Click on the advert above to visit the company web site

Product category: Industrialsafetytalk: Health and Safety Consultancy and Software
News Release from: Maplewood Services | Subject: Power supply analysis
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 07 February 2006

Experts ensure integrity of power
supplies

Maplewood Services specialises in working with facilities where the primary concern is the requirement for a high-integrity, safe, clean, dependable electrical supply.

Maplewood Services specialises in working with facilities where the primary concern is the requirement for - and integrity of - safe, clean, dependable power to ensure the continuity of the electrical supply Should a facility experience an internal power interruption, these occurrences can impact very substantially on data integrity and, of course, the running of the business

Using state-of-the-art diagnostics, inclusive of infra-red thermography, ultrasonic investigation, harmonic distortion detection and power quality analysis, MSL can identify any potential problems including fire and safety hazards within energised circuits - an area where MSL says no other company can test.

This is often found to be a very important limitation for other companies when carrying out fixed-wire test and inspection, but not MSL.

Current methods of testing, such as the BS 7671 periodic test, are not designed to test for overheating and current and voltage distortion, as they have to be performed with the system in a de-energised state.

MSL was recently chosen by TEGG Corporation to be the company's first electrical service provider for the UK, which now means electrical system integrity can, dependant upon the guaranteed program selected, be safeguarded within fixed budgets, with all maintenance and power quality issues dealt with through MSL's specialised team of technicians, all of whom are approved 16th Edition, CG 2391 and trained and qualified for the TEGG programme at the company's Technical Institute based at Pittsburgh, USA.

In addition to the full range of electrical testing procedures, MSL has expanded the range of services available to clients to include a full range of mechanical test and inspection methodologies (routine condition monitoring) that focus on a proactive rather than a reactive approach, including the following.

Airborne ultrasonic testing: the detection of pitted or cracked bearings in motors, therefore predicting failure and guaranteeing no unforeseen business interruption costs; the detection of compressed air and steam leaks; leaks in pressurised tanks and valves/seals; and vibration testing on motors.

Infra red thermography: MSL can detect thermal losses in furnaces/boilers; the detection of cold air loses through seals in cold stores; heat build-up in bearings if they are running dry; and shaft and rotor alignment on motors.

Oil analysis: carry out analysis of all types of transformer oil for contamination and other potential problems.

The above services are designed to predict problems and save clients money and prevent electrical interruption.

Maplewood Services can reduce costs and risks in a wide variety of facilities, as illustrated by the following case studies.

* CASE STUDY 1.

Canon Slade School - Bolton.

Ian Thornhill, building services manager at the school, called in Maplewood Services when the main 315A fuse kept blowing consistently.

The existing contractor put the problem down to overloading; however, MSL discovered on testing that the highest load on the three-phase supply was only 50 per cent of its capacity.

The problem of overheating and tripping fuses was identified as harmonic in nature and the school is now undergoing extended monitoring and redemption of the problem, ensuring safe and reliable electricity distribution.

* CASE STUDY 2.

Engineering and manufacturing facility (Merseyside area).

The electrical services manager knew he had a harmonic problem, as the manufacturing arm of the business was utilising microprocessor-controlled equipment and the main switchgear was hot to the touch.

He called in a company to test for harmonic distortion, and they installed expensive monitoring equipment for a one-week period.

At the end of the week he was informed that they had identified harmonics, but no solution to the problem was offered, as the company was not a firm of electricians.

MSL tested, identified and resolved the problem, and also performed phase balancing to correct other identified problems.

* CASE STUDY 3.

University (North of England).

The estates manager called upon MSL to identify why so much heat was being generated in the distribution panels that fed the computer building and, as the servers were critical to the University, they could not be 'powered down' and therefore had never been tested.

The same was true of the HV substations that kept the campus running 24 hours a day.

MSL put together a planned maintenance program of energised testing to ensure revenue and education were not interrupted.

• Maplewood Services: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page

Search the Pro-Talk network of sites

Put your news on Engineeringtalk  |   Advertise  |   Get the free Engineeringtalk newsletter  |   Engineeringtalk Home
About Engineeringtalk  |   Copyright © 2000-2008 Pro-Talk Ltd, UK