process equipment at its old site was
not up to the demands of a modern manufacturing
environment. This is one of the reasons it chose to
employ the very latest the industry had to offer
from Rockwell Automation and its alliance partner
Endress+Hauser. Not only was the solution all
based on the ISA S-88 standard, utilising
networked instrumentation and routing valves, but
the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture
meant a common software environment and
scalability made installation and cross-line
migration incredibly straightforward.
Starting from a 'clean slate', PZ Cussons
recognised many areas where savings could be
made and unnecessary costs removed. It also
wanted to adopt leaner manufacturing procedures
making further savings in stock holding and
deliveries. The primary challenge was to obtain
visibility of all steps of the process and to keep all
parameters within operational tolerances. This
required extremely accurate batching, mixing and
metering systems, which could not only
communicate with each other, but also with the
master control system within the offices and
external suppliers via a secure extranet.
An entirely new processing and production
operation was developed, controlled by equipment
engineered, supplied and improved by services
from Rockwell Automation, along with instruments
and fieldbus networks engineered, designed and
commissioned by Endress+Hauser. The
implementation of the project made full use of the
flexibility, the improved process and diagnostic
data that the fieldbus devices provide. This has
given PZ Cussons a level of process visibility and
control far beyond what it had in its older plant.
The new approach is helping it to attain many of
the savings it envisaged, while also removing many
of the process variables which introduced
unwanted costs.
By measuring and automating virtually every
step of the recipe creation, mixing, processing and
packaging lines, the total solution supplied has had
a significant impact. Not only has the control
system provided the required production volumes,
but with the seamless integration of the field
devices, providing validated accuracy the quality
targets have also been met. The savings have been
such that the company is vindicated in its decision
not to move manufacturing to alternative locations
outside of the UK.
According to Andy Ellams, process development
manager at PZ Cussons: "We had a very clear view
of what we wanted – a distributed control system
which runs off a set of servers integrated into our
general IT infrastructure. These servers are
PZ Cussons
recognised many
areas where savings
could be made and
unecessary costs
removed
22 Electrical Review November 2009
Improve asset and productionperformance whilst meetingstringent QUALITY STANDARDS
An entirely new
processing and production
operation was developed
www.electricalreview.co.uk 23
FACTORY AUTOMATION
connected to the PLCs on a fibre optic network which is
shared with our office systems traffic."
The field instrumentation can be maintained and
configured from a central location using the FDT/DTM
capabilities of Endress+Hauser’s FieldCare, the fieldbus
networks also facilitate central monitoring and analysis of
communication traffic.
This completes the integration from the control system to
the field device providing validation of measured variables
and consistent device maintenance.
PZ Cussons has effectively been able to deskill some
processes that took operators many years to learn. Even then,
each operator had their own way of doing things on each of
the machines, which lead to some of the process variability.
Labour in one area has been reduced from 16 people on a
four-shift pattern to just one person who only needs to visit
the section once a day. Some of these roles have been
redeployed elsewhere in the factory.
With the old approach, all of the recipes were hard coded
into the PLCs so there was no easy way to test new recipes
and mixes without a significant re-coding exercise. Rockwell
Automation's technology has allowed the company to pilot
test new recipes on a small scale prior to mass production.
Previously, there was a need for specialist operators, but due
to the scalability and portability of the software, any operator
can now run any line. Operators are now much more multi-
skilled – adding value to the areas where their intervention
really counts.
Ellams concludes: "First-time passes are now becoming the
norm. The quality standards we are seeing are very high with
little or no tweaking required. We often go weeks without any
production issues." Overall, the plant is experiencing reduced
downtime, greater accuracy and shorter batch times, which, in
turn, is also saving energy and shortening time to market.”
The technology used has allowed the company to pilot test new
recipes on a small scale prior to mass production
LIGHTNING PROTECTION
The risk assessments
are extremely time
consuming but
intrinsic to the
whole process
THE PAST YEAR has been a huge learning curve for the
entire industry. Literally thousands of operatives, apprentices
and consultants now have to possess some, if not full,
comprehension of this new standard. Its arrival has changed
how the industry operates forever! For the past three years a
dedicated Atlas team has worked tirelessly to disseminate
and educate the industry about the fundamental changes,
additions and implications of BS EN 62305. What has
become apparent is Atlas members who undertook the
special training workshops are a cut above the rest.
The complex risk assessments that are now compulsory
under the new standard are extremely time consuming but
intrinsic to the whole process. However, several members
have reported many contractors still appear to be unaware
that these risk assessments are a mandatory requirement
and are therefore still accepting quotations from non Atlas
members who are not working to the new standard. Colin
Clinkard from Best said: “We are extremely happy our LC
designers and estimators have passed the Atlas accreditation,
however there still needs to be a huge push to ensure that
main contractors understand the repercussions of not using a
BS EN 62305 accredited lightning protection company.”
This point is further highlighted by another Atlas member,
Edward Wilson & Co, who has found many contractors and
architects are still requesting quotations from the company
based on the old BS 6651. In the current economic climate,
contractors are understandably looking for the best price.
This, coupled with their lack of knowledge on the extreme
differences between the old and new standards means that
they are often commissioning unsuitable work that is not
compliant. Atlas members are dedicating a lot of time in an
attempt to educate the contractors they work with about the
BS EN 62305, and it is beginning to have a positive effect.
However, with approximately two thirds of contractors and
architects clearly not understanding the new standard, it is
very frustrating and inconvenient to have to teach them what
BS EN 62305 is all about every time they tender for new
business.
Although there are inevitably issues surrounding BS EN
62305, all Atlas members believe the new standard is a
positive thing for the industry. Atlas member, John Ashmore
from Protectis said: “The next step must be to set up training
workshops for engineers and architects. It’s as simple as this;
unless they understand how the new standard works and
the huge benefits that it gives them, inadequate lightning
protection will continue to be offered to clients who will then
find that their buildings are non-compliant.”
Fellow member, Andy Richie agrees. His company,
Lightning Protection Services has noticed a lot of large
projects that were originally planned before the new
standard’s implementation are still being built now with out-
of-date protection. Jason Harfield of Orion has also observed
the new standard is being ignored with specified separation
distances not being adhered to. Orion has put all their
employees through the Atlas design course for the BS EN
62305 and feel the whole industry must follow suit, if only to
put an end to the ignorance.
Overall, everyone agrees more education on the new
standard needs to be provided to the construction industry as
a whole. Atlas is still the only organisation to offer
comprehensive training. The National Construction College
offers NVQ Level 2 for apprentices but this is only a basic
introduction. Like it or loath it, the arrival of BS EN 62305 has
split the industry. Lightning protection is now recognised as
an extremely skilled profession. The new standard has clearly
started to separate out the professionals from the cowboys!
Ignorance is no DEFENCE!LAST AUGUST SAW THE LONG AWAITED ARRIVAL OF THE NEW BRITISHSTANDARD FOR LIGHTNING PROTECTION, BS EN 62305, REPLACING THENOW OBSOLETE BS 6651. IT HAS CHANGED, AND WILL CONTINUE TOCHANGE, THE WAY LIGHTNING PROTECTION IS UNDERSTOOD, PLANNEDAND IMPLEMENTED. YET DESPITE EXTENSIVE PUBLICITY, WIDESPREADCONFUSION ACROSS THE INDUSTRY REMAINS, PARTICULARLY AMONGMAIN CONTRACTORS. AS A RESULT SOME ATLAS MEMBERS HAVE LOSTOUT ON CONTRACTS, EVEN THOUGH THEIR PROPOSED SOLUTION WASTHE ONLY COMPLIANT OPTION EXPLAINS FIONA LINDSAY AT ATLAS
24 Electrical Review November 2009
www.electricalreview.co.uk 25
LIGHTNING PROTECTION
SCOUT MOOR WIND FARM, (the largest onshore wind farm
in England), consists of 26 wind turbines situated on the
moors of North West England between Rawtenstall and
Rochdale with the Rossendale Way running through the
heart of the site. When running at full capacity, the farm
generates 65MW of electricity, providing enough power to
meet the average needs of 40,000 homes. To ensure
continuous and reliable electricity generation in such an
exposed location, the site required the installation of
extensive earthing and lightning protection systems to
protect it from the potentially devastating effects of a
lightning strike. McNicholas awarded the contract to Omega
Red Group – one of the UK market leaders in earthing and
lightning protection.
In the early stages of the project, Omega personnel
conducted soil resistivity surveys at each of the turbine
locations, and at the substation situated approximately a
mile away, to enable a detailed design to be undertaken.
This would not only ensure the safety of the structures
themselves, but would also safeguard the general public
against the hazardous touch, step and transfer voltages that
can occur when lightning strikes or when power system
faults occur.
The remote location of the wind farm combined with
unpredictable and often inclement weather conditions
(including thick fog, snow, ice, torrential rain and gale force
winds) provided additional challenges throughout the
project. During the installation, a few potential issues were
encountered in obtaining the requisite resistance values at
some of the turbine locations, largely due to the ground
conditions varying from marsh bogs to solid rock. However,
the proactive approach and technical expertise of Omega’s
onsite engineers and operatives soon ensured that these
issues were resolved without compromising the
construction programme.
At the end of the construction and installation phase,
Omega was further tasked with carrying out the overall test
of the earthing and lightning protection systems on both
the substation and turbine sites to confirm their compliance
with all statutory requirements. Due to the large footprint of
the site, the test leads were required to be run out in excess
of 2 kilometres – including across a waterfall - to obtain an
accurate set of test results - just another small challenge for
the Omega engineers to overcome!
Because climate change is now widely recognised as
one of the most important global issues, and reducing the
amount of greenhouse gas emissions is a vital element in
limiting the effects of climate change, Omega is committed
to working within the renewable energy market, using its
expertise, technical competence and extensive experience
to overcome the very specific challenges this market
presents.
“The sheer size of wind turbines along with the isolated
locations upon which they are constructed renders them
vulnerable to lightning strikes. Without adequate earthing
and lightning protection systems they are more likely to
suffer the detrimental effects of a lightning strike. We are
extremely happy to be involved in the success of wind
farms across the UK and to use our expertise in the support
of this growing, environmentally- friendly industry”.
Colin McElhone, managing director, Omega Red Group
The sheer size of
wind turbines
renders them
vulnerable to
lightning strikes
Picture courtesy of Omega
Red Group
26 Electrical Review November 2009
Red turned GREEN
FOR ALMOST 35 years R. C. Cutting & Co. has been involved
with the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) both in new
installations and the ongoing maintenance surrounding
their world famous Championship in June each year.
Most recently have been the challenging works to Centre
Court, where a new retractable roof has been incorporated
over a three year construction period. The continued use of
the playing surface during the Championships was always a
factor and the re-development works had to be scheduled
around this.
Now complete, the roof can be closed and the
temperature and humidity controlled dependant on the
number of spectators, thus ensuring that play can continue
whatever the weather.
For those that remember, the 1996 Championship was
delayed hugely by bad weather and the crowds were
frustrated by the conditions and delays. .
The lightning protection system, originally installed by
Cuttings in 1992, has been enhanced and the steel
supporting structure of the new retractable roof was
incorporated giving particular regard to the many
moving parts!
The closing
roof was used
during the 2009
Championship
and allowed play
to continue well
into the evening,
creating the
latest finishing
game in the
history of the
event.
Originally
built in 1922,
Centre Court held 13,810 spectators in 2008, increasing
to 15,000 for the 2009 Championship by adding six rows
of seats to the upper tier on the east, north and west
sides.
An inscription above the entryway to Centre Court reads
"If you can meet with triumph and disaster / And treat those
two imposters just the same" - lines from Rudyard Kipling's
poem If.
www.electricalreview.co.uk 27
Straight SETS
LIGHTNING PROTECTION
The new closing roof was
first used during the 2009
Wimbledon Championship
28 Electrical Review November 2009
POWER GENERATION
THERE IS though a great deal of variation within the power
industry, and outside it, as to what exactly should be included
under the idea of a smart grid. Ask a room full of utility
professionals to define the term and you're likely to get a
wide range of answers. But most probably the discussion will
focus on FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission Systems), WAMS
(Wide Area Monitoring Systems) and HVDC (High Voltage
Direct Current) technologies. These are of course very
important transmission technologies that are already starting
to play a significant global role in the development of smart
transmission grids.
Ask a room full of consumers, and the talk will probably be
about smart meters. Personally though, I am coming to the
conclusion the ‘killer’ element of the smart grid will be in
between these two extremes – at the distribution network
level. Distribution networks may well be the key to help
manage the impact of the variable nature of generation from
large volumes of wind energy coupled with the dynamic
requirements of customer electricity demands.
The increased reliance on an inherently variable source of
generation will pose particular challenges in balancing the
grid to maintain the high level of reliability and availability
expected by consumers. This will be especially true on those
days when the weather is cold, and energy demand is high
with the additional risk of widespread low wind speeds
sometimes seen in an average UK winter.
Since the UK currently has very little energy storage
resource, with the notable exception of pumped hydroelectric
schemes such as Dinorwig (providing 1800 MW), there are
two choices. Either we need to invest in expensive fossil-
fuelled plants to act as backup, or we create a smart grid that
can take active, dynamic control of demand, storage and
distributed generation at the distribution network level.
From passive to active distribution networkTo meet this challenge, distribution networks will need to
make a radical change from their traditionally passive format
(ie, planned for particular peak loads and for use as fit-and-
forget networks) to become more active or dynamically
adapting networks in order to manage the increasing
demands placed on them. This will necessarily be a two-way
system where power generated by a multitude of small,
distributed sources (CHP and domestic micro generation etc)
flows into a grid based on a network rather than a
hierarchical structure. Just as the Internet has changed media
from a one-to-many paradigm to a many-to-many
arrangement, so too will the smart grid enable a similar shift
in the flow of electricity. It could also include the connection
of smart white grids in the home, such as washing machines,
refrigerators and freezers, with the possibility that they can be
managed by the local DNO (Distribution Network Operator)
to provide active and reactive load control in the local
network, taking smart metering to a new level of
sophistication.
The smart grid will change the way we look at power
distribution. Technologies are already available in the form of
switchgear, transformers, reactive power compensation
solutions and Scada distribution management systems that
enhance the operation of medium- and low-voltage power
networks. But, as power generation becomes more
distributed, and more power comes from renewable
resources, the distribution grid will need to accommodate
more fluctuations in power quality, as well as two-way power
flow, while also becoming more responsive to changes in
consumer demand. The management of such a complex
system will depend on real-time, secure communications and
highly adaptive control systems. These will provide utilities
TRADITIONALLY, THE UK’S POWER NEEDS HAVE BEEN MET BY LARGE, CENTRALISED
GENERATION UNITS, WITH THE ELECTRICITY THEY PRODUCE TRANSPORTED TO CONSUMERS
BY VERY RELIABLE TRANSMISSION GRIDS FEEDING INTO TAPERED DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS.
BUT TIMES ARE CHANGING. THERE ARE CONCERNS TODAY’S DEMANDS FOR INCREASED
POWER SUPPLIES WITH HIGHER RELIABILITY FROM CLEANER, AND PREFERABLY RENEWABLE,
ENERGY SOURCES CAN BE MET WITH TODAY’S GRID INFRASTRUCTURE. THERE IS A GROWING
CONSENSUS OF OPINION WE NEED AN INTELLIGENT SYSTEM THAT CAN RECEIVE POWER OF
ALL QUALITIES FROM ALL SOURCES – BOTH CENTRALISED AND DISTRIBUTED – AND DELIVER
RELIABLE SUPPLIES, ON DEMAND, TO CONSUMERS OF ALL KINDS. IN SHORT, WE NEED A
SMART GRID SAYS PETER JONES, HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY AT ABB (UK)
The increased
reliance on an
inherently variable
source of
generation will
pose challenges in
balancing the grid
Distribution the key driverfor SMART GRIDS
Caption
Peter Jones
PRODUCT WATCH
SYSTEM SUITS DEMANDING APPLICATIONSAmplified speech is something that can be clearly heard and is a basic public address requirement, as well assomething we have all experienced at one time or another in our day-to-day lives.
Audio Visual Security has extended its CLARUS range with its new 100V Line Public Address equipment,specifically developed for the most demanding public address and background music applications.
For installers – it’s easy to install, therefore, saving time and money.And for the end user, it is a cost effective application.
The range includes various mixer amplifiers, compact ceiling speakers,high performance background speakers, paging microphones &weatherproof sound projector speakers.
The 4-zone mixer amplifier’s are available with a choice of 40W, 60W,90W, 120W and 240W output power and feature up to 5 microphoneinputs with individual volume control.
AVS01253 830 904
WEBSITE DETAILS PRODUCT PORTFOLIOWith the launch of Engex’s new website it is now easier then ever to search product information, keep updatedon latest news and find your nearest distributor.
www.engex-uk.co.uk is user friendly and designed to offer Engex customers extensive information about theEngex brand and its portfolio of products.
The website offers facilities to view the latest promotional offers, an up-to date calendar of events such asEngex trade days, rapid navigation to the new Engex product pages, the option to view the new ‘e-catalogue’ and
the facility to request or download a catalogue.In addition to the sites technical product features, the graphic
design and interface reflects the 36-page, printed Engex catalogueand style of the new product supplement.
In the coming months, Engex will be introducing new sitefeatures, special offers and additional multimedia.
Engex01952 272 381
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM SAVES INSTALLATION TIMEThe Simplifire conventional fire alarm system, available from Firesafe, brings together a number featuresinstallers will benefit from in the marketplace today.
The Multipoint detector, as part of the Simplifire 2-wire fire alarm system, means that when adetector is wired in, a sounder is too.
With no additional wiring required, this therefore greatly reduces the time it takes to install by up to40%.
Multipoint is suitable for any application as this onedevice offers 7 different modes of detection, making theinstallation even simpler.
All devices including detectors, break glasses andseperate sounders all have built-in end of line functionsimply activated by a flick of a switch providing ultimateflexibility with no need for additional resistors.
Firesafe01253 699 500
CENTRIFUGUAL RANGE OF SHOWERLIGHT FANSThe Centrifugal range of showerlight fans from Addvent is suitable for applicationswhere longer ducting runs are required.
The AVC110IDTSLB and AVC110IDTSLC 100mm centrifugal extract is designed toextract moisture and odours from showers, bathrooms or toilets.
The kit for each fan includes two 3m lengths of ducting, the low voltage showerlight diffuser, low voltage transformer and grilles. The fan also has an adjustableover run timer (1 to 20 minutes) - as standard.
The AVCPRO120CDFSLC is designed for larger bathrooms where two areas canbe ventilated simultaneously by one fan. This fan differs from the smallerAVC110IDT range in its ability to ventilate two areas simultaneously. This is
accomplished by the greater pressure created by this fan and by the products supplied with the model.The kit for the fan includes 10m of 100mm ducting, one 100mm equal T piece, a low voltage shower light diffuser, a
low voltage transformer and grilles.
Addvent0117 938 6400
LOCKING PROTECTIONThe MCB Locking device fromControlgear is ideal for lockingprotection devices or main switches inthe ON or OFF position. Designed foruse with CGD MCB’s, RCBO’s and mainswitches, the MCB Lock is suppliedcomplete with a yellow hazard indicatorand 3 keys. The MCB Lock will also fitthe majority of MCBs currently availablein the market.
For maximum safety, the MCB Lockalso allows main switches to be lockedin the OFF position, thus isolatingcircuits if maintenance is to be carriedout and preventing anyone from turningthe power back on before work iscompleted.
Controlgear01563 572572
CAT 6 DATA MODULES
As new technologies develop and evolve,Emitex strives to improve and enhance theirproduct range in the data cabling market toreflect this.
Emitex has recently modified the Category 6modules; EM01.105 and EM01.106 to exceedthe performance criteria for Cat 6 and providean enhanced 250mhz performance.
More importantly, this has been designed foroptimal support of high speed data protocolsdelivering 1Gbps performance to the work area.
Emitex modules comply with the latest ISOand TIA standards for Category 6 compliance.
They are available in 25 x 50mm (EM01.105)and 37 x 22mm (EM01.106) sizes and are fullcompatible with the Emitex range of faceplatesand blanks.
The EM01.106 – 6C Floor box low profilemodules are ideal for floor box installationwhere space is very limited but still allows forflexibility of voice or data to the desk..
Emitex01952 270 271
POWER GENERATION
and their customers with real-time information from across
the network on the performance of grid installations, power
flow and consumer demand. They will allow intelligent
automated devices to react to imbalances in the system and
also improve asset management by enabling improved
predictive maintenance programs and faster emergency
response times. Improved customer restoration times during
system disturbances and network reconfiguration will
also be a critical aspect of future smart grids. The
incorporation of enterprise-wide information systems
and customer response management tools will
improve utility operations, enabling
better customer relations and
the provision of tailored
services. The introduction
of more intelligent
monitoring systems and
the extension of substation-
and feeder automation in
distribution networks will optimise
operations, bringing improvements in
reliability, availability, security and energy
efficiency.
The way forwardBuilding the next generation of active power delivery
networks requires a mixture of: new technology; existing
technology deployed in new ways; existing asset
infrastructure utilised in an optimum way; and changes in
operating practices by electric utilities. Building on existing
ideas, progress in such a complex, multi-stakeholder research
and development effort requires a collaborative approach
such as in the team-based AuRA-NMS project. Autonomous
Regional Active Network Management Systems (AuRA-NMS)
is a collaborative research and development project,
sponsored by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC), that seeks to demonstrate new
network operation concepts in the UK. In addition to ABB, the
consortium includes two major distribution network
operators (DNOs) and several UK universities.
The goal of AuRA-NMS is to demonstrate the benefits of
active network management using a distributed architecture
integrated into existing control and asset infrastructure. It
includes the use of innovative battery storage to understand
the merits of trading opportunities, the support of constrained
capacity related to overhead lines and cables, and stability
control of the network due to various types of distributed
generation. The project also aims to provide automated
solutions for complicated constraint management.
The network management system controller used in the
project is ABB’s COM 600 series designed to complement the
substation automation and network management systems
already in service by some UK DNOs. The COM 600 supports
the IEC 61850 standard and offers interoperability
and expandability as well as providing a
certain level of legacy protocol support for
the DNOs’ existing feeder automation
devices.
SVC Light with dynamicenergy storageIn coordination with the
AuRA-NMS project, ABB
is working with EDF
Energy Networks on a
collaborative research, development and
demonstration project to install an SVC Light
STATCOM (Static Compensator) with dynamic energy storage
in a grid with a high penetration of wind power. The project is
being financially supported through industry regulator
Ofgem’s Innovation Funding Incentive scheme.
The installation will yield dynamic voltage control in an 11
kV distribution system and at the same time enable dynamic
storage of surplus energy from wind farms, which can be
utilized to level out peaks in grid loading. Using this strategy,
the power harnessed from the wind can be put to more
efficient use than would otherwise be possible. The SVC Light
with dynamic energy storage incorporates a high-tech lithium-
ion (Li-ion) 5.2 kV battery system supplied by Saft that can
deliver 200 kW for an hour and 600 kW for over 15 minutes.
SummaryThe smart grid will not be a revolution. It will be a
transformation of the distribution networks that have served
us for many years into more intelligent, more dynamic and
effective, environmentally sensitive networks to provide for
our future needs. However, if our environmental targets are
to be met this transformation must start now.
30 Electrical Review November 2009
The smart grid will
not be a revolution.
It will be a
transformation of
the networks that
have served us for
many years
Burnt gloves
Below and centre of page: The Li-ion batteryinstallation in the SVC Light with energy storage
PRODUCT WATCH
MULTIFUNCTION TESTER ADDED TO TESTEQUIPMENT RANGEThe Ethos 7920 multifunction tester embraces features required forboth domestic and commercial safety testing.
The instrument meets all requirements of the 17th edition iee wiringregulations (BS7671:2008) and European Safety Standards EN61557.
It comes complete with a large carry case, interchangeable probesand full set of test leads, a full calibration certificate and a 3-yearwarranty, as standard, eliminating the expense of having to purchasethese separately.
A short form user guide is also provided should the contractor need further assistance. Even better – ademonstration video is available to view on You Tube, showing each test and how they can be performed.
Test selection is easy to follow with the large rotary selector and easy to read display, and has thefunctionality required to carry out low Ohm, insulation, continuity, loop/Pfc, RCD and 3-phase sequence testcapabilities.
Ethos Instruments0191 378 3990
SELF POWERED SWITCHES GET SEAL OF APPROVALMK Electric has migrated its echo range of innovative ‘self powered’ wireless and battery-free switches intothe Masterseal product. The IP56 rated Masterseal range has been specifically designed for use eitheroutdoors or indoors and in areas heavily exposed to dust and splashing water.
Echo’s benefits include almost instant switch installation; total location flexibility of light switches in andoutside buildings; and easy relocation, re-installation and considerable cost-savings when refurbishing work,
factory and other commercial spaces. The echo range is also incredibly lowmaintenance thanks to the lack of batteries and lack of wiring in the wall.
The new Masterseal option means echo can now be deployed in a farwider variety of tough environments both inside and out, while still offeringall the benefits of ‘self powered’, wireless and battery-free switching..
MK Electric01268 563000
PLUG AND PLAY ANSWER TO LIGHTING CONTROLSThorn has introduced SensaModular, a simple plug-and-play dimming solution for single roomapplications that is capable of taking in and responding to sensors and other interfaces, without theneed for extra commissioning tools.
Central to the system is the SensaModular controller which processes the inputs from the sensors,photocells, scene plates, switches and hand held IR devices to operate up to three groups of luminaires,thus creating ideal conditions for daylight-linking, presence-linking and scene setting. The device canautomatically detect and operate DSI or DALI ballasts, or any combination thereof (up to 50 DSI or 25DALI ballasts per group), and two screwdriver adjustable rotary switches set the operation mode(‘On/Off’, ‘only Off’ or ‘On/Corridor’) and off delay time for the presence-link function. This makescommissioning quick, easy and safe. Thecontroller comes in two sizes: for two orthree luminaire groups.
Thorn020 8732 9954
BROCHURE GOES BEYOND PRODUCT SELECTIONThe new 90-page brochure from CP Electronics catalogue presents the user with benefits that extend way beyondthe simple selection of lighting controls.
Stand alone product pages, clear photographs and concise text makesspecification simple for anyone involved in the selection of building controls. An in-depth six page technology section provides helpful advice on microwave detection,PIR (Passive Infra Red), presence and absence, Direct Dim and PRM.
New products include: The High Bay Sensor (EBDSPIR-HB) which is specificallydesigned for the detection of movement in high bay industrial lighting, and VitesseModular marshalling boxes which allows the quick and easy addition of luminaires.Its modular design means luminaires can be added simply by plugging in 4-wayextender modules, so that design changes at fit-out – or changes in the layout of thespace – can by accommodated very cost-effectively.
CP Electronics0208 9000671
COMPLETE EMERGENCYVOICE COMMUNICATIONSYSTEMFor most people, an instruction like “pleaseleave the building by the nearest availableexit” can be acted upon quickly and easily.But for wheelchair users, the disabled andinfirm, this isn’t always the case.
Current building regulations insist all newnon-domestic buildings with more than onestorey provide ‘refuge areas’ - reasonably safeplaces where people who cannot easily usefire escapes and evacuation lifts can call forassistance and wait until help arrives.
Firesafe’s EV Series emergency voicecommunication system has been specificallydesigned with ease of installation andpowerful networking, the facility allows up tofour master controllers (and slaves) to beinterlinked allowing 64 line systems to beeasily implemented.
The EV Series of Emergency VoiceCommunication is ideal for hotels, shoppingmalls, office blocks, banks, sports stadiums,entertainment complexes and meets allrequirements and standards of BS5839 Part 9.
Firesafe01253 699 500 47TH EDITION OF CATALOGUE
PUBLISHED
MK Electric has just published the 47th edition ofits catalogue – providing a comprehensivereference to one of the largest quality ranges ofelectrical product and accessories available on themarket.
Covering an incredible 5300 products, themammoth four-colour tome runs to nearly 700pages; and provides comprehensive fully-illustrated range details on the company’sextensive offer – from wiring devices to circuitprotection and cable management. It also includesrange highlights for MK’s Ackermann andFriedland sister businesses.
Highlights in this new edition – the first forthree years – include Echo, the company’swireless, batteryless, self-powered switchtechnology; Astral, a versatile and intelligentMESH network system incorporating Zensys RFcommunication technology; new ranges of energysaving and lighting management products, and it’sbespoke Design Service for ‘specials’..
MK Electric01268 563000
PRODUCT WATCHDRIVES’ ECOLOGICAL PAYBACK MEASUREDWith just half a day’s use,a variable speed drivecan compensate for theenvironmental cost of itsown manufacture anddisposal, a new studyfrom ABB shows.
The study, carried outin cooperation withTampere University ofTechnology, demonstrates how long drives of various sizes need to be used beforethey begin making a positive contribution to the environment.
The ecological payback was calculated for three ABB drives of 0.75 kW, 7.5 kWand 250 kW, respectively. The payback times were short in all instances, decreasingwith higher power ratings. The 0.75 kW drive compensated for its global warmingpotential in 6 days; for the 7.5 kW drive it was 1.1 days and for the 250 kW drive itwas 0.5 day.
ABB01925 741 111
HOLDING COURT AT QUEENSCP Electronics has played a pivotal role in achieving the requiredenergy savings for an iconic new building in the centre of Hull.The company’s MWS-1 microwave presence detectors have been
used throughoutQueens Court, acomplex consisting of115 executiveapartments and twofloors of penthouseapartments, all finishedto an exceptionally highstandard in acontemporary design.Local electricalcompany Merlx
Electrical was appointed to carry out the installation.CP’s MWS-1 presence detectors were installed. The MWS-1 was
chosen for its wide detection range of up to 30m which meantthat less detectors were required to cover a larger area. Thesensor provides automatic control of lighting and can also beconnected to control heating and ventilation, making it ideal foruse in a variety of applications.
CP Electronics 0208 9000671
BETTER PRODUCTION LINE ELECTRICALTESTINGMulti-industry application improved production line electricalsafety testing is provided with the PowerSmart automationand leakage test module, now available from ClareInstruments
The module provides full leakage testing to EN 60990 anddisplays run test voltage and current during the functional tests.
The power for thefunctional test canbe either the internalsupply or from theexternal connectedelectrical safetytester.
It has beendesigned to work with standard electrical safety testers such asthe Elite, with the addition of a safety test enclosure if required,and is suitable for 16A applications. Single and three phaseoptions can also be selected.
PowerSmart, when combined with both the Clare Elitecomprehensive tester and a test enclosure system, reduces therisk of electric shock during high voltage automated productionline testing and can be operated easily and safely by operativesusing simple-to-use features.
Clare Instruments0191 587 8741
SOFTWARE STREAMLINES LIGHTING MANAGEMENTThe latest evolution of Philips Dynalite’s lighting control software solution/operatorinterface—MapView—simplifies lighting control system management. MapView enablesoperators to: program complex lighting tasks into automated macros; make manual
changes quickly and easily; implementtimed/scheduled events; access a wide range ofperformance and device-condition data; and performautomated lighting tests. In combination with thecompany’s flagship DLight III Server, MapViewprovides users with a scalable and simple-to-usesoftware application, delivering unmatched facility-wide lighting control, programming and energymanagement functionality.
Residing on any standard PC, MapView features a graphical user interface, whichprovides a detailed pictorial representation of the controlled space, and allows operatorsto intuitively configure and monitor all load devices on the network. Here, users can drilldown to individual lighting circuits, channels and luminaires, and execute a change with asingle mouse click.
Philips Dynalite0870 608 1101
IS YOUR CABLE UP TO THE MARK?Draka is spearheading another campaign aimed at highlighting the dangers of installingelectrical cables that fail to comply with the required regulatory standards. This time thecompany is focusing much-needed attention on the absence of cable marking, without whichthere is no means of establishing the cable’s authenticity. In the absence of such marking thereis every probability that the quality and performance of the cable is highly suspect and is froma disreputable supplier.
To help installers, Drakahas published a freely-available pocket guide andhas an explanatory videopresentation on its website. Both are available at www.drakauk.com. The company is alsoinviting anyone who finds unmarked or misleadingly marked cable being installed to send asample to Draka in support of the campaign’s aims to achieve best practice throughout theindustry and eradicate this dangerous and reprehensible practice.
Draka UK01332 345431
HIGH VISIBILITY FOR WIRINGACCESSORIES IN LONDON SCHOOLWiring accessories with clip-on cover plates that meet the visibilityrequirements of the Disability Discrimination Act combined withsignificant installation benefits are being used in Stockwell ParkHigh School in the London Borough of Lambeth.
Approximately 14,000 of Eaton’s COPA accessories were installedin the first phase of the project, which opened in April, and another16,000 will be installed in Phase 2, due for completion in September2010.
Stockwell Park High School makes full use of modern ITequipment for teachers and pupils. This called for extensiveprovision of socket-outlets and data connection facilities. Socket-outlets and data connection units are installed in wall boxes andtwo-compartment trunking and below floor access units.
A novel element of the design is ‘feature strips’ inside the maindoorways. These are brightly-coloured vertical service pillars whichhouse the main lightingcontrol switch and a varietyof other control andcommunication.
Eaton0121 685 2100
PRODUCT WATCH
FAST PUSH FIT CONNECTION Flexicon claims its new slimline push fit Flexilok conduit fitting will dramatically speed up installationtimes.
Like the threaded version of Flexilok, you simply push it onto the conduit and then twist to secure.Installers save even more time because the new fitting also features apush fit connection for terminating the conduit into the enclosure orpanel thus eliminating the need for a locknut.
Instead of using a locknut, the design offers a spring-loaded fixingallowing you to simply push the fitting into the hole to secure it. Anadditional O-ring improves the seal between the fitting and theenclosure giving up to an IP66 rating.
You can use push fit Flexilok with fine or coarse pitch nylon,polypropylene and PVC conduits. It can be used with 20mm, 21mm,25mm, 28mm and 34mm conduits with 20mm, 25mm and 32mmknockouts.
Flexicon01675 466900
FREE TECHNICAL GUIDE TO SUB DISTRIBUTION AND THE REGULATIONSHager has launched a free technical guide about Type Bdistribution boards and how to meet the requirements of the 17thEdition and Part L2 of the Building Regulations for commercialinstallations.
Says Steve Dyson, product manager for Hager Ltd: “The wholenature of sub and final distribution in commercial installations haschanged over the last few years. There is a greater demand forRCD protection and sub metering is now a requirement.
“We are also finding that the distribution board is at the heart of a lot of energy saving control. Inaddition to offering technical support over the phone, we felt it appropriate to produce a guide to helpspecifiers and installers.”
The 24-page guide covers selection and erection of equipment; cable entry into a distribution board;isolation and switching; and protection against fault current, electric shock and overvoltage.
Hager0870 240 2400
QUARTZ HEATERS FROM HEATSTOREHeatstore have introduced the HSQ range of Quartz Heaters to provide maximum heat and comfort in areasthat are difficult to keep warm.
The Quartz lamps primarily radiate energy in short-wave with good heat penetration properties, providingheat from the moment the heater is switched on, making them ideal for these applications.
The HSQ range can be controlled using the HSQSS range of controllers, offering soft-start control and theoption of push button or PIR. The silent operation is of a particularbenefit for applications such as churches and community halls andwith their high range, the units are suitable for high mounting.
A standard, universal bracket is supplied for flexible, targetedheat and an alternative slimline version is available for areas whereappearance is a factor.
Heatstore products0117 923 5375
CHARGING AT EVERY OPPORTUNITYEnerSys has introduced a new range of XFC Flex batteries which canbe 'opportunity' charged, used while partially charged or fast re-charged. This makes them especially suited for use with Class 3 pallettrucks where the flexibility of operation they bring can revolutionisematerials handling management.
Up to 30% more power density than similar batteries is madepossible by advanced thin-plate pure-lead technology. Unlike atraditional battery the XFC Flex prefers its charge to be topped up asand when convenient; in addition very little maintenance is requiredas no water topping-up is necessary. Hawker XFC Flex batteries haveminimum gassing which makes them ideal for use in retail areas,
public space and sensitive manufacturing locations. All these features allow much greater freedom forpallet truck operation which in turn can bring significant cost savings.
Enersys Motive Power0161 727 3800
RELAY INTERFACE MODULESHANDLE BIGGER LOADSFinder has added higher current rated relay interfacemodules to its broad range of electromechanicalproducts. The single pole 38.01 and 38.11 are designed toswitch electrical loads up to 16A, 250VAC and provide aninterface between output limited PLC, BMS and otherelectronic controllers,and high current loadssuch as heaters,motors and solenoids.
To ensurecompatibility withmost controlleroutputs, the relayinterface modulesoffer a comprehensiveselection of sensitiveDC or AC/DC coils,spanning the voltagerange from 12Vthrough to 240V.Integrated coil statusindication enhances control system diagnostics, while therelay's protection circuitry ensures any back emf effectsare suppressed.
Helping to minimise control panel space requirements,the new 38 Series interface modules measure just 14mmwide and are standard 35mm DIN rail mounted.
Finder01785 818100
LIGHTNING FAST RISKASSESSMENTFurse’s StrikeRisk software makes lightning riskassessmentslightning fast.A trial versionof the newStrikeRisk v5is availablefree of chargefrom the Fursewebsite.
StrikeRiskhas beenspecifically developed for engineers, architects andcontractors who have to carry out the riskcalculations demanded in BS EN 62305-2:2006Risk management. The software interface helpsusers complete BS EN 62305-2’s complex andlaborious risk calculations in minutes rather thanthe hours it would take doing them by hand.
With StrikeRisk, an engineer can carry out andview multiple risk assessments under the banner ofa single project, build new projects from previouslysaved cases and create templates for standardcases. StrikeRisk enables users to split a structureinto multiple zones to highlight high risk areas, aswell as considering multiple cables connected tothe structure and multiple remotely connectedstructures.
Furse0115 964 3700
TAX RELIEF AVAILABLE FORENERGY-SAVING EQUIPMENTWireless telemetry specialist Radio-Tech hasannounced its energy management system nowqualifies for the Carbon Trust’s Enhanced CapitalAllowance (ECA) scheme under ‘Component-based automatic monitoring and targeting
equipment (AMT)’. The scheme can realise significant financial savings, in both theshort- and long-term, as well as aid improvements in a company’s energy efficiencyand its environmental impact.
An ECA provides 100% tax relief on any investment in energy-saving equipmentin the same tax year as the purchase is made. This means a business payingcorporation tax at 28% will receive 28p tax relief for every £1 invested in energy-saving products. The scheme also reduces the payback period on the initialinvestment.
There are additional and significant long-term savings to be made from such aninvestment. Energy-saving equipment will usually reduce a company’s energy bills,which in turn will reduce the company’s Climate Change Levy.
Radio-Tech01279 635849
LIGHTING PRODUCERS PREPARE FOR BATTERYREGULATIONS
Lumicom, the established WEEE compliance scheme forproducers of non-household lighting equipment, ishelping its members prepare for the new BatteryRegulations which come into force on 1 January 2010.
The Regulations divide batteries into threecategories: automotive batteries, industrial batteriesand portable batteries. Producers of industrial batteriesare required to put a disposal infrastructure in placeand announce how it will work by 1 December 2009.
Lumicom has produced an information pack to assistmembers meet their disposal obligations and is also
exploring other options to help guide members through the implementation of the newRegulations. Producers of industrial batteries, who are also involved in the production oflighting fixtures, are also being encouraged to join the Lumicom scheme so they can benefitfrom the support and advice on offer.
Lumicom0845 643 0304
PRODUCT WATCH
DECORATIVE WIRING ACCESSORIESNewey & Eyre has added a new range of decorative wiringaccessories to its popular own brand, to meet the changingneeds of the modern market.
Emerging as a new trend, the black nickel range features asmoked mirror style finish and its high gloss surface presentsa clean and discreet solution. Brushed stainless steel isanother popular choice, as the surface blends with itsmodern surroundings with ease.Alternatively, for those lookingfor a more classicappearance, thebrass accessoriesoffer a moretraditional finish.Finally, the polishedchrome accessories arebecoming a firm choice forthose wanting a bright, simple look.
Each range includes 10AX rated light switches that are fullytested for fluorescent loads, which is especially useful whenemploying low-energy lighting, while there is the option ofdimmers suitable for controlling mains or low voltage lighting.
Newey & Eyre0845 123 6539
MEDICAL LIGHTING FOR CHELSEAPENSIONERS’ INFIRMARY
Royal ChelseaHospital, home tothe world-famousScarlet-uniformedChelsea Pensioners,recently specified70 Luxo Carelitedimmable bed headlamps and 4 trolley
mounted LHH examination and minor surgery luminairesfor its new Margaret Thatcher infirmary building.
Luxo’s Carelite is an attractive bed head luminaire witha covered spring balanced arm which is easy to clean andsimple to position. Its integrated ergonomic handle makesoperation easy, even for patients with handicaps. Thetrolley mounted LHH has been designed to offer a portablesolution for demanding viewing conditions that requireexceptionally good light such as medical examination andminor procedures.
LUXO (UK)0208 687 3370
AESTHETIC WHITE LIGHTSOLUTION AT CENOTAPHRoyal Philips Electronics’ has provided a whitelight solution using the award winningCosmoPolis lamp and gear system toilluminate Middlesbrough Cenotaph.
The former 150 W high pressure sodiumperiod lanterns were replaced with newmatching heritage style lanterns whichincorporated good optical control therebyimproving the general illuminance level of thearea. In addition, this new solution more aptly complied with the spirit of thestreet lighting recommendations applicable for town centres.
To replace the single 150 W high pressure sodium lamps, special decorativedouble brackets with new twin lanterns were employed each fitted with 60 WCosmoPolis lamps. This not only offered a small energy saving but also achieved areduction in glare from the lower wattage lamps.
Philips Lighting UK01483 293 071
MULTI PARAMETER VITAL SIGNS SIMULATORThe first hand held, combination vital signs simulator capable ofundertaking six synchronised vital signs parameters tests has beenlaunched by Rigel Medical.
The new Rigel UniSIM is the only simulator of its type which enablesmedical device engineers to quickly, easilyand accurately undertake NIBP, SpO2, ECG,temperature, IBP and respirationfunctionality tests simultaneously using asingle portable instrument.
The battery powered vital signs simulatorreduces the time taken to test the correctperformance of a wide range of medicaldevices and equipment used in hospitals,operating theatres and other facilities.
It utilises the full synchronised functionalityof Rigel's BP-Sim and SP-Sim as well as acomprehensive patient simulator (ECG,
invasive blood pressure, respiration and temperature) to cut simulationtimes and deliver cost saving benefits - engineers no longer need to usea variety of different instruments for testing these functions separately.
Rigel Medical0191 5878701
FREE LINKS FOR POWER!Confident that once they have had the opportunity to examine one of its new shield neutral linkspotential users will readily appreciate the safety andconvenience benefits it provides, power expert Termateis offering a limited quantity of samples, free of charge,to readers who contact Mark Guest on the numberbelow. The sample links are rated at 125 A, and aresupplied complete with an insulating shroud.
With the new Shielded Neutral Links, makingprovision for the safe and convenient disconnection ofneutral conductors in switchboards and powerdistribution installations is a straightforward task.
Fully tested in line with both IEC 60439 and IEC61439, the Neutral Links are designed for fast, easy installation and, with safety in mind, they areoffered with an optional insulating shroud that provides IP2X protection against accidental direct orindirect contact.
Termate0115 978 4652
MOUNTING PLATES AND MODULES TICK ALL THE RIGHT BOXESWith flexibility and ease of installation topping the list of requirements for installers of
electrical accessories, Click Scolmore’s range of Minigrid mountingplates and modules ticks all the right boxes.
Contractors can choose from a comprehensive range of gridmodules and mounting plates. Module options include rockerswitches, dimmer switches, keyswitches and fused connectionunits to name a few.
Minigrid cover plates are available in a variety of configurationsand colour finishes - from the 1 gang plate with single aperture,right through to the very latest additions, the 12 and 18 moduleplates which offer the ultimate flexible solution for anyapplication.
Click Scolmore01827 63454
ENERGY SAVING IN PRINTA simple change of lamps from 400W to 350W metal halidelamps from Venture Lighting Europe has significantlyreduced energy consumption and maintenance costs forHowitt, the UK’s largest integrated marketing support andprint providers.
Supplied by local wholesaler Lockwell Electrical inNottingham, the lamps were recommended along with areactor/ignitor ballast system, specifically designed toproduce the best performance from the lamp as part of an energy saving conversion kit.
Venture’s 350W Uni-Form® Pulse Start lamps are ideal to replace standard 400W lamps with nochange to lux levels. Other benefits include high performance, better colour uniformity, longer lamplife of up to 20,000 hours and faster warm up time.
Venture Lighting Europe0845 2302222
FLEXIBLE LIGHTING MANAGEMENT SENSORSDelmatic’s Metro lighting management system includes a comprehensiverange of sensors, including occupancy detectors (passive infra-red andmicrowave) and multisensors for plugging-in to lighting control modules orlinking to DALI or LON networks.
Plug-in models are designed to connect to ceiling mounted lightingcontrol modules. They include the plug-in presence detector and the plug-in
multisensor, combining a PIR (passive infra-red) presence detector, a daylight (photocell) sensor and anactive infra-red receiver. The latter is used for user dimming/switching of lighting.
Intelligent sensors, also available in presence detector or multisensor configurations, connect via ashared bus to hard-wired modules – including the twelve output Metro Twelve Twelve and the four outputMetro Four Four. This approach, typically used in core areas, avoids the need to wire back individually fromsensors in toilets, lobbies etc to module inputs.
Delmatic0208 987 5900
FREE EMC GOOD PRACTICEHANDBOOKGood EMC Engineering Practices in the Design andConstruction of Fixed Installation is the title of a new184-page handbook from REO UK. Normally sold for
£10, it is available freeto first 25 people thatsign up as newmembers on-line in themembers area atwww.reo.co.uk.
To receive your freecopy, simply email inyour membershipnumber (issued onsigning up) and mailingaddress tomain@reo.co.uk.
Electronic PDF versions can be downloaded free ofcharge by all current members.
REO’s new handbook provides an extensive rangeof essential information relating to EMCconsiderations. In its 12 chapters, it coverscompliance, relevant EU Directive and Standards, goodpractices, EM mitigation techniques, maintaining EMperformance over operational lifecycles and evenelectronic warfare.
REO (UK)01588 673411
SMARTER ELECTRICAL TESTINGSeaward has extended and upgraded the combinedelectrical test and certification concept introduced by itsPowerPlus 1557 multi-function electrical installationtester.
The new features include enhanced test datamanagement and certification capabilities which willsignificantly improve the operational efficiencies of localauthorities, utilities, contractors and test engineersinvolved in large scale 17th edition electrical installationand periodic test routines in premises with identicalcircuit configurations.
It is said to be the first electrical tester to incorporatean electronic version of the certificate within the tester,eliminating the need for ‘dummy’ certificates andmanual or PDA recording of test results.
Test data is automatically entered into the correctcertificate fields as testing is undertaken and can bevalidated on-site without the need for repeat visits.
When inspection and testing is complete, thecertificate held inside the PowerPlus 1557 tester can betransferred to PC software for output and/or supply tocustomers.
Seaward Electronic0191 586 3511
PRODUCT WATCH
PRODUCT WATCH SAFE IDENTIFICATION OFWIRING FAULTSIdeal Industries has launched a digital circuit breaker
finder and SocketTester designed tosafely and easilylocate breakers andidentify commonwiring faults.
the dependablesecond-passindication on thedigital circuit breakerfinder, you can beconfident that you arelocating the correctcircuit breaker or fusesupplying power toan AC socket orlighting fixture
without having to interrupt the circuit. The unit alsofeatures a non-contact voltage sensor mode, thatsenses when a voltage higher than 50V is present,beeping audibly to alert the user.
The integrated socket tester identifies commonwiring faults by verifying the wiring configuration.Wiring errors are indicated by one or more LEDsfailing to light, with the pattern of lit LEDs indicatingthe type of fault. This failsafe socket tester systemmeans that any LED that is not lit indicates aproblem.
Ideal industries01925 444446
NEW DIMENSION IN HEATINGThe new Designer thermal transmitters (TT) from Haverland offer both integrated systems andstandalone heating solutions.
There are five different sizes of thermal transmitters, and a variety of thermal outputs, ensuring allspecific installation requirements can be met.
Other benefits include energy saving, easy installation, user-friendly, ultra-slim, contemporary designs, digital ‘comfort zone’controllers and high density inertia media. The new Designer TTrange is available exclusively from electrical wholesalers. Abrochure is available by contacting the company on the numberbelow.
Haverland01604 521261
TERMINAL BLOCKS AND ACCESSORIESThe new Viking 3 range of terminal blocks and accessories offersfast and secure connection, clear and easy marking, and a choice ofspring or screw connection according to the application type.
The spring connection terminals (up to 6 mm width) feature aninnovative direct insertion connector that allows the cable to beconnected without a screwdriver or other fixing device. In addition,the size of the terminals has been optmised in order to save oninstallation space, while the introduction of two marking zones ensures both freedom and goodvisibility of marking.
Meanwhile, the screw connection terminals make installation, connection and marking easier dueto the standardisation of height for blocks from 16 to 70 mm, the introduction of single end caps forwidths of 5 to 10 mm, and the capability for direct screwless fixing onto the rail for protectionconductor modules up to 10 mm in width.
Legrand0845 605 4333
ACCESSORY RANGE TO MAKEINSTALLATION SIMPLERMarco has added to its growing product range with thelaunch of a new series of accessories.
Designed to strengthen and compliment the full steel wirecable tray range, the new accessories support and enhancespeed times and ease of installation for electrical contractorson site.
New accessories include the Quick Fix Riser, used to attach the tray to the wall when being installedvertically in a rising situation; the Divider Joining Bracket, used to join two lengths of steel segregatingdivider together; the Multi Fix Plate – this part can be attached to the side or bottom of the tray and canattach light fittings or accessories; the Universal Support Bracket, used for attaching mounting boxes orindustrial switches to the tray and the Earthing Terminal, used to ensure a safe earth bond is achievedwithin the installation.
Marco01248 725777
ON THE EDGENew to the ever increasing range of energy saving luminaires from Megaman is Edge, a modern fitting that, whenused in conjunction with the company’s PLi lamps, provides a real alternative to halogen lighting.
Utilising Megaman’s 15w or 20w PLi lamps, Edge provides a beam angle of 104/110° to provide visual comfortwithout the glare of halogen. PLi lamps have a built in electronic ballast and incorporate the company’s Ingenium
technology, which offers a shorter pre-heating time of under 1 secondand up to 15,000 hours lamp life.
Edge has an IP23 rating and measures 175mm length x 171mm widthwith a stainless steel outer and curved edge. Offering complete flexibility,Edge can be used as a single application or as part of a modularconnection of up to 230w maximum.
Megaman (UK)0845 408 4625
PROTECTION UNDER THESTARSLewden Electrical Industries became festive atthe Under the Stars music and dance festivalin East Ham in September, with its cable
protection range. Thecable protectors weresupplied by TESTElectrical based inHaverhill, Suffolkalong with Lewden’sADA disability ramps,quick installationplugs, connectors andsockets for the power
distribution boards that were used throughoutthe event over the weekend.
Cable and hose protection systems fromLewden were used to protect site power anddistributions, ensuring any leads rootedthrough to the main stage were protected anddid not create a trip hazard to the performersand the large number of visitors who attendedthe event. The variety of the plugs, connectorsand sockets used included the Multimax quickwire range and the CEE series. Utilisation ofthe Multimax and CEE series provided powerto site electrics, performer’s dressing rooms,and power to the stage.
Lewden ElectricalIndustries0208 539 0237
LAMP MANUFACTURER TAKES A PIT STOPLamps from Megaman (UK) have recently been used to provide aneffective, low energy light source for temporary gantries used in the pitareas for the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship..
Richard Gates, the F2 Race Operations Manager contacted local lightingsupplier Lyco Direct who, in conjunction with Megaman, carried out a Reluxsurvey to test the lux level required for the project and provide a solution.It was suggested Fozz Lighting’s Chronos slim line downlightersincorporating Megaman’s GX53 13W lamps would fit the bill perfectly.
The GX53 lamps are palm-sized with a diameter of 75mm and are just24.3mm in height. Available in various wattages, the lamps use a U shapedT2 tube to minimise ‘dark’ areas and provide a uniform light output.
Megaman (UK)0845 408 4625
PRODUCT WATCH
REDUCED INSTALLATION TIMEControlgear Direct has launched an Extra Height metal consumer unit
range giving the installer a larger internal working area helping tosignificantly reduce installation time.
Its robust metal construction is finished in epoxy power paint to RAL7032 with transparent front cover. The Extra Height, when compared tostandard consumer units, offers increased cabling space, making itsuitable for single module RCBOs. Available in 4, 12 or 16 module boards,the unit has large cable knockouts on the base that allow the first fix tobe extremely quick and easy, whilst 20mm/25mm conduit knockouts aresituated on the top, bottom and sides of the unit.
A range of options is available, including Main Switch or RCCB incomer,Split Load or the new Dual Flexi which allows the installer to configurethe board on site as a dual RCCB or High Integrity unit with a maximum of two unprotected ways onthe main switch.
Controlgear Direct01563 572572
PRECISION POWER ANALYSER FOR TRANSFORMER TESTINGThe new Yokogawa WT3000T is a precision power analyser specifically targeted at the needs of thepower transformer industry.
Based on the company’s highly successful WT3000 instrument, the new instrument combinesexceptional accuracy and long-term stability with the ability to carry out measurements at low powerfactors: a challenging area for transformer manufacturers.
In developing the new WT3000T, Yokogawa has worked closely with transformer manufacturers, whorequire an accurate instrument to provide direct readout of key parameters along with clear overload
and safety indication.Not only does the WT3000T offer excellent accuracy at the low power
factors that often compromise the integrity of transformer measurements:it also has accredited calibration via VSL (the National Metrology Instituteof the Netherlands), which guarantees that the integrated transformermeasurement system meets the requirements of the IEC60076-8 standardcovering power transformer applications.
Yokogawa Europe BV+31 (0) 88 464 1811
CAD PLATFORM WITH ONLINE COLLABORATION TOOLSBricsys nv has just launched Version 10 of Bricscad, the DWG-alternativeCAD platform. Bricscad V10 has a host of new features, foremost ofwhich is eBridge.
eBridge links Bricscad to Vondle, Bricsys' "Cloud Based" ProjectCollaboration suite, which offers the best way to view and share files -online.
Vondle supports up to 40 different file formats, including DWG,AutoCAD®, MS Word, MS Project and PDF. There is no need to downloadthe documents or have a local copy of the application. Even the largestmulti-megabyte files can be shared in seconds, via a web browser.
Erik De Keyser, CEO of Bricsys said: "Bricscad V10 is the perfectplatform for teams. eBridge is just the start of integrating new team-collaboration tools into CAD".
Bricsys0161 941 7622
FLEXIBLE LIGHTINGMANAGEMENT SENSORSDelmatic’sMetro lightingmanagementsystem includesa compre-hensive range ofsensors,includingoccupancydetectors (passive infra-red and microwave) andmultisensors for plugging-in to lighting controlmodules or linking to DALI or LON networks.
Plug-in models are designed to connect toceiling mounted lighting control modules. Theyinclude the plug-in presence detector and theplug-in multisensor, combining a PIR (passiveinfra-red) presence detector, a daylight(photocell) sensor and an active infra-redreceiver. The latter is used for userdimming/switching of lighting.
Intelligent sensors, also available in presencedetector or multisensor configurations, connectvia a shared bus to hard-wired modules –including the twelve output Metro TwelveTwelve and the four output Metro Four Four.This approach, typically used in core areas,avoids the need to wire back individually fromsensors in toilets, lobbies etc to module inputs.
Delmatic0208 987 5900
INDUSTRIAL CONNECTORINSERT WITH RAPIDASSEMBLY TERMINATIONTECHNOLOGYThe Harting Han(R) Q8/0 industrial connector insertis now available with the company’s innovativeHan-Quick Lock(R) termination technology for rapidfield assembly.
This patented technique allows time-saving andsimpleassemblywithout specialtools otherthan astandard,commerciallyavailablescrewdriver.
The reliable and vibration-proof contact offersmaximum reliability in power, signal and controlapplications.
The electrical specifications of the new insert arethe same as those of the proven Han Q 8/0 withcrimp termination, and the device is 100% plugcompatible with existing units.
The Han Q(R) 8/0 insert incorporates eightpower contacts plus a protected earth, withterminals for stranded wire with cross-sectionalareas between
0.5 mm² and 2.5 mm² (AWG 20-14). Maximumcurrent and voltage ratings are 16 A and 500 V,respectively.
Harting01604 827500
PRODUCT WATCH ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR BPRiegens Lighting has been instrumental in theconversion from HID lamps to the more energyefficient T5’s on BP forecourts nationwide. Inaddition to canopy lighting, Riegens hassupplied luminaires for the popular BP retailareas.
Riegens Drive luminaires were specified forthe forecourt lighting by Mark Rogers, EUDesign Manager at Bovis Lendlease, who chosethe Riegens Drive luminaires incorporating 2 x55W TCL lamps to replace the existing HIDfittings. Offering direct light distribution, Drive isa high performance, IP54 sealed luminairespecifically designed for petrol stationforecourts.
Riegens 2 x 14w T5 recessed asymmetricluminaires were chosen for the sales areas withadditional accent lighting provided by Courierluminaires with 1 x 35W lamps. Recessedlouvred 2 x 14W T5 luminaires have also beeninstalled in the toilets and ‘back of house’ areas,in addition to Certus and Evac fittings in thestorage areas
Riegens Lighting01376 333400
TOP OF THE LADDERTop of the ladder for technical specification, design, performance and value formoney is the latest generation Fireman Switch range from Katko.
Designed to shut down electrical power systems in the event of emergencies,the new 25/40/63A Katko range has a side mounted, pole operated, ring handlewhich automatically locks in the ‘OFF’ position. The specification also includes ared metal clad, IP66 rated enclosure with door interlocked cover, 3 cable entries,padlockable handle and contains a 3 or 4 pole, fully rated load break switch.
The new Katko Fireman Switch range is expected to be the popular choiceamongst specifiers and contractors concerned with petrol stations, departmentstores, public buildings, supermarkets, shops, offices, factories plus any buildingshaving neon signage etc. The Katko specification meets all relevant British andInternational standards/accreditations and, of course, all statutory requirements,wiring regulations etc.
Katko01420 520530
QUICK PLANNING TOOLS FOR SUPPORT ARM SYSTEMSRittal is expanding its range of well-established configurators for the Comfort Panel and Optipanelcommand panels by adding another engineering tool: the new Configurator for support arm systems.Now, the new CP-C support arm system and the already well-known CP-S, CP-L, CP-XL support armsystems can be configured quickly and securely via the Internet.
The system configurator guides the user automatically through the individual request screen menus.Depending on the system configuration of the jib length, enclosure weight, cable cross-section and
design, the online-tool proposes an ideally coordinated support armsystem for the specified requirements. The integrated, intelligentplausibility test permits a completely error-free system assembly, sothat the appropriate system is proposed as a choice at the end ofthe configuration process.
In a very short time the user is given a system solution that suitsits human-machine interface application best.
Rittal01709 704000
NEW STATIONS BROCHURESill Lighting has just published a new A4 full colour stations brochure with case histories of how Sillprojector technology has provided successful lighting schemes for stations and transport centres
around the world. The new brochure illustrates over 30 stations and interchanges, 12 of
them in the UK, with large format images, descriptions of the project andan overview of projectors used. Detailed product information highlightsSill’s reputation in providing precision engineered luminaires withcomputer designed optics for high performance lighting in major projects.
Copies of the new stations brochure are available on request from SillLighting UK
Sill Lighting UK01844 260006
TITANIUM SHEATHED IMMERSION HEATERSSpecialist titanium tubes manufacturer and supplier, Titanium Products has added the Backersafe range oftitanium sheathed immersion heaters to its product range.
Titanium Products Ltd has selected the Backer Electric Company range of Backersafe titanium sheathedheaters. Manufactured to the latest issue of BSEN60335–2-73, Backersafe ensures that the immersion heateris isolated from the mains supply should the primary thermostat failwith the contacts closed. This meets the specification requirementsaimed at eliminating the risk of boiling water. With technologyapproved by BEAB, Backersafe heaters feature a standard low costthermostat with an additional reset button thermostat in series withthe rod thermostat. Should the primary thermostat fail, a low costreplacement can be fitted and the protected thermostat reset.
Titanium0121 705 1483
AUTOMATIC TRANSFER SWITCHCONTROLLERPower Management Company, Scorpion PowerSystems, has upgraded its AMF panels with anautomatic transfer switch (ATS) controller, the DeepSea 332.
Replacing earlier models the 332 has beenspecifically designed for single set generatorapplications. The module monitors the voltage andfrequency of the incoming AC mains supply and inthe event of failure will issue a start command to thegenerator control system.
In the event of a mains failure the relay isenergised and the controller automatically transfersthe load from the mains to the generator. Once themains supply returns, the module will command areturn to the mains supply and will shut down thegenerator. The ATS Controller can also be enhancedwith timing sequences to prevent nuisance starting.
Also included within the module are configurabledigital inputs and outputs which are programmableby a PC utilising the user-friendly software.
Scorpion Power Systems01264 349400
PRODUCT WATCH
MULTI - WAY STREAMLINE SOLUTIONSchneider Electric has introduced Ulti Epic, a multimedia
interface that combines multiple outlets into a neat one-panelsolution, allowing modern technology to interface withtelevision, projectors and audio systems.
The Ulti Epic is a compact unit suitable for high-end designresidential installations, in addition to commercial applicationssuch as hotels and boardrooms. The streamline solutiongroups together outlets that naturally compliment each other so that equipment such as camcorders, DVDplayers, laptops and games consoles, including content from memory cards and memory sticks, can be runthrough a television. The outlets are installed on a media plate providing a neat alternative to individualsockets, while preventing damage to expensive equipment.
The Ulti Epic allows customers to configure the outlets on the panel to suit their individual requirements.With technology constantly evolving, it also offers an adaptable solution through its plug-and-play featuremeaning individual units can be quickly replaced.
Schneider Electric0870 608 8 608
ANALYSER PASSES TIME TEST AT MEDICAL SUPPLY COMPANYOne of the UK's leading providers of medical supplies and services to primary care has cut, by morethan three quarters, the time taken to test the safety of hundreds of ECG machines by using RigelMedical 288 electrical safety analysers.
Using the Rigel 288 has enabled the Williams Medical Supplies’ 18-strong team of technicians tosave an average of 25 minutes when testing the electrical safety of ECG machines.
Previously, it used to take 30 minutes to complete a test butthis can now be achieved in five minutes - an 80% time saving.
The Rigel 288 incorporates easy-to-follow menu driveninstructions for simple operation and test control of all IEC62353 required electrical safety tests in manual, semi automaticor fully automatic test modes.
Rigel0191 5878701
HEAT PUMP VENTILATION SYSTEMSSpecifiers, housebuilders and self-builders looking to achieve Level 3 of the Code of Sustainable
Homes (25% reduced CO2 emissions from January 2010) should consider the latest Genvex heatpump ventilation systems from Total Home Environment (THE).
The new Genvex Premium range combines heat recovery ventilation with heat pump technology toefficiently harness energy from outgoing air. With a 35-year pedigree in developing advancedventilation systems, the Danish company Genvex, has designed the new Premium range to provide
heat as well as ventilation and also cooling on hot summer days. \The efficiency of the low energy Genvex Premium system is
outstanding; the appliance generates as much as six times the heatenergy, as the power it consumes. Whilst the system provides an airchange in the house every two hours, it can take outside air of –1°Cand convert this to an incoming air temperature of 34°C.
Total Home Environment0845 260 0123
25 YEARS OF UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE TO THE POWERINDUSTRYCBS Group provides a distinctive end-to-end offering for critical power infrastructure encompassing thespecification and supply of UPS products together with aftercare packages and battery maintenanceand replacement services. In addition, CBS provides aunique containerised UPS and standby power solutionwhich is available for hire with a 4-hour turnaroundanywhere in the UK.
CBS Groupwww.cbsgroupuk.com
KEEPING A CLOSE EYEFrom 1 November Megaman UK will be the soledistributor ofEco-Eye, amonitor fordomestic andcommercial usethat providesconciseinformation onelectricityconsumption.
Made up of three units; a sensor, atransmitter and a receiver covering a 30 – 50mrange, Eco-Eye is set up by clipping the sensorstraight onto the main electricity supply cable,without the need for professional installation.The compact, freestanding receiver has an LCDdisplay and is battery operated (2 x AA) but canalso be used with an AC/DC adaptor.
The unit will display the cost of electricityconsumption in £, $ or €, by hour, day, week,month or year. In addition the monitor will alsodisplay energy consumption in kW as well asthe all important CO2 emissions in kg permonth. Eco-Eye also displays historical data ofelectricity used in current hour and previoushours, days, weeks, months or years.
Megamanwww.eco-eye.com
KEEP COOLING SIMPLE WITHFAN AND FILTER UNITS
Fan and filter units from Rittal, with airflowsfrom 20m³/h to 700m³/h and IP ratings up toIP56, are ideal for dissipating heat loads costeffectively for many applications in allindustries. The prerequisite is that the ambientair must be relatively clean with a temperaturebelow the desired enclosure internaltemperature.
Typical of the Rittal fan and filter unit designis the extremely low build height. The superslim-line vent grille guarantees optimum airthroughput with low noise generation.Combined with the state of the art technicalfeatures expected from Rittal products, theseunits meet all application requirements.
Particularly for applications in the foodindustry, the hose-proof hood prevents theingress of water. The protection category of IP56is achieved in conjunction with filter mats.
Rittal01709 704000
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Charges: £19 pccm, Box No £25
CLASSIFIED
To advertise in section contact Matthew Dawe on: 020 7933 8980 or mattthew.dawe@stjohnpatrick.com
Test and measurement
Sockets Thermostats
Automation Power Systems Software
Seaward is a market leader in the supply of specialist instrumentation for electrical safety testing for portable appliance testing, 17th edition installationtesting, high voltage and other electrical applications. In all cases, innovative test technology is combined with accessories, training, calibration and other
comprehensive customer support as part of ‘total solution’ electrical test instrumentation services.
Tel: 0191 586 3511 • www.seaward.co.uk • Email: sales@seaward.co.uk
innovative test technology and comprehensive customer support
Rockwell Automation provides anextensive portfolio of products,including Low Voltage ControlEquipment, Variable Speed Drives, Medium Voltage Drives, ProgrammableControllers, SCADA and MES. With a focus on sustainability and life-time costs, wealso provide a range of added-value services such as Asset Management, ConditionMonitoring and On-Site Support.
Coupled with this, Rockwell Automation has a system engineering capabilitycombined with extensive domain experience of the manufacturing sector. Inparticular Rockwell Automation has dedicated resources assigned to Rail, Water and Energy industries within the UK market.
Tel: 0870 242 5004Fax: 01908 261917
Email: ukmarketing@ra.rockwell.comWeb: www.rockwellautomation.co.uk
To advertise in this section contact Matthew Dawe on: 020 7933 8980 or matthew.dawe@stjohnpatrick.comCharges: £19 pccm, Box No £25
UPS
A.C. Voltage Stabilisers
CLASSIFIED
Recruitment
Hazardous Area
100% dedicated to the electrical industry.Our consultants are industry trained fromcontracting, wholesaling, manufacturing
and sales.
WE FULLY UNDERSTAND THE TECHNICALITIESOF THE ROLES THE INDUSTRY HAS TO OFFER.
FOR YOUR NEXT PERMANENT VACANCY,GIVE US A CALL AND SPEAK TO PEOPLE WHO
UNDERSTAND YOUR INDUSTRY.
Visit www.electricalrecruit.co.ukAlternatively contact
David Marshall TMIET MIRP.david@electricalrecruit.co.uk
0845 0947201 • 07894 110336
Loadbanks
Control Systems
UPS
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www.electricalreview.co.uk
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Power FactorCorrection
Power Factor CorrectionPowerLogicTM Metering Systems
Energy MetersLoad Monitoring
Power Quality Monitoring& Solutions
Harmonic Surveys To G5/4Harmonic Filters
UPS & Surge ProtectionThermal Imaging Surveys
Call for survey and quotation :-Tel 01773 - 603110 Fax 01773 - 603112
e-mail solutions@varservices.co.ukweb site - www.varservices.co.uk
VAR Services Ltd. 27 Main Road,
Jacksdale, Nottingham, NG16 5JU
Cables / Telecables
energysaving.claudelyons.com
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Charges: £19 pccm, Box No £25CLASSIFIED
PFC Engineering LtdStation Road, Great Chesterford,SaffronWalden, Essex CB10 1NY
Total Power Quality SolutionsPower Factor Correction Design and Manufacture - LV / MVPower Factor Correction Maintenance and InstallationHarmonic Analysis and Penetration StudiesHarmonic Filtration Systems - LV / MV Design and ManufactureVoltage Disturbance and Flicker ControlComplete Analytical ServicesConsultation and Advice
Contact us for expert advice onTel: +44 (0) 1799 530728, Fax: +44 (0) 1799 530235
email: er-enquiries@pfc-engineering.com
Power Factor Correction
Generators
BatteriesTraining
HIGH VOLTAGETRAINING
To Senior Authorised/Authorised Person level
Also EAW Regs, Generator Operation, Safety awareness, Maintenance, etc
MICHAEL TWITCHETTIEng. FIET. MSOE. MIPlantE
Tel or Fax: 01737 352755e-mail: MichaelTwitchett@highvoltage.fsnet.co.uk
Power Quality Management
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BLOWN FUSETHIS MONTH, OUR RESIDENT GRUMPY OLD MAN, WRITER ANDINDUSTRY COMMENTATOR JOHN HOUSTON, CONSIDERS THE17TH EDITION WIRING REGULATIONS
WHEN the Duke of Edinburgh some yearsback started a race row by describing someelectrical work as having been installed byIndians when he meant cowboys, he atleast highlighted that sub-standard workremained alive and ill. This month I have toreport I have been the subject of work thathas to have been completed by John Wayne;probably assisted by Gary Cooper and ClintEastwood.
I always knew some of the circuits in myhouse were, well let’s just describe them asesoteric. Having to flick a switch in thegarage in order to turn on the bathroommirror lights was irritating, but somehowamusing at the same time. However, mywife was laying some new insulationmaterials in the loft a few weeks ago whenthere was an almighty flash followed by theinevitable blue acrid smoke. A live wire leftbare was the culprit. Now call me a cynic,but this lead me to consider a little furtherinvestigation.
We found no fewer than 40 junctionboxes in the
loft,
very few of which were employed to splitruns, but rather to create cable lengthsfrom a variety of short cable off cuts. Asmy old pal Nick Luke at WF Electricalwould say “you couldn’t make it up”.Danny our trusted electrical contractortook a look and spent a day tidying up theloft wiring, but we concluded a rewire wasthe only safe option.
Since the house had a very positive fullstructural survey two years ago before webought it, we had decorated every room(except for some ghastly artex ceilings thatwere so outrageous one couldn’t keep one’seyes off them). We shall soon be repeatingthat exercise as we have now lost fourceilings, one floor and had 75 new channelscut into the previously pristine plasterwork.On top of that every previous socket hashad to be filled because under 17th Editionour sockets are all now at least 45cm fromfloor level.
The reason I mention this is while Ialways knew refurbs were clearly a tougherproposition than wiring new builds, untilone experiences the upheaval first handyou really have no idea. Apart from the
obvious mess and decimation to thebuilding’s internal fabric, the
electrician faces constantchallenges both in pulling the
new cables, but also disposingof the old. I really do have amuch greater appreciationfor the skills (and lateralthinking ability) of theelectrical engineer now Ihave witnessed Danny’s
work first hand.It’s not all bad news of course. In
completing the work, we have gained farsuperior thermal insulation (installed whilethe ceilings were down) and increased thenumbers of outlets, lighting circuits and, ofcourse, electrical safety. Our house will alsobe wired to 17th Edition and Part Pcertificated. Danny, being a bright spark(y)also pulled our Cat 6e cables so that wehave no fewer than 27 data points aroundthe house – we can even pipe drossy cableTV to every room and we have a patchpanel fit to run an office block! Our musicand TV speakers are all integrated into thewiring scheme (my wife will so miss all thetrailing cables everywhere), the same is trueof our alarm system and we haven’t had togo to specialist installers to achieve this.
The point I’m really making is today’selectrical engineers can deliver so muchadded value to their installations. Yes therewire was an investment; yes we have hada great deal of making good andredecoration; and yes we did actually moveout for two weeks while all the dust settled.But, Danny’s saved us a fortune in nothaving to employ specialists to install homeentertainment and security systems. In away, it’s probably doubled the value of theinstallation.
There are some things I will miss. It willbe odd not having to visit the garage beforehaving a shave; rummaging in the loft willno longer carry the thrill seeking excitementof not knowing if you’d get out alive; andwe’ll no longer spend hours each daytransfixed, looking up at the artex rolls!
ARTEX CEILINGS GO IN 17TH EDITION REFURB
John Houston can be contacted on 01797 364366 or by e-mail atjohn@houston-associates.com
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