Sparks Electrical News May 2020

CONTRACTORS’ CORNER

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Protecting cell sites from base station to antenna and aviation lights

I n mobile communications, high availability and reliability of equip- ment and system technology are critical in both the private and pub- lic sectors. When configuring network infrastructure and planning new sites, planners, installers and operators must take lightning and surge protection measures, which are also required from an insurance perspective. Increasing demand for 5G technology means that we need higher trans- mission capacities and better network availability. New cell site locations are being developed constantly for this purpose, with existing infrastructure being modified and expanded. These cell sites must obviously be reliable, but the exposed location of mobile radio masts makes them vulnerable to direct lightning strikes, which could cause severe damage to the systems. They can also be damaged through power surges, which can be caused by nearby lightning strikes, as well as by the current reality in South Africa of the abrupt stops and starts of load shedding. Therefore, a comprehensive lightning and surge protection concept, which provides optimum protection and high system availability, is imperative to protect these costly and sensi- tive equipment sites. A lightning protection system provides optimal protection by coordinat- ing both the external and internal lightning protection segments: The external lightning protection system consists of an air termination system, down conductor and earth-termination system. The internal lightning protection system encompasses lightning equipo- tential bonding and surge protective devices. “DEHN has been successfully developing customised products and protection solutions for cell sites for over 25 years,” says Ivan Grobbelaar, Senior Engineer at DEHN Africa. “As an all-in-one supplier, DEHN supports network operators, power supply manufacturers and system technology

suppliers, as well as general contractors and service partners. “DEHN equipment has the capacity to protect all aspects of the cell site, including the antenna, the aviation lights on the tower, the base transceiver station equipment (BTS), the power supply unit, remote radio heads and the telecommunication lines. Products that are used for protecting cell sites include DEHNvap, DEHNsecure, DEHN BLITZDUCTOR and DEHN HVI technology.” DEHN protection solutions include planning and selection of compo- nents for earth termination systems and external lightning protection sys- tems, as well as the use of lightning current and surge arresters in mobile radio stations. Combined lightning current and surge arresters, also referred to as combined arresters, are used to protect the infrastructure in power supply systems. DEHNvap CSP combined arresters: protection of the base station DEHNvap CSP (cell site protection) combined arresters are specifically designed for mobile communication applications. When using combined arresters, energy coordination with system and equipment technology is an important criterion. The DEHNvap CSP arresters are extensively tested to ensure their coordination with the integrated input circuits of power supply units. DEHNsecure surge arresters: protection of the power supply unit and remote radio heads Mobile radio systems rely on remote radio heads. The high-frequency signal is directly generated at the antenna and is then transmitted. Opti- cal fibre cables, which have significantly higher transmission ranges than

conventional coaxial cables, transmit data between the remote radio heads and the base station. The remote radio heads are supplied by a separate 48 V dc line. Operators as well as power supply manufacturers rely on DEHNsecure dc lightning current arresters. DEHN BLITZDUCTOR: protection of telecommunication lines Land-line connections by means of copper cables or microwave links are used to connect base stations to higher-level switching technology. In the case of land-line connections, partial lightning currents can flow through the telecommunication lines in case of a direct lightning strike in the antenna system. BLITZDUCTOR XT combined arresters provide reliable protection. DEHN HVI conductors: protection of the radio antenna The lightning current-carrying core of DEHN HVI conductors is coated with insulating material in such a way that the required separation dis- tance to other conductive structural features or electric lines and pipes is easily maintained and flexible. Installation takes place directly next to con- ductive structural parts, and the modular components mean that mount- ing is safe, quick and easy. “DEHN Africa provides information and services across the various as- pects of the network industry. As we in South Africa anticipate the ongoing reality of load-shedding for at least another couple of years, DEHN’s exper- tise will also allow telecombusinesses to protect their investments from the threat of surges as well as direct and indirect lightning strikes,” concludes Grobbelaar.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 704 1487

Smart Thermal Sensor solution for industrial monitoring and elevated skin temperature screening

Glencore electrifies 300 households

F lir has released the A400/ A700 Thermal Smart Sensor and Thermal Image Streaming fixed camera solutions for monitoring equipment, production lines, critical infrastructure, and screening for ele- vated skin temperatures. These highly configurable smart camera systems provide accurate, non-contact tem- perature monitoring across a wide range of disciplines: manufacturing process control, product develop- ment, emissions monitoring, waste management, facilities maintenance, and Environmental, Health, and Safe- ty (EHS) improvements. The FLIR A400/A700 Thermal Smart Sensor solution will initially be prioritised for those responding to COVID-19. For all applications, the series offers multi-

GLENCORE aims to foster sustainable growth, especially in rural areas where inad- equate service delivery negatively impacts people. For Glencore, this includes assisting government in its quest to improve the lives of ordinary South Africans. It is against this backdrop that Glencore completed its elec- trification project where it helped Eskom to provide electricity to 300 households in the Ga-Masha and Ga-Rantho communities in Limpopo. The lack of access to electricity in the community caused a great many chal- lenges for community members; who eventually resorted to strike action which resulted in blocked roads and burned down vehicles. This caused serious damage to the road infrastructure and the property of private companies and individuals. “It filled us with such great pride to see how excited these community members were to finally have access to electricity after the municipality was unable to pro- vide it for them. At Glencore we take our

“For more than 40 years, Flir thermal imaging has pro- vided technologies for professionals to improve not only their capabilities, but also their safety on the job,” says Jim Cannon, President and CEO at Flir. “As the world works together to face the global COVID-19 pandemic, given the need for this technology, Flir will prioritise initial deliveries of this new A-series camera to professionals using it in elevated skin temperature screening as an ad- junct to other elevated body temperature screening tools to help to fight the spread of the virus.” Flir is currently in beta testing for an automated ele- vated skin temperature screening software solution that is fully integrated with its United States Food and Drug Administration-certified thermal cameras. The solution is designed to rapidly increase the accuracy, ease-of-use, and speed of existing screening procedures.

image streaming, edge computing, and Wi-Fi connectivity to help speed data flow and enable faster decisions, im- proving productivity and safety for professionals. Flir designed the A400/A700 cameras with two configu- rations to better meet application-specific needs. The Ther- mal Smart Sensor configuration, recommended for meas- uring elevated skin temperatures, incorporates advanced measurement tools and alarms with edge computing to enable faster critical decisions. The Image Streaming con- figuration provides multiple thermal streaming capabilities to help optimise process control, improve quality assurance, or identify potential failures that could shut down a produc- tion line. Users design their systems by choosing either the Smart Sensor or Imaging Streaming configurations, se- lecting either the A400 or A700 camera body based on the resolutions they need, and then adding lenses and a range of optional features to fit their application.

commitment to progress by improving the lives of the people in our host communi- ties very seriously and we are glad we were able to lend a hand to the local municipal- ity and the community at large”, says Vor- ster Maloka, CSI Manager for the Eastern Limb Operations. The electrification project cost Glencore just over R6 million and created 42 job opportunities for the people in the com- munity.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 300 5622

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 772 0726

Proof that age is nothing but a number

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branches in neighbouring areas and potentially across our borders. I aim to build Empire’s group of companies to a point that we able to become an enterprise listed on the JSE. I would also like to expand the Empire brand venturing into different markets such as clothing and property develop- ments.

Sparks: What is your advice to electrical contractors? AL: To keep an open mind when it comes to inno- vative products and solutions. Sparks: Would you advise a person leaving school to enter the electrical industry? And why? AL: I would advise persons leaving school to enter the industry because it has been such a wonderful

ing, but one that I use most often with my team at Empire would be, “Dreams without goals are just dreams” – Denzel Washington. Sparks: Name three things on your ‘bucket list’ which you still want to accomplish. AL: I’m a simple person so I would love to own an island one day! But on a serious note, I would like to widen the Empire footprint by opening additional

journey for me personally. My only advice would be that the electrical industry is very competitive so you have to possess a high level of commitment and passion. With that said, if you are doing it for the money then you are doing it for the wrong rea- sons.

Sparks: What is your favourite quote? AL: There are many quotes which I find inspir-

Enquiries: www.empireelectrical.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MAY 2020