EPR march 2014

MAHENG/2012/47805

Vol 2 Issue 5 • Pages 44 • March 1, 2014 • `100/- • www.enpreview.com

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS ON ELECTRICAL & POWER

Special Focus

Switchgear EPR Personality JG Kulkarni, Crompton Greaves INTERVIEWS Sumit Sinha, Mitsubishi Electric India Dr Satish Kumar, Schneider Electric India Tech View New formula to cut power bills by 20%

Smart Meters

smartest way of electricity metering An I-Tech Media Publication

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On Demand.

At Mecc Alte we’re totally focused on bringing you the world-class alternators you need. Being totally independent means we can also respond to new demands quickly and effectively. That’s how we’ve been able to increase our manufacturing capacity, especially on our large alternator range.

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editorial Switching to growth Welcome once again!

Due to its significant requirement in mission critical applications, providing uninterrupted power supply is a challenge the industry is facing today. Likewise, the availability of quality electric equipment is need of the hour to enhance reliability within transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure and reduce aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses at the distribution level.

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To give impetus on these aspects, the government has implemented Restructured APDRP (R-APDRP). This, in turn, provides tremendous opportunity for the switchgear industry.

Today, highly efficient control panel and switchgear applications are in huge demand across end-user segments such as industrial, construction, power generation, and T&D utilities.

Research agency TechNavio forecasts the domestic and industrial switchgear market in India to grow at a CAGR of 9.35 per cent during 2012-2016.

Growth in key sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, steel, cement and telecom are the major growth drivers for switchgear industry. Planned investment across major infrastructure projects such as airports, ports, metro rail, mono rail, industrial corridor are expected to drive the growth further.

The low voltage (LV) and medium voltage (MV) switchgear market in India, which was in its infancy even a couple of decades ago, has matured enough with the advent of advanced technology. According to Frost & Sullivan, the LV switchgear market revenue is estimated to reach $2,170 million in 2017 whereas MV switchgear market revenue to reach $1,735 million.

LV and MV switchgear markets are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.5 per cent and 11.8 per cent, respectively, between 2010 and 2017.

*responsible for selection of news under PRB Act

Even in the global market, the Indian switchgear industry is all set to shine brighter. The global market, of course, is more competitive, but the Indian switchgear industry has the distinct advantage of low (manufacturing) costs.

Hope you will enjoy reading the issue as always. Please do send me your comments at editor@enpreview.com

Printed and published by Subhajit Roy on behalf of I-Tech Media Pvt Ltd. and printed at Print, Process Offset Printers, B-23, Royal Industrial Estate, 5-B, Wadala, Mumbai-400031 and published from I-Tech Media Pvt Ltd. 1, Gayatri, Karumari Amman, Chheda Nagar, Chembur (West), Mumbai - 400089. Editor: Subhajit Roy All rights reserved. While all efforts are made to ensure that the information published is correct, Electrical & Power Review holds no responsibility for any unlikely errors that might occur. The information on products and services / technology on offer is being provided for the reference of readers. However, readers are cautioned to make inquiries and take their decisions on purchase or investment after consulting experts on the subject. Electrical & Power Review holds no responsibility for any decision taken by readers on the basis of information provided herein. Tel.: +91-22-32682214/15, +91-9821667357

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Electrical & Power Review

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Cover Story

Smart meters: smartest way of electricity metering

India is currently witnessing a revolution in electricity metering, where electricity meters are replacing smart meters

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Tech View

New formula to cut power bills by 20% Scientists have invented a new mathematical formula that can reduce the annual electricity consumption of a building by up to 50 per cent

EPR PERSONALITY

Indian switchgear industry poised for better future: CG

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Future of switchgear industry: strong and buoyant

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Cyan Technology provides smart meter communication platform for energy utilities

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C&S Electric to increase focus on overseas market

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Intertek plans aggressive business development in India

JG Kulkarni, Executive Vice President and President Power Business, Crompton Greaves Ltd. (CG), talks on the switchgear industry’s performance, recent trends and future outlook

Interview

Interview

Aditya Khanna, Managing Director, C&S Electric Ltd., discusses about the economic slowdown and his company’s strategy

Sandeep Das, Director - Strategy and BD, South Asia, Intertek, talks about ASTA services and Intertek’s business plan

SPECIAL REPORT

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AVEVA eyes India’s nuclear power market

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Power Update

Richard Longdon, CEO, AVEVA Group, talks about AVEVA’s commitment to the Indian market

A conversation with Sumit Sinha, General Manager, Strategic Planning, Factory Automation and Industrial Division, Mitsubishi Electric India

John Cronin, Executive Chairman, Cyan Technology, explains why smart meters are becoming increasingly important for a developing country like India

Energy Management: a holistic approach

An exclusive interview with Dr Satish Kumar, Energy Efficiency Ambassador and VP, Schneider Electric India, who talks about the required change in approach to manage energy better March 2014

Open Forum Counter-view Power Brand People Electrical & Power Review

Power Update ONGC allots additional 15,000 SCMD gas to SEIL Upstream oil major ONGC Ltd. has now allocated additional 15,000 SCMD (Standard Cubic Metres Per Day) of gas to Steel Exchange India Ltd. (SEIL) which is one of the largest steel manufacturers in the private sector in Andhra Pradesh, for its captive power plant in Kothapeta.

The gas will be supplied from Kammapalem field, Rajahmundry Asset on fall-back basis in pursuant to Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG) guidelines for allocation of gas from small/isolated fields and marginal fields.

The total gas allocation now stands at 75,000 SCMD per day. SEIL has facility to generate upto 12 MW of power at its Kothapeta plant. Presently SEIL is supplying the unutilised power upto 9 MW to APTRANSCO. Expressing his views on this allocation B. Satish Kumar, Managing Director, Steel Exchange India Ltd., said, “We are very happy and take pride to note ONGC has approved our bid and allocated the gas. We have recently upgraded our gas engines for efficient working, and we will be able to reach our full potential of power generation at Kothapeta with this allocation.”

Alstom T&D India wins smart grid contract from Power Grid As part of its commitment to protect the Indian transmission grid, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. has selected Alstom T&D India to deliver its latest generation of grid

security technologies for a critical energy management programme, entitled ‘The Unified Real-Time Dynamic State’. In what will be the world’s largest grid-wide area monitoring system, this game-changing development will enable nation-wide monitoring of power flows across the grid, responding to fluctuations within a fraction of a second. Real-time data ensures that PGCIL can intervene immediately to adjust and match electricity supply to demand.

Valued at ` 3,817 million, the contract covers the supply of a cutting-edge hardware and software solution. For the hardware, Alstom will provide more than 1,300 MiCOM P847 Phasor Measurement Units (PMU), to collect over 18,000 real-time synchronised measurements from 351 substations across the country.

Alstom will also equip 34 control centres at existing national, regional and state load dispatch sites with e-terraphasorpoint, a software which analyses weak spots in the system in real time. It will detect evolving disturbances, tap into latent electricity capacity across electrical transmission corridors and provide actionable information to system operators to take timely decisions such as to prevent blackouts.

Patrick Plas, Senior Vice President - Power Electronics & Automation, Alstom Grid, said, “The timeliness and quality of the data will provide control room operators with the smartest tool yet to optimise the existing grid assets. This will ensure reliability and ultimately provide the highest availability of electricity to India’s citizens. This is unmatched in the history of grid management.”

Adani Foundation bags 3rd Annual Greentech CSR 2013 Award Adani Foundation, the CSR arm of Adani Group, one of the India’s leading infrastructure players, has bagged the 3rd Annual Greentech CSR 2013 Award.

The foundation was awarded for its exemplary activities in the education sector under its CSR program, showcased through the Adani Vidya Mandir School in Ahmadabad.

Dr Bhadrayu Vachhrajani, Director Education, Adani Foundation, received the prestigious award, presented by Chief Guest Dr Bhaskar Chatterjee, CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.

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Commenting on the occasion, Dr Priti G Adani, Managing Trustee, Adani Foundation, said, “We are delighted to receive this award recognising the efforts of the Adani Group and the foundation as a responsible corporate citizen. We adopt a holistic approach while addressing key issues and ensure that the most marginalised sections of

the society in rural and urban areas are covered under the ambit of our social initiatives. We, at Adani Foundation, have a mission to accomplish through passionate commitment towards fostering sustainable, integrated development of communities, thus improving quality of human life in and around the neighbouring communities of our sites in the seven states where we operate. We believe in tackling challenges of poverty alleviation through achieving growth for society at large against traditional giving.”

The Adani Group spends more than 3 per cent of its annual profits on CSR.

Electrical & Power Review

Power Update ACME wins bids for 80 MW at JNNSM Ph-II ACME Solar, one of the leading solar power players in India, has been selected as solar power developer for 80-MW solar PV power projects during the financial bids opening for JNNSM Phase II held at SECI. Commenting on the occasion, Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, Chairman, ACME Solar, said, “The success of the Phase II of JNNSM is a momentous occasion for all stakeholders in achieving the goal of clean, green energy. We thank the Solar Energy Corporation of India and look forward to supporting from all stakeholders to help us actively contribute in achieving the target of generating 22,000 MW solar power by year 2022. Also, emergence of ACME Solar in the bid has further strengthened our position as the leading solar power producer in the country.”

ACME Solar is a three-way joint venture between ACME, EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN), the renewable energy arm of French state-run electricity utility Électricité de France S.A., and Luxembourg-based natural resources saving group EREN. The joint venture has an existing portfolio of 67.5 MW and on way to have solar power generation portfolio of 1,000 MW by the year 2017.

India and Netherlands sign MoU, agree to enhance cooperation in renewable energy The Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah gave the green light to intensifying cooperation between India and the Netherlands on renewable energy.

The minister presided over a ceremony where the Dutch

Ambassador Alphonsus Stoelinga and the Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Dr Satish Balram Agnihotri signed a MoU. Under this agreement, an IndoDutch Joint Working Group will be set up and the exchange of technical and institutional knowledge on clean energy will be facilitated.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Abdullah welcomed the decision of both the governments to enhance their cooperation in the renewable energy and hoped that the MoU would be a just the beginning of a symbiotic and mutually beneficial wave of cooperation in the clean energy sector. The Dutch ambassador emphasised that both their countries have similar ambitions and face similar challenges in realizing clean energy options in the respective countries. He hoped that the MoU would encourage cooperation not only at the official and governmental levels but also between leading Indian and Dutch private companies and research institutions. A number of private companies including DSM, Thermax India and PwC were also present on the occasion.

Dr Abdullah also spoke about the energy situation in India and the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector in India.

He spoke of India’s plans to add over 30 GW of renewable energy to its energy mix in the next 5 years. He dwelt on the success of the wind programme as well as the significant cost reductions in solar energy through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). He also highlighted India’s conducive, investor-friendly policy framework for promoting renewable energy in a big way. Dr Abdullah suggested that India and Netherlands had great potential for enhancing cooperation in promoting renewable energy and assisted in every possible way.

Korean power company to invest in ` 3,450 cr thermal power project in India Yavatmal district of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra with a total expenditure of ` 3,450 crore. The lenders for the project are Rural Electrication Corporation Ltd., Power Finance Corporation, PFS and IIFCL.

Jinbhuvish Power Generations Pvt. Ltd. (JPGPL), a Jinbhuvish Group company, has signed a MoU on technical service support with Korea South-East Power Co. Ltd. (KOSEP), a subsidiary of Government of Korea owned Korea Electric Power Corporation for its ` 3,450 crore thermal power project in Maharashtra. KOSEP is the 40 per cent equity stakeholder in the project which is the first major foreign direct investment (FDI) by this Korean company in Indian power generation sector.

Yep Heo, Chief Executive Officer, KOSEP in the presence of Kyunghwan Toh, Director General of Trade Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Government of Korea.

The MoU is signed by Manish Amarchand Mehta, Chairman, Jinbhuvish Group and

JPGPL is setting up a 2 x 300 MW coal-based thermal power project in

Electrical & Power Review

The project will be operational by 2016. All the major clearances and approvals for the project have already been received, and project is ready to launch with site construction activities commencing soon. The O&M and technical services support will be extended by KOSEP. The corporate office of the JPGPL is located in Mumbai.

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Power Update CG’s net sales up by 12.7% to ` 3,352 cr in Q3 Avantha Group Company CG has announced its financial results for the third quarter ended December 31, 2013.

The consolidated net sales rose by 12.7 per cent to ` 3,352 crore as against ` 2,972 crore in the same period of last year.

Net profit for the quarter stood at ` 62 crore as against a net loss of `189 crore in Q3FY13.

During the quarter, CG consolidated received orders worth ` 2,624 crore, this was up by 16 per cent against Q3 last year. The order backlog as on December 31, 2013 stands at ` 10,074 crore.

The orders from non-Indian operations rose by 47 per cent during the quarter compared to the same period of last year.

Driven by the smart grid business, the automation division witnessed a growth of 60 per cent during the quarter as compared to the same period of the last fiscal.

In the first 9 months of the fiscal FY13-14, consolidated net profit was at ` 180 crore as compared to consolidated net loss of ` 61.41 crore in the 9 months to December 31, 2012.

Net sales during the period were up by 11.5 per cent to ` 9,714 crore as against ` 8,707 crore in the same period of FY12-13.

Laurent Demortier, CEO and Managing Director, Avantha Group Company CG, said, “The third quarter performance was in-line with our expectations. Despite a difficult market environment, we have been able to secure high quality orders across all regions.”

L&T Power’s Rajpura Supercritical Thermal Plant starts commercial operations L&T Power has successfully completed commissioning and testing of the first unit of its 2 x 700 MW supercritical thermal power plant of Nabha Power on January 31, 2014.

The plant was constructed on a turnkey basis by L&T Power with more than 90 per cent of the equipment sourced from the group companies of L&T. The supercritical boiler and turbine were manufactured by L&T’s joint-venture companies with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) located in Hazira, Gujarat.

The plant is the largest unit of any indigenously manufactured power plant in the country.

Describing the Rajpura Plant as another important milestone in L&T’s history, Shailendra Roy, Member of the Board, L&T, said, “We have demonstrated our capability as the leading power plant EPC player in the country with the successful commissioning of the first unit of the Rajpura Plant. The timely completion and stable operations further establishes L&T’s ability to build large complex engineering marvels of global standards.”

Final pre-commercialisation tests involved continuous operation of the plant for 72 hours at full peak load of 700 MW. Subsequently the plant had to undergo two sets of rampup and ramp-down tests. Conducted by an independent engineer, the tests were monitored by teams of experts from Punjab State Power Corporation, Lahmeyer International and L&T Power.

TERI launched first-of-its-kind solar lighting laboratory in South Asia The programme has supported TERI in the upgrade and expansion of its solar lighting laboratory by designing it inline with international best practices, equipping the lab with the latest technology and equipment.

TERI has established a Solar Lighting Laboratory, a first of its kind in South Asia, to provide a platform for quality testing of off-grid lighting products, adhering to international standards.

The laboratory can test products in accordance with methods specified in the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) framework for evaluating off-grid lighting products.

IEC is the world’s leading organisation for the preparation and publication of international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

The laboratory is supported by the

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Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and International Financial Corporation (IFC) and is currently in compliance with quality procedures, as laid down by the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL). The ability of the laboratory to cater to the testing needs of both rural as well as urban lighting infrastructure makes it stand out from other laboratories.

These test methods were jointly developed by IFC and the World Bank prior to adoption by the International Electrotechnical Commission. The lab will emerge as a testing hub for the South Asia region and become one of the handful of labs worldwide designed to test products in-line with the process laid down by the IEC.

Electrical & Power Review

Power Update Cooper Corporation launches 200 KVA Diesel Generators

Historic MoU for establishing a 4,000 MW UMSPP in Rajasthan

Cooper Corporation, an Engine Major launches a 200 KVA range of cost efficient and silent revolution in eco-friendly diesel generators under the brand name“Cooper ECOPACK” at the MEE Expo 2014 in Dubai. The Low fuel consumption generator is lighter in weight, smaller in size and engine meets with US & European Emission norms.

An Ultra Mega Solar Power Project (UMSPP) with a cumulative capacity of 4,000 MW will be set up in Rajasthan near Jaipur, close to Sambhar Lake. Significantly, with the commissioning of this plant and commercial utilisation of the harvested energy, this would become the largest single location solar electricity generation project in the world.

Years of in-house research and the technical collaboration with Ricardo, UK, have culminated in the launch of the Cooper ECOPACK gensets, are available in power ranging from 10KVA - 200 KVA.Today’s operating cost of gensets will be double approximately as the government is slowly removing subsidy on diesel. Cooper has come out with revolutionary breakthrough technology in collaboration with Ricardo, an international design engineering company. The entire range goes up to 200 KVA powered by 2, 3, 4 and 6 Cylinder Cooper engines.

A joint-venture company (JVC) will develop the solar power project with equity participation from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (26 per cent), Solar Energy Corporation of India (23 per cent), Hindustan Salts Ltd. (16 per cent), POWERGRID (16 per cent), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (16 per cent) and Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Ltd. (3 per cent). The project setup on land provided by SSL will have equipment supplied by BHEL, power evacuation by POWERGRID, sale of electricity by SECI, O&M by REIL and project management by SJVNL.

Commenting on the launch of Cooper Corp’s 200 KVA ECOPACK generators, Farrokh N. Cooper, Chairman and Managing Director says, “The ECOPACK series will set a global platform for Cooper Corporation as this genset claims a unique position among other diesel power generators in India. It owes this distinction to several outstanding features and benefits like 25 per cent lower fuel consumption, 25 per cent smaller in size, 40 per cent lighter in weight, 42 per cent saving in maintenance cost and several times quieter.

Cooper Corp’s Eco Pack could be used for homes, farm houses, bungalows, hotels and retail outlets,offices, telecom towers and many more.”

To this effect, a MoU was signed among the six companies in the presence of Praful Patel, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy and other dignitaries. B. Prasada Rao, CMD, BHEL; Rajendra Nimde, MD, SECI; R.K. Tandon, CMD, SSL; R.N. Nayak, CMD, Powergrid; R.P. Singh, CMD, SJVN and A.K. Jain, CMD, REIL; signed the MoU. The plant will be set up in two phases over a period of 7 years with Phase-I comprising 1,000 MW and the balance 3,000 MW in subsequent phases. The JVC will be incorporated as a public limited company under DHI and have its registered office in Delhi/NCR.

AVEVA brings step change in innovation to ARC World Industry Forum AVEVA demonstrated how its two latest software innovations help its customers to improve productivity and reduce risk at the ARC World Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida, 10-13 February. AVEVA E3D Insight, AVEVA’s first Windows 8.1 mobile app, enables 3D model viewing and approval by decision makers anytime, anywhere, maximising project efficiency in ways that were never before possible. AVEVA Activity Visualisation Platform (AVEVA AVP) uses advanced Industrial Gaming technology to create an immersive plant simulation environment that enables improved operational safety

Electrical & Power Review

and efficiency through more effective personnel training.

“The ARC World Industry Forum provides a great opportunity to listen to the needs of the process industries and continue our long-standing relationship with the ARC Advisory Group,” said William Muldoon, Executive Vice President, North America, AVEVA. “Both innovations, AVEVA E3D Insight and AVEVA AVP, represent not just a steady evolution of existing technologies, but a true step change to the way our customers can work. Both products offer our

customers entirely new approaches to solving real-world problems. They have been extremely well received since they were launched a couple of months ago and we look forward to sharing with the ARC Forum delegates how these ground-breaking solutions can improve productivity and reduce risk throughout the entire life cycle of their digital assets.”

AVEVA is also participating in the panel session ’Plant Design Information Platforms and the Virtual Environment’, which will be held on Wednesday, 12 February at 4:00pm.

March 2014

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OPEN FORUM

Interim Budget 2014-15: who said what Relief for automobile industry

Despite being low on expectations in an election year, Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s Interim Budget has given a pleasant surprise at least partly to the manufacturing sector which has been bleeding. The excise duty cut on automobiles and capital goods will provide a much-needed relief to these sectors.

- Rana Kapoor, Assocham President

Boost for local manufacturing

We welcome four 500 MWs of solar project as we do see similarities to the UMPP policy of GOI whereby developers have to mandatorily source their Main Plant equipment (BTG) from domestic manufacturers. By adopting DCR for these four projects, government will give a lot of boost to local solar manufacturing industry and spur the investments. What this means is, solar industry in India is at the cusp of turnaround and ready to grow well beyond 20,000 MWs by 2022.

- Deepak Puri, CMD, Moser Baer India

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Electrical & Power Review

OPEN FORUM

Reduction in exercise duty to revive demand

The reduction in excise duty on sectors such as automobiles, capital goods and consumer electronics is indeed welcome, as this will help revive demand in these sectors

- Kris Gopalakrishnan, President CII

Lesser petroleum subsidies is welcome

Provision for lesser petroleum subsidies will necessitate the government to pass on more cost of crude to diesel and PDS (LPG and kerosene) consumers. For the development of the petroleum sector, that is welcome.

However, attempt to here onwards keep oil companies’ share of subsidy burden with a pre-determined ceiling seems difficult to succeed

- Deepak Mahurkar, Leader Oil & Gas , PwC India

Electrical & Power Review

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COUNTER-VIEW

India Should Focus On Solar Energy To Abolish Slavery To Petrol And Coal Producing Nations: Dr Farooq Abdullah

“If India wants to be progressive and not be a slave to petrol and coal producing countries, then the focus has to be on solar energy. In line with our national target, we are in process of setting diverse solar projects across the country. These include a 4000 MW solar project close to salt water lake in Rajasthan.

In remote areas like Ladakh, transmission lines being set up to take power generated from solar projects to various villages. We have been running a pilot project to assess the viability of large scale grid connected rooftop solar projects and the run has been successful so far,” said Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) at Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) roundtable discussion in Mumbai.

He urged the country to focus on solar energy in order to abolish dependence on non-renewable forms of energy. The round table was aimed at bringing government authorities and industry players together for discussing opportunities and issues related to grid connected rooftop PV installations across the nation.

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Solar power not viable under current tariff: Ajoy Mehta

While states across the country are putting best their efforts in harnessing solar power, the Maharashtra government has expressed their inability to go ahead due to the heavy gaps in the tariff structure for the solar energy.

The current tariff structure that cross-subsidises lowend consumers by charging high-end users more is the major roadblock in accepting According to Ajoy Mehta, Principal Secretary (Energy), Maharashtra, against a procurement cost of ` 3.30-3.50 a unit of conventional energy, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking charge ` 3.50 per unit at the lower end and ` 11 per unit for large commercial consumers. The tariff for farmers is ` 1 a unit across the state.

Expressing this concern, Mr Mehta said, if the procurement cost of grid-based solar energy is fixed at ` 6-7/unit, then the commercial and industrial consumers need to be taxed more, which would make grid-based solar power unviable.

Electrical & Power Review

tech view

Current and voltage sensors continue to innovate The future of protection and monitoring in electrical power supply networks

T

he future of protection lies in the latest current and voltage sensor technology, collectively known as Combi-Sensors. These sensors are based on the principle of a Rogowski Coil — coil without iron core.

Current sensors operate on the same principles as conventional iron-core current transformers (CTs). The main difference is that the coil is wound over a non-magnetic core (air) instead of an iron core. As a result, current sensors are linear as the air core cannot saturate. However, the mutual coupling between the primary conductor and the secondary winding in current sensors is much smaller than in CTs. Therefore, output power is small, and it can provide input signals for microprocessorbased devices alone, that have a high input resistance. These sensors actually measure voltage across the coil secondary output terminals, which are interpreted by the Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs).

Current sensors have performance characteristics that are favourable when compared to conventional CTs. These are: Accuracy Current sensors can be used for metering, protection and control. The wide range linearity of sensors makes it possible to combine sensors for measurement and protection in one single device, resulting in smaller dimensions, simpler lowvoltage circuit cabling and more uniform cubicle design.

Linearity (no saturation) Current sensors are linear over a wide range of currents.

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No order-specific calculation for various primary currents is necessary. There is no need for calculation of accuracy limit factors.

No accuracy vs burden calculation Current sensors are used with micro-processor Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) that have high input impedance.

Therefore, no calculation for accuracy versus burden is required.

Size Current sensors are small and compact. They can easily be combined with voltage sensors in one device: a combi-sensor.

They can be incorporated into various types of equipment like switches, reclosers, circuit breakers, power transformers etc. They can be installed around bushings or post insulators, resulting in more compact equipment and switchgear.

Weight Current Sensors are light weight, especially compared to conventional current transformers with heavy iron cores.

An even bigger weight/size benefit results from the use of combined units, comprising both current and voltage sensors.

Safety: low secondary (transmitted) voltage Current sensor output signal is low enough to be harmless to secondary equipment and people, even when the highest currents and voltages occur on breaking a circuit, or a shortcircuit in the signal cable will cause no hazards or damage.

Electrical & Power Review

tech view Even under fault conditions such as a primary short-circuit, the transmitted signal is approximately 10V (depending on scale factor in specific application) or less. In addition, current sensors have a small mutual inductance so they cannot produce significant current, even if the terminals are shorted.

These voltage levels are generally below the values where operating personnel need to apply specific safety precautions and cannot cause hazards to secondary insulation and instruments. Therefore, there is no need to calculate an instrument security factor.

Terminal blocks not required Current sensors are interconnected to relays by shielded cables and connectors. Terminal blocks are not used as they can be open-circuited without any risk of developing voltages dangerous for personnel. In addition, a cable is a part of the Rogowski Coil, and the whole set-up is accuracy tested. Therefore, there is no need for additional cabling and calculation of burden impedance/influence and providing fast installation on-site without any tools.

Simplified ordering As one current sensor basic design can cover a wide range of applications, the amount of product versions is considerably small. Order-specific actions are minimal and the logistic process short. As a result, the delivery time for standard sensors may be shorter than for traditional instrument transformers.

Improved switchgear design and performance Current sensors enable improvement in switchgear design by reducing dimensions and improving metering, control and protection performance. This is possible because they accurately reproduce primary currents under normal and fault conditions, including harmonics and high-frequency disturbances.

Current sensors

Protection features offered by switchgear are enhanced by the use of modern relays and these sensors: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Better selectivity Improved fault location Better disturbance analysis Power quality measurements Remote monitoring and control Easy maintenance Optimised maintenance program Simplified IED testing Faster installation within switchgear Optimised wiring Lightweight Small coil size contributes to improved air-flow and cooling inside switchgear • Lower total costs of ownership.

Environmental aspects • Less use of raw materials: Sensors with small dimensions enable design of compact and less complicated cubicles.

• Less copper inside: The amount of copper in a single current sensor is only a fraction of that used in a corresponding multi-core current transformer. The absence of iron cores makes the recycling of the primary winding possible.

• Small power consumption: The efficiency of a sensor is high when compared with instrument transformers. In addition, there are no losses in the secondary cabling.

Reduced inventory costs Less variation in inventory requirements improves installation time when replacements are needed, reducing equipment downtime; thereby, lowering overall sensor costs to the utility or industrial company.

Added protection features In addition, current sensors make protection schemes possible that were not achievable by conventional CTs because of saturation, size, weight and/or difficulty encountered when attempting to install current transformers around conductors that cannot be opened.

There are many other inherent advantages of these sensors that make modern day design of switchgear very effective.

~

Authored by — Pradeep Gomastha, GM - Core Engineering, Megawin Switchgear Pvt. Ltd.

Electrical & Power Review

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tech view

New formula to cut power bills by 20%

C

ompanies across the world lose millions of dollars annually through inefficient heating and cooling systems.

Nearly 95 per cent of all U.S. companies don’t monitor their building energy efficiency due to a lack of awareness, existing infrastructure restrictions or the prohibitive cost of commercial monitors.

Li Song from University of Oklahoma and her research colleagues, Gang Wang from University of Miami and Mike Brambley from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, have invented a method that can overcome these barriers to significantly reduce building operating costs as well as energy consumption.

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The applied research has potential to reduce energy consumption in a single structure by as much as 20 per cent.

Depending on the building conditions, Song estimates peak savings could be as much as 30 to 50 per cent.

Song’s research team devised a mathematical formula using existing output data, such as pump speed and power, to monitor energy use in heating, ventilation and air conditioning units. Based on the results, the formula detects unreliable systems and faulty equipment that affects energy consumption.

Song’s formula creates virtual sensors to identify energy waste at the airhandling unit as well as at a wholebuilding level.

“Waiting until exorbitant utility bills appear may be a sign that the equipment hasn’t worked optimally for years,” said Song. “This method allows earlier detection of minor equipment faults, possibly preventing an overhaul of the entire system.”

Besides saving companies money on utility bills, Song’s formula is a low-cost option to commercial monitors, making it easier for more companies to track energy efficiency.

Song estimates one ultrasonic flow meter, which monitors water pump performance, could cost as much as $5,000, and an organisation would need to buy several monitors to get an accurate picture. Song’s virtual process uses little to no hardware and is within

Electrical & Power Review

tech view

Scientists have invented a new mathematical formula that can reduce the annual electricity consumption of a building by up to 50 per cent

2 per cent uncertainty ranges compared with commercial meters.

Prior to developing virtual sensing, Song implemented the energy monitoring and operation fault detection and diagnosis manually in more than 100 buildings with cumulative savings exceeding $70 million. In one building alone, her method reduced annual electricity consumption by 53 per cent, electricity demand by 21 per cent and gas consumption by 49 per cent in one year. In another building the structure qualified as an Energy Star building five months after the evaluation.

Song’s research, which has focused on corporate efficiencies, is now entering the government sector. Her

Electrical & Power Review

research team was recently awarded a three-year, $1 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to increase building efficiencies at military installations. Her first analysis focuses on Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“The U.S. Department of Defense spends $4 billion each year in facility operations,” said Song. “They have a federal mandate to reduce building energy consumption by 30 per cent by 2015. My research team thinks we can double the reduction.”

Song is one of a few researchers in the United States working on improving HVAC efficiencies using virtual sensor measurements. Her next research focuses on creating wider applications

for the virtual sensors using equipment data beyond “vents and pumps.”

Song is also in the process of developing a smart-device that contains all the mathematical formulas so the building owner can plug it into an existing system easily and monitor energy efficiency on an ongoing basis.

“The virtual valve flow meter won’t replace conventional flow meters if they are needed for utility metering for billing,” said Song, “but it does offer companies an inexpensive and readily accessible solution to monitor energy consumption.

Companies can use the information to create a more efficient system, saving them money while reducing energy consumption.” ~

March 2014

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EPR PERSONALITY

Indian switchgear industry poised for better future: CG

A “The present hardship which the industry has faced, has helped the Industry grow. It forced the switchgear industry to focus its energies on core competency, efficiency, standardisation and product innovation,” says JG Kulkarni, Executive Vice President and President Power Business, Crompton Greaves Ltd. (CG)

vantha group company CG manufactures the widest range of medium to ultra high voltage (UHV) switchgear products to meet the requirements of power utilities and industries. In an exclusive interview with EPR, JG Kulkarni (popularly known as JGK), talks on the industry’s performance, recent trends and future outlook.

What is the status of the Indian switchgear industry?

The Indian switchgear industry has been reeling under the global slowdown. The demand in domestic markets has dropped and this has led to excess capacities becoming available.

Consequently, prices have plummeted.

There have also been delays in floating enquiries and in finalising tenders and this, in turn, has lead to a reduced order pipeline in many companies.

Naturally, switchgear companies are now becoming conservative in their capacity expansion plans. Fortunately, with regard to the export market, SEAP, Middle East and Africa continue to show positive growth, and so, many Indian Switchgear manufacturers are focusing on exports to these markets.

What are some of the changing trends in the switchgear industry?

The switchgear industry is seeing a major shift in customer behaviour.

In the transmission sector many utilities are shifting towards a “turnkey project” approach. Companies are now

expected to undertake the entire job on a turnkey basis and maintain the same for a pre-defined period of time.

The project is only handed over to the utility after the agreed time period has been completed.

Another interesting development is that in the distribution sector, many utilities are reforming their networks under R–APDRP schemes. New cables and overhead conductors are being laid and breakers are being installed, thereby significantly improving the quality of the power supply.

Another new development is that customers are now demanding an extended warranty on the products.

When it comes to CG’s products, what would you regard as a major technological milestone?

CG has a reputation for being a one-stop-supplier for all switchgear products. We have a wide range, extending from medium voltage (MV) to extra high voltage (EHV) to ultra high voltage (UHV). We are also market leaders in many product families. The technologies we offer are at par with international competitors. We supply to more than 50 countries around the world.

In switchgear technology, we have an exclusive R&D team of more than 60 dedicated engineers. Our technological expertise extends from oil-paper to gas to vacuum technologies. Additionally, 22

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March 2014

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Electrical & Power Review

INTERVIEW

Future of switchgear industry: strong and buoyant

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“The industry is positive and looking forward to a better future with growth in manufacturing sector,” says Sumit Sinha, General Manager, Strategic Planning, Factory Automation and Industrial Division, Mitsubishi Electric India

he present scenario of switchgear industry is quite positive, though the current economic situation is a concern for organic growth of big players. Post election, however, both organic and inorganic growth opportunities are expected. The switchgear industry can grow with a double-digit rate. In an exclusive conversation with EPR, Sumit Sinha shares all things about the switchgear industry.

Future trends industry

in

switchgear

The installation of switchgears will become more complex. With the increasing demands, the pollution in the electrical system (harmonics) is bound to increase, hence products with strong electronics protections are going to play a major role for précised protections and continuity of supply.

Electronics trip units also bound to become a critical part of the switchgear with capability of communication for data and energy management.

Compactness is another attribute which will be in high demand as the cost of the land and availability of space are becoming scarce. Compact switchgear to handle complexities of installation is need of the hour.

Solutions approach is another trend — be it coming from a product, or from an integrated engineered solution. End-toend enterprising is a strong trend and

should occupy more and more space in coming future.

Mitsubishi philosophy Mitsubishi Electric is all about reliability, quality, flexibility and ecofriendly products which give high productivity and efficiency, leading to profitability. Mitsubishi USP for switchgear revolves around the same philosophy.

Its circuit breakers are most compact, reliable and product with least wattage loss, enabling customer to save energy in short and long term with ROIs. In switchgear industry, this has not been talked about. However, with scarcity of energy and everescalating energy prices, users have started to pay attention to energy optimisation also.

Japanese technology, the most advanced in manufacturing and quality process, gives Mitsubishi switchgears an edge, and the company is gradually gaining acceptance.

Price vs quality One of the key challenges for the industry is price. With an increase in demand and considering higher complexities involved, switchgears are not fetching the right price in the market. All leading players are playing on price point to capture the market share.

The irony of electrical industry is that 22

Electrical & Power Review

March 2014

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EPR PERSONALITY 20

f

we offer contemporary products to meet every type of switchgear requirement.

Our journey, through in-house R&D expertise, has taken us across the entire spectrum - from 400 kV product technologies to higher 800 kV and 1200 kV class products. We have achieved this expertise on a global level - for global markets and global standards.

For CG, this is a major milestone in our endeavour towards self sufficiency.

Thanks to this expertise, we can offer high-voltage instrument transformers which are highly configured and finely graded, to deliver superior accuracy with high reliability, for modern-day power grids.

We have made similar progress with our gas circuit breakers too. We have been able to use the discharge arc energy itself to reduce the mechanical energy and to optimise the drive mechanism for superior performance.

Our gas circuit breakers also use a dual motion technology to further enhance their arc quenching performance. This is what makes our technology one level higher than conventional technologies.

This technology has been indigenously developed and is now patented.

In MV too, our switchgear have already proven themselves in the field and have met stringent requirements of M2 class.

Now they are being upgraded to C2 and E2 class to reach global markets.

Through continuous research, testing, and development, our indoor panel switchgear is capable of withstanding 21

We have also crossed impressive milestones in UHV. We successfully developed three new 1200 kV UHV power products for the prestigious Indian UHV test station at Bina. This achievement has now become the hallmark of our R&D development capabilities.

In fact, we recently inaugurated a unique ` 400 crore dedicated 1600 kV UHV Research Centre of worldclass standard, exclusively for R&D activities. This Research Centre will develop new products and optimise performances through rigorous testing. Currently, the R&D teams here are engaged in relatively unchartered waters of technology such as disruptive technologies, HV current interruption through vacuum, and higher breaking capacity with optimised gas volumes.

We are actively and dedicatedly pushing the frontiers of switchgear technology.

What are the key challenges the Indian switchgear industry is facing?

The key challenges for the Indian switchgear industry in the near future will be rising costs due to inflation, rising commodity prices on account of rupee devaluation, under utilisation of capacity due to low demand and innovation in products’ features.

Where do you see the Indian switchgear industry in the coming years?

The Indian switchgear industry is poised for a better future. They say “necessity is the mother of invention.”

The present hardship which the

The key challenges for the Indian switchgear industry in the near future will be rising costs due to inflation, rising commodity prices on account of rupee devaluation, under utilisation of capacity due to low demand and innovation in products’ features

industry has faced has helped the Industry grow. It forced the switchgear industry to focus its energies on core competency, efficiency, standardisation and product innovation. As a result the Indian switchgear industry has become more alert and agile and is now more competitive in the global market. We also have the benefit of low costs here in India. This gives us a distinct advantage. However, high interest rates continue to be a major spoilsport.

f

price is being chosen over quality. This phenomenon has led to switchgears to lose its charm and sanctity.

Mitsubishi Electric feels it’s their duty to enable and educate users to make a prudent selection for protection of their electrical installations.

Future of the switchgear industry India as an economy still has to realise

22

an internal arc of 40 kA, 1 sec. This is currently the highest fault current in MV distribution networks.

March 2014

its natural resources, and demographic dividend potential can make the nation a strong manufacturingdriven economy. In fact, as many market researchers suggest, India would be a strong manufacturing economy, contributing to 25 per cent of the global manufacturing output in coming years.

Possibility

of

few

mergers

and

acquisitions (M&A) can’t be ruled out.

This industry will be dominated by few major players who would provide solutions for each market and customer segments.

The distribution model will witness a sea change in coming years and advent of mega distributors could possibly be future of the switchgear industry.

Electrical & Power Review

COVER STORY

India is currently witnessing a revolution in electricity metering, where electricity meters are replacing smart meters

W

ith rapidly changing technical necessities of consumers, electricity meter market is assertively innovating technologies, mainly the power distribution companies. Energy, an important commodity, has been measured and examined over the years, and many new technologies have evolved to gain more benefit from metering systems.

According to IMS Research, there are 178 million smart meters for energy installed, until 2016 this number is expected to rise to 343 million.

The ‘smart’ meters Smart meters are considered as the next generation of electricity meters. Smart meters can help utilities constantly monitor and measure the consumption pattern by individual customers, who would be aware of any tampering events

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March 2014

recorded and control the consumption during grid stress and peak shortage.

“Smart meters are equipped with communication capabilities such as Zigbee or Z wave which can communicate with various controller/ devices and manage load of user effectively,” explains Sunil Singhvi, Vice President – Energy, Secure Meters Ltd. According to J K Agarwal, Marketing Director, Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd., “The smart meters are really smart as they measure the electricity, control the load according to electrical parameters and communicate with central server station for real-time meter data monitoring and analysis.”

Relevance in India India loses crores because of power theft which leads to unbilled consumption and unlawful usage of electricity. Smart

meters have a very good potential in the country because it offers more control in energy usage and accurate bills.

Even aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) loss is a serious threat to financial viability of power distribution utilities. AT&C losses, the difference between units input into the system and the units for which the payment is collected, were as high as 38.86 per cent in 2001-02 and 34.54 per cent in 2005-06. Although there is no publicly available information of AT&C losses in India, it is said to be around 25 per cent.

According to Deepak V Konnur, Vice President and Sainath Bandhakavi, Sr Manager – Energy & Utilities, IBM India, “Real-time analytics tools can help utilities monitor the performance parameters like AT&C losses in a particular feeder and take immediate

Electrical & Power Review

COVER STORY

Smart meters smartest way of electricity metering

action to mitigate losses to occur for a longer time.”

Smart advantages The benefits of smart meters are considerable. Smart meters are more efficient and keep a check on usage data which help in keeping energy use under control. Smart meters offer quicker detection and reporting.

According to Mr Agarwal, “Smart meters bring many advantages. It has in-built load control switches in a single unit. It offers integrated communication facility over GPRS and Zigbee. These meters are DLMS/COSEM compliance — open protocol for communication.”

Scoring over traditional meters Smart meter, which is replacing traditional meter, records total electricity consumption every 30 minutes and sends that information automatically

Electrical & Power Review

through wireless technology, whereas traditional meters can only measure the total amount of electricity once a month because they are read manually.

“In comparison to traditional meter, smart meter has interoperable metering system and integrated system for load measurement, controlling and data communication. It provides real-time meter data information and has reduced manual intervention,” emphasizes Mr Agarwal.

Disadvantages With any new technology, there are some doubts. While smart meters have various advantages, they also have certain drawbacks.

“Smart meter has dependency for remote communication on GPRS network availability,” emphasises Mr Agarwal. “The communication network

availability/failure is a big issue in rural area.”

Challenges Absence of consumer demand toward smart meters is a big challenge as there are no/limited incentives available for prepayment, no instruction of TOU tariff rates, no incentive/benefits for load management and low awareness about their electricity bills and smart meters.

Most important, the government-owned utilities aren’t keen of new technologies.

Key products and technologies Competition in the market has pushed companies to create innovative products and technology. Companies are producing products which are DLMS/ COSEM compliance, have GPRS and Zigbee (LPRF) enabled communication technology with in-built load control switches.

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ONE-ON-ONE

Cyan Technology provides smart meter communication platform for energy utilities

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“Cyan works with energy utilities, meter manufacturers and system integrators to provide a complete endto-end solution” says John Cronin, Executive Chairman, Cyan Technology

ambridge, UK located Cyan, which delivers mesh-based flexible wireless solutions for utility metering and lighting control, is aggressively increasing its footprint in the Indian market. In an interview with Subhajit Roy, John Cronin explains why smart meters are becoming increasingly important for a developing country like India where power loss or leakage is equivalent to $32 billion per annum. With 10 years of experience working in India, John was instrumental in merging a British Telecom company, Azure, with the Bangalore based company Subex.

Could you explain to us about your roadmap for India?

We have been working in India for 5 years and have established key partnerships with energy utilities, leading meter manufacturers and system integrators as well as working with the India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) and other Indian smart grid experts.

Cyan has 6 fully qualified India meter manufacturer partners who are ready to deliver Cyan’s integrated solution for smart metering deployments, CyLec. CyLec solutions provide a migration path through Automated Meter Reading (AMR) to full Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). In addition, we are delighted to announce the launch of the CyLec Retrofit solution for the Indian market. The retrofit technology is a

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small piece of hardware and associated software that converts a static meter which has already been installed into a fully functional smart meter and we have already seen a lot of interest in this.

Looking at the roadmap, as we move forward from pilot projects to commercial deployment of smart meters, there is a requirement to create an interoperable ‘open system’. Meter manufacturers could adopt a standard Open Meter Protocol that allows utilities to interface between meters from different manufacturers through Cyan’s wireless mesh networking platform.

This would address the need of every utility to procure meters from various manufacturers to ensure they have a reliable supply chain and are able to negotiate competitive pricing.

As the smart metering projects in India move from pilot stage to large scale deployment, Cyan could initiate a new licensing model which would allow utilities, meter manufacturers and system integrators to buy wireless modules from multiple vendors in order to secure the best commercial arrangements and reliable supply.

This licensing model would allow semiconductor device companies to provide meter manufacturers with a single chip solution that includes all the functions required to build smart meters. The meter manufacturers

Electrical & Power Review

would then be able to source chips from any one of these licensees rather than just Cyan.

I hope these two initiatives will accelerate India’s deployment of smart metering solutions.

Are the Indian utilities prepared for smart metering?

Distributed by

In the last 5 years, we have deployed several low-power smart metering pilots that demonstrate our technology in rapidly growing, high-density urban areas across India.

Despite successful evaluation of Cyan’s CyLec technology, the advance to large scale deployments has been delayed.

In August 2013, the Indian Government, under the Ministry of Power, released the ‘Smart Grid Vision and Roadmap for India’ and I am confident this will help to accelerate the roll out.

Furthermore, the energy market in India today is much more aware of the benefits of smart metering technologies to manage consumption through functionality, such as demand forecasting and demand side management.

What are the major challenges the industry is facing?

Today, India incurs power loss or leakage equivalent to $32 billion per annum. We can help utilities to reduce this loss significantly using smart metering technology.

When someone tampers with the meter, an alert will immediately be sent to the utility so that they can take action, e.g. disconnect the meter. This enables utilities to stop the electricity flow in cases where the meter tampering is resulting in electricity theft. Smart metering technology also allows utilities to shift the load between industrial and domestic consumers during peak hours through tools such as real-time Time of Use tariffs and incentives. In addition, it reduces meter reading and billing costs, as well as the cost of correcting many of the errors that occur due to faulty meter reading.

Could you highlight the benefits of CyLec? Why people should go for it?

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The adoption of smart metering technology improves peak demand management, meter reading accuracy and fraud detection. CyLec provides a communication platform to and from the meter, enabling functions such as remote tamper detection and reporting.

requirements completely and is affordable

Cyan works with energy utilities, meter manufacturers and system integrators to provide a complete end-to-end solution. It offers intelligent information to the utilities which enable them take action on their distribution networks.

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In partnership with the Indian energy market, Cyan has developed solutions that help to address the specific challenges that the utilities face. The most pressing requirement is to reduce losses due to tampering and theft. The first step is to collect data from millions of

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Electrical & Power Review

at the same time.

ONE-ON-ONE meters in rapidly growing and typically unplanned urban areas, then issue accurate bills and collect the cash.

When this is done, the utility can reinvest this cash in its overall infrastructure.

CyLec therefore helps them to earn greater revenue and to be self-sufficient as they move forward.

So, can we say that the CyLec brings the real intelligence in smart meters?

Yes, CyLec communicates the data from the meter sources to the utility, where the data can provide real intelligence.

Cyan works with energy utilities, meter manufacturers and system integrators to provide a complete end-to-end solution.

It offers intelligent information to the utilities which enable them take action on their distribution networks In India, what are the major projects you are working in?

Cyan is involved in several projects and is working on pilots under the Ministry of Power’s ‘Smart Grid Vision and Roadmap for India’ and R-APDRP program.

How is your JV with Larsen &Toubro working? Where do you see this JV in future?

Our partnership with Larsen & Toubro is highly valued and we will continue to work closely with them. In January, Cyan attended Elecrama 2014 in Bangalore to demonstrate our CyLec wireless

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technology, which features in Larsen & Toubro’s new fully functional smart meter.

Are you looking at any other partnerships?

In this eco-system we need to work in partnerships with utilities, meter manufacturers and system integrators.

We have to also work in partnership with information technology (IT) companies who have a good understanding of the deployment and support our wireless system.

So, I am always in favour of local partnerships; that’s how the world works in this business. I would encourage more partnerships as we move forward.

Also, as there is more traction in the market, more and more companies are coming to us and asking for support, which will help us to move ahead with them to deliver additional services.

How much did you invest in India so far and what sort of capital investment plans you have?

Cyan has invested millions of dollars in the Indian market and we will continue with our investment. In March 2013, Cyan appointed a country manager as well as local sales and technical resource. Going forward, Cyan will continue to grow our team in India with additional sales and business development staff.

In addition to the recruitment of fieldbased personnel, Cyan has qualified two India based Tier-1 Contract Equipment Manufacturers to build our hardware solutions both for the India market and for export. Both manufacturers are global companies offering a comprehensive range of Original Equipment Manufacturer services and hold ISO 9001 and other regulatory certificates.

What are the long- and shortterm objectives you have for the Indian market?

Our long-term objective is to significantly contribute to the government’s goals in

developing an ‘open system’ and reduce the AT&C losses.

Cyan is manufacturing locally in India for the Indian market. We would like to expand on the basis of orders that are coming through. We also want to act as thought leaders providing end-to-end communication for smart metering as a platform to incremental solutions such as electricity meters, gas and water meters, lighting and home appliances.

Our short-term objective is to help utilities in the gradual adaption of smart meters. We can ask them to allocate 10 to 20 per cent of their static meters and provide them a communication platform to enable their meters to be ‘smart’. Utilities could also ensure that tenders make provision for an upgrade path to AMI and smart metering.

Gradually the utility can develop processes, and methodologies that deliver real value. That’s why our objective is to win business in certain areas and ensure that the people understand the value Cyan’s solutions deliver as we go forward.

Do you have any plan to become end-to-end solution provider in the Indian smart metering segment?

Cyan offers end-to-end solutions for the Indian smart metering market today.

With several pilots already deployed across India, we are enthusiastic that utilities can evaluate our technology and realise the benefits that CyLec smart metering solutions can deliver.

By when, we can expect your manufacturing unit in India?

We have qualified and set up contracts with Contract Equipment Manufacturers in India. As soon as the utility moves from pilot projects to commercial production, the meter manufacturers will place volume orders and we will fulfil these orders from our manufacturing facilities in India.

Electrical & Power Review

ONE-ON-ONE

Energy Management: a holistic approach

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“India is still at an early stage as far as energy management is concerned. Our approach is that you can reap the full reward if you start with a systematic approach,” says Dr Satish Kumar, Energy Efficiency Ambassador and VP, Schneider Electric India

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March 2014

chneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management and offers integrated solutions for a number of market segments. Dr Kumar’s work involves engaging and collaborating with business, government and civil societies to provide lasting and sustainable solutions to 21st century’s complex problems. Being the Energy Efficiency Ambassador at Schneider Electric, he is responsible for developing company’s influence strategy and driving energy efficiency and sustainability programs.

In an interview with EPR, Dr Kumar talks about the required change in approach to manage energy better.

How do you see the concept of energy efficiency catching up in India?

Energy efficiency has a lot of potential in India. The national mission for energy efficiency talks about ` 74,000 crore of potential. However, we see challenges as a lot of business entities and individuals see energy efficiency as a quick fix. They expect rewards immediately after installation and that is where the gap is. We cannot expect to get the fruits of energy efficiency in one shot. In a plant, the installed renewable energy generation can be measured by putting a meter. Energy efficiency needs to be a constant thing having a plan in place. A reasonably good team should be in place which should have the responsibility to bring down cost in energy efficiency. So, in India, some organisations do extremely well and

some try to rely on outside consultants and that is where they get disillusions that they are not getting the right kind of potential. The gap is between potential and actual reality and different businesses are dealing with that aspect in different ways

So the message is very clear, you need a sustainable approach Policy regulations become extremely important and they give right signals to the businesses. Internationally the countries and regions which have made good progress on energy efficiency have been working in this field for last 15-20 years. The Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) program for industrial energy efficiency was introduced in India in 2011. So there will be hiccups initially which need to be patched out. But as a concept, it’s a really great programme to make India more energy efficient in industrial sector. We need to be a little patient in this field as it’s a collaborative effort where stakeholders such as government, industries, consultants and service providers have roles to play.

All these people need to work together to fully capitalise the potential of energy efficiency.

What is Schneider’s contribution in terms of providing sustainable energy efficiency solutions?

Schneider Electric is a unique company that has its own energy efficiency cell.

We take three pronged approach in dealing with energy management.

First, we engage with government on developing the codes and standards. We

Electrical & Power Review

ONE-ON-ONE actively participate during development of codes and standards such as Building Energy Code, National Electricity Code and Smart Grid Specification. This helps in developing new standards which will start incorporating the energy efficiency energy management principles, digitisation principles, communication protocol and the enhancements that are being made.

It’s very important to start engagement with the government at that level.

Second aspect is to create awareness around energy efficiency. We need to talk about the technical enhancements happening across the U.S, Europe, and China. We need to talk about where India is lagging. So we need to speak at the right places and provide inputs to create awareness.

Third component is business part where customers can benefit from our services, products and solutions.

Schneider Electric has 32 factories in India. We apply our own solutions to become more energy efficient inhouse which is a big showcase for our customers. It’s not that we are just selling the solutions to our customers; we are also deploying the same solutions in- house so that we can become real life example for our customers.

Could you discuss some of the recent initiatives that you take in these three aspects?

As an organisation, what is your long-term perspective as far as energy efficiency is concerned?

We work very closely with Ministry of Power which has smart grid initiative and India’s smart grid task force headed

by Mr. Sam Pitroda. We also work with India smart grid forum. Schneider Electric is actively engaged with IEEMA and I am heading the IEEMA smart grid task force where we talk about how companies can actually help create next generation of infrastructure on transmission and distribution side and distributed generation that is required in integration of renewable. So that is the kind of involvement which is happening at the government and industry level.

We are trying to take a systematic and holistic approach towards energy management because India is still at an early stage as far as energy management is concerned. Our approach is that you can reap full reward if you start with a systematic approach.

Also, we have our internal programme called Schneider energy action where we look at about 17 of our largest facilities in India which have about 70% of our total energy spent. We target this with very specific measure in terms of global energy management standard ISO: 50001. We put advanced metering and energy management solutions. We start to make energy consumption visible so that our plant managers can see how much electricity is being consumed and can start to set some targets. These are some specific examples in terms of what we do.

Although different countries and different organisations can approach energy management in different ways, there are certain things that are going to remain very common and one such point is data driven decision making. We are looking at systematic approach and not going by hunch.

So the things working…

have

started

We are optimistic. The challenge is to continuously keep innovating and come up with cost-effective solutions because India will always be a very competitive market.

We will have no easy projects.

Customers will always drive to provide the best solutions at the cheapest cost.

This is a challenge but it also pushes the company to focus continuously on the innovation part.

Preventing transformer fires with revolutionary Sentry DS technology

H

eralding a new era in transformer safety, Sentry Depressurization Systems Inc. has introduced its Sentry FDS system, world’s only sub 6-milli seconds reaction transformer fire-prevention device at a conference in Bangalore.

Sentry fast de-pressurisation system is a revolutionary technology, which helps in preventing fire accidents in the power industry. Oil-filled electrical transformers are dangerous and the

Electrical & Power Review

possibility of catching fire is high. The Sentry fast de-pressurization system is designed to help prevent dangerous fires and explosions from occurring.

The Sentry System is fast depressurisation technology that is smarter and more effective than any other system. It is designed to depressurise transformers at 5.1 milliseconds, which is less than the time required for the dynamic pressure peak generated by an electrical arc, to become static pressure, thus

avoiding explosion and subsequent fire. Depressurisation occurs in milliseconds even if the arc is fed for a longer period of time. The dynamic pressure wave activates the pin valve.

This depressurises the tank, thus preventing a static pressure wave buildup. The pressure goes to the blast chamber, where the shock is absorbed and the oil and gases separate. This allows the gas to vent to a safe location before any contact with oxygen occurs, preventing a fire or explosion.

March 2014

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SPECIAL REPORT

AVEVA eyes India’s nuclear power market

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“We want to be the dominant player in the nuclear power sector,” says Richard Longdon, CEO, AVEVA Group

ambridge engineering software group AVEVA delivers business-critical software solutions to owner operators, engineering contractors and shipbuilders around the world.

The company recently announced the expansion of its sales and support network for the Indian market by moving it to larger office facilities at the Supreme IT Business Park in Powai, Mumbai. On the sidelines of this inaugural event, Subhajit Roy spoke to AVEVA CEO Richard Longdon who stressed the company’s commitment to the Indian market. Excerpt: AVEVA is present in more than 30 countries across the globe. Now you are expanding business in India. How do you view the opportunities in the Indian market?

We are building our biggest software development group in India and our Mumbai sales and technical support team is also now well established.

In India, the power industry is the biggest opportunity for us. India has a huge number of people, under-invested infrastructure and a lot of coal-burning power stations. Coal-based power generation can’t be the long-term future because the coal in India is of poor quality. Nuclear will be the big opportunity here. Wind energy is not significant as wind farms don’t provide the baseload capacity that India needs.

So fossil fuel power stations and nuclear power will bring opportunities for us.

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So the highlight for the Indian chapter is going to be the nuclear power sector?

We want to be the dominant player in the nuclear power sector.

Who do you think is your closest competitor in this particular field?

I don’t think we really have a strong competitor. We already have established relationships with leading power generation companies like ABB, Siemens and EDF. We have done very well in beginning to sell to the Indian power generation companies.

But there is a much bigger market to go after.

Is this the right time to expand your business in India?

I think the timing is very good for us. Our company is 45 years old and we opened offices in other countries during the global recession. So we are not looking at India as a short-term opportunity.

Even if the market here doesn’t grow as quickly as we would like, we are here forever.

You have a presence in almost 30 countries. Where do you place the Indian market as of now and what kind of revenue you are expecting?

We would certainly expect India be in our top two or three countries in terms of growth rate.

Is it in terms of percentage of your entire annual turnover?

Right now it’s relatively small. I believe

Electrical & Power Review

SPECIAL REPORT

New office inauguration in Mumbai

we can grow that significantly over the next 3-4 years.

What is your global turnover and what do you expect for Indian market?

In the last half-year, our global turnover was £108 million. We expect the Indian market to play an increasingly important role in growing our business.

What will be your position five years down the line?

Much will depend on the new products and services that we introduce.

Technology advances extremely rapidly; we now offer our customers mature, proven technologies that barely existed five years ago. Whatever specific new products we create, you can be sure that AVEVA will continue to be the leader in engineering, design and information management technologies.

Are you looking out for any tie-up with Indian companies?

We have relationships with some companies for product testing work.

These will continue to provide support to our big development centre in Hyderabad.

Electrical & Power Review

“India is going through a difficult time at the moment but I am a great believer in its long-term growth. One of the reasons we are investing a lot of time and effort here is that we see a good longterm future in India. I would be very disappointed if our business here doesn’t eventually grow to two or three times the size it is today.”

- Philip Aiken, Chairman, AVEVA Group

“We recognise how important it is to provide exceptional local service and support, and our new office in Mumbai enables us to expand this by recruiting additional high-calibre sales and support professionals”

- Navtej Garewal, Senior Vice President

and Country Head, India, AVEVA

March 2014

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ONE-ON-ONE

C&S Electric to increase focus on overseas market

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“The retail domestic market will be a key area of growth for us, in addition to greater strategic focuses on export markets like China” said Aditya Khanna, Managing Director, C&S Electric Ltd.

elhi-based Rs 1,200 crore power equipment manufacturer C&S Electric Ltd is increasing its footprint in the global market. In an exclusive interview with EPR, Aditya Khanna talks about slowdown and his company’s strategy.

The Indian economy is not doing well. With that, how do you see the performance of the industry as well as your company?

The industry is going through a difficult phase because of the slowdown, delays in project executions, and various policy constraints.

Ultimately, we are a large country and we need growth in power generation to cater to the growing needs of the country. I don’t think it is the issue in terms of demand, it is only a matter of timing and I’m sure that things will pick up. Having said that even within the existing situation, I don’t think that all segments are impacted equally. Within the power segment there are multiple segments like infrastructure, industrial, real estate, consumers, OEMs etc. So within the landscape, there are pockets of growth still available.

As a company, though the infrastructure side is under slowdown, we are finding fairly good traction on the consumer, retail and real estate side. This year we are expecting about 10 – 12 per cent

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growth in our LV switchgear business due to growth in retail segment. We have introduced new products on this front which is largely backed by the MCB range. Our medium voltage switchgear products which are mainly used on the industrial and distribution side are doing very well. On the distribution side we are witnessing a lot of traction on the urban distribution and semi-urban distribution driven by APDRP. In the next 1 to 2 years time, we will probably become one of the top 2 or 3 suppliers of ring main units for the distribution segment. Our bustrunking products are doing very well and we continue to enhance our market leadership position.

Our export business had been quite good during the year and we expect around 15 per cent growth for this financial year. Today our brand is well respected and recognised all over the world. As a result we are able to continuously grow our depth and spread in the export markets.

Could you name some of your significant projects this year?

Our bustrunking products are being used in the landmark ‘World One’ building in Mumbai. We have made significant supplies of switchgear and busbars in Reliance’s Sasan power plant, the Nuclear Power plant being executed by BGR in Chennai and the IOCL Paradip refinery.

Electrical & Power Review

ONE-ON-ONE There are many MNCs present in your vertical. What are the advantages you offer being a local player?

The biggest advantage is we are closer to the customer. The customers enjoy flexibilities in terms of product selection, engineering, and lead time of supplies. Being an Indian company, we have the ability to develop customised solutions according to customers’ feedback and specifications.

Which are the export markets doing well for your business?

We export to over 85 countries and are present in almost all the major markets. In terms of our spread also we are fairly even. In export, our 20 per cent sales come from U.S. and North America region. European market contributes to 25 per cent, whereas Middle East is 15 per cent, and Africa attains around 10 per cent.

So far, all markets are doing relatively well for us. However, Africa emerges as a real revolution for us. We were not much present in Africa in the past, but in the last 2 to 3 years our sales in these markets have significantly grown.

Is it particularly in the MV switchgear market?

No, it has been in the entire portfolio, but predominately LV switchgears and busbars.

Any large market you are looking at?

In future, China is going to be a key area of growth for us. We have started local sales there over the last one year and set up a plant in China now. We are going to enhance our commitment there. Other than that U.S and African markets will be areas of strategic importance for the company.

How much you have invested in Chinese plant?

We didn’t make a huge investment

Electrical & Power Review

in China. We have a manufacturing plant that was set up about 2 years ago to establish our presence and analyse the market. We were buying back the products being manufactured in our plant in China for our own consumption in India. During this period we have been able to have a large part of our LV switchgear range tested and approved under local CCC norms, and as result we began local sales in China this year. We have already broken though some large OEM customers and started to establish relationships with local distributors.

What sort of expansion plan you have for the local market in India?

Expansion in local market in India has to be incremental. We are s strong player in the Indian market and probably be amongst the top 5 in most of the product segments that we compete. Our intention is to keep growing the business incrementally, while enhancing our product basket to add value to our customers.

The primary new segment that we are targeting quite aggressively in the Indian market is the retail market. We started this endeavour over the last 1.5years, and is largely driven though our MCB product range. We have taken a fair chunk of market share from most of the major competitors of the MCB products and I see that growing. Even this year, the MCB business grew more than 40 per cent for us. In addition to this, we have added domestic switches, LED lighting and wires to complete the retail product basket.

What is your market share in MCB? I think we are probably at number 4 today. Certainly we are growing faster than our competitors.

How are you going to maintain

your local market and export ratio?

Well, we are not trying to maintain any ratio. We always want to grow in all our fronts whether it is export or at home. Today 30 per cent of the business comes internationally and 70 per cent is Indian. It varies year to year.

What will be your turnover?

We are a ` 1,200 crore business last year.

What will be your target for this financial year?

This year is a tough year, given that a lot of our orders are running behind schedule due to delays in project. Accordingly, an 8-10% overall growth would be a good performance, but a lot will depend on the uptake from the projects in the last quarter of the year.

Even achieving 8-10 per cent is challenging…

The challenges are due to a lot of projects getting delayed. We don’t want to supply for the sake of supplying because the customers are facing lot of challenges financially. There is no point in supplying materials then waiting for them to pay one year later.

Could you name one of your products which will change your position in the market?

I don’t think it’s fair to say one of our products will change our positioning in the market! Having said that, today highest growth product for us is MCB and that is going to give us new customer access in the retail segment.

Our MCB product for retail segment branded as WiNtrip has helped us reach to the homes of people. This has been a change from our traditionally industrial customers. So far, the market acceptance for WiNtrip has been phenomenal; the learning for us is that there is always room even in a crowded marked for a high quality product that delivers on its commitment.

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ONE-ON-ONE

Intertek plans aggressive business development in India

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“We are taking a lot of local control which will lower TATs for our customers and give them better, competitive price,” says Sandeep Das, Director - Strategy and BD, South Asia, Intertek

ith presence in 1,000 locations in over 100 countries, Intertek provides performance, quality and safety certifications to almost every industry. Intertek’s ASTA services team delivers leading services for the electrical industry and a worldclass supplier for type testing and supplier of type test certificates. Its services include schemes recognised internationally such as plug and fuse approvals and low/medium/high voltage certification. In an exclusive interview with EPR, Sandeep Das talks about ASTA services and his company’s business plans.

Intertek is one of the leading providers of quality and safety certifications to a range of industries.

What are your commitments to the electrical and power sector?

Intertek’s commitment to the electronic and electrical sector has a very strong legacy because the company started with the lab of Thomas Alva Edison, the father of the electric bulb. A wide range of activities including testing, inspection, and certification services for companies across the electrical sector are performed in our labs and they are accredited by about 35 bodies including OHSAS. We own the Warnock Hersey Mark (WH) and ETL mark in North America; the CE, ASTA and BEAB marks in Europe;

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and we test for the CCC mark in China.

In India, Intertek started electrical testing activities with a successful public-private partnership with Bureau of Energy Efficiency in mid-2000 to formulate the energy star programme for electrical products. Today, the company undertakes a range of activities including the HVAC&R in the country. More importantly, Intertek is aggressively endorsing the ASTA mark in India which is very relevant for transformers, switchgears, busbars and a host of other equipment. ASTA is the premier mark that saves the manufacturers a lot of hassle in terms of establishing creditability for their products and thus, it could be helpful for manufacturers who want to export their products to the Middle-East and Europe.

How do you find the acceptance of such certifications in India?

We started the ASTA type certification in India about two years ago and received a great response. The future of electrical testing, inspection and certification business in India is profitable because the government is working diligently in terms of regulation, performance, safety and quality in this sector. This is a start of tightening of regulation framework in India where the government runs performance testing, safety testing, energy efficiency certification programmes across various sectors with private sector labs to build a certain benchmark in terms of quality,

Electrical & Power Review

ONE-ON-ONE performance and safety. It will be an advantage to the market and it is anticipated that we will see more cumulative activities in this sector in the next 10 years.

How significant is the ASTA mark for the electrical and power sector?

The ASTA mark has already proved to be a strong force and a differentiator for manufacturers who want to export equipment to the Middle-East, UK and Europe. It is unique because the testing takes place independently.

It is supervised by an ASTA observer who does not report to the testing laboratory, but reports directly to the ASTA. That’s why the authenticity and credibility of this mark are praiseworthy. The ASTA is recognised in almost every country and today large companies demand for the ASTA mark for every equipment they procure. It’s safe to say that it’s a quality mark in itself.

Do you feel ASTA will be a norm for the industries?

ASTA is a sophisticated mark. Given the regulatory framework and the positive attitude of the government, there is definitely going to be some sort of norm which will encourage performance and safety.

How do you wish to popularise ASTA in India?

Planning aggressive business development, we are already in talks with customers with a very unique ASTA focus. Internally, we are changing the business model of ASTA to perform a lot of observation work and project control work from India. Additionally, Intertek is taking local control which will lower TATs for our customers and give them better, competitive prices. Though the mark is still going to come from the UK, the local control will enable customers to do business with us easily on the ASTA domain.

We have a wide presence in the Indian market with electrical laboratories in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Needless to say, we try to make ourselves available to everyone, everywhere. Even though our labs are based in large cities, our sales executives travel to smaller towns to reach a wider audience. Moreover, participation in trade shows keeps in touch with both key customers and trade bodies. Above all, we try to engage with our customers and understand their needs because it’s an evolving market and staying connected helps us do our best.

What are the advantages of using ASTA? The ASTA mark makes the product immediately acceptable in the market. It stands for quality, performance and safety, as the products are tested rigorously through all the procedures.

Electrical & Power Review

Benefits of ASTA • ASTA certificates and reports have international recognition, including a very high-profile in Asia and the Middle East, often ‘specified’ by major end-users • The ASTA marks and/or type test certificates clearly indicate that the product has been independently tested to comply with the relevant clauses of the applicable standards • Helps to differentiate quality brands to the supply chain • Protects the manufacturer against the risk of legal action • Eases vendor approval, potentially reducing the number of individual customer or supplier audits • ASTA is an expert partner in regulatory requirements

ASTA certificates are the only certificates that are signed by an ASTA Observer who is technically responsible to ASTA for the performance and reporting of the tests and not to the testing station. ~

FORM IV

Statement about ownership and other particulars about newspaper ELECTRICAL & POWER REVIEW to be published in the first issue every year after the last day of February.

1. Place of publication

:

Mumbai

2. Periodicity of its publication

:

Monthly

3. Printer’s Name : Nationality : Address :

Subhajit Roy Indian I-Tech Media Pvt Ltd 1, Gayatri, Karumari Amman, Chheda Nagar, Chembur, Mumbai - 400089.

4. Publisher’s Name : Nationality : Address :

Subhajit Roy Indian I-Tech Media Pvt Ltd 1, Gayatri, Karumari Amman, Chheda Nagar, Chembur, Mumbai - 400089

5. Editor’s Name : Nationality : Address :

Subhajit Roy Indian Residence: Flat No. 6, 2nd Floor, Parichay Building, Satrahati, Uran Post, Dist: Raigad, MH - 400704.

6. Names and addresses of individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding more than one per cent of the capital.

1. Asha Prasad 1, Gayatri, Chheda Nagar, Chembur, Mumbai - 4000089 2. Radha N. Poptani A-79/474, Shahad, Ulhasnagar-1, Dist.-Thane.

I, Subhajit Roy hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date: 01 March 2014

Signature of Publisher Subhajit Roy

March 2014

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feature

Piping for power generation Piping systems are an important part of power plant construction. They have a major influence on how efficiently and cost effectively a plant operates

Joining power plant piping with Victaulic mechanical couplings is up to five times faster than welding

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hatever the method of power generation – nuclear, natural gas, hydroelectric, or coal fired – multiple types of piping systems will need to be installed for essential services. From the small-diameter stainless steel pipes needed for instrument air lines, through flue-gas desulphurisation and coal-handling systems, to the large-diameter penstock lines required for hydroelectric plants has a vital role to play. Many of these systems are critical: when they are down, the entire plant could cease to operate, and a plant not generating power is not making money.

With so much at stake, the reliability of pipe joints cannot be compromised and

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March 2014

the selection of pipe-joining methods can have a significant impact on both the initial installation and running costs, and the efficient operation of a plant.

Traditionally pipes required for power plant services have been installed using welded and flanged joints in the medium- to large-diameter range, with threading used for small-diameter pipe connections. Yet, these methods are not ideal. Each presents risks and drawbacks for engineering consultants, contractors and installers, including health and safety issues and concerns about cost, susceptibility to adverse weather conditions, space constraints, maintenance requirements and the lengthy installation process. Alternative

technologies such as grooved mechanical pipe joining can overcome many of these issues.

Mechanical joining A grooved mechanical joint is comprised of four elements: grooved pipe, gasket, coupling housings, and nuts and bolts.

The pipe groove is made by cold forming or machining a groove into the end of a pipe. A resilient, pressure-responsive elastomeric gasket enclosed in coupling housings is wrapped around the two ends of the pipe, and the key section of the coupling housing engages the groove. The bolts and nuts are tightened with a socket wrench or impact wrench, which holds the housings together.

In the installed state, the coupling

Electrical & Power Review

feature housings encase the gasket and engage the groove around the circumference of the pipe to create a leak-tight seal in a self-restrained pipe joint.

Once assembled, the mechanical coupling provides a union at every joint, allowing for ease in future system access and maintenance, and reducing costly plant downtime.

Couplings fall into two categories: flexible and rigid. Both provide the security of full circumferential engagement of the coupling into the groove for high pressure and end load performance.

Rigidity is achieved with rigid couplings.

The unique angled-pad design provides positive clamping of the pipe to resist torsional and flexural loads. Flexible couplings allow controlled angular, linear and rotational movement at each joint to accommodate thermal expansion, contraction and deflection, offering a range of advantages when designing piping systems.

Welding concerns Welding is a time consuming.

Welders must cut, bevel and prepare the pipe lengths, align and clamp the joint, then undertake two to three passes using the selected welding method at each joint. On a large-diameter system, this process can take hours for each joint.

There are other aspects of welding that can lengthen the construction schedule.

For instance, welding on the side of a mountain or on rough terrain as may be the case in some hydroelectric projects is tricky. The weather can also present challenges. If it is dry and the risk of forest fires is high, welding activities may be prohibited or limited. If it is raining or cold, welding is difficult, because the pipes need to be covered and/or preheated first. On completion of the weld, X-rays may be required to ensure a sound joint. An average of 5-6 per cent of welded joints requires rework according to industry standards, adding time and material costs to construction.

Welding is also an expensive pipe-

Electrical & Power Review

joining method. Although material costs are lower, total installed costs will be higher than mechanical joints due to the installation time and the need for highly skilled workers. Non-availability of the necessary skills can cause project delays and potentially lead to heavy financial penalties.

Safety is a major concern during welding, and the physical impact on the individual welder is significant. Welding exposes the worker to hazardous fumes and particulate matter, as well as potential burns, eye damage and the risk of fire or explosion. The potential for fire or explosion necessitates a fire watch during and following the work, which slows the construction schedule and adds cost. Welding indoors or underground also requires fume and smoke extraction equipment.

Non-welded benefits Joining pipe with a mechanical coupling is up to five times faster than welding because the gasket and housings simply need to be positioned on the grooved pipe ends, and the bolts and nuts tightened with standard hand tools or impact wrenches. The coupling requires only two bolts to secure the joint and following installation the joint can be inspected visually. Metal-to-metal boltpad contact confirms that the coupling

has been properly installed and secured into place; no X-ray is needed.

No flame is required to install a mechanical coupling, eliminating the safety concerns associated with welding. Mechanical couplings can be installed in any weather condition, from downpours to extreme cold and dry climates, preventing weather delays and keeping the construction on schedule.

Until recently, joining methods for larger size piping systems required multiple housings. Now mechanical couplings are available with a two-piece housing in sizes up to 1,525 mm, making them ideal for the fast, reliable installation of penstock lines in hydroelectric plants for example. A typical large-diameter joint that requires several hours to weld can be installed in less than an hour with this method. These couplings have a wedge-shaped groove that delivers pressure ratings of up to 2,500 kPa and are also offered in a rigid or flexible style. The rigid style forms a completely rigid pipe joint, whereas the flexible style allows for some expansion, contraction and deflection within the piping system.

Flanging shortcomings Flanges are difficult to work with and are time consuming to connect, with multiple bolts and nuts that require

Press-to-connect joining of small diameter stainless steel pipes at the combined cycle Portlands Energy Centre, Ontario, enabled fast installation and ensured leak-free permanent joints on plant and instrument air service lines

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39

feature star-pattern tightening numerous times to complete the joint. They require enough clearance around the pipe to be able to secure each bolt, making use of flanges in confined spaces difficult.

Flanges can also result in maintenance challenges: after a valve or other piece of equipment has been removed, it is difficult to squeeze back in between the flanges. But maintaining reliable, leakfree performance of a flanged joint can be the biggest issue.

Non-flanged benefits A solution to these common safety and maintenance problems is to use couplings in place of flanges. A gasket contained within the coupling housings is stretched over the two ends of pipe which have been grooved, creating an initial seal, and the key sections of the coupling housings engage the groove on the pipe ends. When tightened, the bolts and nuts pull the housings together, metal to metal, compressing the gasket a precisely controlled amount to form a reliable, secure joint.

Couplings can be used on balance-ofplant piping applications including water, air, slurry and bearing lube oil feed services and can be installed in a third of the time needed to form a flanged joint.

They eliminate the regular maintenance associated with flanges, decreasing maintenance downtime, because they do not require regular retightening.

Unlike a flange that puts variable stress on the gasket, nuts and bolts, a coupling holds the gasket in precise compression from the outside of the pipe joint. While the bolts and nuts of the coupling hold the housings together, the coupling itself is what holds the pipe together.

Over the life of the system, the nuts and bolts of a coupling do not require regular maintenance and can last the life of the system.

Threaded joint leakage One of the most notorious issues in a plant of any kind is leaks in compressed air/instrument air lines. Leaks are a problem because the cost of lost air is huge. Leaks cause pressure drops and

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machinery runs less efficiently by using more energy to make up for these losses.

Sometimes additional compressors are needed to compensate, further increasing energy costs. Leaks result in a variety of additional problems, including inconsistent equipment performance due to fluctuating system pressure, increased maintenance costs, reduced service life of compressors due to excess load, and even corrosion of the steel piping system caused by moisture in the system. A number of factors can cause leaks, and they can occur at any point in the compressed air/instrument air system.

A widely accepted joining method for small-diameter compressed air/ instrument air systems is threading and many of these air lines with threaded joints experience leakage. Two of the main causes of leaks are improper initial installation and ongoing plant operations that weaken the threaded seal. System vibration, for example, can compromise the thread tape or sealant, resulting in a leak. Poor thread cuts can also cause leaks.

Unlike leaks in water lines, leaks in compressed air/instrument air lines can go undetected because they are not visible to the naked eye. The first step in solving the problem of leaks is to find them. This is usually done through sound, feel, soapy water or by using specialised leak detection equipment.

In a threaded system, the leak is usually “fixed� by tightening the joint. The problem with this is that tightening one end of the threaded joint ultimately loosens an adjacent joint, so fixing one leak may lead to a new one.

Press-to-connect solutions One solution to this problem is replacing threaded compressed air/ instrument air systems with a press-toconnect system. These systems allow plain-end ANSI schedule 10 stainless steel pipes to be connected thread and weld free. A hand-held pressing tool compresses a fitting, containing O-ring seals on two pipe ends, resulting

in a permanent, leak-free, precisely compressed seal. When installed correctly, the elastomeric seal of a press joint dramatically reduces the likelihood of leaks compared to threaded systems.

Although initial material costs are higher, many plants that have replaced galvanised carbon steel threaded systems with stainless steel press-toconnect systems have realised long-term cost savings due to reduced energy costs.

The other benefits of the system are also ideal for power plants: installation that is up to five times faster than other joining systems and safer than welding, simple installation with hand-held pressing tools that do not require highly trained labour and reduced total installed costs.

When selecting a press-to-connect system for compressed air/instrument air lines, a stainless steel system with nitrile or HNBR O-rings, which are designed to resist oil vapours that may be present in compressor fluids, is recommended. Another factor of pressto-connect systems that can simplify integration with larger systems is to ensure the system is available in IPS pipe sizes. For systems smaller than 50 mm, press-to-connect may offer advantages over traditional systems in terms of installation time, costs and future maintenance needs.

Conclusion Owners, engineers and contractors could do well to consider alternatives to welding, flanging and threading for joining power plant piping systems.

Grooved mechanical pipe-joining and press-to-connect methods bring a host of practical and economic advantages.

They make for safety, ease and speed of installation and maintenance but more importantly deliver long-term reliability and efficiency. ~

Authored by— Bill Lowar, Vice President Power Division, Victaulic

Electrical & Power Review

power brand

Mahindra Powerol launches leaf-shaped diesel generator in Mumbai

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ahindra Powerol, a part of the $ 16.7 billion Mahindra Group, announced the launch of its new diesel generator- Leaf DG in Mumbai. The leaf shaped compact design of this generator breaks away from the traditional box design and aims to make the product visually more appealing, thus attracting more consumers.

As the name suggests, the Leaf Diesel generator set is shaped like a leaf, the first of its kind in the industry and is available in the range of 7.5 kVA, 10 kVA and 15 kVA. Speaking on the launch, Ashok Sharma, Chief Executive, AFS Strategy, Agri and Allied Businesses, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “Mahindra Powerol generators are known for their quality, superior performance, and customer centricity. With the launch of this model, we are setting a new benchmark

in these areas.

We are transforming the diesel generator from a machine into a thing of beauty. The new generator, in addition to easier use and better performance, is in line with the taste and expectations of today’s smart and evolving customer.”

According to Palaniappan, Senior Vice President, and Business Head Mahindra Powerol, Mahindra & Mahindra, “Our internal study revealed that due to poor aesthetics, customers generally placed the diesel generators at the back of their buildings or in the backyard. Hence, considering these factors we decided to come up with a new design which would encourage customers to proudly showcase their diesel generator in front of their homes, buildings and outlets.”

The new compact leaf diesel generator has the following unique features: • Change from Box type shape design to new leaf shaped enclosure (now patented) • Graphics on the enclosure body to improve aesthetics.

• Glossy finish powder coating • Leaf shaped suction louvers.

Apart from the design improvement, the Leaf DG is manufactured with a reduction in the total footprint (up to 0.4 cubic metre) and a reduction in the noise levels up to 2.5dBA. ~

Milestones Switchgears setting landmark

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ncorporated in 1992 Milestones Switchgears Pvt. Ltd. is dedicated to the design and manufacture of electrical switchboards and bus ducts. The company has a range of products -MV panels (system house of Siemens), PCC, MCC (draw out and non-draw out), capacitor panel, PDB’s, Lighting DB, AC and DC drive panel, synchronisation panels, relay panels, feeder pillars, PLC-based intelligent panels and bus ducts etc. In the bus duct range, the company manufactures upto 8,000 Amp. in 415 volt grade and 2,500 Amp. in 11 KV range. It also makes 33 KV bus ducts. The company has recently tied up with L&T for fully type tested panels in the Ti range.

efforts, the company’s products are approved almost all over the country.

Milestones Switchgears also exports electrical panels abroad directly or through third parties.

Due to continuous improvements and

Milestones Switchgears follows the

Electrical & Power Review

The company has a great advantage in being very close to Delhi airport and well connected for the visitors for inspection.

It has supplied panels to almost every type of industry may it be steel plants, textile plants, air conditioning, sugar industry, paper industry, automotive industry, general engineering industry, commercial buildings, housing societies, schools, colleges, hotels, food and beverages, power generation, chemical and cement plants.

best manufacturing practices to turn out the best products. It has the best of machinery imported from Japan and Germany. The company has pretreatment, powder coating and testing equipment like high-voltage, current injection, and heat run tests.

The plant is ISO approved since the year 2000 and is managed by Gautam Aggarwal. ~

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PEOPLE BN Talukdar appointed as the new DGH The Government of India has appointed BN Talukdar as the Director General, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, effective from February 6, 2014.

Mr Talukdar has over 37 years of experience in the petroleum industry. He has practiced all exploration, development, reservoir management and drilling activities of Oil India Ltd. Prior to joining OIL in 1977, he worked in the Reservoir Engineering Division of ONGC. He has proved himself to be an excellent reservoir engineering manager, contributing tremendously toward achieving higher oil recovery from OIL’s old reservoirs.

He has to his credit a number of advanced technologies which have been inducted to OIL, including the horizontal drilling technology. For the first time in OIL, he has successfully completed an overseas exploration project in Gabon and discovered oil which is the first discovery made by OIL outside India. He has also set up a knowledge-based Institute for the first time in OIL to challenge the competitive market.

Prior to joining OIL on December 1, 2007, Mr Talukdar held the post of Group General Manager (Geosciences) in the North-East India.

Bill Giunta becomes General Manager, Global Sales and Marketing, Perkins Perkins is pleased to announce that Bill Giunta has accepted the position of General Manager, Global Sales and Marketing, effective February 1, 2014.

Mr Giunta, who is relocating to Peterborough, UK, to take up his new role, joins Perkins from Caterpillar’s Electric Power Division based in Georgia, USA, where he was Commercial Manager.

With commercial responsibility for marketing, branding, sales and product support for the Perkins engine brand, Mr Giunta’s extensive, global customer-facing experience in field service, sales and marketing, make him particularly suited to the role.

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Electrical & Power Review

Regd. No. MH/MR/North East/290/2013-15 • Posted at Tilak Nagar PO Mumbai - 400089 on 1st & 2nd of every month.• English • Monthly • Date of Publication: 1st of every month.

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