Electricity and Control April 2021

SAFETY OF PLANT, EQUIPMENT + PEOPLE : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Safety technology for manufacturing plants

The Machinery Directive (Directive 2006/42/EC issued by the Council of the European Union) stipulates machinery should not present a risk to workers or users. Since it is not possible to achieve (absolute) zero risk, the aim is to achieve an acceptable level of residual risk. Where safety is dependent on control systems, these must be designed to minimise malfunction. Safety tech- nology in automation minimises the risk of damage to people or installations. The ifm product range comprises a multitude of safety products, including electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE), door switches, actuators and control systems. Unlike conventional safety switches, inductive safety sensors directly detect metal – without requiring a spe- cial target. Safety light curtains and safety light grids, which are optoelectronic safety devices incorporating one transmit- ter and one receiver, are used where hazardous areas must be secured. They conform to the safety require- ments of type 2 / SIL 1 or type 4 / SIL 3. AS-i door switches with guard locking serve to keep moving protective equipment – such as protective grat- ing, protective guards and other covers – closed as long as a dangerous state is present. The safe mushroom-headed E-stop buttons and other protective switches force a machine or installation to stop or shut down in a hazardous situation. ifm fail-safe sensors and operating elements can be connected to any safety evaluation unit, such as

ifm safety products include ESPE, door switches, actuators, control systems and other safety devices. safety relays, programmable logic modules or safe controllers. Safety components can be incorporated easily into an AS-i network via AS-Interface Safety at Work. Signals from standard units and safe components are transmit- ted via a common cable. For direct installation in vehicles or mobile machines, ifm provides the powerful, freely programmable 32-bit SafetyController. For more information contact ifm South Africa. Tel: +27 (0)12 450 0400 Email: info.za@ifm.com Visit: www.ifm.com transformer manufacturer TMC Transformers in Italy, we can design, supply and install fit-for-purpose solutions for hazardous areas,” says Claassen. “TMC’s facilities include state-of-the-art technology and capability, and enable us to compete with the best quality and range available globally.” In one of Trafo Power Solution’s largest projects to date, it is partnering with TMC Transformers to supply the Mozambique liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in that country’s northern Cabo Delgado province. Eighteen dry-type transformers are already on site, inside modular substations for the project’s first construction camp for about 9 500 contractors. Also being supplied are 20 specialised dry-type transformers for the project’s gas plant. They will deliver features that only a few players in the global transformer sector could meet. “These 400 kVA to 1 600 kVA transformers will be housed in IP56 enclosures, equipping them for high lev- els of ingress protection,” Claassen says.

Safe transformers for oil and gas sector

Demanding safety requirements in the oil and gas sector are being met by custom-designed dry-type transform- ers from specialist company Trafo Power Solutions. Managing Director of the company, David Claassen says, “We are seeing growing success in the applica- tion of dry-type transformer technology in this industry, where all equipment must be safe to use in hazardous areas. Being air-cooled, dry-type transformers are a safe

alternative to convention- al transformers, which generally use oil as the coolant medium.” Oil presents risks of explosion, fire and envi- ronmental damage while dry-type transformers, by contrast, can be installed indoors, in confined spaces and in proxim- ity to operational areas where people work. “Through our strategic partnership with leading

A cast resin transformer installed in one of the modular substations serving the construction camp at the Mozambique LNG project.

For more information contact Trafo Power Solutions. Visit: www.trafo.co.za

28 Electricity + Control APRIL 2021