Data centres and IT equipment in general are becoming increasingly power hungry as processing speed increases, so the need for greater efficiency of power equipment is paramount. Power factor is the latest parameter to receive attention, with the emergence of unity and linear power factor UPS systems. When talking about UPS systems, there are […]
PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) is a highly toxic combination of molecules, which first came into existence in the late 1800s. The prevalence of PCBs mushroomed in the late 1920s as the technical benefits of the chemical compound were recognised and developed. Present day scientists, governments and businesses are tasked with eliminating PCBs as much as […]
During the production, processing, storing and transportation of flammable substances such as fuel, alcohol, liquid gas, explosive dust, etc., potentially explosive atmospheres may be present. To ensure the safety and availability of a chemical or petrochemical plant, a procedure is required to protect electrical and electronic installations from lightning currents and surges which could […]
Voltage ride through is a common feature in power quality systems which allows equipment to continue operation (maintenance of the voltage) during voltage dips and sags appearing on the grid. However these systems do not always guarantee continued operation of variable speed drives (VSD). To overcome this, VSD sag ride-through systems have been developed. […]
Complex and cost-intensive plants with fully automated processes are required to generate useable final products from biomass. A volatile mixture of gas and air is formed in the vicinity of fermentation and gas tanks, which can therefore be classified as potentially explosive atmospheres. Consequently, reliable protection concepts are required to ensure permanent availability and […]
The drying and processing of wood requires a lot of energy. Holzwerke Weinzierl, a timber processing company in Germany nevertheless manages to generate more power than it consumes. The basis for this achievement is a modern energy management system which uses power measurement terminals and embedded PCs to make the plant’s energy use transparent […]
Reduced power output in PV modules due to Potential Induced Degradation (PID) is something whose importance has resurfaced in recent years due to the introduction of increased module sensitivity and higher system voltages. The phenomenon reduces the output power of a PV module after just a few years of service (Fig. 1) and the […]
The high density of rotating equipment used in refineries means that effective asset management of pumps, turbines, compressors, motors and generators can play a vital role in maintaining plant up-time and achieving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) targets while ensuring high safety levels and profitability. Rotating components within any production process will eventually wear and […]
Building management systems have proved their value in saving energy. There is a large amount of data available which is often not used because of analysis and processing limitations. Multi-unit sites can generate a huge amount of data, which is difficult to correlate store and analyse. Cloud computing and short term forecasting methods are […]
In terms of efficiency and power density, synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs) represent a major step forward in sustainable electric motor technology. Although introduced over a century ago, electric motors continue to experience bursts of innovation and recent years have seen remarkable progress in electric motor efficiency improvements. Since electric motors are involved in a […]
