Sparks Electrical News August 2017

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

17

FLUKE ELECTRICAL LOGGERS REDUCE FACILITIES’ ENERGY COSTS

RECHARGEABLE SOLAR POWERED LIGHT

F luke, represented locally by Comtest, has Fluke 1732 and 1734 three-phase energy loggers that are designed to identify sources of electrical energy waste. Easy to set up and use, and capture key measurements – voltage, current, power, power factor, and other variables like tem- perature – the 1732/1734 enable users to understand energy usage and correlate it to activities. The loggers are also Fluke Con- nect® compatible. Data can be viewed from anywhere via the Fluke Connect mobile app, potentially reducing the number of times a technician must open a panel while wearing full protective equipment. With the Fluke 1732 and 1734, users can: • Easily discover wasted energy to reduce energy bills. • Perform energy studies over a range of electrical power and energy parameters. • Perform simple current-only load studies. • Use the 1734 to perform advanced energy and load studies with connected data from Fluke Connect modules. “Energy use in industrial plants is one of the most important areas where costs can be reduced, yet most facility managers are unaware of how their energy is consumed,”

T he ECO Solar light is designed in South Africa and distributed by AutObarn SA. One solar charge gives eight to nine hours of light, once charged, and it can be left connected while in use. The solar panel takes six to eight hours to charge fully. The white lamp has two

The 1732 and 1734 also include the energy analyse plus application software that delivers more advanced analysis capabilities to better correlate data and make better decisions. The loggers are rated 600 V CAT IV/1000 V CAT III for safe use at the service entrance, and downstream.

says Paul de la Port, president, Fluke Indus- trial Group. “The Fluke 1732 and 1734 energy loggers deliver a complete picture that iden- tifies opportunities for savings and provides actionable data to reduce energy costs to improve the bottom line.” The Fluke energy loggers: • Measure all three phase conductors: with included three flexible current probes. • Provide comprehensive logging: more than 20 separate logging sessions can be stored on the instruments and all measured values are automatically logged to retain measurement trends. • Can be powered by the measurement circuit: eliminating the need to find a power outlet and run power cord extensions. • Can be set up completely in the field through the front panel with no need to return to the workshop for download and setup or to take a computer to the electrical panel as data can be downloaded directly to USB memory stick or via local Wi-Fi. The quick, guided, graphical setup ensures that the right data is captured every time, and the intelligent verification function indicates correct connections have been made, reducing user uncertainty.

Enquiries: +27 (0)10 595 1821

brightness settings, while additional features include the solar panel, which can charge smaller cell phones depending on battery require- ments, it has a 1000-cycle life, and the battery is 1800 mAh Lithium ion unit with 1000 to 1200 cycles. On the minimum brightness setting, users get eight to nine hours of light; on the super bright setting it’s five to six hours. The pull switch globe can be hung anywhere. “The unit very reasonably priced at R300,” says Terry Brand MD of AutObarn SA. “We have tested the units at the company, in the workshops, and in our homes without a single failure. Ideally home owners should invest in a few mobile units that will give them light in all important rooms. To date, we have had many orders from all over South Africa. Most people do not understand just how good these solar units are and how well they work; once they do, they are back for more,” says Brand.

The Fluke 1732 and 1734 three-phase energy loggers are designed to more easily identify sources of electrical energy waste.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 477 3612

ENERGY MONITORING, OPTIMISATION AND MANAGEMENT VALUE-ADD

A s a source of energy, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is hard to beat. Easy to use, efficient, cost-competitive and environmentally-friend- ly – its properties play an active role in contributing towards a gas-powered economy. From an LPG supplier perspective, the business is evolving in a dynamic and exciting manner. “In the past, it was enough to ensure timeous and efficient supply of LPG to customers in the domestic, commer- cial and industrial sectors,” says Fred Royer, managing director of Easigas. “However, business trends and requirements have evolved. If you are selling LPG energy, it is now es- sential to have a thorough understanding of custom- ers’ requirements, and also how the energy you supply them will be utilised, or the application thereof. This is especially important in economically demanding times where energy – particularly if its usage is not correctly optimised and managed – can be one of the greatest industrial or manufacturing input costs,” says Royer. In line with the above trends, Easigas’s commercial technical manager, Dave De Wit – who has more than three decades’ experience and understanding of gas- fired plant and equipment – will be leading an inno- vative value-adding initiative to Easigas’s customers in the commercial and industrial sectors. In terms of specifics, this additional service to customers is a form of diversification. While the company will remain a primary LPG sup- plier, it is diversifying into energy optimisation and management via its expanded service and value-add proposition. “This will take the form of a multi-faceted energy monitoring and management service offering; which will also offer assistance to our commercial and in- dustrial customers who need to be aligned with exist- ing gas-related legislation,” De Wit explains. Easigas’s new service will assist in the optimisation

wards increased efficiency and productivity. With our energy monitoring and management value-added service offering, we are able to assist our custom- ers in improving their productivity, profitability and sustainability through optimal energy usage,” he concludes.

vice will offer could be substantial,” De Wit points out. A further incentive for Easigas’s commercial and industrial customers to grasp this opportunity lies in South Africa’s changing environmental legislation, which will increasingly dictate that industries engage in environmentally-responsible energy utilisation. He adds that similar services could in future

of customers’ combustion systems and burner man- agement. When the time comes to alter plant or in- stall new gas systems, Easigas will offer its customers professional advice on the gas equipment selection and installation thereof. A component of the energy monitoring and man- agement service would be assisting companies with statutory compliance. “The enforcement of statutory compliance dead- lines, as defined in the Pressure Equipment Regula- tions (PER), is to be revised owing to the prohibitive costs of upgrades required to ensure compliance,” says De Wit. The Department of Labour will require that com- panies draw up a risk profile, and then schedule measures to be taken to ensure compliance in a se- ries of manageable and affordable steps. Regarding the energy monitoring component of the service – and the need for customers to be le- gally compliant – Easigas could offer a scheduled monitoring capability, regardless of whether or not it is linked to a statutory requirement. “If for example, a burner nozzle or register should become inefficient (and ‘gas wasting’), by scheduled monitoring, we will detect this condition early and advise the customer accordingly,” says De Wit. Easigas will also be able to assist customers with burner equipment selection, optimisation, manage- ment and compliance. “With our continuous on-site monitoring frequency, customers would also comply more easily with emissions legislation,” he says. Should a customer consider installing or altering its combustion systems, Easigas will be able to sup- ply projected gas consumption metrics; as well as burner installation and management advice. “We would consult on best-fit burner practice and extend this into burner system installation and project management if required. Considering the current cost of consulting engineering, the cost-savings our ser-

be extended to Easigas’s substantial domestic LPG market. “With this innovation, Easi- gas is at the forefront of the LPG supply sector: not only in responding to its commer- cial and industrial custom- ers’ requirements for greater flexibility and accessibility to energy monitoring, opti- misation and management; but also to the imperatives of the Industry 4.0 trend of increasingly automated and integrated manufacturing. Advanced telemetry sys- tems that will be used in the ‘smart’ factory of tomorrow are also compatible with the LPG industry. Their appli- cations range from LPG tank level monitoring, automatic meter readings and burner fuel consumption metering, to monitoring combustion efficiency. “With these sys- tems in place, there is added potential for greater produc- tivity horizons,” says De Wit. “The drive of the Industry 4.0 global initiative is to-

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

AUGUST 2017