8 minute read
Project Updates
ADMIN FUNCTIONS ADDED TO BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SOLUTION
THE TASK CENTRE EXTENSION of the EMiR software solution from Solutions In IT has been adopted by Alpha Electrics. EMiR is an integrated business management system designed for the electro-mechanical industry.
Alpha Electrics is a diverse repair and maintenance company specialising in motor and servo rewinds and repair, engineering services, the production of control systems and a wide range of building management services.
The company first installed EMiR software in 2012 as part of a drive to formalise the way that work was handled. In 2020, as part of Alpha's continual development programme, Hem Patel, director at Alpha Electrics, approved the purchase of EMiR Task Centre to take communications to a new level.
Task Centre is a Business Process Management (BPM) tool that uses the live data in the EMiR system to send messages and alerts about the state of play to essential stakeholders in the business. Task Centre offers an Amazonstyle delivery capability to each aspect of business processing by punctuating completed operations with automated messages.
Task Centre is a configurable asset in the EMiR system and comes with 15 pre-built alerts already in operation by EMiR users.
Phase one of the Alpha Electrics installation included 'Despatch Notification' – when a job is finished, the customer gets an email to tell them when they are receiving the item and by what delivery method, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of customer phone calls asking for information.
It also included 'Chasing Supplier Delays' – items on order with a supplier that do not arrive on their specified date are automatically emailed requesting clarification. "An item that isn't urgent can become critical to an operation if this isn't kept in check," said Hem. The automated email from Task Centre puts the supplier on the spot without further delay.
Another useful feature is 'Overdue Quotes', which chases the client for answers or updates on outstanding quotes – a labour-intensive role for the salesperson. Although further calls may be made to the client, the automation of the quote statement is a gentle reminder of what needs to be decided.
Finally, the 'Booking in Report' function ensures that at 6.00 am every morning, Task Centre compiles a report for company managers to show all of the work booked in the previous day, offering an instant appraisal of the additional workload and ensures that items that have arrived in the workshop are not missed.
www.solutionsinit.com alphaelectrics.com
Engine room fan refurbishment
MAWDSLEYS BER RECENTLY secured a contract to refurbish engine room fans to support the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Cluster Team responsible for engineering and management support to RFA Mounts Bay, RFA Lyme Bay, RFA Cardigan Bay, RFA Argus and HMS Scott.
When one of the ships was in dock for scheduled maintenance, one of the tasks on the list was a complete refurbishment of the 24in axial flow engine room fans, and Mawdsleys was called in to help with this task.
Boasting a fully-equipped workshop and in-house expertise, the company won the contract thanks to its competitive pricing and ability to provide a quick turnaround for the fan refurbishment project.
The axial flow fans were collected from the ship. Once delivered to the workshop, Mawdsleys' engineers set about cleaning, degreasing, shot blasting and dynamically balancing the fans before they were reassembled with a 45kw overhauled motor.
Electrical checks were then carried out to assess performance and ensure the fans would run optimally and safely once back on board the ship.
Finally, the assets were painted in light admiralty grey before being transported back to the ship for refitting into the vessel, on time and within budget.
www.mawdsleysber.co.uk
URGENT MOTOR OVERHAUL TO A TIGHT SCHEDULE
DURING THE RUN-UP TO CHRISTMAS 2020, a scheduled maintenance inspection by the in-house team at an industrial gas manufacturing plant in South Wales identified a worryingly low insulation resistance (IR) on one phase of a critical 11kV compressor motor.
Quartzelec was called and could attend, at very short notice on Christmas Eve, to assess the situation and endeavour to rectify the problem.
Upon inspection, heaters were placed around the motor to quickly improve the IR – this resulted in only marginal improvement. Following consultation, the decision was made that Quartzelec would remove and undertake a major overhaul on the 1188kW Parsons Peebles compressor motor, whose duty helps provide a range of critical gases to major industries and medical facilities across the UK.
"Having agreed on the plan of action with the customer, we returned early in January to remove the 16 tonne motor for a detailed inspection and overhaul in our workshop," explained Simon O'Leary, Swansea Business Unit manager for Quartzelec. "An issue with the overhead on-site crane and position of the motor saw us bring in additional specialist lifting equipment to avoid delay, enabling us to get the motor back to our workshop to commence stripping it down."
Working extended hours and weekends, the first task for the Quartzelec engineering team was to dismantle the motor before steam cleaning the stator windings. It was then placed in a temperature-controlled oven to help improve the IR. New insulated cable clamps were manufactured and replacement 11kV heat shrink fitted to all cables. The motor was then transported to Quartzelec's Rugby facility, where a full Baker Test and Partial Discharge tests were carried out to quantify and record the IR improvements achieved before it was finally transported back to the site and reinstalled.
Quartzelec was able to keep to an agreed tight schedule for the project of under a month in a bid to minimise downtime at the plant and at a fraction of the time and cost of having a new motor specified and commissioned.
www.quartzelec.com
Helping to prepare for an electric vehicle boom
Bowers Electricals is proud to have been part of the largest EV charging hub based in the North of England.
Monks Cross Park & Ride Electric Vehicles (EV) charging hub in York is set to be finished and in use by July. It will include rapid chargers, a solar canopy, and battery storage.
The UK Government intends that the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles will cease by 2030, and the sale of hybrids will end by 2035.
The Monk's Cross Park & Ride hub is one of two being built in York to help this movement. Both sites support modern EVs with larger battery capacities, containing four Ultra-Rapid (150kW) and four Rapid (50kW) chargers.
Working with Evo Energy, who is leading the project, Bowers installed a 1500kVA, 11000/415V, Dyn11, KNAN, Tier 2 transformer, finished in a custom pearl green colour. Associated with energy efficiency, the green coloured transformer aims to complement the move towards a green transport infrastructure.
www.bowerselec.co.uk
ELECTRIC MOTORS FOR BRAZIL’S LARGEST OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION PLATFORM
WEG is supplying around 40 MV electric motors, with rated outputs of up to 13,400 kW; over 100 LV electric motors; and five MV variable speed drives (three of which have an 11,723 kW rated output), to drive machinery at the Bacalhau oilfield, which is said to be the largest oil and gas platform in Brazil.
With the first oil production scheduled between 2023/2024, the new platform is expected to have a production capacity of 220,000 barrels of oil per day and 15 million m³ per day of natural gas.
www.weg.net
Driving ammonia compressors for an innovative heating solution
TWO LOW VOLTAGE MOTORS and low harmonic variable speed drives (VSDs) from ABB have been specified to drive the compressors for a new heating system which is set to transform the way homes, businesses and public buildings in Clydebank, Scotland are heated.
The District Heating Network is the first high temperature (80°C) water source heat pump (WSHP) system in the UK. The system works by extracting water from the River Clyde to generate heat for buildings on the Queens Quay.
The two 2.65 MW WSHPs have been designed, manufactured and installed by Star Refrigeration in Glasgow and are part of the company's Neatpump range. The renewable energy heat pump extracts heat from the river's water by compressing the ammonia refrigerant in a high-efficiency screw compressor. ABB's motors and drives are used to power the ammonia compressors, each rated at 836 kW. Applying variable speed control makes it possible to increase screw compressor capacity by overspeeding up to 60 Hz. The compression process raises the water's temperature before releasing the heat via a heat exchanger to a district heating loop at up to 80°C. Pumping water through a network of underground pipes provides heating for several hundred homes and businesses in the area.
Dave Pearson, Group Sustainable Development Director for Star Refrigeration, said: "Harnessing heat from a river is easy. We simply utilise the thermodynamic principles used in fridges but with a focus on the heat produced. The hard work comes from doing this with the minimal amount of energy input from the electric motors.
"ABB supported our analysis of dozens of data points to ensure we had the maximum flexibility, control and efficiency. This will be even more important when we modulate electricity demand to help balance the grid; offloading in times of under generation and increasing demand to reduce the amount of wasted generation known as curtailment."
Most usefully, the VSDs reduce the starting current. Low harmonic VSDs were chosen to minimise harmonic interference on the mains supply. The VSDs exceed the requirements of EN 61000-3-12 and IEEE519 and offer genuine unity power factor with no compensation needed, thereby avoiding reactive power penalties. In addition, the standalone design of the VSD gives it a small footprint, minimising space requirements in the control panel.
