Citec attitude 2 2012

CITEC

NEWS AND STORIES WITH AN ATTITUDE FROM CITEC

2 • 2012

VIBRANT PERFORMANCE Citec’s expertise includes a unique combination of vibration measurement and calculation.

PAGE 12.

WHY OUTSOURCING?

Handling personnel capacity and developing a branch that is not part of the core competence are the two most important reasons for outsourcing. PAGE 6.

FIRE AND STUBBORNESS

Outstanding performances in any field have one thing in common – they are carried out with passion.

PAGE 18.

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EDITORIAL

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CONTENTS

18

Curiosity

doesn’t kill you

6

T

MICHAEL SMIRNOFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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CITEC

his edition of Attitude takes an in-depth look at how people keep the fire in their jobs alight. What can you do to muster interest in your work when your working days start to feel grey and gloomy?

Some people are naturally gifted at being inspired, while we others have to work at it. Luckily we work for a company that actively encourages us to look for new approaches to our work.

Citec has recently embarked upon a strategic initiative aimed at increasing the competence of our employees. Many of the measures that have been implemented not only increase our employees’ competence but also their motivation. Job rotation is one example of something Citec currently encourages. Giving people who work on different projects the opportunity to work on site for a few days is another thing we actively encourage. This can work wonders for motivation and at the same time provide valuable knowledge and experience.

When I am on business trips to India I find it fascinating to adopt the mental attitude of a backpacker although I am wearing a suit. With an open-minded approach the business trip feels like an adventure and an opportunity for personal development. India is truly incredible.

It may sound like empty rhetoric to say that we need to dare to venture outside our comfort zone in order to learn something new, but it is true.

If we only do things we are fully proficient in we will never gain new insights and will certainly become really bored one day.

Sometimes we need to take a chance in order to develop. Would you like to work overseas for a while? Would you like to work within another technical discipline? Do you dream of gaining an MBA in three years? Tell your supervisor. The journey is not always an easy one, but if you dare to venture outside your comfort zone you are guaranteed to grow and your knowledge will increase. And both you and your employer will benefit from it.

PUBLISHER Citec, P.O. Box 109, FI-65100 Vaasa +358 (0)6 324 0700

2.12

MER CITEC CUSTO

MAGA ZINE

attitude@citec.com EDITORIAL BOARD

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Katarina Westerén-Hagnäs, Michael Smirnoff, Lars Rosenblad, Ralf Petell, Anna Jeanne Söderlund EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Smirnoff PROJECT MANAGEMENT, EDITING Anna Jeanne Söderlund PRODUCTION

IN THIS ISSUE

Mantra Communications and Citec LAYOUT Studio PAP COVER PHOTO Mikko Lehtimäki

6 Managing risk

12 The less vibration the better

16 Power plant earthing

A study carried out among Citec’s customers shows that the price is not the most important reason for outsourcing.

Citec has acquired new competence in the area of structural vibration measurement and calculation.

International standards do not always provide sufficient guidelines for earthing systems in power plants.

10 Project for Jacobsen Elektro

14 At everybody’s service

18 Feeling passionate

Citec moved one step closer to becoming an EPCM supplier by signing a power plant contract with Norwegian company Jacobsen Elektro.

A new unit called Competence Services will enable Citec experts to swiftly shift between different industry areas.

Passion gives us butterflies in the stomach when faced with a challenge, and it determines whether the result is simply good or extraordinary.

PRINT Fram 2012 COMPANY KEY FACTS Citec offers multi-discipline engineering and consulting, and provides services related to information management.

The total number of employees is 1,000 and the turnover for 2011 was 58 million euros.

Citec is headquartered in Vaasa, Finland and has offices in Finland, Sweden, Norway, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and India.

C I T E C AT T I T U D E 2•2 01 2

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CITEC NEWS

CITEC NEWS

A dream summer job

5 QUESTIONS

n The energy sector in the Vaasa region offers Finland’s best summer job with a salary of 30,000 euro. The position received more than 1,600 applications and the lucky one to be chosen was Tuomas Vanhanen (pictured below), a student in energy technology at the Tampere University of Technology.

During the summer, Vanhanen will work in 12 different energy companies in Vaasa, one of them being Citec. During his week at Citec, Vanhanen will probably get a chance to visit a project site, among many other things.

Vanhanen’s main task is to spread the word about the region’s energy concentration in the social media. The idea behind the Energy Ambassador campaign is to market the energy competence in the region. So far it’s been a success, since the summer job has received a lot of attention in the Finnish media.

Translating is problemsolving Timo Harju works as Team leader of Translation Services.

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5

Cloud computing

NOT ONLY TRAINING. Irene Byggningbacka wants to encourage everybody to learn new things in their daily work.

ARCHITECT’S VISION. This is what the new building will look like from the yard. In the beginning of 2013, all of Citec’s Vaasa employees will finally be under one roof.

Learning by doing

Headquarters on schedule

n Citec has moved into a new gear when it comes to developing competence among personnel. The new concept builds on completing traditional training with learning in the work itself.

Naturally people have always learnt new things in their daily work, but now the idea is to do this in a more systematic way.

“For instance, we have encouraged as many as possible to work at a customer site for at least a few days,” says Irene Byggningsbacka, Assistant Manager, Learning and Development. “Training is not always the best way to learn new things. Sometimes you learn better from your colleagues and customers in your daily work.”

In Citec’s model, 70% of the learning takes place in the actual work, 20% comes from colleagues and only 10% from traditional training.

Efficient briefing n A new way for quick and easy training has been tested since last autumn. Every employee can participate in so-called briefing sessions via Live Meeting from his or her own computer. The 30 minute to 2-hour long sessions have discussed everything from Power Points to the Citec brand story, and experience shows that the low threshold encourages many to participate.

Keep an eye on the training calendar for the next session!

n How long have you been with Citec?

“I have worked with Citec since 2008. I started with authoring service manuals, but for the last few years I have been heading the translation unit, translation services and the translation team.”

How did you end up in the translation business?

“I studied English at the university and already started translating as a freelancer while still studying.

Before joining Citec, I was working full-time for a translation agency.

I have always felt a fascination with language and I approach translation as problem-solving of sorts. Nowadays I don’t do any translation work myself, but

n Construction work on the new Citec headquarters began at the turn of the year, and the work has proceeded on schedule.

“Despite the cold winter and heavy snow, there have actually been no surprises along the way so far,” says Project Manager Mikko Hakola.

The new, 6,000 m2 headquarters in Vaasa is being built on the same site in Silmukkatie Road where the old headquarters was located. The old building was demolished to make way for the new one.

The new headquarters is planned to be ready by the end of 2012, at which stage Citec’s entire Vaasa workforce can start to move in under one roof. Today, the staff of 350 is spread around different locations throughout Vaasa.

deal more with managing and coordinating projects and our translation services.”

What is the best part about your work?

“Citec is a growing and developing company, which means there are plenty of opportunities for different challenges. The company also invests a lot in competence development. In my daily work,

I really like the fact that I get to interact with so many different people – both within Citec and through the customer interface.”

You live in Jyväskylä, where Citec has a small office. How do you like the city?

“I originally come from Seinäjoki, not that far from Vaasa. I moved to Jyväskylä for my studies in 1996 and I still feel right at home there.

n Citec is fully dedicated to the use of virtual servers, something that both saves money and makes IT systems more flexible. The virtual server system has been in use for a long time already in Karlstad and Vaasa, and in the spring 2012 it was also implemented in Mumbai.

“This system is significantly cheaper than to use physical servers. Costs for administrating and investing go down by 30–80 %,” says Jörgen Strömberg, IT/IM Manager.

Other clear advantages are that all of Citec’s offices now can share software and that new functions can be introduced faster.

“This is also an improvement for customers since they gain easier access to data during projects,” Strömberg says.

Thought Leadership n Citec’s new Thought Leadership programme strives to bring out the best of the expertise the company has in different ways.

In future, Citec’s experts will increasingly appear in seminars and write articles for different magazines and discussion forums.

“This is a sort of extension to our marketing material. Our services and products are very complex, so this is a great way to bring forth the deep knowhow within the company,” says Jonas Granqvist, Specialist, Marketing & Communications.

An expert article about earthing systems can be read on page 16 in this magazine.

Jyväskylä is a university city; not too small and not too big. I can take my bike from home to the office in less than ten minutes.

That’s quality of life for me.”

What do you do on your time off?

“I live with my partner, Karoliina, and five cats. I try to hit the mats a couple of times every week for my favourite pastime, Brazilian jiu-

jitsu. In BJJ, technique overcomes strength and I see it as a physical form of problem-solving. The possibilities for learning and growing with the sport are limitless and it is a great counterbalance to office work.”

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COVER STORY: OUTSOURCING

COVER STORY: OUTSOURCING

Outsourcing MANAGING RISK AND cAPACITY

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7

For a company working with industrial projects, it is always challenging to maintain the right personnel capacity.

If the capacity is too small, there’s a risk that business will be lost or that personnel will become overloaded with work. If there’s a slump in the order volume, cost effectiveness comes into play and people may have to go. Outsourcing to a reliable partner is often a cost-efficient way to handle both risk and capacity.

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COVER STORY: OUTSOURCING

COVER STORY: OUTSOURCING

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In industry, outsourcing is very seldom done just to save money.

C

itec’s ceo Martin Strand knows what he is talking about when it comes to outsourcing. His way to the ceo chair began with an outsourcing from a major power plant customer in 2003.

“I was actively involved in the outsourcing process from the customer’s side. A total of 53 persons would move over to Citec, and we agreed that one of the senior executives would also move over. I volunteered,” Martin Strand says.

The deal with the power plant customer was one of about 20 succesful outsourcing projects that Citec has brought to fruition.

Strand’s task as a manager was mainly to build trust within the old organisation and ensure the functionality of the operations.

NOW GROWTH THROUGH outsourcing is an important part of

Citec’s strategy, and the key to success is to build trust among the customers.

“Usually there are no exclusive outsourcing agreements; all continuing co-operation is built upon trust. You need to be able to work strategically in order to develop co-operation together,” Strand says.

In public, the word “outsourcing” can sometimes have a bad ring to it. It can be compared to losing one’s job, even though outsourcing deals with branches where the employees move over with very good employment terms.

“In fact, outsourcing means reorganising a company’s

operations”, says Martin Strand, who believes that the bad ring can be the result of less successful examples from the public sector or from cases where outsourcing is used as a method to lay off people.

IN INDUSTRY, OUTSOURCING is very seldom done just to save money.

Citec studied the reasons for outsourcing among the customers who have outsourced their operations to Citec. On the engineering services side, the most important reason was capacity and risk management. For customers seeking information management services, the main reason was to develop a branch that was not part of the company’s core competence. Although the cost of services is important, it is seldom the only reason for outsourcing a function.

“For the employees, being outsourced often means joining a company that sees their work as the company’s core competence and strategically invests in competence and career development”, says Strand, who thinks that the outsourcing trend is not declining. “The trend today is for companies to concentrate on their core competence even more than before. Companies are much stricter in defining their boundaries. They outsource the responsibility for entire operations, for example the planning of a whole power plant or a train car.”

“I SAW THE OPPORTUNITIES” Annika Stendahl-Koho came to Citec in 2002 when ABB was outsourcing technical writers and translators.

Her transfer opened new career opportunities and today she works as a Senior Information Designer. n “I had been working at ABB for only one and a half years and had just built up an ABB identity, so my first reaction to the outsourcing was automatically negative. We

felt betrayed and disappointed and were quite rebellious”, says Stendahl-Koho.

However, after the first shock, she began to see new opportunities. “I understood that we had joined a company where our skills and knowledge are the core competence”, says Stendahl-Koho who has studied languages and economics.

“In hindsight, I cannot see how my old employer could have had the possibilities to develop us. Documentation has gone so much forward during the past ten years, and Citec builds on their peak of knowledge.”

“At ABB, I would probably have continued to work as a Technical Writer with the same tasks, but at Citec, I have advanced

to become a Senior Information Designer and have also worked with marketing communications”, says Stendahl-Koho.

“At the same time, we have brought new competence to Citec and it has helped to develop the business, not to mention product knowledge and networking.”

For outsourcing to succeed, both companies involved must take the process seriously. “We were allowed to take part in drawing up the contract between ABB and Citec, and our voices were heard during the whole process. ABB’s HR manager and shop steward were also present, and at Citec I was warmly welcomed to the organisation”, says Annika Stendahl-Koho.

Katja Lösönen

THE REASONS BEHIND OUTSOURCING

NEW COMPETENCE. Annika StendahlKoho came to Citec from ABB. At first she was suspicious, but quickly realised how much her new employer could offer.

9 8

5

2

2

2 0

0 Not core business

Capacity/ Risk management

Need for development

Need for cost efficiency

Engineering customers Information customers

NOT ABOUT THE PRICE. Citec has studied the reasons behind why its customers have outsourced their operations. For engineering customers, the most important thing was to be able to handle personnel capacity. For customer seeking information management services, the most important thing was to be able to develop a branch that was not within the company’s core competence.

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OWN EXPERIENCE. The CEO for Citec Group, Martin Strand, began his career in the company when he became outsourced from a major customer. Over the years, Citec has carried out approximately 20 outsourcing deals.

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CUSTOMER CASE: JACOBSEN ELEKTRO

CUSTOMER CASE: JACOBSEN ELEKTRO

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gunnar bäckman

TOWARDS E PC M Citec wins major power plant order from Jacobsen Elektro.

C

itec’s goal is to become an epcm supplier taking responsibility for larger parts in a project. At the beginning of the year, Citec moved one step closer to this goal as it became clear that the company had won a major project from Jacobsen Elektro.

Jakobsen Elektro is building a 150 MW gas power plant in Tanzania, and Citec will be responsible for both basic and detail planning. In addition, Citec will supervise test runs, train personnel and take part in supervision on site. Last but not least, Citec will also handle the total project documentation, including components and vendor documentation.

“We have the full technical responsibility in the project. This is a big step towards becoming an epcm supplier, exactly according to our strategy,” says Engineering Manager Jan-Ole Fagerström from Citec.

5 QUESTIONS

JACOBSEN ELEKTRO FROM Norway is one of the oldest electro-technical companies in the Nordic countries. The company is experienced in building power plants in Africa and Asia, and has already built one power plant near Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

At the beginning of 2011, Jacobsen Elektro won one more project for the end customer Tanesco, Tanzania Electric Supply Company.

“We looked for an engineering partner that could take great responsibility, and there are not that many suppliers in the world who are up for it. Because Citec was also able to offer the best price, we chose

A fantastic journey Krishnan Muthukumar Works as Head of Competence Services, India.

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to cooperate with them,” says Project Department Manager Johan Reenskaug from Jacobsen Elektro.

REENSKAUG UNDERLINES THAT they weren’t only looking for a technical consultant but rather a partner that can also handle the technical responsibility.

Among other things, Citec’s responsibility is to handle the technical dialogue with the end customer, Tanesco.

“We also wanted Citec to be present at the test runs.

It’s beneficial for the engineers to see the results of their own work,” says Ole Kristian Ødegård, Sourcing & Contracting Director from Jacobsen Elektro.

The power plant will first run on jet fuel and later on gas. The building work starts in early autumn 2012 and will be ready approximately one year later.

BROAD SCOPE “We looked for a partner who could take great responsibility,” says Ole Kristian Ødegård (in the middle) and Johan Reenskaug (on the right) from Jacobsen Elektro. On the left is Jan-Ole Fagerström from Citec.

n Tell us about your work!

“I am heading the Competence Services in India with 300 employees spread across three offices in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Ensuring the availability of the right competence and timely delivery of quality work is our primary responsibility. My work consists of problem solving on different levels, both purely technological and staffing issues.”

How long have you been working for Citec?

“I’ve been working here since 2005. Back then there were 30 employees in India. It’s been a fantastic journey to be part of this and to develop the company. Thanks to the great trust from the management, we have been given a free hand to try our wings, and have managed to form a well-working

unit as a result of successfully dealing with the challenges and opportunities we face.”

What do you like most about your job?

“It’s just so challenging and demanding, and engaging.

Besides, it gives me a fantastic opportunity to learn to know people from different backgrounds and cultures. When you work

globally, it’s important to be familiar with the culture behind the person. It’s only in that way that you can utilise the local competence in an optimal way.”

What is your free time like?

“I have two children, a 7-yearold daughter and a 12-year-old son, so I have no problems in making time go by. The children have many activities, both on

weekdays and weekends. I like to move myself, both on foot and behind the wheel. Trekking as well as long drives by car are good activities for the whole family.

Other interests include reading magazines, watching the news, and swimming.”

How do you feel about Citec as an employer?

“We have been building Citec India

since its inception and have faced many challenges. Each time we have succeeded. I have received a lot of support from my Finnish and Indian colleagues. For me, Citec has been a wonderful employer.

We have always dreamt of making Citec a leading engineering and information management consultant in India.”

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NEW COMPETENCE: VIBRATION

NEW COMPETENCE: VIBRATION

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mikko lehtimäki

MASTERS OF STRUCTURAL VIBRATION Over vibration has caused many accidents over the years. To prevent this, Citec’s Dynamic Solutions team measures and calculates vibrations in engines and their surrounding structures.

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ne of Jouni Kivi’s more peculiar work tasks is to hit large engines with a hammer. This is no ordinary hammer, however, but a special tool designed to make the engine vibrate. A sensor installed in the engine measures the vibrations, and data is transmitted via a cable to a small orange box. Afterwards, a similar measurement reading is usually taken with the engine running. Then, it takes about one week to fully analyse the data.

“The less vibration, the better. Over the years, vibration has caused many serious accidents as well as catastrophes, the most famous probably being the Tacoma Narrows Bridge incident in 1940. Too much vibration can cause welding seams and components to break or bolts to loosen,” says Jouni Kivi, Manager of the Dynamic Solutions team at Citec.

KIVI AND HIS COLLEAGUES are often called when there’s reason to suspect that a piece of equipment is vibrating in the wrong way. But Citec’s vibration experts also study completely new installations.

“By analysing new equipment we can ensure that the product meets the required standards,” Kivi explains.

Kivi founded a company called S&V Analysis a little over ten years ago. In early 2012, the company was sold to Citec. All the employees moved with the acquisition and the group is now called Dynamic Solutions.

During his career, Kivi has studied motors and generators all over the world. But the equipment and technology he uses are suitable for measuring just about any steel construction.

BESIDES THE MEASUREMENTS, Citec’s vibration team also makes FE calculations, and this makes them pretty unique.

“Many of our competitors have competence in either area, but few can do both. By combining measuring and

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calculating, we get closer to the truth, compared to using only one of the two methods”, explains Expert Gautam Sahu (pictured on the cover of this magazine).

According to Sahu and Kivi, expertise is gained from knowing how to separate the wheat from the chaff.

“You have to know how to simplify the measuring results in the right way, otherwise there’s so much data the analysis takes months to process. Knowing what’s essential is based on strong experience. In this field, constant training is necessary, not least in learning how to use the latest software and equipment.”

The software and equipment have developed dramatically over the past ten years; today the software is faster and the equipment is lighter. Jouni Kivi and Gautam Sahu usually take the orange measuring device as hand luggage when travelling around the world to analyse engines (the hammer, on the other hand, is not allowed in the cabin.)

The vibration team also markets the equipment to prospective customers.

“It’s easy to market the equipment when we are familiar with it and can advise the customer”, says Kivi.

LATELY, CITEC HAS invested in further developing its expertise in calculation. The acquisition of S&V Analysis has brought all-new knowhow in the field of vibration to Citec. Kivi believes it is good to be part of a bigger house with better opportunities for recruitment and growth.

“The significance of calculation increases as official regulations become stricter. In addition, the demand for calculation also increases as the trend in design moves towards minimising the material used in structures,” Kivi sums.

VIBRANT PERFORMANCE. Jouni Kivi measures the vibrations of an engine block by first hitting it with a hammer. A sensor measures the vibrations and the results are later analysed.

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NEW UNIT: COMPETENCE SERVICES

NEW UNIT: COMPETENCE SERVICES

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COMPETENCE AT YOUR SERVICE How can the knowhow of every employee be utilised in the best possible way?

At Citec, the answer is a new unit called Competence Services.

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uring Citec’s merger, a new unit called Competence Services was formed in addition to the six industry areas.

A total of 650 Citecians, i.e. the majority of the personnel, belong to this unit, which is managed by Director Olli Kytökari.

“We are at the service of all industry areas within Citec. The basic idea in this system is that the company has lots of expertise that can be utilised in different industry areas.

This way the expertise isn’t stuck somewhere or underused. The expertise of the whole organisation is always being utilised in the best possible way,” Kytökari says.

The industry areas work in the customer interface, whereas Competence Services serves the industry areas, striving to align its competence portfolio to the needs of the business.

“It is important to underline that we are not a passive resource pool but also a training organisation. We must constantly follow the needs of the industry areas, so that we can offer them the right kind of expertise.”

KYTÖKARI HAS BEEN in his new position

since the turn of the year. Before that, he was

Director of Citec Information India.

In summer, he will move back to Finland.

“Basically, I might as well work from India, as almost half of the Competence Services professionals are here, though the personnel of Competence Services are located in five different countries.”

A similar system to the new Competence Services was in use in Citec Engineering earlier and therefore Kytökari believes that the new way of working will not be very difficult.

“Naturally those who have always worked under a certain industry area will have to learn a new way of working, which always takes time. The biggest challenge will probably be in how to make the organisation genuinely global, so that you don’t automatically look for a solution in the same country you are in yourself.”

So how will Citec’s end customers benefit from the new organisation?

“It should show in fewer bottlenecks and more focused competence development. At best, deliveries will become swifter as our internal efficiency increases, not only within Competence Services but throughout Citec’s organisation.”

CITEC’S NEW ORGANISATION

PROCESS INDUSTRY & MANUFACTURING

ENGINE POWER

ENERGY & CIVIL

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VEHICLES

COMPETENCE SERVICES

HEALTHCARE

ICT

“IT’S ALL A BOUT BEING SYSTEMATIC” At the unit for pipe design, the new way of working has been in use for a long time already.

What useful tips can they give to others?

C

itec’s Mechanical Engineering unit has long experience in designing all sorts of pipes, from large bore pipes for 500-degree Celsius high-pressure steam to small bore coldwater systems. The resourcing model that Citec is now adopting in the entire organisation has been in use in the unit since 2007. In this model, the project management and coordination are performed within the industry areas, while the resources for each individual project are taken from Competence Services.

Johnny Bjolin, Manager, Mechanical Engineering, Energy and Civil, thinks that there are clear benefits in working in this way.

“Because the workload goes up and down, it’s practical to be able to take in only the resources you need. It’s simpler and easier to manage projects in this way, as the project management can concentrate solely on the projects themselves. Our project management and coordination are usually in Europe

karolina isaksson

while the design work itself is mostly done in India.”

ALTHOUGH BJOLIN is pleased today, he still says it took time before the new system started to work properly.

“It’s a good system in theory, but in order to work in practice, you need time to get used to it. In the beginning, the people who were supposed to manage the projects had to participate in the actual design work all too much. But it’s getting better all the time, we have had a couple of challenging projects and had the chance to practise.”

WHAT KIND OF TIPS and advice can Bjolin give

to the colleagues who are in the same situation now as he was four years ago?

“You should work systematically with design reviews and action plans, and remember to report how the project proceeds. It’s also important to deal with problems immediately.

Then it’s also easier if all the resources within one scope are located in the same area and not spread in different countries. And even if it’s good to have clear rules, it’s also good to be flexible about them when needed. And remember to talk, talk and talk to each other!

I wish we would have had the Communicator system available already some years ago.”

SYSTEMATIC. “You should work systematically with design reviews and action plans. And remember to talk, talk and talk,” says Johnny Bjolin. He has been working according to the new resourcing concept for four years already.

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EXPERT ARTICLE: EARTHING

EXPERT ARTICLE: EARTHING

Why is protection needed?

The purpose of earthing systems is to: • Prevent hazardous voltages due to system faults • Prevent disturbances to electronics • Minimise danger and damage due to lightning strikes • Ensure the fast operation of protection devices Human safety depends on touch and step voltage levels. A touch voltage is a voltage difference between the area where a person is standing and the conductive part being touched simultaneously. A step voltage is a voltage difference between the feet, when the feet are spread 1 metre apart. It is worth noting that the threshold value for these voltages actually varies, depending on the C I T E C AT T I T U D E 2•2 01 2

FIGURE 2. Wenner configuration

FIGURE 1. Touch voltages plotted from autogrid pro Scalar Potential (All - 2D Spot) [ID:Scenario1]

230

Y AXIS (METERS)

299.32 275.77 252.23 228.69

400

322.86 299.32

228.69

340

LEGEND

322.86

380

346.40

420

XAXIS (METERS) Potential Profile Magnitude (Volts)

resistance of the soil and the fault clearance difference around the earthing electrode time. This means that a certain voltage limit area.

Scalar Potential - (3D) [ID:Scenario1] would not be valid Lightning strike protection can be 450 for all possible scenarios.

(SEE FIGURE 1.) divided into three parts; protection above 400 From the perspective of protection ground, protection below ground, and 350 against interference, good earthing can the overvoltage protection of electrical sometimes be ambiguous in terms of devices. A principle in earthing design is to 300 human safety. To prevent disturbances to provide the shortest easiest possible path 250 electronic systems, currents are prevented for lightning to travel into the ground. This 200 from flowing between areas through the minimises the chances that the lightning 63.6 use of radial earthing, would travel along an alternative path, 50.9which has only one 38.2 earthing point in theDisystem.

However, which could produce disturbances to 25.4 sta nce 12.7 (m) from the human safety perspective, electrical systems.

0a0mesh 15 30 45 60 type of earthing electrode is much better, a fault current has a safe path to Distance from Origin When of Profile (m) because it more efficiently reduces step follow, the fault protection devices are able and touch voltages. This has a downside, to react quickly. In low voltage systems it however, because the earth potential is essential that the earthing systems are difference with large or moderate electrodes properly designed to ensure that this occurs. is never even and currents will flow through the loops of the electrode mesh. As safety Importance of soil resistivity measurement is paramount, a mesh is nearly always used under any buildings and industrial The ability of an earth electrode to conduct areas where people move. Radial earthing, a fault current into the ground greatly by comparison, is a good alternative for depends on the resistance of the soil. Thus, radio masts, where interference has to accurate soil modelling is an important part be minimised. The interference caused of safe earthing design. by circulating currents could be reduced, however, by minimising the potential In the Wenner configuration, four probes

are placed in a line. The probes are equally spaced at a predetermined distance (a), which is increased after each measurement.

An alternating current is transmitted into the ground via the two outer probes, and readings are made using the two inner probes connected to a voltmeter. As the distance between the probes is increased, the current travels deeper into the soil, which provides information on the bottom soil layers and resistance. (SEE FIGURE 2.)

A common misconception is that a safety analysis of soil resistance only needs to be made to a depth of a few metres. However, ideally the resistance of the soil should be known to a depth equalling the diagonal length of the earthing electrode. This means that the largest distance between the current injection probes should be three times the diagonal of the earthing electrode.

360

380

400

420

FIGURE 3. Illustration of scalar potentials

346.40

360

369.95

XAXIS (METERS) Potential Profile Magnitude (Volts)

369.95

340

393.49

252.23

393.49

150

417.03

150

417.03

170

Maximum Value : 440.578 Minimum Value : 205.144

275.77

440.58

190

LEGEND

440.58

Maximum Value : 440.578 Minimum Value : 205.144

210

Potential Profile Magnitude (Volts)

A

lthough national and international standards provide guidelines for the requirements of earthing design, a more comprehensive study is still required to ensure the proper earthing analysis of individual structures. This is simply due to the fact that adequate earthing depends on the local electrical network conditions and the earthing technique used. As standard requirements are often limited to certain kinds of solutions, simply following those standards will not always guarantee a safe and reliable design.

So, how can a proper earthing design be made successfully? The answer lies in the details. Accurate information must be analysed for soil properties, fault current magnitude and fault duration. Today, this has been made possible through the use of dedicated computer software, which can accurately model multiple soil layers and perform fault current distribution calculations.

17

Earthing (grounding) is an important part 210 of electrical design: it ensures safety against various fault conditions and protects control 190 and IT systems from disturbances.

170 Y AXIS (METERS)

E INARTHING SYSTE M S POWER PLANTS

Scalar Potential (All - 2D Spot) [ID:Scenario1]

230

Potential Profile Magnitude (Volts)

16

450

Scalar Potential - (3D) [ID:Scenario1]

400 350 300 250 200 63.6

50.9 Dis

tan

38.2 ce

25.4

(m)

12.7

0 0

15

30

45

60

Distance from Origin of Profile (m)

to extend the area covered by the earthing grid to reduce EPR. This has proven to be more effective than simply adding more conductors inside the grid area.

With small mesh sizes the EPR is often considered to be equal in all parts of the system. However, with large size copper or moderate steel-sized electrodes, the longitudinal voltage drop can become significant. This means that the EPR decreases when moving further away from the fault current injection point and vice versa. (SEE

neutral wires connected in the substation, the tower earthing resistance, the neutral wire itself, mutual impedances as well as the substation mesh earthing resistance. It is also worth remembering that in real life, any other conductive structure can also transfer potential away from the substation area.

(SEE FIGURE 4.)

FIGURE 4. Example

FIGURE 3.)

Earth potential rise The earth potential rise (EPR), or ground potential rise (GPR), has to be defined before the step and touch voltages can be calculated. Earth potential rise is caused by the portion of the fault current conducted into the earth via earthing resistance.

The EPR is directly proportional to the transmitted current and soil resistance, which varies due to seasonal changes.

In addition, the shape and burial depth of earthing mesh will have an effect on EPR. When designing earthing mesh it is advisable

Fault current distribution Fault current distribution generally refers to substation earthing where a portion of a fault current is transferred to its generating source via the neutral wire in overhead lines.

The current conducted into the ground through the substation earthing electrode is then smaller than the total earth fault current at the fault location, resulting in a smaller earth potential rise.

The amount of current transferred away depends on many factors; the amount of

Example of fault current distribution at substation earthing.

Standards IEEE 80-2000 and HD 637 provide guidelines for estimating the percentage of the diversion current. However, computer analyses becomes ever more accurate when information on overhead lines and remote earthing electrodes is available.

The writer, Tero Hanka, works as a Design Engineer at Citec.

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WORKING LIFE: PASSION

WORKING LIFE: PASSION

19 Katja lösönen

PASSION MAKES THE DIFF ERENCE Passion is what makes the athlete shatter record after record, it is what makes the violinist develop an unprecedented finger technique, or the masses rally behind a politician speaking from the heart – passion is what determines whether the results are simply good or extraordinary. Passion is what gives us butterflies in the stomach when facing an exciting challenge. Passion is fire and stubbornness in equal measures; it is working with determination, never giving up. It is about vision, about seeing opportunities, about living to continually learn, constantly improving. Mats Söderlund in Vaasa and Thomas Wäseby in Karlstad are two Citec employees with a passionate attitude towards both work and to life in general.

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Thomas Wäseby

Mats Söderlund

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WORKING LIFE: PASSION

WORKING LIFE: PASSION

“ It’s about a willingness to test your own limits” With his past as a top-level athlete, Thomas Wäseby knows it is the mental element that determines how close you come to realising your dreams. Even though the rigours of the ice hockey rink have now been replaced by a tranquil family life, Thomas Wäseby still revels at the prospect of an interesting challenge.

Andreas Reichenberg

THE STARTING LINE. “It’s tremendously satisfying to take control of a new project that is all over the place in the beginning”, says Thomas Wäseby.

THOMAS WÄSEBY Position: Project Manager Lives: In Karlstad, Sweden Family: Wife and two children Motto: “Why planning? If you don’t know where you are going, you neither know how to get there, nor even when you have arrived.”

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Passion is what determines how much effort you put into your work, how high you dare to aim. I believe that passion is closely linked to a generally positive attitude to life – the ability to see opportunities behind limitations.

During my youth I focused hard on football and ice hockey and it was ultimately ice hockey that won me over. I played at the top level with everything this entailed: during the regular

season there were practices and games every day; during the off-season the dose of training would at the most be twelve times a week. What counts in the world of sport is the combination of talent and the ability of disciplining yourself to devoting almost all your time in the strive to become better.

Feeling passionate about a task is all about a willingness to test your own limits. When it comes to my job as a project manager, I find it easy to feel personally involved in different projects. This is of course a double-edged sword as there is the risk of taking your work home with you too often and becoming too engrossed in it. On the other hand, it is very exciting and enlightening to work towards a goal.

There is something tremendously satisfying in being able to take control of a new project that is all over the place in the beginning. It is like standing on the starting line waiting for the competition to begin. The challenge is then to succeed in bringing everything together into a functional whole. I like the challenge, I like the pulse. I like it when the tasks are not too easy; a little resistance is good, with just the right number of butterflies in the stomach. It is about pure personal development just as much as about professional commitment.

Today I have a wife and two young children and our free time is mostly spent on discovering the finer points of life, seen through the eyes of a child. We are often in the forest and playgrounds.

It is a tranquil existence, which could not be more exciting or rewarding. It involves a different type of focus. My mantra for the last few years has been to start training regularly again. I’ve actually started with our weekly floorball time for the last two months! I certainly never thought that I would have difficulty in getting myself back to training, but of course it does take time to develop a routine, and there is the fact that it involves forgotten habits.”

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“ I always give at least one hundred per cent” After a roving life, with a spell in Saudi Arabia, Mats Söderlund is trying to stay put in his chair at the office in Vaasa. This is how things go. The visions mean that he is constantly on the move and working towards challenges, towards optimum solutions. Passion is the fire.

B ecause I spent a lot of time in South America, one of the the first things I associate with the word “passion” are the large samba carnivals. It’s all about feeling insight, and the heart and soul. Passion is an infectious state of mind with which one can inspire one’s fellow human beings and coworkers.

I currently work as the Global Manager, Project Management. This means that I act as the superior for the project managers in Finland and also work globally on operational projects within the industry area Energy & Civil. This also involves development work: processes, arranging training, getting the procedures within the company to work in the same way globally. My mentality is such that I always give at least one hundred per cent – in order for me to fire on all cylinders there need to be tricky problems and issues in the picture. Tasks that are too easy quite simply result in a poorer work effort.

Personally, passion means focusing on the goal and working towards the big picture – it is an enthusiasm that drives me forward, a hunger for new challenges. The best case scenario is that this leads to a positive synergy effect where the whole team experience the same feeling, the same commitment. Continually working together towards common goals, with the ambition of bringing about a satisfied customer who knows that we have gone that extra mile, is a process that strengthens one just as much on a personal level as on a purely professional one.

As my partner also works at Citec, we could quite easily take a lot of our work home with us. The challenge lies in being able to strike the right balance, and also being able to speak up and not take on too much work. Our common sanctuary is our cottage in the archipelago and on the back of a horse. I was given a riding lesson as a birthday present and the rest is

mikko lehtimäki

NOT TOO EASY. “Passion needs challenges in order to live and survive”, says Mats Söderlund.

history. I used to be a dedicated sailor, but the waters off Hangö, which are home to me, are completely different to the rocky archipelago around Vaasa. I certainly wouldn’t rule out seeing a sail boat moored beside the small pier by our cottage sometime in the future, though. Then I would tackle the rocks and learn to navigate between them. Passion needs challenges in order to live and survive.”

MATS SÖDERLUND Position: Global Manager, Project Management Lives: In Vaasa, Finland Family: In a relationship Motto: “Tasks that are too easy result in a poorer work effort.”

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CUSTOMER CASE: ALSTOM

CUSTOMER CASE: ALSTOM

23

FIRST PROJECT FOR ALSTOM Citec begins cooperation with power generation equipment provider Alstom. Steel structure design of the boiler part of new power plant marks start of the cooperation.

A

part of Citec’s growth strategy is to have an increased presence in the French market. In summer 2011, this vision took a great step forward with the award of a contract by French company Alstom. Citec designs all the steel structures (main, secondary and auxiliary) for the boiler building in a new thermal power plant under construction in Estonia.“This is a large power plant with massive and complex steel structures; one of the biggest projects Citec has done so far. All in all the steel structures weigh about 7,760 tons,” says Christian Bestien, Business Development Manager at Citec´s office in France.

5 QUESTIONS

THE POWER PLANT, located in Narva, Estonia, will be fuelled with local oil shale and biomass and has an output of 300 MW. Oil shale is an organic-rich sedimentary rock that can be used for power generation. The new power plant is being built for the utility company, Eesti Energia.

“Citec has carried out the civil design for similar projects before. During the design phase we use pdms (Plant design management system) to transfer our 3D steel design to Alstom”, says Bestien.

Citec has mobilised a global design team with more than 20 engineers from Finland, Sweden, France and India in order to meet the challenging time schedule of the Alstom project.

The management team consists of Project Manager Edvard Wikberg, CDE Peter Johansson (3D-Tekla modelling) and CDE Arto Rokkanen (calculation).

Speed and action Martin Rosander works as Section Manager in Competence Services.

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A MASSIVE PROJECT. Citec has mobilised a global design team of more than 20 engineers for the Alstom project.

n How long have you worked for Citec?

“I have worked here since the start in 2002, when Citec Sweden was founded. Then there were 11 of us who all sat here in Växjö. During the past ten years, we have doubled the number of employees many times. I have had many different roles within the company. For example, I have worked as a project

manager and a technical writer, and I have been responsible for recruitment.”

What do your current duties include?

“I’m responsible for the personnel and handle the resourcing, competence development and quality assurance. When we need a new co-worker, I’m the one who does

the recruiting. The job includes some travelling, mostly around Sweden. I still have some customer contacts left, and I try to be part of projects as much as I can. A small part of my daily work is also as head of security in Sweden for the assignments where we work with classified material.”

What do you like most about your job?

“That I constantly get to learn new things, and also that I work in a technically intensive branch where we are at the forefront. Getting to know new colleagues in different offices around the world is also very interesting. I would love to travel back to India to see all the people there again.”

What do you think about Citec as an employer?

“I really like it here a lot. I feel that I’ve been given the opportunity to develop, and I’ve never felt that I’ve been limited somehow.

You can turn to anyone within the organisation if a quick decision is needed, there’s no strict hierarchy.

At Citec, you get a lot of freedom along with a lot of responsibility.”

Okay, what about when you don’t work?

“I have a one-year-old daughter, so for now it’s the family that matters.

Because I have a job where I sit most of the time, I try to exercise when I have time, usually I run.

When the baby years are over, I think I’ll return to my interest in vehicles. The dream is to build my own motorcycle. I love speed and action!”

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Expertise with Passion.

We believe business success is a combination of knowledge, expertise and passion.

These attributes are our driving forces, as we tirelessly work to find the optimal solutions that meet your goals. We deliver complete services for your engineering and information management needs, making us a powerful and effective partner for you.

www.citec.com