Sparks Electrical News March 2018

9

MEGGER CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF DUALGROUND SAFETY

CHARGING STATIONS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

I t is ten years since Megger launched the first circuit breaker test instrument featuring its unique and patented Dual- Ground TM testing techniques, which make an outstanding contribution to the safety of engineers and technicians in the power industry. Sold in impressive numbers over the years, Megger instruments with DualGround TM capability make fast and accurate circuit breaker timing possible, with both sides of the breaker grounded, in more situations than ever before. With DualGround TM measurements, engineers and technicians are protected against receiving dangerous shocks from volt- ages induced in the breaker by current flow in nearby live conductors. This is enormously important in the substation environment. Although it had been possible to meas- ure timing with both sides of the circuit breaker grounded since 1992 thanks to dynamic resistance measurement (DRM) techniques, the results are not always consistent and reliable. Megger Dual- Ground TM circuit breaker testers, however, use dynamic capacitance measurement

stations and vehicle fleet operators, with the installation, commissioning and operation of their charging infra- structures. More than just a charging station, the EV Link is a user friendly and robust solution, for electric vehicle owners. The EV Link Range has ener- gy management, access control and load shedding options on the built-in webpages on board each Charger. In South Africa we stock either a wall mount or floor mount option of the EV Link, which minimises installation costs and provides flexibility for the building owner. “I was fortunate enough to drive a BMW i3 for two weeks recently, and the EV Link Charger proved to be simple and safe to use. It gave me peace of mind that the car would get a full and reliable charging cycle every time I plugged the car in,” says Strobel. The Wallbox offer is stocked lo- cally in South Africa and is avail- able in various sizes. Ideal, but not

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, the global specialist in energy management and automation, has introduced its range of EV Link Residential and Commercial charging stations for electric vehicles to the South Afri- can market. “As more and more car manu- facturers continue introducing full electric and hybrid electric cars to the local market, the importance of establishing an efficient charg- ing infrastructure, right around the country, is paramount to the suc- cess of electric vehicles sales in South Africa” says EV Link market- ing manager at Schneider Electric, Victor Strobel. The installed base of EV Charg- ers, should allow users optimum access to energy anywhere, at any time. To ensure that electric vehi- cles can be charged easily, Schnei- der Electric can assist residential communities, private homes, shop- ping malls, business parks, airports, petrol stations, office complex’s, train

(DCM) technology, which means that they are able to produce dependable timing results safely in an exceptionally wide range of conditions, even in challenging applications, such as those that involve GIS breakers. Another key benefit of DualGround TM instruments is that they significantly re- duce testing time, since it’s no longer necessary to remove one of the ground leads before making a measurement and re-attach it afterwards. LEM now provides compact split-core, low cost ac current transducers to pro- vide a TRMS 4-20 mA output from an external 20-30 V power supply (loop powered). Separate units are available with full scale readings of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 150 A. The transducers are split-core and will accommodate conductors up to 16 mm in diameter. The 5 A units are particularly useful in providing a 4-20 mA output from existing CTs with a 5 A output. LEM also offers self-powered versions with 0-10 V or 0-5 V output, corresponding to the same primary currents listed above. LEM INTRODUCES SPLIT- CORE AC CURRENT TRANSDUCERS T his earth leakage with overload protection unit from Swan Electri- cal is suitable for a power source of AC 50 Hz rated voltage up to 240 V and has a rated current up to 32 A. By disconnecting the power au- tomatically and instantaneously, it protects personal safety and avoids damage to equipment in an efficient manner. It can be used for infrequent isolation of electrical equipment and lighting circuits under normal condi- tions. It’s also used in buildings, house- holds and smaller installation. The unit is small and compact utilising mini- mum space, which makes it ideal for low cost installations and where space is limited in the distribution board. The unique aspect about Swan’s ADL-9, is its frame size. It measures a mere 7.8 mm height x 1.8 mm wide. This is sure to save you space on your din rail. Swan’s ADL-9 is a Pole + neu- tral device with an ambient operating air temperature of –5°C ~ +40°C. The ADL-9 has 6 rivet design and has a minimum clearance of 6 mm from the mounting surface. The ADL-9 is unique and has no comparative product here in South Africa. It complies with IEC 61009-1 and VC8035 standard. ADL- 9 is rated at 240 V 3 kA for 40 A. ADL9 – 32 RESIDUAL CIRCUIT BREAKER AND EARTH LEAKAGE Enquiries: mesales@megger.com Enquiries: www.denver-tech.co.za

restricted to homes, the Wallbox is neat, easy and quick to install. It also has wall mount and floor mount op- tions, making it extremely suitable for office Basement parking bays, ofice complexes, private homes, carports, golf courses, gated estates and busi- ness parks.

Enquiries: www.schneider-electric.co.za

SPACE-SAVING POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTION

at any time. The product portfolio features three adjust- able devices with different nominal current ranges between one and eight amps. Four ad- ditional products with fixed nominal currents of two, three, four, and six amps round out the PTCB product range.

WITH its adjustable setting range from one to eight amps, Phoenix Contact’s single-channel electronic PTCB device circuit breaker is especial- ly well-suited for easy and space-saving potential distribution. Standard terminal blocks and accessories can be used, thanks to the ability to bridge to the Cli- pline complete portfolio of terminal block sys- tems. There is no need to certify new materials.

Thus, adding to existing applications is quick and easy. Thanks to their space-saving overall width of six millimeters, these devices offer reliable pro- tection from overload and short-circuit current in tight spaces. The adjustable amp values on each device en- able them to cover a wide range of applications. You can make modifications even during startup. Users can respond to changes in the application

Enquiries: www.phoenixcontact.com

THE EXPLOSION-PROOF ABSOLUTE ENCODER THAT WILL FIT WHERE OTHERS WON’T

CUMMINS, NRG ENERGY DEVELOP FIRST- OF-ITS-KIND DISTRIBUTED GENERATION PLATFORM

M any applications that require the use of absolute encod- ers are demanding, not just from a performance perspective but also because of the operating envi- ronment. An example of this is appli- cations where the encoder has to be explosion-proof due to the dangerous atmosphere in which it operates. An- other would be applications that in- volve harsh environmental influences such as offshore platforms or those that experience huge shock loads of over 100 Gs or even shaft loads of hundreds of Newtons. The Hengstler AX65 absolute en- coder has been engineered to handle all these requirements, and is believed to be one of very few devices that can do this. Certified explosion-proof, the Heng-

mines, chemical plants and offshore oil platforms, as well as other applications that require an encoder constructed from marine grade stainless steel. The shaft load rating eliminates the need for load modules, reducing costs. This device can be installed quickly and easily due to its flexible, quick-con- nect terminal system. It comes stand- ard with the choice of SSI or CANopen interface, and it is also possible to in- tegrate the CANopen encoder in a ring network configuration. The Hengstler AX65 is available from Countapulse Controls. The com- pany has a strong customer service ethic and offers strong engineering and technical support.

architecture allows for more ca- pacity to meet expanding market requirements. The companies note that while the formal partnership is new, they have in recent years successfully implemented distributed genera- tion models for several custom- ers, and are now ready to bring this proven, cost-effective solution to a wider customer base. Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of comple- mentary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation sys- tems. Cummins Africa Middle East has regional offices in South Africa, Morocco and Dubai, with branches across the territory.

CUMMINS INC. AND NRG EN- ERGY of the US have announced a strategic commercial partnership to deploy a resilient, cleaner, and cost-effective distributed genera- tion platform for commercial and industrial customers. This platform is the first-of-its-kind in the energy industry. The easy-to-implement solution gives customers the opportunity to transition to a smarter energy consumption model. The platform, with a preliminary estimate of hun- dreds of megawatts of capacity, or enough to power tens of thousands of homes, enhances customers’ energy usage through Cummins- powered generators and NRG- distributed generation resource capabilities. The companies estimate that the solution will save customers up to 15% on their current energy costs, and in many cases with zero enrol- ment expenses. In addition to pro- viding customers with more control

Enquiries: www.countapulse.co.za

stler AX65 is built with marine- grade stainless steel and has a shock rating of 200 Gs and shaft load of 300 N. This tough encoder is not only the most compact in its class, it also offers an exceptionally shal- low depth and body diameter of only 59 mm. This means it can be installed in applications where other larger explosion- proof encoders cannot be used. Carrying explosion-proof certification makes it ideal for

Enquiries: susan.quist@cummins.com

over their energy future, the platform is expected to reduce environmental impact and power-grid stress significantly. Fur- thermore, the platform

Enquiries: www.swan-electrical.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MARCH 2018