Switchgear protects the Lovell telescope

ABB has supplied Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire with Isomax moulded case circuit breakers and OS switch fuses for the University of Manchester's giant 76m Lovell radio telescope.

ABB has supplied Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire with Isomax moulded case circuit breakers (MCCBs) and OS switch fuses for the University of Manchester's giant 76m Lovell radio telescope.

The new switchgear for the world's second largest fully-steerable radio telescope is part of a GBP 2.3 million Joint Infrastructure Fund to improve its sensitivity, frequency range and to extend the telescope's operational life.

The ABB switchgear has been installed in a new switchboard located on the telescope, which is designed to take mains supply from the grid or from an emergency generator, and distribute power as required to the telescope's main control system or backup system.

The board comprises a 1000A incomer interlocked with a 400A standby generator incomer, four 100A outgoing circuits for lighting and other general services, and an 800A switch for the main drive system which moves the telescope around its 107m outer railway track.

This switch is interlocked with a 400A switch for an emergency backup system.

ABB supplied the MCCBs and switchfuses to Lostock Electrical Projects of Bolton, who designed and manufactured the low-voltage switchboard on site before delivery to Jodrell Bank Observatory.

Director of Lostock, Mark Nutter said: "ABB's switchgear components are regularly used by Lostock for their excellent reliability and ease of installation".

Located at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, the 3200t Lovell telescope plays a major role in astronomical research.

Its 4560m2 collecting area and state-of-the-art receiver systems have, in recent years, helped astronomers detect and study new populations of pulsars and has led to the discovery of the first gravitational lens.

The Lovell telescope is currently attracting great public interest through its participation in the most sensitive search ever for signals from extra-terrestrial intelligence.

The upgrade programme, which is now almost complete, includes a new reflecting surface, precision surface adjustment, control system and refurbishment of track and foundations.

The Joint Infrastructure Fund is a GBP 750 million partnership for the improvement of university research infrastructure between the Wellcome Trust, the Office of Science and Technology and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The JIF award to the University of Manchester is being administered by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC).

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