Electricity and Control June 2023

TRANSFORMERS, SUBSTATIONS + CABLES : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Local partnership to deliver skid substations

ArmCoil Afrika, a local man ufacturer of medium voltage (MV) ac motors and transform ers, and Schneider Electric have partnered to provide a skid mobile substation prod uct line to supply the opera tions of a large mining con glomerate in South Africa. Together, the companies have already completed two skid substations (SKID 961

Looking at the practical application of the substations, they are transported by trucks to the various mining pits where mining equipment can then be plugged into the skid. Generally, the substations are used to power drilling rigs and electrical excavators which are then used to fill the trucks with rocks, rubble and ore which is transported for processing. The manufacturing process for the skid substations is in line with ISO standards which require that equipment should be continually improved to enhance operations and operational safety. “The skid substations are now in their third iteration and with each new unit we enhance the operations based on the feedback we receive from the mine and our own learnings. It is a dynamic and collaborative pro cess,” Flint says. “Our combined strengths allow us to build an improved skid. This is an exciting partnership that sees engineers from both teams coming together to build units that meet the mine’s mobile substation needs,” Maartens adds. Following SKID 961, the SKID 979 substation featured the following enhancements: - The super enclosure is made with clear view ma terials that allow improved visibility into the units - The addition of a roof which improves the unit’s robustness in inhospitable environments near the mining pits - The newest version of Schneider Electric’s auto recloser. The SKID substation project is expected to continue through another three years with two to three units to be delivered each year. “Getting switch contact signals point-to-point can be critical,” says David Celine, Managing Director of Omniflex. “When an operator hits an emergency stop button, they need to be confident that the system will shut down as designed. If someone is in danger at an industrial power station, the risk of signal failure has to be mitigated to an acceptable level. “This FCX is also a bidirectional transceiver, so it com bines the transmission and reception capabilities into one device, eliminating the need for separate modules. One module is placed at either end of a duplex fibre op tic link and when the contact on the first is closed, the other module is energised replicating the contact signal.” For more information contact Omniflex. Tel: +27 (0)31 207 7466 Email: sales@omniflex.com, visit: www.omniflex.com For more information contact ArmCoil. Visit: www.armcoil.co.za

The skid substations are transported on low-bed trailers to the mining sites where they can be quickly energised.

and SKID 979) and the third and fourth units are in the manufacturing process. The prefabricated substations are assembled on self-supporting transformer skids, pro viding an easy-to-transport design that can be quickly energised. ArmCoil is the main manufacturing contractor, provid ing the MV solutions as well as super structure enclo sures for the skid substations and Schneider Electric is the preferred low voltage (LV) and MV switchgear partner providing equipment that includes the company’s Prem Set Solid Shielded Insulated System (SSIS) switchgear. Frank Flint, Commercial Manager at ArmCoil says, “This is an exciting project for ArmCoil. As a small, family-owned business it is fantastic to be contracted to a global mining leader and to partner with a renowned multinational like Schneider Electric, to manufacture the skid substation products.” “Together Schneider Electric and ArmCoil are com bining their strengths to produce skid substations based on industry best practices, from design to installation. It is a win-win scenario for the mine and for our partner ship,” adds Cecil Maartens, FS Segment BD & Channel Sales Manager. Remote monitoring specialist Omniflex has launched the Omniterm FCX, a fibre optic switch contact signal repeater unit which transmits a switch contact status signal bidirectionally over a distance of up to 20 km. The first with a safety integrity level (SIL) 2 rating, the FCX will reassure system designers that they can build it into safety critical systems. The unit uses fail-safe 1oo2 architecture and is ideal for the controlled, emergency shutdown of electrical substations and other safety-critical applications. The transceiver is compatible with either 850 nm multi-mode or 1310 nm single mode fibre optic cabling; the latter can send switch contact signals over a range of 20 km. The FCX is powered from a 10 to 30 Vdc power supply and the device can operate in an environment with ambient temperatures from 0 to 60°C.

SIL 2 rated contact repeater for long distance signal delivery

The new switch contact signal repeater for fibre optic cabling is ideal for the

controlled, emergency shutdown of electrical substations.

24 Electricity + Control JUNE 2023