Electrical Review Jan-Feb 2014

January/February 2014 \ Volume 247 \ No 1/2 \ www.electricalreview.co.uk

ELECTRICAL REVIEW INFORMING THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY FOR 140 YEARS

FACTORY AUTOMATIONZCAE The key ingredient

DESIGN SOFTWAREZA simpler and cheaper

way to gain new business

POWER PROTECTION

ZThe bigger picture

TEST & MEASUREMENT ZWhat price

electrical safety?

ALSO INSIDE:

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03NEWS

www.electricalreview.co.uk

BETTER ROUTE TO BOARDROOMCity and Guilds research suggests apprenticeships provide better route to the boardroom than degrees

Nearly 20% of all employers report former

apprentices are currently working in senior

management positions according to research by

the City and Guilds organisation.

The City and Guilds Top 100 Apprenticeship

Employers list reported almost 50% of

construction companies employed former

apprentices as directors.

Other sectors which reported high levels of

former apprentices reached the boardroom

where manufacturing and engineering (43 %),

agriculture (33 %) and energy and power

(33 %).

I believe we are seeing the beginning of a

fundamental shift in the way we prepare the

next generation for the world of work, said Will

Davies co-founder of construction company

aspect.co.uk

For too long we have placed too much

emphasis of university education when many

young people would be more suited to

vocational or on the job training, said Davies,

whose company has returned to a traditional

system of apprenticeships to train young

workers.

These gures demonstrate that for many

youngsters, apprenticeships are the best choice

and the best way forward, he said.

Matthew Hancock, the government minister

for further education and skills, said: Either

going to university or choosing an apprenticeship

needs to become the new norm for school and

college leavers. These gures support this aim

and show that apprentices are able to succeed in

some of the biggest businesses in the UK.

Figures released by the Of ce of National

Statistics (ONS) revealed this week that more

than a quarter of graduates are actually earning

less than school leavers who followed vocational

training courses or apprenticeships.

The ONS also said that 26% of low paid

graduates found themselves working in part-

time jobs, which compared to 11% of those

who had followed vocational training. In

addition, student numbers have dropped by

more than 20% at several modern Universities.

It is believed that the rise in tuition fees have

contributed to the decline.

The former Labour minister Frank Field

said:Successive generations of young people

have been shoehorned into universities on the

promise of improving their lifetime earnings. But,

as well as being saddled with eye-watering levels

of debt, more than a quarter of them now work

in part-time roles earning lower wages than

workers with an apprenticeship under their belt.

Politicians need to sit up and take note of

these shifting patterns. We need to encourage

more young people to think hard about the

best ways of achieving their goals in life. The

government must call for a major rethink on the

present pattern of university education and set

in hand a working party to take the debate on

from these crucial breakthrough statistics.

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News

News

Factory automation

Design software

Training

Borri advertorial

Test & measurement

Transformers

Part P webinar

Product watch

Classi ed/recruitment

04 NEWS

Electrical Review January/February 2014

Williams Advanced Engineering, the division

of Williams that commercialises Formula One

derived technologies, is embarking on a project

to install ywheel energy storage technology

in two remote Scottish island communities to

help stabilise their power grids, improve energy

ef ciency and reduce emissions from non-

renewable power sources.

The Isle of Eigg and Fair Isle will be the rst

sites in Europe to install Formula One developed

composite ywheel energy storage technology

into their power networks. Originally pioneered

by Williams for Grand Prix racing following the

introduction of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems

(KERS) into the sport in 2009, the technology has

since been introduced by Williams into a range

of applications outside of Formula One such as

hybrid buses and Le Mans winning racing cars.

Williams Advanced Engineering has

joined forces with the Fair Isle Electricity

Company and Eigg Electric to identify possible

operational improvements, energy saving and

environmental bene ts from installing the

technology on each island. The Fair Isle power

network relies heavily on wind turbines and

diesel generators to supplement the power

system and can only guarantee power during

the day. Williams Advanced Engineerings

ywheel technology will smooth the power

owing from the wind turbines and inject

stored energy when needed. This will improve

the quality of power received by residents and

reduce the reliance on costly diesel generators

that produce high CO2 emissions.

Robert Mitchell, director of Fair Isle Electric

Company, said: We are delighted that Williams

Advanced Engineering is going to be installing

this equipment in 2014. This will provide a

much needed buffer to improve our power

quality and reduce how often we use the diesel

generators. Our two wind turbines produce

more than enough power most of the time

but they cannot store energy so this will be an

excellent addition.

The Isle of Eigg power network utilises a

variety of renewable sources which include

solar, hydro and wind power and currently uses

lead acid batteries to store excess renewable

energy and smooth the ow of power. Using

batteries to smooth power ow has the bene t

of forsaking the need for diesel generators, but

signi cantly reduces their life span. Williams

ywheel energy storage system can take on this

role so that the batteries can then be used for

their main job of long term bulk energy storage.

This will not only prolong battery life but also

improve the transient response of the network

and increase its fault clearing capability.

Sarah Boden, director of Eigg Electric, said:

We have been working closely with Williams

Advanced Engineering and they have visited our

Island to see our mix of renewable generation

and storage technology. We expect the new

ywheel energy storage to be used for short

term frequency regulation when generation

drops off such as when clouds obscure the solar

array. Our Island is managed by a partnership

approach and this joint effort will further

improve power quality and security of supply for

the island power system.

PEO

PLE

Peter Chai-Tsai

Christian Schraft

Paul Dawson

Powertecnique has recently appointed a new

sales and marketing director, Peter Chai-Tsai.

Having worked in the power industry for the

past 23 years, Chai-Tsais hands-on engineering

experience started on offshore oil platforms,

before turning to sales roles with Schneider,

Emerson and Socomec.

Havells Sylvania has announced Christian

Schraft is joining the business as president,

Havells Sylvania Europe.

Paul Dawson has been appointed managing

director at ESP, and takes up his new position

after spending three years as commercial

director at Scolmore.

ENERGY STORAGE FOR EIGGFormula One technology used on remote Scottish islands

06 NEWS

FUTURE MANUFACTURING Liverpool company rewarded for business growth

MPE of Liverpool, a manufacturer of high-

performance electromagnetic compatibility

(EMC) filters and feedthrough capacitors

for world markets, has won the Business

Growth category in the 2013 EEF Future

Manufacturing Awards for the North-West

England region, at a ceremony in the Salford

City Stadium, Manchester.

Prime application areas for the companys

EMC filters extend widely from military

vehicles of all types, tactical shelters

and ground installations, aerospace and

naval equipment, to information and

communications technology, EMC test houses,

hospital scanners, process control, fire safety

and railways.

These annual Awards are hosted by the

Engineering Employers Federation (EEF), the

manufacturers organisation, to recognise

excellence among UK manufacturers in

enterprise, innovation, exports, environmental

performance, skills development, health-and-

safety and apprenticeships.

MPE won the Business Growth Award

sponsored by Westfield Health which

recognises manufacturers who have achieved

dramatic business growth for its expansion

into South Korea and the USA.

Export sales within these territories have

grown by 16% over the past two years,

given that over half of MPEs total annual

production goes for export.

Jill Davies, chief executive of Westfield

Health, commented: Congratulations

to MPE on winning the regional Business

Growth Award. Not only have they managed

to defy todays difficult economic climate,

they have also delivered impressive growth.

2014 PART L REGS ARRIVEAfter a long wait, the 2014 Approved

Documents L1A and L2A have arrived,

providing guidance on Conservation of Fuel

and Power in new buildings. However, as

with previous changes, the 2010 documents

continue to apply to projects where work

started or an application was made before

that date.

BSRIAs Building Regulations training will

update you on all the changes that will come

into effect on 6 April 2014.

The most noticeable change for new

dwellings is a requirement to calculate the

fabric energy ef ciency. This is in addition to

calculating CO2 emissions, which has been

a requirement since 2006. Fabric energy

ef ciency is measured in kWh per square

metre of oor area, and takes into account

the space heating and cooling demand.

The CO2 emissions, on the other hand, are

measured in kg of CO2 per square metre

of oor area and the calculation only takes

cooling into account for dwellings that use

mechanical cooling. To achieve compliance,

both the fabric energy ef ciency and CO2

emissions must be below those of a

notional dwelling. This notional dwelling

has been rede ned such that an emissions

reduction of 6% is achieved, compared with

dwellings that meet 2010 standards.

The methods of compliance for new non-

dwellings have not changed signi cantly,

however the CO2 emissions reduction is

greater than for dwellings: 9%. This means

more energy ef ciency measures will need to

be incorporated, and even though renewables

are not a requirement, more designs may

incorporate them as a means of achieving

the CO2 target. Some of the minimum plant

ef ciencies, set out in the Non-domestic

Building Services Compliance Guide have

been upgraded for example the minimum

ef cacy of lighting in of ce, industrial and

storage areas has been upgraded from 55 to

60 luminaire lumens per circuit-watt.

Changes to the Approved Documents

for existing buildings L1B and L2B are

minimal. So much so, that they have be

en issued as an amendment slip. We are,

however, assured that consolidated versions

of these Approved Documents will be issued

before they come into effect on 6 April.

BSRIA runs Building Regulations training

courses - Introduction to the Building

Regulations next runs on 12 March, and

Understanding Parts L & F next runs on 25

February. Any of our courses can be run in-

company and customised to meet the needs

of your staff. For more information go to

https://www.bsria.co.uk/events.

07NEWS


INVESTMENT IN CONSTRUCTION

SUPPORT FOR HOUSING BILL

ECA welcomes governments 375bn infrastructure plan

Parliament asked to carefully consider ESC proposal

The Electrical Contractors Association

(ECA) has responded to the governments

announcement of the National Infrastructure

Plan. The plan contains information on

over 375bn of planned public and private

sector infrastructure investment, and sets

out investment for energy, transport, ood

defence, waste, water and communications

infrastructure up to 2030 and beyond.

Steve Bratt, ECA Group CEO, said: This

announcement is welcome news for UK plc.

and the construction sector. We are heartened

by the con rmation of a UK guarantee for the

1bn Northern Line extension, the continued

Commenting on the new Scottish Housing Bill,

Phil Buckle, director general of the Electrical Safety

Council (ESC), said: The Scottish governments

aim of improving conditions in the Private Rented

Sector (PRS) is one we strongly support. We also

hope the code of practice for letting agents,

which will be introduced at a later date, will help

enhance safety in the home.

However, we trust the ESCs proposal to

investment in Network Rail and the investment

in Midlands Main Line and in the construction of

Ordsall Curve in Manchester. All of these projects

will bene t industry, the economy and lives of

the people who use them.

Investment to kick-start shovel ready

projects within construction like these will give

the sector a much needed shot in the arm. In

turn this will lay the foundations for a longer

term recovery, as the bene ts of construction

investment job creation, training and an

increase in the availability of apprenticeship

places will be felt across the economy. Simply

put, when Britain builds, Britain grows.

reinforce electrical safety requirements, in order

to reduce risks to tenants, will be considered

carefully as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

Research suggests that PRS tenants are more at

risk of re than those in other housing sectors1

and with the majority of domestic res in Scotland

caused by electricity, our proposal is particularly

important for improving standards in the PRS.

1 Data derived from Fire Kills campaign 2008

ACADEMY SUSTAINS SKILLSAcademy trainees guaranteed job on completionABEC has launched the ABEC Academy, a

training scheme for graduates, electrically and

mechanically quali ed engineers, diploma

holders and school leavers that aims to provide

a solution to the sustainability of valuable

engineering skills in the building controls sector.

Every ABEC Academy trainee is guaranteed

a job upon completion. Open to a wide group

of aspiring ABEC employees, the Academy

offers four entry routes. Graduates with a

minimum 2:2 in building services engineering,

electrical or mechanical engineering, holders

of a diploma in building services engineering,

electrical or mechanical Engineering with

a minimum merit grade, skilled operatives

with previous employment experience in the

mechanical and electrical trades and those

with A-level quali cations and a demonstrable

aptitude for engineering.

Following one to two years of vocational

training and a holistic business view covering

products, electrical, health and safety, coaching

and mentoring and accreditations, each trainee

receives a further transition year, before entering

full time employment as an ABEC engineer.

During their training tenure every engineer is

provided with invaluable experience as they are

rotated through 360 of the ABEC business. This

helps to develop a rounded view of the industry,

the pressures clients face and ABECs position

within the building and energy controls agenda.

After two years of ABEC Academy

training (four years for school leavers), every

ABEC engineer will become a support or

commissioning engineer. At this point they

will also be a BEMS expert engineer and have

access to further career opportunities within

the business.

We are at Southern

Manufacturing Stand N74

08 NEWS


27 February will see the 3rd Integrating

Renewable Energy to the Grid seminar which

promises to be a day of discussion, debate

and knowledge sharing.

Once again, the event will bring together

suppliers and utilities, operators, transmission

and distribution experts, engineers and

policymakers to discuss strategy, best practice

and implementation for renewable energy

integration.

The programme will give delegates the

opportunity to hear about a variety of hot topics

surrounding the challenges and solutions from

both standards and technology viewpoints,

discussing how best to support the maximisation

of renewable resources to the grid.

Programme highlights will include:

Analysis of technology and optimisation for

grid sustainability and transmission

Exploration of challenges in the UK energy

network and regulatory considerations

A view on renewable energy resources and

achieving grid parity

An overview of HVDC technology with case

study examples from ABB and Mainstream

Renewable Power

Discussions on system requirements to support

grid sustainability

Conrm your place today register online at

www.theiet.org/renewable-grid, download the

booking form or call us on +44 (0) 1438 765

650/657 for more details.

News in brief

] Solar Frontier announced today the completion of the Kansai International Airport Megasolar Power Plant, an 11.6 MW CIS installation at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan. Now the

largest solar installation at an airport anywhere in Asia, and among the worlds biggest, the Kansai

International Airport Megasolar power plant is scheduled to start operating on February 1, 2014. The

project was managed by SF Kansai Mega Solar, a 100% subsidiary of Solar Frontiers joint investment

company with the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ), SF Solar Power.

] NAPIT Certication has now been recognised by the Solid Wall Insulation Guarantee Agency (SWIGA) for its quality and surveillance framework. Steve Tanner, general manager of SWIGA,

commented: SWIGA is extremely pleased that NAPIT has met our requirements and now adheres

to our solid wall surveillance standards. This recognition opens up signicant opportunities, to all

NAPIT members that have PAS 2030 certication, to secure SWIGA membership. Tanner added: This

addition now means that four certication bodies now have a framework recognised by SWIGA for

their robust approach to solid wall insulation.

] Rockwell Automation has won a $15m (9m) engineering, procurement, construction and management contract from Vadxx Energy LLC for its rst commercial-scale, plastic waste-to-synthetic

crude energy facility in Akron, Ohio. The new plant will transform end-of-life plastics into higher

value energy products, recycling nearly 60 tons of waste daily, diverting it from landll disposal. The

solution includes the PlantPAx Process Automation System suite, utilising Rockwell Automations

multi-discipline control platform to deliver an integrated smart plant for Vadxx.

EDITORElinore Mackay 020 8319 [email protected]

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Electrical Review is published by

Laurence Pountney HillLondon EC4R 0BL020 7933 8999

PUBLISHING DIRECTORChris Cooke

PRINTING BY Pensord Press Ltd

Any article in this journal represents the opinions of the author. This does not necessarily reect the views of Electrical Review or its publisher SJP Business Media

ISSN 0013-4384 All editorial contents SJP Business MediaJan-Dec 2012 6,460

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DISCUSSION AND DEBATEIntegrating Renewable Energy to the grid - 27 February

10 GOSSAGE


SHORT SHRIFTThe Disney Corporation does not like being associated with

gas fracking. That is undeniably true. How do I know? Because I have

seen how it has reacted in that ultimate in politically marginal US states, Ohio, to the prospect of being bracketed with

those

who promote fracking. It has told its subsidiary, Radio Disney, to quit a roadshow it was running , aimed at 8 to 10 year

olds.

Despite being called Rocking in Ohio, the events had nothing to do with music. But rather was a series of events fund

ed by the

Ohio Oil & Gas Association, designed subliminally to tell the children how deeply benevolent is the idea of fracking the

night

away in their state.

Local parents went ape. Within days they had collected 86,000 signatures to a petition to the Disney Corporation, dema

nding

that they must: Immediately halt your road show promoting oil and gas extraction and pipelines to kids, and sever you

r part-

nership with the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. Radio Disney should not--under the guise of teaching kids science--pro

mote dirty

energy that that gives kids asthma, pollutes our air and water, and fuels climate change.

Disney listened. And dropped the roadshow like a hot cake. Ohio is the quintessential average American state. I have a

funny

feeling that any similar exercise here in the UK might just receive a similarly short shrift from middle England too. How

ever much

local councils are bribed to encourage frackers into their locality.

BETTER TERMSI have a gentle word of warning, for

my old friends Electricit de France.

Picking a ght with a Saudi prince is

never a wise course of action. Espe-

cially if that Prince is none other than

His Royal Highness Prince Bander Bin

Abdullah Al-Saud.

But pick it they have. So much so

that the Prince s conglomerate, which

goes by the splendid name of Soroof

International, has led a complaint

in the Saudi courts against EDF. And

he is citing faulty execution by the

76% French government-owned rm,

of an agreement between the two

entities to form a joint venture that

would develop electricity products

in Saudi Arabia.

The princes company has studious-

ly not yet stated the precise grounds

for the dispute. This is apparently to

respect the condentiality of a sep-

arate arbitration procedure, already

launched at its request at the Interna-

tional Chamber of Commerce.

It appears to be no coincidence that,

despite the scandals concerning his

love life, French President Francois

Hollande was in Saudi at length last

month, with very few details emerg-

ing as to why. He at any rate under-

stands if there is a chance the Saudi

government might be letting some

multi-billion contracts to foreign nucle-

ar reactor vendors, it might be as well

to be on rather better terms with the

countrys royal family than EDF seems

currently managing to be.

CASTING AN ENVIOUS EYEI am astounded so many learned energy com-

mentators have thought it of any interest that

National Grid are inviting certain larger elec-

tricity users to enter into interruptible tariffs,

in exchange for lower standard rates. Such

arrangements surely have been bog standard

for years.The excitement seems to be being fanned

by those vested interests which quite deliber-

ately, for their own commercial gain, wish to

instill quite unnecessary panic into our more

simple-minded political leaders that there is so

little power around that the lights are set to

go out.That said, I rather think National Grid bosses

may well be casting envious eye across the

North Sea, to warch what the German grid

regulator is doing. It is forcing EnBW Energie

of Baden Wrttemberg, the countrys third

largest electricity supplier, to keep four un-

protable plants open specically to avoid the

danger of blackouts.Between them, German utilities have an-

nounced their intentions to shut 41 unprof-

itable generating units with 11 gigawatts in

total. But with particular pressure on demand

in the southwest of the country, where EnBW

is based, they have been told in no uncertain

manner that these four units, with a total

capacity of 668 megawatts, much stay on the

system until July 2015 at the very earliest.

Even if the company is, as it claims, losing

money hand over st on them.

AMBITIOUSHad you heard about the Celsius project? No, I hadnt either. Even though it is worth 25 million euros, and has researchers based in Goth-enburg, Genoa, Cologne and Rotterdam, as well as in Lon-don. What are they research-ing? They are working on the public transport metro sys-tems, trying to trap the waste heat from underground rail-way engines, breaks and body parts. The rhetoric regarding the potential is mind-bending-ly ambitious. It could revo-lutionise, they claim, energy usage and consumption.

Those of us familiar with the bug-eyed zealots who usually advocate cogeneration and combined heat and power may be forgiven for thinking we might just have heard all this optimism before. But maybe, just maybe, this time it could really happen. The projects Swedish coordinator, Jonas Cognell, intends to have 50 cities with underground railways adopting Celsius technologies by 2017. I can only wish him well.

OFF THE RECORD

Please do send any comments on these stories to [email protected]

Your correspondence will be passed to FH Gossage

11SPONSORED FEATURE


RETROFIT AND REPROTECTIt may risk becoming an overused term but equipment obsolescence is a very real problem facing an increasing number of operators. Many of whom are reliant upon a mature electrical infrastructure often sweated well beyond the intended and designed life. However replacement, modernisation, upgrade, or simply repair and maintenance proves to be never as easy as it rst sounds, explains Phil York general manager PBSI group.

A n electrical network; whether a distribution network on a housing estate, a petroleum re neries internal network, or the electrical power systems

within a generating station all share one unifying

truth. They are all part of the same utility service

which when interrupted the effect can range

from a downright inconvenience to an almost

incalculable nancial loss.

Electrical utilities are simply expected to work,

all of the time, faultlessly. Of course this isnt the

case, electrical power distribution is a complex

system relying upon a variety of equipment

to ensure safe delivery of electricity and to

inherently protect the wider network from

damage when faults do occur.

The expectations placed on our electrical

networks put operators and those entrusted to

maintain these systems in a precarious position.

Unplanned outage risk, or planned intervention.

Both choices involve expending time and

money weighed up against the economics of the

equipment being intentionally or unintentionally

out of service.

The obvious answer would be to plan to

take equipment out of service with controlled

effect rather than something unplanned and

catastrophic occurring.

However, intervention may not be a viable

option, all too often the original equipment

manufacturer isnt around any longer to

offer expert assistance or parts, or the

modern alternative to the equipment which

is available today, is totally incompatible with

any previous design.

This is a reality which we all live with as result of

our ageing, creaky infrastructure. Obsolescence.

The typical UK coal red power station

is a good example, much of the electrical

infrastructure that was installed when these

stations were built are still in use today. Hats

off to our forefathers for building in endurance

right? Well, the picture isnt that simplistic.

Quite often motors have been changed,

circuits are now supplying different loads, yet

the original protection relays remain and quite

possibly unable to operate fast enough to

protect a modern motor from being damaged

under a stall condition.

There is a further disadvantage, these

electromechanical relays can really only provide

one measurement - what is happening at this

precise moment.

It cannot for instance predict what may

happen in the future or indeed tell you what did

happen in the past.

Contrast to a modern protection relay which

can provide lists of past trip logs and. They have

become a much more useable tool to diagnose

events and provide valuable indication before a

serious fault occurs.

Equally modern relays do more than just

protection, they can provide a means of remote

control of a circuit and measured data can be

communicated to systems that couple both

process operations and electrical control.

So when a 40 year old relay does eventually

fail, or the engineer discovers a pitfall, there

is yearning for better technology. But because

of cost, incompatibility, time pressures and

the dif culty with installing new equipment

nothing changes.

There is a solution P&B has created a

range of direct retro ts for the replacement of

older protection relays. The retro ts use the

latest available technology yet are packaged

to be electrically and mechanical identical to

enable simple and rapid replacement.

The retro t option provides a very effective

way to modernise the electrical equipment

without facing heavy capital investment costs for

new equipment or lengthy outage whilst new

equipment is commissioned. The retro t route

allows operators to leapfrog the technology

barrier and inherit the advances of modern

protection equipment almost instantly and with

very little effort.

www.pbsigroup.come: [email protected]: 0044 (0)161 230 6363

12 FACTORY AUTOMATION

CAE THE KEY INGREDIENT OF PRODUCTIVITYFood and beverage manufacturers are under increasing pressure to reduce project downtimes and lower production costs, whilst simultaneously increasing exibility and improving product quality. In a bid to meet these demands companies are turning to newer, more innovative design tools that automate engineering processes. Ken Christie, director of EPlan UK, explains how using computer aided engineering (CAE) solutions is vital in order to provide quality assurance, streamline process and reduce manufacturing costs within production. He explains how Ritter has beneted from implementing EPlan software

O vercoming the challenges that face electrical design in manufacturing is vital for organisations to keep their businesses growing and to stay ahead of

increasing global competition. Shorter product

life cycles are also increasing the demand for

further automation, particularly for those that

use electrical control systems. In order to meet

customer demands, processes need to be more

streamlined and efcient. Choosing to use

modern Computer Aided (CAE) over legacy

CAD systems can increase both automation and

create a more efcient electrical design process.

The newest and sophisticated CAE systems

allow the manual and most time-consuming

electrical engineering design functions to be

performed automatically and instantaneously

- with organisations subsequently beneting

from an increase in productivity, shorter project

turnaround times and improvements in product

quality and security.

Modern CAE solutions, like EPlan, hold

standardisation and automation at their

epicentre, providing a variety of industries and

organisations with functionality that can aid

electrical design.

BENEFITS OF CAE One of the main benets of modern CAE

software is it can convert project documentation

in minutes to the language and design standards

that customers require, and export it into one

of many common le formats. This high level of


14 FACTORY AUTOMATION

integration is one of the reasons why advanced

CAE solutions are proving to be the driving force

in the relationship between electrical engineering

and other project stakeholders.

An integrated CAE software solution also

provides a consistent basis for information and

allows for effective, cross-disciplinary and parallel

work processes to ourish.

CAE systems also hold central databases

that can further enhance automation within

the design process, simplifying the design and

reporting required, in turn enabling standardised

information and data sharing among different

people, departments and processes.

There is a multitude of device data and

components that can be accessed via a central

database, including macros of sub-circuits,

assembly drawings, function templates for

intelligent device selection, international

designations, preview images and entire manuals.

The database enables users to easily select

and apply the data or components required

during a project, reducing project drafting and

documentation time by between 50-80%.

With CAE systems, data can also be stored and

reused enabling standardisation and the ability

to modularise product content, accelerate design

and manufacturing. Standardisation guidelines

lead to a smooth interaction between machines

and systems, minimising coordination time. CAE

is a benet to manufacturing organisations with

its ability to allow laborious and time consuming

functions to be performed automatically allowing

organisations to reduce cost.

RELUCTANCE TO CHANGECompanies are sometimes reluctant to change,

believing their current methodology works and

that the implementation of a new system will

initially reduce productivity. However, this is rarely

true as the biggest turnarounds come when

companies see the aws in their existing processes

and make the decision to upgrade to innovative

CAE software, as was the case with Ritter KG.

Particularly in the food industry, exibility and

rapid response to changing market requirements

are a top priority. Whereas chocolate bars were

once fairly indistinguishable from one another,

todays consumers are more discerning, and

imaginative varieties and avours involving

highly sophisticated production technology are

now commonplace. Therefore fast retooling

of machines is essential, and electrical project

planning must be capable of adapting quickly to

these new requirements.

STANDARDISATION IS KEY Since choosing EPlan as its CAE package, Ritter

Sport has been able to develop a consistent

standardisation strategy. We collaborate closely

with the machine producers at the design stage,

and transfer our symbol les directly to the

suppliers. In this respect, EPlan provides a number

of functions for the generation of company-specic

standards, thus meeting one of the principal

requirements of Ritter Sport, explains Claus

Labenski, electrical project engineer at Alfred Ritter

GmbH & Co. KG.

We collaborate closely with the machine

producers at the design stage, and transfer

our symbol les directly to the suppliers. In this

respect, EPlan provides a number of functions for

the generation of company-specic standards,

thus meeting one of the principal requirements

of Ritter Sport.

We determine the representation format in

the circuit diagrams, and also prescribe which

contactors or controllers should be used. In this

way, we can also cut the warehousing costs

for spare parts and can be sure of receiving

standardised documentation, explains Labenski.

As well as accelerated planning and optimised

availability, this also leads to shorter retooling

times and reduced machine downtime.Ritter

Sport is rmly convinced that neat, up-to-date

circuit diagram documentation is the key to

problem-free, reliable production. Another

important factor for minimising downtime is,

EPlans ability to automate cross referencing,

device ID tagging and on-site labelling.

Not only is Ritter Sport at the cutting-edge

of consumer taste it also uses state-of-the-art

production technology. As well as established

PLC (product lifecycle) technology, it also

uses eld bus technology. PLC programming

is generally performed in-house. Here, the

functions of EPlan provide support by allowing

us to transfer addresses directly. This simplies

programming and saves time, explains

Jrgen Kussmaul, electrical engineering project

manager. The exible structure of address

designations means that the organisation of

maintenance work is much easier. In this way, we

achieve a clear overview of our systems.

THE FUTURES CAE The benets of implementing CAE Solutions

across production are clear; enhanced

performance and exible communication with

external system integrators in addition to high-

quality documentation, and the completion of all

projects on schedule and on budget.

In future, the support of powerful modern

software packages will become indispensable. In

order to assert yourself within the market place, you

need state of the art engineering tools. Without

investment in innovative new technologies, global

competition will swallow you up.


16 DESIGN SOFTWARE

A SIMPLER AND CHEAPER WAY TO GAIN NEW BUSINESS

Software companies are always telling you how they will save you time and money while this is true, the chance to increase business is also too good to miss says Nick Harper, sales director at Amtech Group

A s software has advanced it has opened new opportunities for electrical engineers, not just by improving accuracy and efciency but also by

opening a doorway to new business. Its not

just increasing market share or nding new

markets but making sure you are keeping

up with current trends to ensure you are not

losing out to competition.

For example; BIM (Building Information

Modelling) is the buzz word of the moment,

Its everywhere you look, magazines,

newsletters and all over the net. Many

companies involved in design and installation

have taken a quick look and decided, although

interesting and no doubt valuable for certain

types of work, its not anything that needs to

concern them right now.

But this is exactly the BIM Goldilocks time

for most companies still time to plan, train

staff and put procedures and tools in place but

not so late that you have missed the boat and

need to play catch-up.

BIM is here already and will become far

more prevalent in the next couple of years.

2016 is the year that all government buildings

must be constructed using BIM. Now is the

ideal time to start in order to reap the benets

of this new way of working.

Software companies have long since realised

this and are rapidly developing new products

to enable electrical designers and installers to

make the most of the coming opportunities.

A key part of BIM is the interoperability

between disciplines. The aim is to reduce the

multiple drawings, les and data accrued

during the construction and lifetime of the

building.

A good example is CAD design software

packages. During construction the building

would have 3D drawings showing all the

services, including the electrical systems in

position. This would be given to the electrical

contractor for installation. However, although

the system is shown graphically, it does not

include all the electrical elements required by

BS7671 - such as loads, cable sizing, protective

device selection and settings. These then have

to be calculated separately in a completely

different package. So here we are back with

two distinct versions of the same projectso

much for interoperability.

For the electrical engineer therefore, the

important thing is to be able to access the

information contained within a BIM, work with

it, potentially modify it, and then update the

model with any modications. This is where

good quality software comes in, enabling that

transfer of information to and from the BIM

while providing the specialist tools required by

the electrical engineer.

For example, many models are now being

developed using Revit MEP a very good

design tool but one that doesnt incorporate

the functionality required by the electrical

engineer to meet BS 7671. For instance, a

circuit in Revit uses standard defaults that are

not compliant with BS 7671 and does not

contain all of the necessary data. For that

reason our experience shows that, typically,


18 DESIGN SOFTWARE

electrical engineers feel disconnected from the

BIM process. Engineers have to spend a lot of

time manually transferring data and results

between software tools and the inherent risk

of doing that is there for all to see. How many

times have you seen drawings and distribution

board schedules that do not match?

However, good electrical software will

now talk directly to the CAD software, with

software plug-ins that enable the data to be

shared. To use a standard Revit model with

electrical systems, you simply export to the

electrical design software, display a dialog that

shows all the electrical systems in the model,

and simply open the one you want. When

imported it will interpret all the information

taken from the export le and automatically

produce a schematic.

Circuit information dened in Revit MEP

can be imported to create an outline electrical

schematic. Once the schematic is in the design

software each cable can then be clicked

on and the cable type, length and other

details specied. The tools in the electrical

design software can now be used to perform

comprehensive design calculations to BS7671.

The calculated circuit can then be returned

to Revit and associated with the relevant

circuit components in the original Revit model.

All these newly added parameters will now

remain as part of the model, resulting in a

simple, clear and accurate panel schedule. You

can use any of the imported parameters in

your user customised panel schedules in Revit.

This has been proven to save engineers days of

work manually producing panel schedules.

Users of Revit will already understand how

frustrating and time consuming it is to gather

all the information required to complete

accurate schedules and will instantly see

the benets of using the specialist electrical

software for design. This represents a massive

time saving while removing the potential for

error. In addition only one set of resources is

being used, in line with BIM principles.

This brings us back to the true reason

for BIM - one repository for all information

relating to each project and accessed by

all stakeholders. BIM provides three key

advantages for electrical engineers. First,

time savings by using basic information

already available in the original model.

Second, accuracy, as there is no need to

enter data multiple times so the risk of errors

is reduced. Third and most important, it

provides the opportunity to take advantage

of projects that are working with BIM. BIM is

here to stay and it is crucial not to miss out

on this work.

EXTENDING EXPERTISENew ways of working, facilitated by software,

can also give contractors a competitive edge

by enabling them to take on new types of

work. For example, some contractors are

happy to design electrical systems but shy

away from carrying out a protection study on

a circuit, especially in complex buildings with

multiple adjustable breakers.

However, todays electrical design software

often contains powerful discrimination

packages making it easy to make protective

device adjustments in the project. A very

popular method uses a simple graphical

view of the devices in the circuit with the

characteristics of each device shown on one

screen alongside each other. This method

allows overload, short circuit, instantaneous

and earth fault settings to be changed simply

by increasing or decreasing the values on

screen until the co-ordination is acceptable.

This is reected instantly on screen.

In fact some software will go as far as

automatically determining the overload

settings depending on the design current in

the circuit.

The purpose of this type of software is

to turn complex, time-consuming tasks into

simple and far more intuitive processes,

such as validating adjustable breakers in

seconds with complete condence that your

calculations are accurate and compliant with

BS 7671. But the benets dont end there, as

not only can the time current discrimination

be shown visually on screen, the whole circuit

can also be checked instantly at the touch

of a button. As software has developed this

type of specialised software has become far

more intuitive and straightforward to use so

you no longer have to be a protection expert

to use them. As a result, there is less need to

sub-contract specialist work such as protection

co-ordination.

Save time, save money, increase efciency

and improve accuracy all benets you

will hear cited in relation to software.

And with most good software these are

genuine, attainable benets but software

can contribute a lot more. Developing new

business streams is another way to move your

business forward with minimal outlay.


20 TRAINING

VOCATIONAL QUALITYDavid Thomas, Education and Training Manager at the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA), discusses the need to monitor the qualications on offer to those looking to join the industry

A pproximately 1.6 million young people aged between 16 and 19 are currently participating in post compulsory education and training.

Unfortunately many are wasting their time on

vocational qualications that will not secure

them a job in their chosen eld.

This is particularly true in our industry where,

outside the apprenticeship framework, we

have seen a proliferation of qualications that

dont actually ready a learner for a career as

an electrician, even though they are offered as

such. These qualications are not recognised

by the industry and therefore dont lead to

employment. In effect, they are useless.

The electrical industry, and UK PLC,

needs the support of high-quality 16-19

education and training in order to ensure

young people are equipped to undertake an

apprenticeship, go on to further or higher

education, and, ultimately, sustainable

employment. Construction Skills estimated

our industry needed to train an additional

1,670 between 2011 and 2015 to meet what

was then depressed levels of demand. Given

that electrotechnical apprenticeship starts in

2011/12 decreased by 13% on the previous

academic year (according to the Department for

Business, Innovation and Skills) its clear were

facing a serious skills shortage. This will take

longer to solve if people seeking a career as an

electrician are wasting their time and money

on training which doesnt lead to gainful

employment.

These sorts of courses also have a damaging

effect on the perception of apprenticeships.

Research from BAE Systems and the Royal

Academy of Engineering showed parental views

of apprenticeships are still less than favourable,

with just 46% of those surveyed saying they

would encourage their children to take up

vocational training. Parental discouragement

of apprenticeships could have detrimental

consequences for skilled sectors like ours. It also

does nothing to alter school leavers opinions

that university is the best option for them, or

persuade them to consider more traditional

vocational options.

If we are going to change this view and

encourage more young people to take up

apprenticeships, we need to make sure those

interested in doing them are in a position

to choose the provision that will best help

them in their career. When deciding on an

apprenticeship, students and their parents need

accurate and understandable information on

a) what courses and qualications are most

benecial to them and b) which providers are

best for their chosen courses and qualications.

The government has recently put a system

in place to help deliver this. As part of the

recent launch of the Tech Levels, performance

measures relating to courses and qualications

at Level 3 and below will be published. This

will include substantial Level 3 vocational

qualications qualications that provide

the knowledge and skills necessary to enter

a particular trade or skilled occupation. The

plan is to establish an approved list of Level

3 vocational qualications, supported by

employers that will be recognised within

performance tables.

As well as enabling young people to see

which courses will help them begin a career

in our sector, it will also help our industry

monitor which qualications are on offer. The

introduction of subject-specic information on

course outcomes will, in effect, root out poor

quality training. The current situation simply

does not tell employers enough to make a truly

informed decision on which training provider to

use. The introduction of Tech Levels will mean

we will know which courses are benecial for

apprentices and employers and which ones

arent delivering. This can only be benecial to

our industry.

In addition, awarding Tech Levels the same

status as A-Levels will go a long way to levelling

the playing eld and giving vocational training

the respect it deserves. Hopefully, this will

restore condence among learners, parents and

teachers that vocational education and training

is a pathway to a successful career.

2013 was pivotal for apprenticeships, with

the government putting steps in place to

reform the way they are delivered and funded.

Now that we also have a means of monitoring

which qualications are being offered to young

people, were starting 2014 in better shape

than in a long while. Hopefully this will make it

a better year for skills and everyone involved in

their delivery.


22 SPONSORED FEATURE

POWER PROTECTION THE BIGGER PICTURE

T his winter the UK has been hit by some of the most tempestuous weather conditions leaving thousands of businesses and homes without power and

many out of pocket.

Following dramatic Battered Britain

headlines, it is becoming increasingly apparent

the risk to the nations infrastructure is higher

than ever before and with weather conditions

forecast to worsen, the UKs power network

remains under great threat.

It is not just these weather warnings and

natural risks to countrys power grid that are

hitting Britain but staggering energy costs and

increased pressures from the government for

businesses to improve operational efciencies are

adding further cause for concern.

However, despite all the negative press that

surrounds these issues, the emergency power

industry is gradually re-evaluating its approach

towards safeguarding the countrys infrastructure

to ensure long term, reliable, clean power.

One company already adopting a more

sophisticated approach to how we view

emergency power is Borri the UKs premiere

back-up power solutions specialist.

With the emergency power landscape

continuously evolving, businesses have had to

rely on specialists like Borri Ltd to deliver forward

thinking solutions and service options that

will withstand environmental, operational and

technological changes.

Addressing the latter, the radical

advancements in back-up power technologies

have mostly been driven by market demands

and the increasing critical need for UPS

solutions. Whilst many of these changes have

brought undeniable benets such as enhanced

efciencies and improved resilience, it is

important for users to consider the impact on

operational behaviour and any knock on affects

to other supporting equipment.

As UPS systems become increasingly

essential for businesses, users are becoming

more savvy about the types of technologies

available and more aware of associated

hardware such as batteries. Borri Ltd is one

of the few emergency power specialists that

has continued to invest heavily in its service

department in order to provide up-to-the-

minute care for not just a wide range of UPS

brands but also for ancillary equipment.

This commitment and unparalleled expertise

across a vast range of technologies means Borri

is the number one choice for many businesses

which require maintenance and equipment tests

to be carried out with minimum disruption to

day-to-day operations.

Environmental changes are unavoidable

so being prepared for as many eventualities

as possible is essential to keep equipment in

optimum condition. With such tumultuous

weather conditions, managing contrasting

temperatures is becoming increasingly difcult.

This has meant that power protection

professionals such as Borri have had to implement

even more sophisticated design solutions

utilising both leading edge technologies and more

advanced architectural strategies.

The companys sales director, Mark Trolley

commented: Despite the great advances

in technology, UPS systems can no longer

be considered in isolation when it comes to

delivering an emergency power solution. We

must now take into account the entire power

protection landscape and with increasing

demands on businesses to improve efciencies,

it is more important than ever to understand the

intricacies of all associated equipment.

Borri works with a cross section of design

and build contractors and has developed an

impressive portfolio of highly specialised projects.

Our experience has earned us the enviable

reputation of being a total solutions provider,

capable of achieving maximum protection and

efciency from all back-up power equipment.

We are proud to be the chosen supplier for

many leading blue chip companies and have

been involved in some incredible pioneering

data centre projects. Our understanding of the

complete power infrastructure and exibility

enables us to choose the most suitable

equipment for the environment in which it will

operate and therefore, deliver the most practical,

resilient and efcient solutions.

As changes to the back-up power landscape

continue to gather pace, Borri remains vigilant

and committed to helping businesses map

out efcient, resilient and future proof power

protection strategies.

The company offers full turnkey UPS solutions,

electrical infrastructures, delivery, positioning

and SLA driven maintenance contracts to over

2,000 customer sites in a variety of sectors, from

academia to manufacturing.

Borri is an exclusive distributor in UK market

of Borri Spa an iItalian company specialised

in the custom design and manufacturing of

power electronics equipments with over 80

years of experience and multidisciplinary

research and development.

Its B9000FXS and B9600FXS range of UPS

systems deliver such impressive efciency

credentials that they are listed on the ETPL

(Energy Technology Product List). Their ability

to deliver long term efciency gains and proven

protective qualities, make these the number one

choice for a wide range of data centre owners

from big to small looking for future operational

savings and maximum protection.

For more information please visit

www.borri.co.uk, email: [email protected]

or call 01246 431431


23SPONSORED FEATURE

A POWERFUL COLLABORATION AT PORTSMOUTH UNIVERSITY


B orri has played an integral role in the 2.25million development of Portsmouth Universitys new modular data centre facility. The leading Uninterruptible

Power Supply (UPS) solutions provider was

commissioned by award winning data centre and

IT infrastructures specialist, Sudlows to supply

three B9000FXS 300kVA UPS systems.

Faced with tough competition and following

a rigorous tender process, involving exhaustive

performance and ef ciency tests, Borris UPS

solutions came out as the perfect solution.

The results demonstrated that Borris advanced

B9000FXS systems not only deliver superior

reliability and impressive ef ciency savings but

their sophisticated design also proved well suited

to the innovative layout and structure of the

Universitys new data hall.

Utilising the very latest technologies, Sudlows

engineered a unique air cooling solution, which

has been proven using Computational Fluid

Dynamics (CFD) a sophisticated simulation

tool which analyses air ow to show how the

room could be naturally cooled. Portsmouth

University is now bene ting from a green,

ef cient, natural cooling solution, which

extracts hot air out through extractor fans and

draws cool air in through a ventilated wall and

directly cools the UPS systems.

Designed to deliver industry leading

performance and a 0.9 power factor, Borris

B9000FXS UPS units achieve up to 95.5%

ef ciency online. This online double conversion

UPS solution also incorporates an ECO mode

function achieving up to 98% ef ciency.

The addition of easy front access for easy

maintenance makes them a rm favourite in

data centres of all different sizes.

Positioned in a 600kVA N+1 con guration to

ensure maximum protection against any mains

failure, the three B9000FXS UPS systems were

installed at Portsmouth University by Borri Ltds

skilled in-house team of engineers.

Commenting on Borris service, Sudlows

global director, Andy Hirst said: The feedback

from Portsmouth University about Borri has

been very positive. They found Borris team

to be professional at all times and impressed

with their product knowledge. From our end,

liaising with Borri has been seamless. They have

exceeded our high expectations in both the all

round service they have provided and also in the

quality of their UPS systems. As a vendor neutral

organisation, Sudlows has the exibility to

always select the best solution for each unique

project and were impressed with Borris latest

power technology.

It has taken the greatest brains in power

management and data centre facility design to

deliver the smooth migration of the Universitys

existing data centre to the new modular

facility. The now highly ef cient, integrated

site protects data for over 23,000 students and

has been designed to meet future IT demands,

whilst maintaining the same levels of resilience

and ef ciency.

This is just one of the many data centre

projects that Borri has worked on. Unlike many

other UPS companies, Borri is much more than

just a product supplier it is a total solutions

provider. With a forward thinking approach Borri

strongly advocates outside the box thinking and

in the case of cooling, encourages its customers

to explore opportunities which will gain

additional ef ciency and save costs in additional

cooling applications.

With close relationships with a number of

infrastructure specialists like Sudlows, Borri has

vast experience in working through innovative

solutions, ensuring that due diligence is always

completed to guarantee that the selected UPS

solution will operate at its correct temperature,

thus prolonging its lifespan.

Committed to continuous design and

development of its back-up power solutions,

Borri is at the forefront of UPS technologies.

For more information about this solution or to

nd out about Borris extensive range of UPS

products and services please call 0800 136 993

or visit www.borri.co.uk

24 TEST & MEASUREMENT

PRODUCTION LINE TESTING: WHAT PRICE ELECTRICAL PRODUCT SAFETY?Nathan Barwell, business development engineer at Clare, part of the Seaward Group, looks at the importance of production line testing in electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing

T he verication of the safe operation and functionality of electrical products is vital to ensure compliance with established industry standards

and to maintain customer condence.

Electrical testing on the production line is

therefore a critical consideration.

The need to ensure conformance through

manufacture is clear from both generic product

safety standards and European Directives, but

the common reaction still seems to be does this

mean I have to do 100% testing? This question

is usually followed by a rapid retreat into

discussions that aim to reduce an erroneously

perceived time/cost burden, often quoting

ISO9000 procedures and focusing on sample

testing as a suitable solution.

Batch sampling and or product verication

tests are essentially designed to determine

that type test and build instructions are being

maintained via a set of working standards

and rely upon there being a traceable scientic

relationship between the sample and the rest

of the batch. The assumption is if the sample

shows conformance, then the rest of the batch

also complies. However when customer safety

is paramount can anyone take this risk?

In order to maintain a proper scientic

relationship, back to the type approved product

testing of the batch sample should really involve

a repeat of the type test which could involve

the use of an external test house or the transfer

of the sample to a dedicated, in-house test

laboratory. In either case the test will require the

use of skilled and expensive labour, specialised

(and usually high cost) test equipment, complex,

time consuming, test routines and/or possible

destruction of test sample.

Taking a typical batch sampling routine as

an example, the following scenario can be

envisaged: Risk analysis determines a procedure

for testing one sample product for every 100

that come off the assembly line. The sample

is sent to the laboratory where it undergoes

rigorous testing and fails. Strictly speaking,

production should now be halted until the cause

and extent of the fault is identied.

This should include recalling and testing not

only the remaining 99 items of the particular

batch, but any items produced / packed and

shipped out since the sample was taken.

The cost of this exercise can be worked out

in terms of re-call costs (time, labour, discard

packaging etc) - even greater if products have



left the factory - testing costs (which will now

include skilled labour), rework costs (time,

labour, parts if any), lost production (highly

unlikely that all items are salvageable) and late

delivery penalties.

To review the real on-cost to a business, a

useful investigation would be an ISO9000 re-call

procedural review and cost them accordingly. It

might be argued this worst case scenario only

applies if the sample fails but would anyone feel

comfortable knowing that the electric drill used in

a factory workshop has only a 1 in 100 chance of

NOT causing electrocution.

Similarly, it is clearly in the interests of

manufacturers of nished products that the

safety critical components used to assemble

a product are satisfactory preferably before

being incorporated into the product. Many

manufacturers now request Certicates of

Conformity (CofCs) from their suppliers of

safety critical components. However the

question always has to be how sure are you of

their test regime?

Against this background it is clear there

are increasing numbers of manufacturers of

electrical products who wish to check supplied

components before or during their own

product assembly.

Among such companies there is recognition of

the advantages that can result in the pro-active

identication of problems and defects before

assembly. This increases condence in nished

products, reduces the likelihood of product

re-work and allows any cost of failures to be

recovered from the supplier more easily.

Typically, the production line electrical product

safety testing requirements of manufacturers

of Class I and Class II equipment will comprise

high current earth bond measurement, insulation

resistance measurement and high voltage

ash (or hi pot) testing. In addition many

manufacturers will be driven by other special

standards or specic customer requirements or

even their own in-house guidelines to complete

functional tests (also known as Run or Load

Leakage Testing).

By completing the cycle with 100% product

testing, signicant information can also be

gathered and used to improve and rene

manufacturing processing and techniques.

Identiable reasons for product failures can

be highlighted and quickly acted upon. Even

simple fault counters can indicate particular

areas of the build phase that may require

further investigation.

Another major plus for 100% testing is the

development of a competitive advantage. A

companys ability to offer full testing during

their own production process reduces the need

for the customer to carry out their own testing,

thus providing a level of added value that can be

translated into increased protability and better

customer condence and loyalty.

Against these advantages, objections

to 100% testing are usually made on the

basis of time. Here, concerns normally arise

from misconceptions between type testing

requirements and the established practices for

100% routine production line testing.

For example, a typical regime of electrical

safety testing to meet routine production line

tests can usually be completed in less than 5

seconds. Referring back to the earlier example,

all 100 products could have been tested in less

than nine minutes.

Modern production line test instruments

feature simple to use set-up and control features,

and they can be readily incorporated into

the production environment relatively quickly

without the need for highly skilled labour.

In addition, for type testing, a ash test can

require high current levels (sometimes in excess

of 100mA) and extended test times (several

minutes for some standards) and consequently

this type of test can require application under

closely controlled conditions, involving the use of

highly skilled and experienced test personnel.

However for routine production line testing,

electrical safety standards dene not only a lower

safer trip level, but also the setting up of the test

area is well dened to keep safe the operator.

Experience has shown that routine test parameters

provide a realistic evaluation of electrical safety

and does not harm equipment that is designed to

comply with the relevant standards for creepage,

clearance and insulation properties.

Where delicate electronic components

are involved, far from omitting the ash

test, various techniques can be incorporated

to soft-start (ramp) the test voltage, apply

DC voltages with discharge circuits and

other measures to remove any likelihood of

damage occurring for example, a procedure

recognised by EN60950 for Information

Technology (IT) equipment.

Far from costing time and money, 100%

electrical safety testing on the production line

makes sound economic and business sense

creating a competitive advantage and peace

of mind. After all only 100% testing can

categorically show 100% conformance with

product safety standards.


27ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

TESTO THERMAL IMAGING: ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY FUELS INDUSTRY BOOM

T echnology is evolving around us at an ever-increasing rate and with this comes the challenge of making sure that these new technologies are effectively

employed. Testo provides a holistic approach to

test and measurement solutions, manufacturing

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of test and measurement requirements thrown

up by modern day industry.

Thermal imaging, both as a self-contained

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UNIVERSAL THERMAL IMAGING SOLUTIONSThe ability to visualise infrared radiation, and as

such, heat patterns and thermal anomalies is

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from the electrical inspection and surveying to the

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result of a number of factors coming together

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Thermal imaging cameras have such a vast

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THE RISE OF ENTRY LEVEL CAMERASPerhaps the most signicant development for

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in partnership with, electrical and heating

professionals allowing unique insight into the

needs of the user. Accordingly the testo 870 is

a lightweight camera that balances ease-of-use

with the impressive technical specication and

performance that is synonymous with Testo

thermal imaging.

Equipped with a large 3.5 inch display screen

and exceptional resolution of 120 x 160 pixels, the

testo 870 provides brilliantly clear thermal images

and superb value for money. Perfect for visual

inspection and surveying of electrical circuit boards

or the installation and assessment of plumbing and

heating systems, it is the ideal tool for contractors

in these industries to increase efciency and widen

the service portfolio that is available to customers.

Even in the last 12 months, we have seen

a notable reduction in the cost of previously

expensive (and as such relatively exclusive)

technology and this has been key to the current

explosion in the use of thermal imaging cameras.

Further, this increased level of accessibility has

allowed for a parallel growth in the knowledge

base surrounding the benets that thermal

imaging offers. It is apparent then, that a strong

link exists between the information available

to professionals of a given industry and the

likelihood of that industry recognising and

adopting new technologies. This coupled with

an inux of new, affordable thermal imaging

cameras (such as the testo 870) means that the

industry is only going to grow.

For more information either visit the website or

call to speak to our technical sales team.

www.testolimited.com 01420 544433



PUTTING CABLES TO THE TESTMany techniques are available for assessing the condition of underground power cables and for diagnosing faults that occur on these cables. Unfortunately, says Paul Swinerd of Megger, these techniques are often presented as alternatives that compete with each other. He believes this is misleading and that by far the best approach is to treat the various techniques as complementary

F aults on underground cables are a major concern for every organisation involved in the transmission and distribution of electrical power. Such faults

can have consequences that are extremely

costly and disruptive, so its not surprising

there is strong demand for test equipment that

can provide accurate information about the

condition of cables and also assist in the rapid

location of faults.

A rst thought might well be that test

equipment should energise the cable at power

frequency after all, in this way it would be

subjected to stresses that closely resemble

those it experiences when in service. There is,

however, a problem.

Cables are highly capacitive which means

that if they are to be energised continuously

at power frequency during testing, the test set

must be capable of supplying a large amount

of reactive power. A test set capable of doing

this necessarily has to be physically large, heavy

and expensive. For this reason, power frequency

testing of cables is not commonly used.

One potential alternative is dc insulation

resistance testing, and this has many benets.

Suitable test equipment is compact, lightweight,

moderately priced and relatively easy to use.

Typically performed at 5 kV or 10 kV, dc

insulation resistance tests take just a few minutes

to carry out and, in addition to quickly revealing

major faults, they give a valuable indication of

the overall condition of the cable. This is a very

useful guide when deciding whether the cable is

t for immediate return to service, or whether it

should be tested further using other techniques.

In fact, a recently published article (Charles

Q Su and C R Li, IEEE Electrical Insulation

Magazine, January/February 2013) describes

how, during a ve-year study, dc insulation

testing was used to decide which of a group

of 6.6 kV cables operated by a Chinese utility

should be further tested using the VLF and

OWTS techniques described later in this article.


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Only 5% of the cables in the study were

selected for testing with these techniques, but

the failure rate across the whole group of cables

was nevertheless reduced by over 30%. This

clearly shows that dc insulation resistance testing

is a valid technique for determining which cables

are most at risk of failure and, therefore, in need

of further analysis.

To get the best from dc insulation resistance

testing it is important to choose the right

test set. A critical characteristic is test current

capability, as an instrument that can only supply

a small current will take a long time charge the

cable under test, particularly if it is a long cable,

and this will unnecessarily prolong the testing

time. A good instrument will typically supply 6

mA into a short circuit, and deliver a charging

current of 2 mA. As a rule of thumb, this will

mean that capacitive loads like cables take 2.5

seconds or less per microfarad to charge to 5 kV.

In addition, in many situations, high noise

immunity is a desirable feature, since this will

enable dependable results to be obtained

even in poor electrical environments. The

best instruments are now capable of reliable

operation with up to 8 mA of noise present in

the measuring circuit. Finally, the test sets power

source should not be neglected. As mains power

may not be readily available in locations where

cable testing must be carried out, a test set with

an internal rechargeable battery ideally a rapid-

recharge Li-ion type is greatly to be preferred.

While dc insulation resistance testing at

modest voltages is, as we have seen, an

invaluable and convenient rst-line tool for

assessing cable condition, there are some

cases where further study is needed. These

tests most usually take the form of insulation

withstand testing at voltages higher than the

nominal working voltage of the cable under

test. In fact, in many countries withstand

testing before new cables are put into service

is obligatory, as it is part of the relevant

standard. Because of the risk of cable damage,

dc testing at these higher voltages is no longer

widely used, having been supplanted by ac

very low frequency (VLF) testing, typically

performed at a frequency of 0.1 Hz.

VLF test sets are divided into two groups those

that apply a sine wave to the cable under test, and

those that use a cosine rectangular (CR) waveform.

Both types produce useful and reliable results,

but it is worth noting CR test sets are usually

smaller and lighter than similarly rated sine wave

equivalents, and that some users prefer the CR

waveform as its rise and fall times are very similar

to those of a power frequency sine wave.

VLF insulation withstand tests at 0.1 Hz

usually involve applying a test voltage of three

times the nominal working voltage to the cable

for 15 minutes or, in the case of aged cables,

one hour. VLF testing therefore takes longer to

perform than dc insulation resistance testing,

but it will reliably uncover a wider range of

cable problems and will enable the majority of

dubious cables to be condently classied as

either good for return to service or susceptible to

imminent failure.

Even after VLF testing, some subtle problems

may still remain hidden, and detecting these is

the role of partial discharge (PD) analysis. This

involves coupling a high ac test voltage to the

cable under test and using a sensitive detector

to look for the characteristic signals produced

by PD events. Since research has shown PD

testing at VLF using sine wave voltages does

not give good results, an alternative method

of providing an ac test voltage for the cable

is needed. This typically takes the form of

damped ac (DAC) voltage.

This works by connecting an inductor in

series with the cable under test, then charging

the cable from a high-voltage dc source. When

the cable is charged, a high-speed solid-state

switch connects the inductor in parallel with

the capacitance of the cable to form a resonant

circuit. As a result, damped os

Electrical Review Jan-Feb 2014

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Transcript of Electrical Review Jan-Feb 2014