Where antennas are installed, IEC 60728-11 calls for earthing measures in addition to bonding of the cable network. Conventional satellite and terrestrial antennas are almost exclusively installed on the roofs of buildings. Therefore, the IEC 60728-11 (EN 60728-1) standard calls for earthing measures in addition to equipotential bonding and lightning equipotential bonding of the cable […]
Electrical losses in AC induction motors can be reduced by adding more copper to the stator windings. NYCO Minerals produces wollastonite, a form of calcium silicate used widely in industrial applications such as reinforcing filler in injection-molded plastics. The company’s USA operations are headquartered in Willsboro, New York, where it mines and processes approximately 100 […]
Valuable condition monitoring data, relevant for an entire drive-train, can be unlocked using electrical signals in motors. Advances in sensing, connectivity, cloud and computing technologies are driving the digitisation of industry at an ever-increasing rate. Add analytics algorithms to the mix and customers can extract considerable additional value from their devices, systems and plants. Digitisation […]
The process used to determine thermal resistance values from the LED junction-to-case and LED junction to Ts reference point. Part 1 of this article discusses measuring junction-to-case thermal resistance; determining the K-factor and testing Rth J-C (see Vector, March 2019, page 25). Thermal performance is the most critical aspect of a well-designed LED lighting system. […]
Solar plant owners and operators seek to predict performance decades into the future, but long-term data is limited. When engineers consider the development and procurement of solar energy plants, they typically need to know which solar photovoltaic (PV) modules will perform best in our climate; which are most likely to continue producing energy into the […]
A new power generation technology could provide baseload power while reducing CO2 emissions. Many countries have accepted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement on mitigating climate change. The agreement, which came into force on 4 November 2016, seeks to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by […]
Power distribution requires distribution switchgear to protect installations but “short-circuit current” often varies. Distribution switchgear is needed to deliver electrical power safely to the end-user. Such switchgear and distribution boards must be designed to protect the installation by interrupting faulty circuits and guaranteeing continued operation for non-affected circuits. Breaker types Short-circuits place equipment under great […]
The safe, reliable operation of tunnel boring equipment relies on the integrity of critical bearings and seals. Once construction starts, there’s no going back. A tunnel boring machine (TBM) is not equipped with a reverse gear, so it is imperative that the machine is able to complete its job without suffering any significant mechanical failure […]
Last month’s column started a journey into the reality of the Fourth Industrial Revolution which served as an eye-opener to many of the readers who perhaps never even noticed its beginning and progress. Many of you will remember the famous chess master, Gary Kasparov. Some may even remember that he was pitted against an IBM […]
Until recently, the biofuels industry in South Africa was based on maize and jatropha as feedstock. This changed when biofuels were limited to non-food and non-toxic crops. Initial expectations for the biofuels industry in South Africa were based heavily on specific crops as feedstock but the main contenders, maize and jatropha, have been removed from […]
