electrical review july 2010

New LIGHTNING PROTECTION catalogue available now, visit www.dehn.co.uk

July 2010 Volume 243 No 7

ELECTRICALREVIEW

DEHN – Celebrating100 years of successand innovation from craftsman's workshop to modernindustrial company

LIGHTNING andSURGE PROTECTION

specialist

LightningProtection

SurgeProtection

SafetyEquipment

Inside this issue:

� Talking cleats� Achieving value in emergency lighting� Funding shortfalls� The end for panel wiring?

ALSTOM AND SCHNEIDER ELECTRICFINALISE AREVA T&D ACQUISITIONAlstom and Schneider Electric have

finalised their transaction with Areva

for the acquisition of Areva T&D, its

transmission and distribution

businesses, after obtaining the

approvals of the relevant competition

authorities and the French

Commission des Participations et des

Transferts (CPT).

A consortium agreement was

signed by the two partners in

November 2009 for the purpose of

this joint acquisition. The price paid for

Areva T&D’s shares amounted to

€2.29bn. The net financial debt of

Areva T&D was around €0.89bn as of

31 December 2009.

The agreement sets out the transfer

of the transmission business (about

two thirds of the total) to Alstom and

of the distribution business (about one

third) to Schneider Electric, as well as

the ways they will be managed. The

agreement allows both Alstom and

Schneider to immediately assume

separate operational responsibility of

each of these businesses.

Alstom and Schneider Electric will

also develop cooperation between the

transmission and distribution

businesses, via commercial and

license agreements. R&D agreements

will be put in place for the

development of technologies to the

benefit of both companies.

“Through this acquisition, Alstom

builds, in addition to Power and

Transport businesses, a third Sector

constituting high voltage energy

transmission business of the Group.

This Sector will benefit from

aggregation of all complementarities

and means of the Group, mainly of its

international network expanded in 70

countries, its technological and

industrial expertise and of existing

liaisons between high voltage energy

distribution and energy generation”

said Patrick Kron, chairman and chief

executive officer, Alstom.

“We will combine our teams’

expertise in medium voltage and that

of Areva D to create a new business,

Energy, elevating Schneider Electric to

the position of global leader in

medium voltage. This consolidation

reinforces considerably our offers in

medium voltage and network

automation. It will also strengthen

Schneider Electric’s presence in new

economies and access to utilities and

electro-intensive customers, and

enhance the Group’s position at the

centre of the Smart Grid technological

revolution” said Jean-Pascal Tricoire,

president and CEO, Schneider Electric.

UPS Page 14 Lightning protection Page 24 Panel building Page 28 Cable management 2

July 2010 Volume 243 No 7

Sentec, the metering technology

specialist, has been presented

with a Queen’s Award for

Enterprise in the International

Trade category by Mr Hugh

Duberly CBE, Her Majesty's

Lord-Lieutenant of

Cambridgeshire.

The Cambridge-based

company was presented with a

certificate signed by the Queen

along with a commemorative

trophy, in recognition of its

exceptional growth over the last

three years, during which time

the company more than trebled

its overseas earnings to £4.3m.

The Lord-Lieutenant enjoyed

demonstrations of the

technology that fuelled Sentec’s

award winning growth,

including its Lattice gas

metering technology, a new

wireless toaster project and the

Mobius high performance

current sensor that has recently

been licensed to the National

Grid for use in new smart

meters for the UK market.

For the latest news, products and event information visit www.electricalreview.co.uk

SAFETY SEALS SUPPLIED TO WIND INDUSTRYInternational safety seal firm

Roxtec has signed another deal to

supply its product to the wind

farm industry.

Swedish-owned Roxtec

manufactures seals to protect

electrical cables and pipes from a

range of hazards including fire,

flooding and explosion. It has

signed a deal with Stoke on Trent

based Converteam which are

making converters for the new

generation of onshore wind farms

across Europe. Converters form

the heart of the internal workings

of the wind turbine transferring

power to the national grid at a

constant frequency.

ELECTRICALREVIEW

� Supply, installation, cabling,testing & commissioning oftransformer and switchgearup to & including 33000 V.

� Specialists in the movementand erection inc the de-commissioning, removal anddisposal of transformers andswitchgears up to & including33000 V.

� Full measured term contractmaintenance of 415 / 11000 /33000 V power networks.

� Dedicated specialist HV & LVjointing services up to & inc33000 V.

� Specialists in transformersand switchgear up to & inc33000 V.

� All backed up with a 24/7/365dedicated call out service.

SPEC Ltd has recently expanded its services to meet theindividual needs and demands of the customer.

Communication and a customer-focused approach are at theheart of our service, with staff that are able to talk yourlanguage and help you achieve your requirements effectivelyand safely to your timescales and specifications.

They have a proven track record of successfully working withmany service users from small businesses to large Blue chipmultinationals both UK and overseas.

The company has become known as a total service providerproviding the role of control, installation, operation andmaintenance of mains 415/11000/33000 V power networks.

To date SPEC Ltd operate and maintain circa 350 HVconnected sites nationwide

Address:Unit 5 Eagle Point, Telford Way,

Wakefield 41 Industrial Estate, Wakefield, WF2 OXW

Tel: +44 (0) 1924 871 558

Fax: +44 (0) 1924 871559

Mobile: 0777 55 64 384 (24hours)

Email: [email protected]

Southern office:Unit 13, Pegasus Court, North Lane, Aldershot,

Hampshire, GU12 7QH

Tel: 01252 375785

Fax: 01252 375786

Oxford office:Unit 15 Tower Road Industrial Estate

Tower Road, Berinsfield, Wallingford

Oxfordshire OX10 7LN


WWW.SPEC-LTD.COM

www.electricalreview.co.uk 05

EDF Energy and Toyota have launched a three-year

leasing programme to bring ultra-low emissions,

plug-in hybrid vehicle technology to the streets of

London.

The first Toyota Prius Plug-ins to reach the UK

are joining the vehicle fleets of five businesses and

public organisations, where they will demonstrate

the fuel efficiency, low emissions, cost savings and

everyday practicality their rechargeable hybrid

power system can deliver.

The leasing programme is part of the

Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon

Vehicle Demonstrator Programme, and benefits

from funding support from the UK Government,

through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles

(OLEV). The organisations and business taking

part in the programme are Transport for

London, the Government Car and Despatch

Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service, News

International and Sky.

Miguel Fonseca, managing director Toyota (GB)

PLC, said: “I am delighted to be joining with EDF

Energy to launch the UK’s largest plug-in hybrid

programme, a project that will deliver valuable

insights into the behaviour and preferences of UK

drivers as they engage with the technology for

the first time and experience it in their everyday

driving routines. Toyota is committed to

developing sustainable, low emissions mobility

and Prius Plug-in marks another important

element in our environmental leadership, and a

further step towards its ambition of building the

ultimate eco-car. “

EDF Energy managing director of ESCS Martin

Lawrence said: “I am delighted EDF Energy, the

UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity, can

play such an important role in the research and

trialing of these new vehicles. And I’m proud to

collaborate with Toyota on this project as it builds

on the success of the first plug-in hybrid vehicle

trial which began a year ago. The new government

has committed to a national recharging network

for electric and plug in hybrid vehicles. The trial that

we launch today plays a key part in that

development. Transport currently accounts for

around a fifth of the country’s carbon footprint and

the take up of clean, electric transport can help the

UK meet its climate change targets. Sustainability is

at the core of our business and it is work like this

that helps EDF Energy meet the climate change

targets set out in our new sustainability

commitments.”

The cars involved in the lease programme are

based on the current third-generation full hybrid

Prius, but are equipped with a lithium-ion battery

that can be recharged simply by being connected

to a standard 240V electricity supply. EDF Energy

has identified appropriate plug, socket, wiring and

cabling specifications to comply with BS7671

safety standards, while maintaining fundamental

ease of use. The charging points incorporate a

keypad that enables each user and vehicle to be

identified when recharging takes place.

EDF Energy is also working with the Greater

London Authority with the aim of installing up to

550 public access charging points across the

capital, as part of the Plugged in Places

programme.

Zuken is presenting a series ofwebinars focusing on electrical systemdesign, starting on 29 June. Targetedat companies within the aerospaceindustry, the webinars will benefitengineers who need to overcome thedesign challenges associated withmanaging change, ECAD/MCADintegration, and testing. For those whomay not be available to attend the livesession, all three webinars will also beavailable on demand. For more detailsabout the webinars and to registervisit http://www.zuken.com.

HYBRID VEHICLES HIT LONDON

SYSTEM DESIGNWEBINARS

CONTENTS

05 || NEWS

08 || BATTERIES

10 || GOSSAGE

12 || FIRE, SAFETY & SECURITY

14 || UPS

18 || TRAINING

22 || DEHN UK

- CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF

SUCCESS AND INNOVATION

24 || LIGHTNING PROTECTION

28 || PANEL BUILDING

32 || CABLE MANAGEMENT

34 || PRODUCT WATCH

40 || CLASSIFIED

43 || OPINION

Uninterruptible PowerSupplies UK salesmanager, Mike Elms,explains how modularUPS systems can helpcut energy bills

When building a controlpanel, wiring is almostalways the most time

consuming and costlyoperation. However, modern

electronic technology ismaking possible innovations

that mean the days ofconventional panel wiring are

rapidly coming to an end!Power Electrics Generators, a UK independent

supplier of specialist generators for sale and

rental has successfully achieved ISO14001 and

18001 accreditation ( H & S and

Environmental).

Richard Coward, quality and health and

safety manager at Power Electrics commented,

“This result illustrates our commitment to

quality and the continual improvement of our

environmental and safety performance - our

customers can be assured of our dedication to

environmental concerns and that we will be

constantly improving our performance as part

of the Environmental Management System.”

POWER ELECTRICS

WINS ACCREDITATION

Since NICEIC released its Certification Software two

years ago to allow its registered contractors to

complete their

certificates on a

computer, it has been

working closely with

Clik Software to

provide a package

which offers even

more to users.

Following feedback

from NICEIC

customers and its

own engineers the

latest addition to the

software is the release of a verification update. It will

check certificates for errors and any boxes which may

have been left blank. NICEIC Certification Software

will highlight any values which may be incorrect, but

will still allow the user to continue and print if

required. There is also a verification rules editor to

allow electricians to create their own verification

rules in addition to the built in ones. If you are

already using NICEIC Certification Software,

download the new update now (go to ‘help’ then

‘check for updates’ and the software will

automatically update), alternatively for more details

on the software package call Clik on 0117 953 4600.

Nexans has successfully completed a new 75 km

subsea power link between Pemba Island, the

second largest island in the Zanzibar archipelago,

and the National Grid on mainland Tanzania.

The 25 MVA link, opened officially on 3 June by

President Amani Abeid Karume of Tanzania, has

enabled Pemba’s population of 300,000 people to

end years of dependence on unreliable, erratic diesel

generation subject to frequent power cuts. The

availability of dependable electrical power is

expected to assist the economic and social

development of Pemba Island by opening up new

economic opportunities and encouraging tourism.

The Pemba cable project has been financed

through a grant of €45m from the Norwegian state,

while the Zanzibar government has contributed €8m

and the Union government €4m. Norplan has

managed the project on behalf of the Norwegian

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ZECO, the Zanzibar

Electricity Corporation.

The 36 kV PEX (XLPE) insulated cable was

designed and manufactured at Nexans’ specialised

subsea cable factory in Halden, Norway and

incorporates optical fibre elements supplied by the

Rognan factory, also in Norway. The cable, weighing

over 4,300 tonnes, was loaded onto Nexans’ own

installation vessel, the C/S Nexans Skagerrak, and

shipped to the Pemba Channel.

The cable route runs from Tanga on the Tanzanian

side to Pemba Island and required installation under

challenging conditions. There are shallows on each

side, and the cable needed to be floated out for

more than four kilometres before the sea bottom

falls away steeply, after which the cable was guided

down to a depth of 850 metres.

The fast-track project made rapid progress from

the initial signing of the contract in 2008 and the

new cable started supplying electricity to Pemba

from the mainland in early 2010.

“The Pemba Island project is a great example of

our proven capability to implement subsea cable

links in even the most demanding and difficult

condition and within short timescales”, says Krister

Granlie, managing director of Nexans’ Umbilicals &

Submarine High Voltage Business Group. “It is also

especially pleasing to see the successful conclusion

of a project that will make a real difference to the

daily lives of the local population.”

INSURANCE POLICY� The Post Office has launched aspecialist business insurance which hasbeen tailored for the UK’s 251,000electricians. The policy, which can beaccessed from any one of the 12,000local Post Office branches, as well byphone and online, provides electricianswith access to the wide ranging coversrequired in the course of their business,including:• Legal liability cover for negligence inconnection with work undertaken• Theft or damage to stock in transit• Theft or damage to your tools andequipment• Accident or injury to you or youremployees

Richard Pennant-Jones, head of PostOffice Business Insurance said:“Electricians, like Post Offices, are at theheart of many communities across theUK. We are keen to extend the range ofbusiness services we offer electricians,and are pleased to be able to now offera great value insurance service which istailored to meet their individualbusiness needs.”

NEXANS COMPLETES SUBSEA CABLE LINK

NICEIC ADDS UPDATE TOCERTIFICATION SOFTWARE

06 Electrical Review July 2010

NEWS

� Saft has been selected by AR-

SAT SA to supply the lithium-ion

(Li-ion) battery system that will

power ARSAT-1, the first

communications satellite to be

designed and integrated in

Argentina. Arsat-1,the first in a

series of satellites, is scheduled

to be launched in 2012 and will

provide coverage for Latin

America. “This is a significant

contract for Saft as AR-SAT is a

new customer for us that will

help establish a foothold in

Argentina, which we regard as

an important emerging country

in the space sector,” said Philippe

Jehanno, general manager of

Saft’s space and defence division.

“It also provides a great platform

for increasing our penetration in

Latin-America.” The rechargeable

Saft Li-ion battery system will

provide reliable onboard power

for ARSAT-1, ensuring continuity

of service for the two eclipse

seasons each year when its solar

panels are blocked from the sun.

� Petrofac, an international oil

and gas facilities service

provider, has purchased TNEI

Services (TNEI) through the

acquisition of its holding

company New Energy Industries

Limited for a consideration of

£7.5m, of which 30% is

contingent upon senior

management’s continued

participation in the business.

TNEI is a specialist consultancy

supporting the energy, power

and renewables sectors and has

some 50 staff in Newcastle and

Manchester; its acquisition

further broadens Petrofac’s

technical consulting capacity.

TNEI provides services in the

areas of power transmission and

distribution, planning and

environmental consent and

energy management.

IN BRIEF


EDITOR

Elinore Mackay 020 8319 1807

[email protected]

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Neil Coshan 020 7933 8977

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[email protected]

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Any article in this journal represents the

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ISSN 0013-4384All editorial contents © Saint John PatrickPublishers Ltd 2009. Jan-Dec 2009 6,484

NEWS

An Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) investigation

has led to more than 11 million metres of cable

manufactured by Turkish company, Atlas Kablo,

being recalled from the UK market, following the

suspension of two of its product certification li-

cences.

The suspension by Basec (British Approvals

Service for Cables) on 17th May of Atlas Kablo’s

product certification licence has been followed

this week by the announcement Atlas Kablo’s

HAR scheme certification licence for H05VV-F

flexible cables from the Turkish Standards Institu-

tion, TSE, has also been suspended. TSE is still to

advise about the quantities of cabling involved in

the latest suspension.

Reports of faulty cabling from concerned con-

tractors earlier this year led the ACI to test sam-

ples of product from the Turkish cable

manufacturer. The samples were found to have

insufficient copper leading to high conductor re-

sistance and did not comply with appropriate

British Standards. Independent testing by Basec

later confirmed the ACI’s findings and led to the

suspension of Atlas Kablo’s Basec licence for a se-

rious decline in quality across its range of prod-

ucts.

Atlas Kablo (Atlas Kablo Sanayi Ticaret Anonim

Sirketi) which supplies a number of UK cable dis-

tributors and wholesalers with PVC house wiring,

flex and conduit wires has confirmed the exis-

tence of the problem and the suspensions.

11 MILLION METRES OF DEFECTIVE CABLE EXPOSED

Joanna Canton has beenappointed marketingcommunications managerfor Atlas Copco CompressorsUK. Canton has wideexperience of Atlas Copco�sglobal activities and allaspects of marketing,corporate and internalcommunications. With a BA�Hons� degree in ModernLanguages from CoventryUniversity, Canton startedher career as marketingcommunications co-ordinator for Atlas CopcoCompressors UK where sheremained for five years.

Following its recentsuccess in securing newcontract wins worth morethan £75m and the openingof its new Bristol office,building services providerSES is delighted to

announce the appointment of a newoperations manager, Nick Cox. Cox will bebased in Bristol and will report directly to thedivisional director for the West & CentralDivision, Robert Doherty. Cox will beresponsible for all operational aspects of theBristol office as well as building a high quality,sustainable business in the South West region.

Zuken has appointed Steve Chidester as headof product marketing for Europe and America.Based in the Westford, Massachusetts office,Chidchester joins Zuken after working forCadence Design Systems for 17 years. This newrole is part of Zuken�s strategic approach tobecoming a more instrumental businesspartner, to further enhance customersatisfaction, and improve the company�sposition in the market. Chidchester attendedNortheastern University and, in his 30 years inelectronic design, has held numerous printedcircuit design and marketing positions. AtCadence Design Systems, he was productmarketing manager for Allegro PCB productsand product marketing director for its libraryand data management solutions.

PEOPLE

Nick Cox

Steve Chidchester

Joanna Canton

OPINION

THE DAWNING OF THE SECOND DASH FOR GASRegular readers will know I have long been deeply sceptical about the

entire concept of there being any impending ‘electricity generation gap’

due at any point over the next decade.

One obvious signal should have been EON’s decision last autumn to

abandon its scheme to build a 2 gigawatts (GW) coal fired power station in

Kent, precisely because of the anticipated lack of demand for its output.

Nonetheless even reputable newspapers like the Financial Times

continue to promote as gospel the concept that 43 GW of new power will

be needed by 2020. It was a figure to be found in the last government’s

much derided energy National Policy Statement issued last December.

Obviously it is in the commercial interest of those promoting various

outlandish renewable options or nuclear power to impress upon politicians

that the lights will go out if the system isn’t somehow gerrymandered to

their advantage. But in reality the threat is minimal.

Why am I so confident? Because I am aware of what is happening with

an infinitely less publicised, but far more substantial, supply option. From

gas. New gas-fired applications awaiting approval under Section 36 of the

Electricity Act 1989 soared to 7GW in 2009 alone. In the first quarter of this

year alone, no less than 2.4GW of applications have been made. More

pertinently, the vast majority of applications are being officially approved.

In the last four years, approval has been given to start constructing no

less than 13.4GW of new gas fired capacity, almost none of which has yet

come on stream. Including a mammoth 2.4GW plant at Tilbury, which RWE

are slated to submit this autumn, there are now over 29GW of gas fired

power generation either under construction or within the planning process.

The first Dash for Gas during the 1990s, which displaced coal,

underpinned the UK power sector’s 17% CO2 emissions cut between 1990

and 2008.It is the only reason why a generation of British politicians have

been able to look good at international climate change gatherings.

Twenty years later, we are now at the dawn of the second Dash for Gas.

The only difference is that this time round the powers-that-be simply

have not yet noticed.

FUELLING THE FIRE

GOSSIP!GOSSAGE!

ON THE WARPATH

EMBRACING PRESIDENTKENNEDY’S ENDORSEMENT


Later this month the German government will publish details of

their announced new ecological tax. This is intended to raise €2.3bn

a year. Big deal? Aren’t all governments raising such revenues?

Possibly. But this impost from Berlin will be entirely upon the

nuclear industry. One of the objectives is to cover at least part of

the costs of removing the nuclear waste held at the Asse facility.

The other is to tax the profits made by nuclear firms as a result of

not being included within the EU carbon emissions trading scheme.

The German government is similarly a Conservative/Liberal

coalition. It is obviously entirely unpersuaded that the Great God

Atom is an ecological saviour. At which point I feel inclined to

embrace President Kennedy’s famous endorsement. “Ich bin ein

Berliner.”

Those of us trying to adopt healthy diets obviously need to

meet Wang Xianjun who lives in Sichuan province in China.

Every day for breakfast 54 year old Mr Xianjun tucks into one

item which he pronounces to be “crispy and delicious.” I use

the word ‘item’ deliberately in this context, because Mr X is

unpersuaded by conventional foodstuffs. Instead he feasts

upon – wait for it - a tungsten light bulb.

Apparently, before he eats each bulb, he smashes it, then

eats its it piece by piece. To reassure his family, after chewing

each piece thoroughly, he does take a sip of water “because

that helps me to swallow the glass.” His wife is philosophical.

After regular hospital check-ups seem always to pronounce

him healthy, she claims to have got used to her spouse’s

unusual diet. The things women have to put up with.

Japan has the greatest proportion of pensioners amongst

their population in the world. So it really should come as no

surprise that it is a Japanese automation firm that has come

up with a brand new form of renewable electricity.

The key is incontinence among the elderly. Apparently in

Japan alone over five billion adult nappies are – how do I put

it politely? – “filled” each year. Such effluence dwarfs the

quantity, both in individual and absolute terms, produced by

young babies. And frequently elderly people are to be found

gathered together, whether in hospitals, residential homes or

even gated communities.

So the SFD Corporation is marketing a machine into which

up to 1,400 pounds of used nappies can be dumped at any

one time. The contents are then shredded, heated, dried and

sterilised. A day later what emerges is blocks of bacteria-free

fuel pellets that contain over 5,000 kcal of heat per kilogram.

As they say, sh*t happens.

Rogue traders, beware. NAPIT, the government approved

register of over 6,000 electricians, is stepping up its

campaign to stamp out dodgy workmen And who is the

first target of this crackdown?

Step forward the BBC TV consumer programme

Watchdog. It has infuriated NAPIT by running an item on

unregistered electricians trying to scam customers

(hooray). But then failing to mention the importance of

using registered tradesmen, let alone where to find such a

register (boo). BBC boss Mark Thompson will be quaking

in his boots.

SAFETY, FIRE & SECURITY


WHILE THERE ARE many areas where building operators

can cut back to save money, emergency lighting is not one

of them. Not only do they have to install emergency lighting,

they also need to ensure it is regularly tested. Clearly the

latter is something that can prove to be a time-consuming

and expensive business when carried out manually.

To that end, there are now many more systems available

that will automatically test emergency lighting, and it’s

important to ensure such systems address all of the relevant

criteria. These include issues such as the compatibility of the

control gear with modern light sources like LEDs, the level of

overall controllability and whether the system is stand-alone

or integrated with other lighting controls - and there are

various sustainability considerations too, as well as issues

such as choice of light source and batteries, which can also

have an impact on the design of the emergency luminaire.

And the fact of the matter is that not all emergency lighting

controls are equal; some offer considerably greater

functionality and ease of use than others.

Clearly, the fundamental requirement for an emergency

lighting control system is to ensure the emergency lighting

works when it’s needed. Above and beyond this, the

majority of end users will now expect a system that

incorporates self-commissioning and self-

testing features for continuous

monitoring, weekly

function tests and

annual duration testing.

Five pole technology to

ensure total isolation

and compatibility

between the ballast, inverter

and supply system is another

critical factor.

Such self-testing usually represents a

worthwhile investment as it reduces the

requirement for maintenance staff to walk around the

building and carry out a visual inspection – freeing them for

other duties. However, different systems offer different levels

of functionality so it’s useful to be aware of some key points.

For example, the self-testing function needs to be easy for

maintenance staff to use, perhaps with a simple

combination of different coloured LEDs to indicate correct

functioning or to indicate the nature of any fault. The

important thing here is the ways that status is indicated are

very clear with no room for misinterpretation.

Another factor is convenience. One of the required tests is

a weekly 30 second test to establish and confirm the

functionality of the unit, battery and lamp. However, this can

be inconvenient for the occupier so it’s useful to be able to

pre-programme each unit to run the test at a different time,

to avoid all units testing at once.

Ideally, the unit will delay the test until the normal

lighting supply has been switched off for longer than two

minutes – minimising the risk of the test being carried out

while the occupier is present. In the event that the supply is

permanently connected or the lights are left on permanently

the unit should ‘force’ a function test after a further 21 hours.

Cut out the middle manAs noted above, self-testing takes some of the pressure off

the maintenance team but there is still a requirement for a

visual check to determine whether the emergency lighting

unit has indicated a fault. So it makes sense to take

advantage of the recent advances in controls networking, by

integrating the emergency lighting testing with the lighting

management system. This is a very

straightforward process using the popular

DALI(Digital Addressable Lighting

Interface) protocol.

The DALI system

allows luminaires to be

addressed individually,

so that detailed

information can be

monitored for each fitting. In

addition to standard information

such as indicating faults on the lamp, control

gear or battery, the system can provide information

on, for example, the device status, type of lamp and type of

emergency unit and battery.

As a result, with the emergency lighting linked to a DALI

lighting management system, information on the operating

status can be displayed centrally together with the precise

address. Any faults can then be corrected efficiently with

no need for maintenance staff to patrol the building,

resulting in even greater savings in terms of time and

maintenance costs. Crucially, the system should also

maintain a complete log of all such events as proof of

compliance with emergency lighting regulations.

THE INCREASING SOPHISTICATION OF EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEMS

MEANS SPECIFIERS NEED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF MANY DIFFERENT

FACTORS TO ENSURE THE END USER GETS THE BEST VALUE. STEWART

LANGDOWN OF TRIDONIC HIGHLIGHTS SOME KEY ISSUES

Achieving BEST VALUE

Self-testing takes

some of the

pressure off the

maintenance

team, but there is

still a requirement

for a visual check


Furthermore, use of DALI for both emergency and general

lighting reduces installation requirements as the overall

amount of cabling is reduced, thus saving on site time and

raw materials. The result is a more sustainable project, with

less embodied carbon, as well as the financial savings on

materials.

In addition, use of appropriate control components within a

DALI system can facilitate commissioning and increase the

likelihood that the system will perform as it was designed to.

For instance, the EZ easy addressing feature of Tridonic EM

PRO DALI Invertor that uses the indicator light emitting diode

(LED) light source) to indicate the DALI address during

commissioning.

Where required, the DALI system can also be linked to the

building’s IT network using an interface between DALI and

the TCP/IP protocol used by local area networks and the

internet. This makes it easier to access the functions and can

be achieved via the organisation’s intranet, or across the

internet from any location. For organisations with an extensive

estate of many buildings across a wide geographical

distribution this is a very useful feature, particularly if the

facilities management or maintenance management function

is located at a single location. This scenario has become

increasingly common as organisations seek to rationalise their

resources by making better use of technology.

Light sourcesJust as importantly, the system needs to be compatible with

the latest light sources. For example, many fluorescent lamps

now use a mercury amalgam rather than liquid mercury as

this is safer. So the system needs to be compatible with

amalgam lamps (some aren’t). It also needs to work with

both cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries.

Similarly, where linear fluorescent lamps are used, T5 is

increasingly the first choice, generally in a low profile fitting

that takes advantage of the compact nature of the lamp.

Here, it’s the important that the emergency lighting

control/self-test module has a low profile so it can fit in the

luminaire.

One of the characteristics of T5 lamps is they burn at a

higher temperature than other linear fluorescent light sources,

so for the test to be meaningful the testing module should

operate the lamp at twice the normal emergency power level

for 55 seconds. This ensures the lamp is correctly heated to

ensure maximum lumen output during the most critical

switch over phase, achieving greater visibility of potential

dangers.

Increasingly though, the light source of choice for

emergency lighting is the LED. LEDs offer lower energy

consumption, which is important for emergency light fittings

such as exit signs that are on most of the time, as well as

much longer life, again reducing maintenance requirements.

In addition, the use of compact LED light engines facilitates

the use of smaller and more discreet luminaires to meet

statutory lighting requirements, which can often help with the

aesthetic side of the design.

This is further facilitated by the choice of battery, as newer

battery designs enable fewer, smaller batteries to be used.

This has the added benefit of reducing environmental impact.

Of course, integral power control technology should ensure

maximum emergency light output for a given duration time

with a minimum battery cell count in consideration of LED

tolerances.

The choice of control gear is also important for use with

any light source and can assist in standardising the type of

module across different emergency light fittings. For instance,

it is possible to use the same module for testing for one hour,

two hours and three hours duration, operating single or

multiple LEDs wired in parallel. Similarly, a 2W module may

be used to power a single LED at 600mA or two LEDs at

350mA in series. This level of flexibility helps in minimising

the number of different components that need to be

specified for a project, while retaining maximum flexibility in

choice of emergency lighting fittings.

With fluorescent lighting that’s used for both mains and

emergency lighting, the choice of control gear can make a

significant difference to the life of the lamps. Ballasts that

deliver a warm start to the lamp will maximise lamp life and

enable high switching frequency applications with very low

power losses and enhanced thermal management. Ballasts

should also incorporate voltage protection to prevent damage

in the event of a mains voltage rise above a pre-defined

threshold. In the case of compact fluorescent lighting ballasts

with insulation displacement connection can enable

automatic wiring, thus saving time.

In fact, these are just some of the many examples of how

the choice of system components can make a significant

difference to the performance of the system. The important

thing is to be aware of these details and keep abreast of the

latest developments.

Caption

in emergency lighting

UPS

THE NEED FOR qualifying organisations to reduce their

energy usage is highlighted by the Government’s Carbon

Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme, or ‘CRC’,

which came into effect on 1 April this year. With the

scheme rewarding qualifying participants who perform

well, while penalising those who do badly, in both

financial and publicity terms, it’s clear simply finding ways

of reducing energy use is not enough; it’s essential that

these improvements have long term sustainability.

Developments in uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

technology offer one way of achieving sustainable energy

savings.

Maintaining continuous supply power from

uninterruptible power supplies (UPS systems) is now

considered essential by organisations running financial,

healthcare or industrial processes that depend on

vulnerable ICT equipment. As UPS units are installed in the

critical supply path, any improvement to their efficiency

will make an appreciable contribution to their operators’

energy management strategies.

Such efficiency improvements are

possible, through selection of suitable UPS

topology and by carefully sizing the UPS

system to match its critical load. One

increasingly popular approach is to use

systems based on advanced modular

topology, which allows UPS capacity to be

closely matched, or ‘right sized’, to the

critical load size. Modular UPS capacity can

easily be incremented or decremented to

efficiently match changing load

requirements throughout the life of the

installation – a sustainable efficiency

solution.

As well as saving energy and helping to

meet CRC targets, modular technology

allows significantly smaller, lighter UPS

installations with increased power

availability. By looking at what modular

technology is, we can better understand its

benefits and their practical application.

On-line, static double conversion UPS

systems first appeared in the seventies

and are still in use today. Their principle of

operation is to rectify incoming AC mains into DC, which

charges a battery before being inverted back to AC to drive

the UPS critical load. In the event of AC mains failure, the

battery can take over the role of supplying DC to feed the

inverter until the incoming AC mains is restored. In early

designs the inverter was followed by an output

transformer, necessary to restore the output AC voltage to

the same level as the mains input. However advances in

power semiconductor technology and the introduction of

the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) have allowed

changes to the UPS design which permit elimination of the

output transformer. This yields a number of advantages,

the most important of which relate to improved efficiency,

reduced size, and weight.

Energy efficiency is improved for a number of reasons.

With no transformer core to heat there are no iron losses;

with no windings there are no copper losses. Both factors

contribute to energy savings. Transformerless designs also

exhibit lower input current harmonic distortion (THDi) and

an improved input power factor, which both reduce

energy. Eliminating wasted energy also reduces heating

effects, and therefore cooling costs. Further energy savings

arise from modular technology which, as we shall see, is

made possible by transformerless design.

Eliminating the transformer reduces the UPS’s size and

weight by something like 66%. This is a large reduction

which has had a profound effect on the way UPSs are

seen and used. Uninterruptible Power Supplies Ltd (UPSL)

realised that a 3-phase UPS rated up to 50 kVA could be

implemented as a rackmounting module rather than a

large standalone unit. And implementing a UPS as a set of

modules in a rack rather than a single standalone unit

gives great flexibility as well as space savings. This

flexibility allows right sizing, with a UPS solution that’s

closely matched to its load. The result is less capital and

space wasted on unnecessary capacity together with

maximised operating efficiency. An example shows the

efficiency savings possible:

Are UPS systemskey to the CRC?


UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES UK SALES

MANAGER, MIKE ELMS, EXPLAINS HOW MODULAR

UPS SYSTEMS CAN HELP CUT YOUR ENERGY BILLS

Mike Elms

Let’s imagine a site with a load of 96 kW and a power factor of 0.8,

which demands a 120 kVA supply. We’ll also assume that, for security,

N+1 redundancy is required. That is, N UPS units have sufficient capacity

to completely support the load, so in an N+1 configuration, one unit’s

failure would still leave sufficient UPS capacity to support the load. This

would typically be implemented in a standalone system using two 120

kVA units, each of which would only be 50% loaded during normal

operation. Efficiency with legacy transformer based design would be 90%.

By contrast, a modular system could be implemented using four 40 kVA

modules, where each module is now 75% loaded. As well as being

smaller, lighter and more easily expandable, its efficiency would be 96%,

which more than halves the cost due to losses per year. The annual

cooling costs are also more than halved. At 7.84 p/kWh, total annual

savings would amount to over £5000pa.

If our site load remains at 96 kW throughout its operation life, the

annual £5000 savings

will continue with no

further action needed. In

real life however, the

load is not only likely to

change, but the extent of

its change can defy

prediction. In a typical

scenario a data centre

may be expected to be

initially loaded to 35% of

its capacity, with this

load growing steadily to

90% of capacity over a

period of 10 years. With a

standalone UPS, the

response is typically to install a system sized for 90% data centre capacity

from the outset, to avoid the difficulties of upgrading or replacing it later.

These include finding more floorspace in a crowded data centre,

disrupting business operation with building work and installation, and

laying or repositioning cabling. However, such an oversized system would

spend its operational life greatly under loaded, adding reduced efficiency

to unnecessary capital costs and space requirements. This would be

exacerbated if the load does not grow to the expected 90%. While the

UPS’s conservative rating should ensure that the load would always be

supported, it’s not unknown for the actual load to exceed projections so

that new UPS capacity must be supplied after all.

These difficulties can be avoided by using a modular system. Its

flexibility means it can easily be expanded or reduced after being initially

rightsized to its load. There is no need to oversize it initially because

modules can be added without disruption as and when they are needed.

This flexible property of modular UPS topology is known as its scalability,

and it’s a scalability that has two dimensions – vertical scalability and

horizontal scalability.

The example above has four 40 kVA modules totalling160 kVA capacity,

or 120 kVA with N+1 redundancy. These modules could populate four out

of five slots in a single server-style floorstanding rack. Vertical scalability is

a reference to the fifth slot, which can be populated to increment capacity

at any time. Additionally, a second rack could be provided for an

incremental increase in floorspace and cost. The ability to add further racks

in parallel is known as horizontal scalability. This adds up to enormous

flexibility, with UPS configurations over 1 MVA being possible.

The task of efficiently maintaining right sizing to the critical load,

however unpredictably the load grows, becomes simple. The modular

approach allows the maximum possible energy efficiency as well as

minimising capital and space costs throughout the life of the installation.


OPINION TRAINING

FOR MANY LEARNERS, it may seem electrical training hangs

in the balance as governance for vocational education and

qualifications is being transferred from the National

Qualifications Framework (NQF) to the Qualifications and

Credit Framework (QCF), introduced by the Labour

Government in 2009. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

The QCF is noble in its objectives; to simplify the

vocational qualifications system, and promises to deliver

tangible benefits for all those involved. However, confusion

reigns and threatens to overshadow one of the most far-

reaching changes to the UK education system in decades.

It seems the speed

of introduction is the

main culprit for this

chagrin, as the

deadline for

transferring all 250,000

courses to QCF was

initially set as

September 2010;

leaving awarding

organisations with only

12 months to complete

the mammoth task. It

is also widely

anticipated only 70,000

of the courses currently

available will be approved, causing concern among students

the course they undertook in good faith, which they

hoped would lead to gainful employment, may now

cease to be recognised and funding stopped.

In addition, this rapid pace of change has meant

up-to-date and timely information has been lacking,

meaning employers and learners have largely been

kept in the dark. Combine this with a change in

funding agency during 2010, and the situation can

only be called calamitous. However, a chink of light

has emerged as the deadline for migration has been

extended to January 2011, offering much needed

breathing space to awarding organisations, colleges

and training providers alike.

So, what does QCF mean to the electrical industry?

Under QCF, all trainee electrical contractors will need

to take the AM2 – the industry’s recognised

benchmark for an individual’s competence.

Previously, only apprentices needed to pass this

rigorous assessment of occupational competence. So,

in one respect, the QCF will provide greater standardisation

for the electrical industry. But by delaying the introduction,

‘wanna-be’ electricians beginning their studies in September

this year, will now do so under the old framework. As a

result, the industry will have to wait longer for AM2 qualified

electrical contractors entering into the workforce.

From an employer’s perspective, the rush into QCF has

caused widespread confusion and there is a risk this will

deter businesses – particularly SMEs – from implementing

essential training programmes in the short term. Decisions

to put a stop, or even delay, training will have a

detrimental effect on employers, employees, clients, the

electrical industry and the UK as a whole. So it is vital to

remember the advantages offered by QCF; flexibility,

accessibility, consistency, standardisation and simplification

to name a few. We must avoid blowing the issues out of

proportion in a way that causes long-term damage to the

provision of professional training, as this will affect not just

students but the wider industry.

As a QCF approved awarding organisation, EAL is

working hard to keep training centres updated through

our website [www.eal.org.uk]. We are trying to manage

the process in a way that takes the pain out of the

changeover for training providers, employers and learners

and will do our very best to ensure that while the

changeover may not be seamless for awarding

organisation, the impact to the wider industry will be

minimal.

CONFUSION REIGNS BUT QCF PROMISES TODELIVER TANGIBLE BENEFITS TO THE ELECTRICALINDUSTRY SAYS ANN WATSON, MANAGINGDIRECTOR OF EAL (EMTA AWARDS)

Pulling TOGETHER

WHAT IS THE QCF?The QCF is an attempt to simplify vocational qualifications by allowing

those responsible for training and development to invest in a more

flexible qualification structure for their staff.

HOW THE QCF WORKSQualifications will be built up in units, with each unit having a level and a

credit value. Learners will be awarded ‘credits’ for each unit they pass,

with one credit representing 10 hours. Credit can be:

� Accumulated at a learner’s own pace

� Stored over time, allowing learners to work towards a full qualification

through a range of providers and awarding organisations

� Transferred between different qualifications so learners do not have to

repeat units that are relevant to more than one qualification

ELECTRICAL QUALIFICATIONS TO BE MIGRATED TO QCFThe types of electrical courses that are in existence and will be migrated

to the QCF by January 2011, that electricians can take to develop their

skills include:

� NVQ Level 3 Electrotechnical Services

� 17th Edition – Diploma In Requirements for Electrical Installations

Bs7671 Jan 2008

� 17th Edition – Update In Requirements for Electrical Installations

Bs7671 Jan 2008

� Certificate in In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment

(PAT)

� Installing Structured Cabling Level 2 NVQ

� Diploma in Inspection and Testing Electrotechnical Systems and

Equipment VRQ

� Building Management Systems (BMS) NVQ Level 3

� Domestic Electrical Installer VRQ and Level 2

� Building Services Engineering Technology and Project Management



OPINION TRAINING

HOWEVER, ACCORDING to Agnes Segal, manager of

membership services at The Institute of Engineering and

Technology (IET), the Russell Group has specifically said the

fees for engineering students should not rise substantially.The

Russell Group has recently sent a submission to Lord Browne,

who the government has asked to conduct an independent

review of the fees system. In the Russell Group’s submission,

it argues against significant fee increases for subjects like

engineering which have a ‘public return’ – that is, subjects

which are important for the UK’s economic future.

Funding IssuesThe engineering sector wants to see a high number of top

quality students applying to study engineering degrees. The

sector also wants engineering departments at universities to

receive sufficient funding to deliver a good education. For any

funding system to be successful, it must allow for both of

these things.

Under the present system, university engineering

departments receive money for teaching from two main

sources: they receive public money from the Higher Education

Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and they receive tuition

fees from students. According to the latest data, the total

funding engineering departments receive is not meeting

costs, with funding shortfalls of as much as 15% at some

universities.

In the Russell Group’s submission to Lord Browne, it rightly

argues universities must receive enough funding to cover the

costs of delivering courses. As to where the funding comes

from, the Russell Group argues a calculation must be made

based on the extent of the “public benefit” of courses relative

to the “private benefit” (ie benefit to the students taking the

course). For a subject like engineering, which is expensive to

deliver but vital to the UK’s economic future, a high

proportion of the total funding should be provided by HEFCE.

For subjects which are cheaper to run but with less obvious

public benefit, a higher proportion of the total funding should

be met by students through tuition fees.

At this stage, it is not possible to predict what will be the

outcome of Lord Brown’s review. The engineering community

is lobbying hard to make sure that engineering benefits,

rather than suffers, from any future changes to the university

funding system.

Whatever the future holds, prospective and current students

must continue to manage their own finances. In this regard,

IET Awards and Scholarships exist partly to help engineering

students with the financial burden of university, as well as

serving to raise the profile of engineering to prospective

students and bringing students into the fold of IET

membership.

The Student PerspectiveJonathan Mather, an engineering student at Oxford

University, and recipient of such a scholarship has some

interesting thoughts on tuition fees: “With the findings of

the Browne Review of Higher Education Funding set to be

unveiled in the forthcoming months, rising tuition fees are a

major concern. Any rises mean scholarships and bursaries

will become even more important than they are now in

determining whether someone can afford to go to

university or not.

He continues: “As an Engineering student, I probably have

the widest range of opportunities open to me in terms of

scholarships, sponsorships and bursaries. This is almost

entirely down to the direct relevance an Engineering degree

has to industry, something other degrees simply don't give

you. I was fortunate enough to win the BP/IET Faraday

Scholarship worth £3000 p.a. This has allowed me to

become financially independent of my parents and to have a

lot more financial freedom.

“For others a scholarship can be the deciding factor in

whether they choose to go to University or not, and as such

their importance should not be underestimated. I feel very

lucky to have been the beneficiary of such a scholarship and

I would encourage others to apply for as many as they can,

as they really do make a huge difference.”

In SummaryIf the UK is to meet skills needs for engineering, then

universities must be given the funding they need to offer a

high quality education. Given the need to increase the

number of students applying to engineering, there are strong

arguments for the government meeting the shortfall in

funding, rather than asking students to foot the bill.

IT HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED THE NEW COALITION GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO

RULE OUT A RISE IN UNIVERSITY TUITION FEES. IT HAS ALSO BEEN WIDELY

REPORTED THAT THE RUSSELL GROUP OF LEADING UNIVERSITIES IS CALLING

FOR A FEE RISE, ARGUING THAT STUDENTS SHOULD PAY MORE TOWARDS THE

COST OF THEIR COURSES. ENGINEERING DEGREES ARE EXPENSIVE TO DELIVER,

AND THE NATURAL WORRY IS THE SUBJECT COULD SEE DRAMATIC FEE

INCREASES, WHICH WOULD DETER STUDENTS FROM APPLYING, EXACERBATING

THE COUNTRY’S SKILLS SHORTAGES

The engineering

sector wants to

see a high number

of top quality

students applying

to study

engineering

degrees

FUNDING shortfalls

As well as controlling the energy

supply to a driven load, drives can be

used to control the flow of energy back

to the supply from a load that is

generating. This can help enhance the

energy efficiency of any process that

involves a reduction in energy level.

The electricity network operating

companies (NOC) have standards to

ensure the safety of the network in

applications that feed energy back to

the grid. The Energy Networks

Association Engineering

Recommendation G83/1-1 of 2008

applies to supplies up to 16 A; and

G59/1 of 1991 to higher currents.

Which one is appropriate is a matter

for discussion with the appropriate

NOC, who must be consulted before

installation. Although G59/1 was

written to cover the installation of

diesel generators in parallel with the

mains, it gives practical instructions

that must be followed to ensure safety

in all applications that generate back

to the supply.

The active rectifier used in

regenerative drives has rather

different characteristics from the power

from a generator. For example, it does

not add to the fault level of a network;

and most are three phase devices,

without a neutral, and therefore need

to be connected to an LV network,

which is fed by a transformer with a

grounded neutral. It also takes its

voltage and frequency reference from

the network, rather than from a

voltage regulating relay, so it is easier

to implement and operate in parallel

with the network.

To prevent back-feeding of the

network in the event of a fault, which

is potentially extremely dangerous, an

active rectifier generator must be

connected through a circuit breaker or

contactor and be fitted with a reverse

power inhibiting relay.

READER SURGERY

A:Q: What guidance needs to be followed

when feeding energy BACK TO THE GRID?

Geoff Brown, Drive Applications Consultant, ABB Limited � Tel: 01925 741 111 � Fax: 01925 741 212 � Email: [email protected] � Web: www.abb.co.uk/energy

Geoff Brown

As well ascontrolling theenergy supply toa driven load,drives can beused to controlthe flow ofenergy back tothe supply from aload that isgenerating


LIGHTNING PROTECTION

AS BUSINESS operations become increasingly

sophisticated, the use of technologies such as LCD

screens, computer networks, data servers and industrial

equipment such as programmable logic controllers,

means that protection against the effects of voltage

surges is crucial.

When it comes to lightning protection, safety is a

major concern as is preventing expensive equipment

from being damaged. A surge protection device (SPD)

is a component of the electrical installation protection

system. It is typically connected to power cables

entering and leaving the building at the main

switchboard. However, depending on the design of the

electric scheme, SPDs can also be positioned

elsewhere. For example, if the business has air

conditioning units on the roof, then it will be vital to

include a protection device on the cables to or from the

units.

Lighting protection may sound like an exaggerated

requirement, but every year the earth is struck by

around three billion strokes of lightning, potentially

causing fires and posing a risk to buildings and

equipment. This can be a significant loss to any

business, not only through the repair itself, but also as

a result of subsequent downtime.

SPDs are designed to limit transient overvoltages

caused by lighting and diverting them to earth to avoid

causing damage. To ensure they are effective though, it

is important to recognise there are three different styles

of device available. ‘Type 1’ only protects an electrical

installation from a direct lightning strike to overhead

power lines, while ‘Type 2 and 3’ safeguard electrical

equipment from the indirect effects of lightning or

overvoltages from within the electrical system. This can

include storms that are some distance away, but still

have the potential to damage a power line and

consequently affect electricity supplies.

To ensure the correct protection device is selected

there are three stages that need to be followed,

addressing the individual needs of the project. The first

step is to estimate the value of the equipment that

needs to be protected, for both the cost of it and the

economic impact should it fail. This inevitably covers

not only large electrical items such as automated

heating systems and lifts, but also professional

equipment, including computers and servers.

The second step in the specification process is to

identify the electrical architecture of the building.

Dependant on the size of the premises and the extent

of its electrical system, more than one surge protector

may be required. The type of SPD to be installed close

to the start of the electrical circuit depends on whether

or not a lightning protection system is present. If there

is a lighting rod for example, on the building or within

50 metres of the building, then Type 1 should be fitted.

Then the number of SPDs to be installed is determined

by the size of the site and the difficulty of installing

bonding conductors. On large sites with long cable

runs, it is vital to install a SPD at the incoming end of

THE EXTENSIVE USE OF ELECTRONICS WITHIN INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES AND BUILDINGS HAS

MEANT PROTECTION AGAINST THE EFFECTS OF VOLTAGE SURGES IS NO LONGER AN OPTION

BUT HAS BECOME A NECESSITY. LIGHTNING PRODUCES AN EXTREMELY LARGE QUANTITY OF

PULSED ELECTRICAL ENERGY, WHICH MEANS SURGE PROTECTION DEVICES DESIGNED TO LIMIT

TRANSIENT OVERVOLTAGES NEED TO BE CORRECTLY SPECIFIED TO ENSURE THEY ARE

EFFECTIVE. TOM FRANCE FROM SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC LOOKS AT THE SELECTION

CONSIDERATIONS, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT LOCATION AND THE TYPES AVAILABLE

Getting the right surge PROTECTION

CaptionCaption

Every year the

earth is struck by

about three billion

strokes of

lightning

Top and middle: Type 1surge protection devicesBottom: A Type 2 surge protection device

each sub distribution enclosure.

The final stage is to determine the risk of the

impact of lightning on the site. Different locations will

have varying levels of threat, for example, an urban,

low-lying area will be less at risk than a site with a

particular hazard such as a pylon, a tree or a high

structure.

Looking at these three different

aspects of an installation will ensure

the right type and number of

protection devices will be used. Many

manufacturers of surge protectors,

including Schneider Electric, will also

be able to assist in the specification

process for those who are not

confident in selecting the best option.

In addition, manufacturers have

introduced solutions combining Type 1

and 2 for full protection and can

provide full information on the correct

overcurrent protection device needed

for the SPD.

Lightning can produce extremely

large quantities of pulsed electrical

energy. But installing the correct lightning protection

device means any building can benefit from increased

levels of protection, reducing the risk of extensive

damage to the electrical system and equipment.

Installing a SPD is relatively simple and an added

benefit is that the equipment can be retrofitted, making

it a viable option for all businesses.

LIGHTNING PROTECTION


PANEL BUILDING

Phil George

A panel builder at work

The end for PANEL


LOOK INSIDE a modern control panel and, depending

on the application, you’ll typically find a programmable

controller or a smart relay and a combination of motor

starters, variable speed drives, soft starters,

pushbuttons, indicator lamps and maybe even an HMI

display. You’ll also find something else – a lot of

control wiring to link all of these components together.

Now take a look at the plant or machine associated

with the control panel. If you’d done this a decade or

so ago, you would have seen even more wiring than in

the control panel itself. Today, however, the amount of

field wiring is minimal. The reason for this change is

easy to understand. Once, every sensor, actuator or

other field device was connected to the control panel

with its own individual cable but now these cables

have been replaced by fieldbus systems.

With a fieldbus, multiple field devices can be

connected to a single cable, so the number of cables

between the control panel and the devices is

dramatically reduced. Fieldbus technology of one kind

or another has been in widespread use for well over a

decade and produces big savings in plant installation

time and costs. Yet inside control panels, ordinary

wiring – directly comparable to the old-style field

wiring – continues to be used. But why?

Part of the answer is because field wiring runs are

long and costly to install, the potential savings

associated with the elimination of conventional field

wiring were greater than those associated with the

elimination of conventional panel wiring. That made

fieldbus systems attractive for outside-the-panel

applications even when the technology was

comparatively expensive and complicated to use.

But now things have changed. With the latest ASICs

(application specific integrated circuits) the cost of

producing fieldbus-type interface modules has fallen

dramatically, and the powerful processing capabilities

of the latest ASICs means that systems based on them

can be made very easy to configure and use. In short,

the time has come for the ‘fieldbus’, and all its

benefits, to move inside the panel!

A first reaction might well be to think about

adapting an existing fieldbus system for in-panel use.

In practice, this is not a particularly good idea, as such

systems necessarily have features that are optimised

for field applications. Not only does this make them a

poor match for in-panel use, it also means that the

users invariably end up paying extra for features they’ll

never need.

A much better approach is a communication system

that’s been developed from scratch with in-panel

applications in mind. Let’s have a look at the

characteristics that would be most desirable in such a

system. It must, of course, allow fast, simple and

convenient interconnection of the components within

the control panel. Daisy-chain connections are ideal,

but some thought must be given to the physical form

of these connections.

Ribbon cables provide an excellent solution, as they

can readily be combined with insulation-displacement

connectors. These connectors are placed over the cable

at any required point and clamped in place using a

WHEN BUILDING A CONTROL PANEL, WIRING IS ALMOST ALWAYSTHE MOST TIME CONSUMING AND COSTLY OPERATION. AS PHILGEORGE OF EATON’S ELECTRICAL SECTOR EXPLAINS, HOWEVER,MODERN ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING POSSIBLEINNOVATIONS THAT MEAN THE DAYS OF CONVENTIONAL PANELWIRING ARE RAPIDLY COMING TO AN END!


WIRING?

special tool. The connectors then simply plug into panel

components, such as motor starters, pushbuttons, and so

on. Note that it isn’t necessary to cut, strip or otherwise

prepare the cable.

In addition to being fast and easy, this method of

connection has further key benefits – the connections

can be made at any location on the cable to suit the

spacing of the components; if a ratchet-type clamping

tool is used it is virtually impossible to make a faulty

connection; and extra connections can be added to the

cable simply by clamping on another connector.

As well as the control signals to and from the

connected devices, the ribbon cables can also be

conveniently arranged to carry the power, typically at 24

V DC, which the devices need to operate.

So much for the connecting method, but how will the

communication system link with the panel components?

One solution is to produce specially enabled versions of

the components and, with some products such as

variable speed drives and HMI panels, this is a good

approach. Another option is to offer standalone interface

modules and, once again, these can be useful since they

allow almost any type of component, however unusual,

to be connected.

For starters in particular, however, there’s yet another

option – why not simply have an interface module that

clips on in the same way as an auxiliary contact block?

This approach means that standard starters can be used,

eliminating the need to stock different components for

ordinary panels and those that use the new

communications system.

Now what about the links to the programmable

controller (PLC)? It would be easy to make the system

proprietary and limit its use to a particular brand of PLC,

but a better option is to provide convenient interfaces

that support a wide range of PLCs. And there’s another

big benefit here – interfacing the in-panel

communications system directly with the PLC eliminates

the need for conventional I/O modules, leading to

further big cost and space savings.

All of these benefits are of little value, however, if the

communication system is complicated to use and

difficult to set up. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be. It is

now possible to produce an in-panel communication

system where setting up is limited to pressing a button

and waiting for a few moments while the components

set their own addresses. This done, the system is good to

go!

All of the features described, and many more, are

embodied in Eaton’s Moeller SmartWire-Darwin system.

This not only provides a convenient and cost-effective

alternative to conventional panel wiring - with wiring

cost reductions of up to 60% easily possible, along with

panel space savings of 40% – it also offers a wide range

of advanced features.

The latest PKE motor starters can, for example, when

used with SmartWire-Darwin, provide information about

motor current via the network, thereby eliminating the

need to use current transformers for monitoring.

SmartWire-Darwin systems can also be extended outside

of the control panel, making them a complete internal

and external “fieldbus” solution for simple applications.

Or they can be readily linked with well-known external

fieldbus systems such as Profibus.

Caption

PANEL BUILDING

Another member of the SmartWire-Darwin product

family is a software package that makes system design

particularly straightforward. It also provides powerful

facilities for examining the system status and, on the

rare occasions they are needed, for diagnosing faults.

As we noted earlier, fieldbus systems have replaced

conventional field wiring in all but the simplest of

modern applications, simply because they offer

decisive benefits: they save money and time, they’re

much easier to modify and they also aid the rapid

location and diagnosis of faults. Now the same

benefits are available for control wiring within panels,

so what possible reason can there be for sticking to

conventional wiring? Surely the end is nigh for panel

wiring, as in-panel communication systems move in to

replace it forever!

GERMAN FOOD producer Zwergenwiese is a

manufacturer of natural foods, including sandwich

spreads. Growing demand for its products means the

company has recently had to expand its production

facilities. As part of this expansion, it installed an

automatic palletiser for empty jars. In place of

conventional panel wiring, the control panel for this

palletiser uses Eaton’s Moeller SmartWire-Darwin

communication system.

The palletiser has a large number of drives, all of

which are controlled by Eaton’s Moeller xStart motor

starters fitted with SmartWire-Darwin clip-on interface

modules. The operation of the palletiser is controlled

and monitored with pushbuttons, switches and

indicator lamps from Eaton’s Moeller RMQ range.

Zwergenwiese built the control panel in its own

workshop and, after carefully evaluating the

SmartWire-Darwin system, decided to adopt it in

order to minimise the work involved.

A SmartWire-Darwin ribbon cable links all of the

main components in the panel and not only carries

signals, but also provides the supplies needed by the

contactor coils and the indicator lights. A gateway

links the SmartWire-Darwin system with the plant’s

standard fieldbus installation – Profibus DP. With this

arrangement, direct integration with SmartWire-

Darwin is achieved, eliminating the need for

conventional I/O modules. A further benefit is that

standard Eaton Moeller switching devices, fitted with

SmartWire-Darwin function modules could be used

throughout.

Zwergenwiese found that the SmartWire-Darwin

system was easy to use, and delivered valuable

savings in panel building cost and time.

“In all our activities, we use environmentally

friendly materials and energy saving technology,” said

Susanne Shöning, founder of Zwergenwiese. “We

consider that efficient modern production methods

are the basis for competitive end products. New

technologies such as SmartWire-Darwin help us to

use resources sparingly, thus aiding environmental

protection.”

Fieldbus systems

have replaced

conventional field

wiring in all but the

simplest of modern

applications


Left: SmartWire Darwin

Right: SmartWire Darwin

reduces space in panel

Cutting down on PANEL WIRING

for Zwergenwiese

PRODUCT WATCH

UPS ESPECIALLY FOR DATA CENTRES The new Delphys MX 800/900 kVA is specifically designed for large data centre applications.

Available up to a maximum system size of 5.4MVA (putting 6 units in parallel) with flexiblearchitecture and the smallest footprint on the market – less than 3.2 meters per unit (includinginternal bypass).

Based on the Delphys MX 500kVA technology, the MX range guarantees true-online doubleconversion uninterruptible power supply which protects the load from power grid pollution (powerfailures) and can be installed without side or rear access(dependant on requirements).

Designed for optimal use with Static Transfer Switches,such as the Statys, in downstream network and hasintelligent built-in battery monitoring system to prolongbattery lifetime by reducing battery stress.

Socomec UPS01285 863300www.socomec.com

HUB ADDED TO CONNECTOR RANGE Following the success of its original push-in connector system - introduced

in 2008 and now regularly achieving monthly sales of 40,000 - ClickScolmore has developed this product into a whole range and in doing so,brings to market the industry’s most cost effective Hub system.

Providing installers with a quick and easy solution when adding lightingor appliances to an existing circuit, the Hub CT300C is designed to take 3 or4 pin plug-in connectors and can be connected directly to another Hub or viathe three options of link cables which have also been added to the range.

Click Scolmore01827 63454www.scolmore.com

NEW ADDITIONS TO LIGHTINGSYSTEM RANGE

Two new additions to the TALEXX lighting systemsfrom Tridonic are TALEXXengine FULMEN andTALEXXspot LED. TALEXXengine FULMEN consists ofan LED module, lens optics and a heat conductingmounting plate which, together, produce a suitablelight source for spotlights and a direct, energy efficientreplacement for LV halogen lamps in spotlights.

The new TALEXXspot modules have been designedspecifically for use in downlights or spotlights as areplacement forCFL's, LVhalogen lampsor lowerwattage metalhalide lamps.

There are twoTALEXXengineFULMANoptionsavailable, 15Wand 27W , whilst a choice of lenses with 15° and 25°beam angles and colour temperatures of 3,000 or4,200K, allow fine tuning of accent lighting.TALEXXengine FULMAN range offers two versions for'warm' or 'cold' applications, each offering low energyconsumption and no UV or IR radiation.

Tridonic01256 374300www.tridonic.com

Products continue on p34

CABLE MANAGEMENT

Richard Shaw, managing

director, Ellis Patents

Sparks fly – cable cleats

undergo a short circuit test

Talking CLEATS


First things first, why do we need cleats?For an electrical installation to be deemed safe cables need

to be restrained in a manner that can withstand the forces

they generate, including those generated during a short

circuit, and this is the job cable cleats are specifically designed

to do.

Take them away and the dangers posed by a short circuit

are obvious – costly damage to cables and cable

management systems, plus the risk to life posed by

incorrectly or poorly restrained live cables.

And it’s important to bear in mind it’s not just the use of a

cleat that is vital, but the use of a correctly specified cleat. All

an underspecified product would do in a short circuit

situation is add to the shrapnel.

Well that seems fairly straightforward, where’s theproblem? The key issue surrounding cable cleats is their importance has

been, and still is, severely underestimated. Therefore, instead

of being treated as a vital element of any cable management

installation they are simply lumped in with the electrical

sundries.

What this means in practice is even if suitable products are

specified, they are still seen as fair game for cost-cutting

when it comes to companies seeking to keep within tight

budgets. This is a potentially dangerous practice that, if

allowed to continue, could lead to the wholly unnecessary

loss of a life.

Have the International (IEC61914 – 2009) andEuropean (EN50368) standards not helped deliver thislevel of awareness and education?Yes, the introduction of the two standards was a huge boost

for everyone associated with cable cleats. And yes, they have

helped to provide global recognition of the need for secure

cleating in electrical installations, which when you consider

that as recently as 2003 there wasn’t even a European

standard for cleats demonstrates just how far we’ve come in

the journey towards the widespread adoption of safe

cleating practice.

But, they still fall some way short of ensuring the cleat is

universally understood and used correctly. The main reason

being the standards are advisory rather than regulatory,

meaning the onus is on the manufacturer to self certify their

products – a situation that has led to a market awash with a

mish-mash of products of differing quality, which in turn

means further confusion for specifiers and installers.

What needs to be done then? Compulsory third party certification really should clear up this

confusion, but the problem is the quoted short circuit

withstand, which is seen as the indicator of a cleats suitability

for a project, is only valid for a cable diameter equal to or

greater than the diameter of the cable used in the test.

So if the project in question is using smaller cables than

those referred to in the test (and the fault level and spacing is

the same) then the force between the cables is proportionally

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING AS SIMPLELOOKING AS A CABLE CLEAT COULD CAUSE SO MUCHDEBATE, BUT IN RECENT YEARS IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THEHOTTEST TOPICS IN THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY – NOTLEAST BECAUSE THE RECENTLY INTRODUCEDINTERNATIONAL STANDARD HAS ELEVATED ITSPROMINENCE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. UNFORTUNATELY,THE PROBLEM WITH THIS PROMINENCE IS THE IMPORTANCEOF A CLEAT’S ROLE IN ANY ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION ISSTILL NOT FULLY APPRECIATED. ELECTRICAL REVIEW TALKSTO RICHARD SHAW, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CLEATMANUFACTURER, ELLIS PATENTS

OK Cable management.qxd:Layout 1 1/7/10 17:00 Page 2

POWER QUALITY

Richard Shaw, managing

director, Ellis Patents

Sparks fly – cable cleats

undergo a short circuit test

Talking CLEATS


First things first, why do we need cleats?For an electrical installation to be deemed safe cables need

to be restrained in a manner that can withstand the forces

they generate, including those generated during a short

circuit, and this is the job cable cleats are specifically designed

to do.

Take them away and the dangers posed by a short circuit

are obvious – costly damage to cables and cable

management systems, plus the risk to life posed by

incorrectly or poorly restrained live cables.

And it’s important to bear in mind it’s not just the use of a

cleat that is vital, but the use of a correctly specified cleat. All

an underspecified product would do in a short circuit

situation is add to the shrapnel.

Well that seems fairly straightforward, where’s theproblem? The key issue surrounding cable cleats is their importance has

been, and still is, severely underestimated. Therefore, instead

of being treated as a vital element of any cable management

installation they are simply lumped in with the electrical

sundries.

What this means in practice is even if suitable products are

specified, they are still seen as fair game for cost-cutting

when it comes to companies seeking to keep within tight

budgets. This is a potentially dangerous practice that, if

allowed to continue, could lead to the wholly unnecessary

loss of a life.

Have the International (IEC61914 – 2009) andEuropean (EN50368) standards not helped deliver thislevel of awareness and education?Yes, the introduction of the two standards was a huge boost

for everyone associated with cable cleats. And yes, they have

helped to provide global recognition of the need for secure

cleating in electrical installations, which when you consider

that as recently as 2003 there wasn’t even a European

standard for cleats demonstrates just how far we’ve come in

the journey towards the widespread adoption of safe

cleating practice.

But, they still fall some way short of ensuring the cleat is

universally understood and used correctly. The main reason

being the standards are advisory rather than regulatory,

meaning the onus is on the manufacturer to self certify their

products – a situation that has led to a market awash with a

mish-mash of products of differing quality, which in turn

means further confusion for specifiers and installers.

What needs to be done then? Compulsory third party certification really should clear up this

confusion, but the problem is the quoted short circuit

withstand, which is seen as the indicator of a cleats suitability

for a project, is only valid for a cable diameter equal to or

greater than the diameter of the cable used in the test.

So if the project in question is using smaller cables than

those referred to in the test (and the fault level and spacing is

the same) then the force between the cables is proportionally

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING AS SIMPLELOOKING AS A CABLE CLEAT COULD CAUSE SO MUCHDEBATE, BUT IN RECENT YEARS IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THEHOTTEST TOPICS IN THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY – NOTLEAST BECAUSE THE RECENTLY INTRODUCEDINTERNATIONAL STANDARD HAS ELEVATED ITSPROMINENCE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. UNFORTUNATELY,THE PROBLEM WITH THIS PROMINENCE IS THE IMPORTANCEOF A CLEAT’S ROLE IN ANY ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION ISSTILL NOT FULLY APPRECIATED. ELECTRICAL REVIEW TALKSTO RICHARD SHAW, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CLEATMANUFACTURER, ELLIS PATENTS


Caption

greater, meaning the certificate is inappropriate and the cleats

will not provide the protection they are installed to give.

What all of this means is at present the only tried and tested

way to ensure correct cleating is through project specific testing

– a process we currently offer customers that means they can

install our cleats with complete confidence.

You’ve talked a lot about short circuits, can you explainwhat happens to cables during a short circuit situation? We do a lot of short circuit tests and a good way of

explaining what happens to the cables is to look at the

difference between those that are correctly restrained and

those that are not.

In recent tests we did with our American distributor, kVA

Strategies, we performed three short circuit tests on 3 x 1/C-

777kcmil, 2kV marine cables at 59kARMS in trefoil formation.

One test was conducted on cables tied with 1/2" wide stainless

steel cable ties, while the other was conducted on cables

restrained by our Emperor trefoil cable cleats. During the short

circuit the mechanical forces between the cables exceeded

4,500 lbs/ft.

After one short circuit, the cables restrained with the metal

cable ties were damaged beyond repair – suffering multiple

tears in the cable jackets and insulation, as well as evidence of

electrical arcing. In fact, the metal cable ties catastrophically

failed before the first quarter cycle current waveform peak,

ejecting the ball bearings from the cable tie buckles with

sufficient velocity to lodge deeply into the plywood test bay

walls. The subsequent cable thrashing also severely damaged

the cable tray.

In contrast, the correctly restrained cables were subjected to

not one, but two successive short circuits and after careful

inspection no damage was found. In fact, the testing lab team

stated that the cables still passed the required IEC voltage

withstand test and so could continue to be used at full-load.

Aren't electrical cables meant to be fully protected bycircuit breakers?That’s a common misconception, but in the event of a fault the

forces between cables reach their peak in the first quarter cycle,

while circuit breakers typically interrupt the fault after three or

even five cycles. And by this stage, if the cleats are

underspecified, the cables will be long gone.

What’s the best cleat to use? How long is a piece of string? There are a large variety of cleats

available and all of them are designed for different

installations. For example, our Emperor cleats are

recommended for the highest short circuit fault duty

applications. Meanwhile, our Centaur cleats are designed

specifically to restrain high voltage cables up to 400kV with a

diameter range of 100 to 160mm.

So, is there a rule of thumb for picking the appropriatecleat for an application? In order to ensure the correct cleat the best idea is to go to a

manufacturer with information concerning the installation

environment, mounting structure, cable configuration, peak

short circuit fault level and cable diameter and they should be

able to advise on the most suitable cleat and the spacing at

which it should be installed.

And what about a recommended spacing betweencable cleats?Again there’s no hard and fast rule to suits all installations. The

optimum spacing needs to be determined by engineering

calculation to ensure the cable cleats are suitable for the

electromechanical forces encountered during the maximum

available fault duty of the system.

Finally, the use of multi-core cables, which we are tolddon’t need to be restrained, is growing enormously –what’s your view on this? This is a question we are being asked with increasing regularity

and so in order to be able to provide meaningful advice we

have carried out some preliminary research and carried out a

series of short circuit tests.

At present we aren’t aware of any published data that

indicates any preferred particular fixing method, but custom

and practice suggests that most users seem to working under

the assumption that any forces on the conductors that arise in

the event of a short circuit will be restrained within the cable

jacket, meaning cable cleats aren’t required.

The tests we carried out were on armoured and

unarmoured 3 core, copper conductor, multi-core cables from

various cable manufacturers. These cables were tested across

a variety of conductor sizes but because of the number of

manufacturers, the variety of cable types and the different

methods of construction available, it wasn’t feasible to carry

out exhaustive tests.

That said the results of the tests, although varied, were

certainly interesting. They showed it is unsafe to presume the

forces between the conductors will always be restrained within

the jacket of the cable, whether or not the cable is armoured or

tightly helically wound.

Therefore, our conclusion is unless the relevant cable

manufacturer can give assurances regarding the performance

of their specific multi-core cable at the anticipated fault level,

then fault rated cable cleats provide the safest option for

securing multi-core cables.

The Centaur cleat –

designed to restrain high

voltage cables up to

400kV with a diameter

range of 100 to 160mm.

PRODUCT WATCH

STRONG GROWTH IN HVAC ABB is making a concerted attack on the UK heating and ventilation (HVAC) industry to

further strengthen its position in the supply of variable speed drives. In 2002, ABBannounced ambitious plans to capture 20% of the market by 2007, which it surpassed by2006. By 2009 the company had 26% market share, with the sector showingunprecedented growth in 2009 at the height of the building recession.

ABB now estimates it is the largestsupplier of HVAC drives in the UK. Thegrowth has mainly been achieved at theexpense of other major manufacturers.

ABB 01925 741 111www.abb.com

ACCESS POINT FORUNINTERRUPTED CONNECTIONS

Belden has extended its range of Hirschmann products toinclude the new WLAN Access Point BAT54-Rail Single. Thisdevice is designed for mounting on a top-hat rail and can

be used both asAccess Pointand AccessClient.

Unlike theBAT54-Rail, thisnew AccessPoint has onlyone WLAN

interface, making it a cost-effective alternative forapplications that do not require a second interface.

In common with its ‘elder brother’, however, the BAT54-Rail Single offers the full range of functions supported bythe powerful HiLCOS operating system.

This Access Point offers transmission rates of up to 108Mbit/s in either the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz waveband. Fastroaming facilitates uninterrupted connections, even whilechanging from one radio cell to another.

Belden+31 164 317 018www.beldensolutions.com

MIXED FLOW IN-LINE FANS Suitable for ventilation in difficult areas, Addvent’s new and

improved Mixed Flow high performance in-line fan range is nowavailable in standard and timer versions in the 100mm, 125mmand 150mm sizes - with no change to the 200mm version fromthe previous model.

The fans have a performance ranging between 190m3/hr to500m3/hr and are ideal for applications where the duct run isover 10m, such as large bathrooms.

The fans are up to 8dB(A) quieter and have greater energyefficiency than the previous models.

The in-line mixed flow fan offers over twice the pressure of aconventional axial fan, is suitable for horizontal or verticalmounting and can be used with rigid and flexible ducting.

Addvent0117 938 6400www.addvent.co.uk

LIGHTING CONTROL IN LAW A Delmatic lighting management system controls lighting throughout the new

landmark City offices of UK law firm Addleshaw Goddard. The project was recentlyawarded Workplace Lighting installation of the year at the Lighting Design Awards2010.

As part of the fit-out works the base-build Delmatic lighting control modules,installed in 2005, were upgraded to DSI dimming. The project benefitted fromDelmatic’s modular hardware approach, which enabled dimming to be added tothe original modules simply by inserting a dimming capsule. Within meeting roomsDelmatic scene set modules and custom scene set panels were supplied whichincorporated the lighting scene buttons, air conditioning controls and sensors. AVinterfaces within meeting andpresentation rooms integrate theaudio visual functions with thelighting management system.

Delmatic020 8987 5900www.delmatic.com

GUIDING LIGHTS AT THE AVIVA STADIUM All fans of international sport

and stadium rock will knowIreland has a spectacular new50,000-seat venue in LansdowneRoad, Dublin.

Designed Architectural Lightingsupplied a complete luminairepackage for the public spaces andhospitality suites.

Over 700 Storm 140 CDM-TC metal halide lamp drum downlighters are mounted on thecolumns surrounding the perimeter of the grandstand, creating both feature and ambientlighting. Storm is a range of IP54 metal halide and compact fluorescent wall and ceilingmounted downlighters, which are illustrated in DAL’s new 184 page catalogue. All DAL’sluminaires are designed to the highest standard and include fixtures for linear fluorescentlamps, low voltage sources, and LED solid-state technology.

Designed Architectural Lighting01708 381999www.dal-uk.com

HANDHELD PARTIAL DISCHARGEDETECTION

The PDS100 is an RFI surveying tool that is designed for use in alive substation. Without the need for outages or special connections,the unit can detect partial discharge (PD) in just a few seconds thusmaking it an ideal tool for a condition based maintenance (CBM)program.

Whole substations can be surveyed and analyzed. The PDS100 isthe perfect tool to detect and locate sources of PD.• Safe and effective method for partial discharge detection • Can identify and locate defects using RFI technology • For non-invasive routine surveys of substations

• Ideal for every service or test team • Advanced user-friendly diagnostic tool • Perfect tool for a condition based

maintenance (CBM) programFor more information or to arrange a

demonstration;

Doble01483 514124www.doble.com

PRODUCT WATCH

NEW LASER DISTANCE METER Ethos announces its new easy-to-use professional laser distance meter designed to give users high accuracy,

one-person distance measuring and estimating tool - ideal for measuring simple basic areas which are remoteand difficult to reach.

The Ethos 4475 laser meter is the highest accuracy meters in its class. It is a professional, compact,lightweight meter and will fit easily onto a contractor’s tool belt.

It has a measuring distance of 0.05-50m, and will measure in feet, inches, areameasurement, volume measurement, indirect measurement and continuous measurement.

There are short cut keys for addition, subtraction, Pythagoras area and volumecalculation ensuring the measuring is fast and reliable.

Laser distance meters are better than ultrasonic devised because they use laser beamsand measure their reflection to accurately determine distances.

Ethos0191 378 3990www.ethos-instruments.co.uk

ALARM SYSTEMS FOR CHAIN OF BOOKMAKERS Firesafe, specialist in fire safety equipment, has been chosen as the suppliers of over one hundred

individual fire alarm systems being installed into a national chain of bookmakers.Working in conjunction with the Sittingbourne branch of City Electrical Factors Ltd and locally based

electrical engineers and contractors; Noble Electrical, Firesafe has supplied the newly introducedconventional detection and call point range – complimenting the rest of the Firesafe family.

The call point and conventional detectors, along with the fire alarm panels are designed to complywith the latest European standard; EN54.

The conventional fire alarm detector range consists of an optical smoke detector, combined opticaldetector and fixed thermal heat detector as well as 60 degree rate of rise heat, 75 degree fixedtemperature and 90 degree fixed high temperaturethermal detectors.

Firesafe01253 699 500www.firesafe.co.uk

HIGH SPEED DRYER EXPANDS RANGE Due to the success of the Tornado High Speed Hand Dryer, Heatstore has expanded the range to

include the new HS5700 Tornado Lite high speed hand dryer.Using only 1000w, the Tornado Lite has the lowest wattage in its class. This, along with the reduced

drying time of 10-12 seconds, and heated 200mph airflow, gives running cost savings of up to 70%compared to a traditional hand dryer. Thus reducing the premises CO²footprint and emissions.

The unit comes complete with a designer splash back to protect thewall finish beneath the unit from any spray that is blown from thehands.

Heatstore0117 923 5375www.heatstore.co.uk

GOING UNDERGROUND Leading cable cleat manufacturer, Ellis Patents has received London Underground (LUL) approval for six of its

product ranges. The North Yorkshire-based manufacturer, whose products are used in power generation, oil & gas, construction

and HVAC installations across the world, put its Alpha, Emperor and Vulcan cleats, plus three specifically designednew ranges, through the stringent LUL Engineering Standard tests.

The Ellis Patents products to have received LUL standard 1-085 approval and been added to the LondonUnderground products register are: • Alpha cable cleats – product register No 360 • Emperor cable cleats – product register No 362 • Vulcan VRT+ cable cleats –product register No 361 • LUL version of the 1F one hole cable clamps – product register No 363 • LUL version of the 2F two hole cable clamps – product register No 364

• LUL version of the new industrial cable clamps – productregister No 365

Ellis Patents01944 758395www.ellispatents.co.uk

DATA PRODUCTS TOASSIST ELECTRICALCONTRACTORS

The EM06.012– Emitex Cat 5E/ Cat 6 In-line connection box aids mission criticalsituations.

If there is a break in ones Cat 5E or Cat 6cable or it has been cut through accidentally,it can take some time to run new cables toget the network up and running quickly.

This new product allows you to terminateboth ends of the cut cable quickly withoutcompromising the performance criteria.

The EM04.011– Emitex Fast Fix Blocksassist with dramatically reducing the amountof time taken on site to install products on tothe data cabinet 19” mounting profiles fromthe conventional cage nuts.

Emitex0117 923 5375www.emitex.co.uk

NEW HOUSINGS PROVIDE MOREWIRING SPACE

Harting has added extended angled bulkhead andsurface-mounting housings of size 3 A to the provenHan(R) HPR series of industrial connectors.

This new housings make it possible to mount a Han-Brid(R) Quintax contact insert in an angled Han(R) 3HPR bulkhead or surface mounting housing, as well asmaking more wiring space available for improvedassembly of the various contact inserts.

The Han(R) HPR series of heavy-duty industrialconnectors isideally suitedto providingthe electricalinterface inareas such astransport,applicationswith harshclimatic or

moisture-resistant requirements, and sensitiveinterfaces that have to be protected or shielded.

For mounting the new housings, two versions areavailable: one with through holes and one with blindtapped holes in the mounting flange. The version withthe blind tapped holes eliminates the need forseparate sealing of the fixing screws.

Harting01604 827500www.harting.com

PRODUCT WATCH

100% INCREASE IN STORAGE CAPACITY Concordia Cables, a leading supplier of electrical cables and cable accessories to

UK and international customers, has moved to a new location, based at BurnleyNetwork 65 Business Park. This major investment in a

67,000 sq ft, purpose builtDistribution Centre ensurescontinued quality of service andincreased availability of cableproducts.

The 100% increase in storageand logistics capacity

will enable it to offer anincreasing range of products to its customers, including cable accessories,enclosures and electrical test and measurement equipment.

Concordia01282 833950www.concordiacables.com

TRUE ONLINE UPS SYSTEM Powersolve announces the WM Series of Uninterruptible

Power Supplies (UPS) designed for use in a variety ofindustrial and commercial applications where a wallmounted unit capable ofwithstanding the ingress of dustand moisture is required orrecommended.

WM Series units provide upto 1.5kVA of constant, reliablepower from an input voltage of115 or 230VAC and offer arange of selectable outputsfrom 100 to 240VAC. Powersolve has used an onlinedouble-conversion topology to provide a high integrity ACpower source with zero transfer time to battery on mainsfailure conditions. The design also protects the load againstnoise and transients.

Up to four battery strings can be incorporated giving 43minutes hold up at 1.5kVA and over 2 hours at 600VA. 10year life batteries are also available as an option.

WM Series units incorporate many standard and optionalfeatures designed to make them easy to use and comeready for use ‘straight out of the box’ environments.

Powersolve01635 521858www.powersolve.co.uk

WIN BIG THIS SEASON With football fever set in, Neweys Online has launched

exciting promotions to help customers celebrate during thesummer of football.

The first is a prize draw to win one of six 50” LG Plasma TVs.HD ready these super-sized TVs offer optimum viewing for the

World Cup finals. One 50” TV is up for grabs

every week from 2 June to 12July. Every order will qualify foran entry into that week’s prizedraw – the more orders youplace, the greater your chance ofwinning.

Customers can also be in witha chance of winning a £50 cashprize in our Spot the Ball

competition. Every time an order is placed between 2 June and12 July, you will be directed from the order confirmation page tothe free ‘spot the ball’ game.

For more details visithttp://www.neweysonline.co.uk/Summer-Of-Football/Static.raction or call the number below.

Neweys Online0800 783 6909www.neweysonline.co.uk

FAN-TASTIC FOOTBALL PRIZES Some lucky Vent-Axia customers are celebrating football fever with instant wins

through Vent-Axia’s Fan-tastic Footy Promotion. One lucky winner has already won aNintendo Wii, with other instant prizes including Blue-Ray DVD players, footballs andt-shirts. But with two flat screen TVs and £2,000 of holiday vouchers still up for grabs

in the ultimate draw, it’s still all to play for.In the Fan-tastic Footy Promotion Vent-Axia’s customers

have not one, but two chances to win. Each promotionproduct includes a card with a unique reference number(URN), for an instant win, as well as allocating eachcontractor to one of the 32 World cup countries. If the card

features the country that wins the World Cup the customercan enter the ultimate Fan-tastic Footy prize draw.

The Fan-tastic Footy promotion is linked to products within Vent-Axia’s domestic ventilation, general ventilation, hygiene, heating and Lo-carbonranges.

Vent-Axia0844 856 0580www.vent-axia.com/footy

FREEDOM TO CREATE WITH THEPOWER TO COMPLY

In anticipation of the forthcoming changes to lightingindustry standards to improve the efficiency and quality ofoffice lighting, Thorn has launched a new range of modularfluorescent luminaires: Menlo.

The dual component design with market leading lightoutput achieves efficacies of up to 62 luminaire lumens / circuit Watt, far exceeding the targetvalue of Part L building regulations, whilst also delivering excellent levels of cylindricalilluminance and facial modelling, as recommended by the awaited update to EN 12464-1(Lighting indoor workplaces). And with a range of optics and mounting options there aresolutions to meet all aspects of display screen use.

The new design focuses on better performance and improved aesthetics through threeoptical choices, three geometric shapes and three mounting options.

Thorn020 8732 9954www.thornlighting.co.uk

WATER ALARM SYSTEM UPDATED Vimpex has launched a new range of control panels for its popular

Hydrosense Water LeakageDetection System. Hydrosense isdesigned to protect areas wherewater leakage could seriouslydamage electrical,communication and computernetworks by quickly detectingthe leak and raising an alarm.

The system continuously monitors vulnerable areas and can beinterfaced to other fire, security and safety systems to provide totalprotection. Hydrosense can be easily installed by specialist contractorsworking in the electrical, fire and security industries and is suited to awide range of applications including HVAC, sprinkler systems andwater-cooled plant.

The new Hydrosense panels offer advanced features with easierinstallation and programming. The attractive and unobtrusive panelsare available in 2 to 48 zone versions with a variety of enclosures andmounting options.

Vimpex01702 216999www.vimpex.co.uk

PRODUCT WATCH

PRICE REDUCTIONS ON THERMAL IMAGERS Fluke has reduced the recommended prices of its Fluke Ti25, TiR and TiR1 Thermal Imagers for a

limited period, until 30 September 2010. The Ti25 is reduced from £4846 to £4199, the TiR from£3230 to £2799, and the TiR1 from £4846 to £3799.

These Fluke thermal imagers, designed for day-to-day troubleshooting and maintenance, offerhigh image quality and feature IR Fusion technology which integrates infrared and visible lightimages in full screen or picture-in-picture views for enhanced problem detection and analysis.Powerful SmartView is also included with each thermal imager.

The Fluke Ti25, TiR and TiR1 feature a three-button menu designedfor intuitive operation and navigation with the push of a thumb, withthe Ti25 and TiR1 offering the ability to record and save voicecomments with every image taken, plus on-screen emissivity correction.

Fluke (UK)020 7942 0700www.fluke.co.uk

FIELD WIRELESS DEVICES BASED ON ISA100.11A STANDARD Yokogawa Electric has announced it has developed the world's first field wireless devices based on the

ISA100.11a industrial wireless communications standard, and will release them to the market in July. These wireless products include an EJX-B series differential pressure and pressure transmitter, a YTA series

temperature transmitter, and an integrated field wireless gateway which connects field wireless devices with ahost system and provides a number of field wireless network setting and management functions in field sensornetworks.

These field wireless devices are expected to satisfy a wide variety ofrequirements in the industrial automation field. Yokogawa will continueto develop various kinds of field wireless devices for both monitoringand control applications, and is also proposing the development of newfield digital networks that integrate wireless and wired technologies.

Yokogawa UK01928 597100www.yokogawa.com/uk

DISCOUNT FOR EDUCATION AND PUBLIC SECTOR Zigor, global supplier of UPS and power quality products, is offering a 5% discount on its UPS

products to education and public sector customers in the UK until 27 August 2010.Zigor’s UPS solutions range from line interactive plug ‘n’ play UPS systems for desk top PCs,

peripherals and small servers to critical power protection for multiple servers, computer rooms, datacentres and sensitive electronic equipment.

Gavin Banks, UK sales manager at Zigor says: “Zigor offers reliable, high quality power protection atexceptional value for money. As public sector budgets are being squeezed, we’re now offering anadditional 5% discount, so customers can make significant savings without compromising on the quality

of their power protection.”Zigor has also launched a UK website dedicated to UPS solutions. It

gives details of which products are best suited to different applications,provides full product specifications and details of resellers and distributors.

Zigor01604 751949www.zigoruk.co.uk

ELECTRICAL CONTROLS DESIGNSOFTWARE

Eplan Service Pack 1 for electrical controls design softwareEplan Electric P8 v1.9 adds extensions in reports, schematic andmaster data creation, such as intelligent PDF export, andconsistency in the design and planning process. New search

functions, the parallel tree and list view in the part master data navigator ensure even faster searches and aperfect overview.

Project accelerator macros can now be created in Eplan Electric P8 with up to 128 occurrences through thecombination of variants and representation types. All the required occurrences of a partial circuit are managed inthe macro file, providing the perfect basis for standardized and efficient design and planning.

A highlight in Eplan is the individual representation of black, PLC and location boxes which can now be drawnas polygons or polygon lines, simplifying the representation of complex plant and location structures in machineoverviews.

Eplan Competence Centre01709 704100www.eplan.co.uk

NEW DATA PORTAL ONLINE The new version of the Eplan Data Portal is now

online with functions that accelerate theorganisation and administration of devices andcomponents. Numerous search and administrationfunctions are easier for users and make theengineering process faster. In practice designingbecomes more efficient with the extensiveselection of component and device data.

Smart filters, for example, now allow thestorage of all the filter schemes as individualsearch patterns. These can simply be called up

again repeatedly –thus saving a lot oftime. Key wordtagging, withcorrespondingcatch words partsare organisedperfectly. Whetherby purpose of use,procurement orproject name, parts

can now be grouped and organised with anexcellent overview.

Through the new display of the manufacturertree structure, component data can be searched forexactly in accordance with the catalogue structure.No more tedious paging or manual transfer, simplyinsert the data into the project and carry on.

Eplan01709 704100www.eplan.co.uk

THERMAL CALCULATIONSOFTWARE

Rittal has launched its new thermalcalculation software Therm6, part of an extensiverange of software tools, that enable an engineerto design and deliver solutions efficiently.

The new software gives a Windows feel to thelayout which makes it easier to navigate throughthe five screens within the software. With more

componentsadded to thelibrary and aneasy functionfor adding theirown devices, thesoftware savesengineers bothtime and moneyand gives

assurance that adequate cooling can be providedfor any situation.

Available on CD or via download from theRittal website, www.rittal.co.uk. The softwarecan also be updated automatically via theInternet to ensure the user always has the latestfunctionality.

Rittal01709 704000www.rittal.co.uk

PRODUCT WATCH

SOLVING TODAY'S POWER CABLE CHALLENGES 3M, the diversified technology company, has launched its new and expanded

range of Cold Shrink power cable joints and terminations, giving contractors aproduct family that now covers all the mainmedium and high voltage classes and cabletypes in the UK and Ireland.

Benefits over traditional heat shrinkproducts include the ability to complete morecable joints and terminations in less time, areduced total cost-of-ownership, higher levelsof reliability, and improved health and safety.

3M has also introduced an innovative newline of products that provide contractors still using heat shrink with an affordableentry-level Cold Shrink option.

3M01344 858000www.3M.co.uk/electrical

NEW DESIGN FORMATS FORMODULAR CONTROL STATIONS

E-UK Controls has introduced new, innovative designformats for its Teknic modular control system range.

Available from one to six way in ABS and 1 to 4 way inAluminium, Tekniccan be supplied ascomplete assembliesor alternatively incomponent form forcustomer assembly.The new Teknic isbased on bezel pushbutton switches andpilot lights, plus awide choice ofcircular and squaretype activators.

E-UK Controls haspublished a new brochure for its Teknic range. This isavailable by contacting the company direct.

E-UK Controls01420 520540

ANIMATION COMPANY CREATESINTERACTIVE PRODUCT USER GUIDES

Animmersion UK has been commissioned by SchneiderElectric to create digital interactive user guides for its mediumvoltage switchgear equipment. This includes the existingRingmaster and Genie Evoranges, as well as the latestedition, the new Genie Evo2500A series.

The work byAnimmersion will give theuser guides a fresher'hands on' feel, enablingmouse interaction by theuser and employing the latest programming and interactivetechniques.

Animmersion has provided animation and interactiveprogrammes for the electrical industry since its formation in2006. It has an established technique of showcasing productsand services for the sector in a highly visual, communicative andreadily distributable manner.

An example can be seen athttp://www.animmersion.co.uk/isg/switchGearWeb.html

Animmersionwww.annimersion.co.ukwww.schneider-electric.co.uk

SLIM IS BEAUTIFUL Furse has added a new ESP SL Slim Line Series (including an ATEX approved variant

(ESP SLX Series) for use in hazardous areas) to their market leading range of electronicsystems protection.

Specifically designed where installation space is at a premium and a large number oflines require protection, this SL range are an ultra slim 7mm, tested to BS EN/IEC 61643-21 standards and suitable for twisted pair signalling, telecom or data applicationsrequiring either lower in-line resistance, an increased current, and/or higher bandwidth.

Other features and benefits include:• Ultra slim 7mm width - ideal for compact protection of large numbers of lines

• Unique innovative two stage removable protectionmodule with simple quick release mechanism for easysystem maintenance• ATEX/IEC Ex approved for use in hazardousenvironments for the protection of Intrinsically SafeCircuits – ideal for protecting process control systems inpetrochemical, pharmaceutical and oil & gas applications

Furse0115 964 3700www.furse.com

POWER AND PERFORMANCE IN PERFECT HARMONY Emergi-Lite has launched a new powerful, high output exit sign and emergency luminaire range

delivering harmony across the entire design scheme. Horizon provides versatility and highperformance solutions designed to meet the demands of today’s marketplace.

With Horizon, low energy LED based exit signs are matched with high output fluorescentluminaires to provide a cost efficient yet powerful emergency lighting system. This market-leadingapproach delivers optical light distribution, so fewer luminaires are required, with low ongoingmaintenance costs.

This highly versatile range is available in surface mounted, recessed or mounting via a rangeof accessories for modern suspended ceilings and traditional solid walls, ensuring

Horizon comprehensively covers all project requirements.Straightforward modular design ensures rapid installation, with the

first-fix base fitted at an early construction phase, and the geartray,light diffuser or legend panel installed later as the building isfinalised.

Emergi-Lite0113 281 0600www.emergi-lite.co.uk

EASY FIT SENSORS OFFER MORECONTROL

Hager has launched a new range of occupancy sensors that areeasy to install and programme. They combine occupancy sensingwith a photocell to switch or dim lighting in response to bothmovement and natural light levels.

They are available as flush or surface mount, offering standard ordigital lighting control. They can also be supplied prewired.

The digital range will auto detect either DSI or DALI and cancontrol up to 24 digital ballasts. Installers can use them with orwithout the company’s Klik lighting distribution system.

To install, the contractor simply pushes the sensor through theceiling aperture and reverse springs then hold it in place. This makesit simple to install in a plasterboard as well as a grid ceiling. A

sliding cover on the surface of thesensor allows access to its controlswithout removing it from the ceiling.

Hager0870 240 2400www.hager.co.uk

PRODUCT WATCH

ACCURATE LOW RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT The Digital Ohmmeter D07Plus from Cropico, a specialist supplier of precision

measurement equipment, improves the accuracy to which low resistance can bemeasured.

Adding to the Cropico digital micro ohmmeter range, the versatile, ruggedand easy-to-use D07Plus simplifies resistance associated with electricalconnections, weld integrity, cable and joint resistance, electric motors and otherengineering applications.

Accurate to within 0.05%, lead resistance errors are eliminated with theincorporation of true four-wire technology, while advanced features include seven selectablemeasurement ranges, extending from 0.1μΩ to 6 kΩ - in addition to a 10A measuring current.

The D07Plus is capable of recording and storing 1,000 measurements plus sequences. There is anoption for selecting continuous or pulsed current output.

Cropico0191 586 3511www.cropico.co.uk

PASSING THE TEST FOR RNLI Designer and manufacturer of test equipment, Martindale, has just won a contract to supply the Royal National

Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)'s beachfront lifeguard huts around England and Wales with EPAT1600’s, the company'smains powered PAT tester.

According to RNLI Area Technical Assistant for the Penwith area of Cornwall , Mark Penberthy, ensuring thesafety of the lifeguards' working life is of paramount importance. In particular, all electrical equipment used inthese demanding coastal environments needs to be safely earthed and insulated.The lifeguards' electrical equipment includes sophisticated communicationsystems, appliances, and rescue-related equipment. These can be attacked bymoisture and salt corrosion, leading to short circuiting, risk of electrocution, andequipment failure.

The mains-powered EPAT 1600 performs higher-current (25 Amp) ‘hard’ tests,plus ‘soft’ tests for IT equipment, check for blown fuses and carry out insulationtests.

Martindale01923 441717www.martindale-electric.co.uk

SIX SENSORS PACKED INTO PD SYSTEM EA Technology has launched what it says is the world’s most powerful and versatile portable system for

investigating and recording Partial Discharge (PD) activity in live MV and HV assets.Called the UltraTEV Locator, the dual probe instrument features six different sensor technologies to

detect and gather information about PD activity, which EA Technology says is a factor in 85% of disruptivesubstation failures.

EA Technology international director Neil Davies said: “The UltraTEV Locator™ is much more than a PDfault location tool. In common with our other new third generation PD products, it’s a multi-functionalsystem which delivers a highly detailed assessment of the condition of live assets, so operators can optimise

maintenance and prevent faults developing into failures.”Both of the UltraTEV Locator’s probes use ultrasonic and Transient

Earth Voltage (TEV) sensors to locate and measure PD activity on thesurface of assets and internally.

EA Technology0151 347 2371www.eatechnology.com

ADVANCED TESTER FOR BALFOUR BEATTY Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES), a mechanical and electrical

building services business, is using an advanced tester from Clare Instruments toimprove the electrical safety testing of its power installations.

The company has replaced its previous electrical safety tester with a new HALCombi http://www.clare.co.uk/products/halcombi_hipot_tester.asp to improvethe accuracy and reliability of its product commissioning procedures.

The HAL can undertake a wider range of electrical tests on the substationcontrol and protection panels produced by BBES and then provides detailed

analysis of each individual panel including performance and outputs.It contains the four core electrical safety test required by routine production line testing. The HAL is part of the latest generation of test instruments, complete with specialist software and a large

capacity internal database.

Clare Instruments0191 587 8741www.clareinstruments.com

SUPPORTING CUSTOMERSALL THE WAY

CP Electronics, one of the UK's leading lightingcontrols manufacturers, has published a newbrochure to highlight its OEM and Integratedproducts. The company, now in its 40th year ofbusiness, is dedicated to providing energy saving

lighting solutions andcan offer a ‘one stopshop’, from initialconsultation of theproject andrecommendation ofproduct through toimplementation.

With control beingthe key to achievingmaximum energyefficiency, the newOEM brochure

provides good technical advice on the companyrange of detectors along with accessories thatcan be integrated into any lighting system. Aswell as producing a wide range of standardproducts for industrial and energy savingapplications, CP are able to provide a custom-built solution that takes on board functionality,cost, time constraints and environmental impact.

CP Electronics0333 9000671www.cpelectronics.co.uk

LEADING THE WAY INLUMINAIRE RECYCLING

In 2009 Lumicom claims to have recycledmore than all rival compliance schemes puttogether. It attributes its success to theorganisation’s commitment to achieving fullcompliancebacked by ahigh qualityservice.

Geoff Hallcommented:“We were setup to meetthe industry’s responsibilities in full, not toavoid them or minimise them. Not only dowe finance the recycling but we alsorequire our recyclers to use the bestavailable treatment practices and advisethem on the recyclability of new materialsbeing used in the manufacture ofluminaires.”

To that end, Lumicom only uses recyclersthat are fully authorised by theEnvironment Agency and capable ofmeeting the stringent recycling targets thatrequire 70% recovery by average weightand 50% re-use and recycling orcomponents, material and other substances.

Lumicom020 8642 3887www.lumicom.co.uk

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 [email protected] site - www.varservices.co.uk

VAR Services Ltd. 27 Main Road,

Jacksdale, Nottingham, NG16 5JU

Cables Accessories

To advertise in this section contact John Steward on: 020 7933 8974 or [email protected]

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: [email protected]

Power Factor Correction

Generators

BatteriesTraining

HIGH VOLTAGETRAINING

To Senior Authorised/Authorised Person level

Also Competent Person, EAW Regs, Generator Operation, Ship/Marine systems,

Safety awareness, HV safety for Laser/Microwave and AGL, Maintenance, etc

MICHAEL TWITCHETTIntET(UK). IEng. FIET. MSOE. MIPlantE

Tel or Fax: 01737 352755e-mail: [email protected]

Power Quality Management

Control Systems

UPS

A.C. Voltage Stabilisers

Recruitment

Hazardous Area

UPS

Test and measurement

innovative test technology and comprehensive customer support

CLASSIFIED

Energy Saving

energysaving.claudelyons.com

SERVICE & CALIBRATION Seaward provides a comprehensive

calibration and repair service for a widerange of electrical and electronic equipment

� UKAS accredited calibration� Mobile ‘on-site’ service so equipment stays

on your premises� Service and calibration for most brands of

electrical/electronic equipment � Competitive pricing, repair warranty and

guaranteed workmanship

Tel: 0191 586 3511 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.seaward.co.uk

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 [email protected]

0845 0947201 • 07894 110336

Loadbanks

To advertise in this section contact John Steward on: 020 7933 8974 or [email protected]

Charges: £19 pccm, Box No £25CLASSIFIED

� Specialists in gas measurement and detection� Manufacturer of Rapidox gas analysers� Oxygen sensing from 100% O2 to 10 e-23 PPM� SF6 condition analysers for Gas Insulated

Substations (GIS)� O2, CO, CO2, SO2 and dp (moisture) sampling

instruments for laboratory, vacuum, low-oxygen, and oxygen-critical applications

� Distributors of gas detectors for safety, industrial,welding, diving and medical applications

[email protected] Phone: +44(0)1480 462142 Fax: +44(0)1480 466032

www.cambridge-sensotec.co.uk

Automation

Cables Gas Measurement & Detection

UPS UPS

Power Systems Software

Rockwell Automation provides an

extensive portfolio of products,

including Low Voltage Control

Equipment, Variable Speed Drives, Medium Voltage Drives, Programmable

Controllers, SCADA and MES. With a focus on sustainability and life-time costs,

we also provide a range of added-value services such as Asset Management,

Condition Monitoring and On-Site Support.

Coupled with this, Rockwell Automation has a system engineering capability

combined with extensive domain experience of the manufacturing sector. In

particular Rockwell Automation has dedicated resources assigned to Rail, Water

and Energy industries within the UK market.

Tel: 0870 242 5004

Fax: 01908 261917


Web: www.rockwellautomation.co.uk

� Specialists in gas measurement and detection� Manufacturer of Rapidox gas analysers� Oxygen sensing from 100% O2 to 10 e-23 PPM� SF6 condition analysers for Gas Insulated Substations (GIS)� O2, CO, CO2, SO2 and dp (moisture) sampling instruments for

laboratory, vacuum, low-oxygen, and oxygen-critical applications� Distributors of gas detectors for safety, industrial, welding, diving

and medical applications

[email protected] Phone: +44(0)1480 462142 Fax: +44(0)1480 466032

www.cambridge-sensotec.co.uk

Tel: 01282 833950 Fax: 01282 833955

Email: [email protected] Web: www.concordiacables.com

Try our FREE site survey to find outhow we can help you select theright UPS and power protection systemsfor your applications.

Full on-site commissioning and installation offer with 24-7 technical support.Remove the risk – talk to Critical Power Specialists and protect your systemsfrom power failures.

• UPS and generators from 300VA to 800 kVA• Third Party UPS HealthChecks• DC solutions including inverters• Nationwide UK service network• Guaranteed 4 clock hour

support• Replacement battery service

Our portfolio includes� industrial cables,� special cables,� electronic cables and cable accessories

Our service includes� distribution to both UK and International customers.� optimum quality and service� on time delivery, realistic batch quantities � exactness of manufacturing tolerances expected as standard.

Established since 1902Concordia Cables is a

leading supplier ofelectrical cables with a

highly regardedreputation for

understanding andmeeting customers

cabling needs

Gas Measurement and

Design and consultation services in allaspects of backup power system design.We supply a full range of fully integrated,innovative Complete Power Solutions

� Design and Consultation� UPS & Standby Generating Systems & System Upgrades� Battery Systems including Installation, Commissioning & Replacement� Attenuation & Exhaust Systems� Bulk Fuel Systems� Control Systems� Full Turnkey Solutions� Containerised & Temporary UPS & Generator Systems

Services include:LV & MV Switchgear • Cooling Systems Rack Systems • Fire Protection • DC SystemsSCADA & Remote Monitoring • VirtualEngineering (PEARL) • Service, Maintenance& Support • Site Surveys • BuildingConstruction & Fit-Out

E-TEC Power Management LtdTel: +44 (0)1252 744 800Fax: +44 (0)1252 744 [email protected]

Tel: 0845 519 3638Email: [email protected]

www.criticalpowersupplies.co.uk


OPINION TRAINING

SKILLS AND SUSTAINABILITY are interconnected issues,

and nowhere is this more relevant than in the electrical

sector. Our industry will play a front line role in the drive

for energy efficiency as not only does our sphere of

influence encompass both domestic and commercial

sectors, but we are on the frontline to advise and install

the technology that will take the green agenda forward.

The drive for sustainability is going to provide a

significant level of work for the electrical industry in the

short and long term. Whilst the numbers of new

properties being built are falling, there are still 24 million

existing properties which need to be retrofitted to

improve their energy efficiency significantly.

In addition, the government’s ambitious Carbon

Reduction Commitment targets, which require the UK to

reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050,

will mean work in the commercial sector should increase,

as energy efficiency and carbon reduction become

mandatory targets for companies;

Further opportunity is also presented by the

strengthening of Part L of the Building Regulations. The

emphasis placed on energy efficiency and the call for

advisory and practical action on this issue could have

been tailor made for the electrical sector.

However, the question we need to ask is do we have

the skills within the industry to cope with this? The

government’s Low Carbon Skills Consultation, which

closed to submissions on 23 June, concurs with our view

that the majority of skills needed to make the transition

to a low carbon economy will not be new ones. What this

means for our industry is that the basic tools are present

so we must grasp the opportunity with both hands.

From fitting energy efficient lighting to installing

photovoltaics, the people best placed to effectively advise

both domestic and commercial clients on the most

effective measures they can take, as well as actually

installing the technology, are electricians. We need to

pitch ourselves as energy advisors to both domestic and

commercial clients.

Instead of needing a new breed of ‘green consultants’,

most electrical professionals will have the skills to advise

on, and implement, the sustainability agenda. For those

that don’t, it’s simply a case of getting up to speed with

the demands of the work created; this need not be costly,

complicated or time consuming.

There are a range of courses available to top up

existing levels of skills. General or introductory courses

provide an overview of the different sustainable

technologies suitable for the UK, relevant legislation and

basic principles of operation. These are suitable for

company owners, managers, directors, sole traders,

engineers and anyone who is considering operating in

this area but needs to know more.

Installation courses are available for qualified,

experienced electricians and building services engineers.

They provide in-depth knowledge on the installation of

individual renewable energy systems.

However, our industry is facing a skills crisis. If we

don’t act now, we will soon lack the number of

operatives with the appropriate skills to deliver projects

of any nature, both large and small. We must ensure that

our industry survives and that it is able to play its integral

part in meeting the challenges and opportunities

presented by the government’s sustainability drive.

The sustainability agenda will benefit our industry, as

well as the planet. The government’s Low Carbon Skills

Consultation has reinforced the front line role which

electrical professionals have to play; to us and to the

public. We should work hard to minimise the scope for

so-called ‘green consultants’ to emerge and make money

from the green agenda while we are perfectly placed to

deliver. The real expertise and opportunity lies in the

hands of the electrical industry; it is time to build on the

skills we have to ensure that we are ready to step up to

the mark as energy advisors in this burgeoning market.

Iain Macdonald is head of education and training at the

Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), overseeing training

and development initiatives for the organisation’s

membership. In 2008 he oversaw the launch of the ECA’s

£10 million training fund which gives grants to ECA

members to participate in training courses or programmes,

which the Association believes will help tackle skills

shortages in identified areas of the industry.

IAIN MACDONALD, HEAD OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING AT THE ELECTRICAL

CONTRACTORS’ ASSOCIATION (ECA), DISCUSSES WHAT THE SUSTAINABILITY

AGENDA AND THE LOW CARBON SKILLS CONSULTATION WILL MEAN FOR THE

ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY

If we don’t act

now, we will soon

lack the number of

operatives with the

appropriate skills

to deliver projects

of any nature, both

large and small

Green light for the ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY to flourish

electrical review july 2010

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