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PACE Zenith Awards 2012: Finalists for Power & Energy Management

Electronic Power Solutions
Epic Pool Pump Energy Saver

Electronic Power Solutions Epic Pool Pump Energy SaverSwimming pool pumps represent one of the highest energy consumers on the domestic grid. The mismatch of pump sizes to system requirements means energy wastage.

Being able to adjust the flow rate means a large reduction in energy consumption is possible.

Tests have shown that savings of over 65% are typical on the average pool pump. EPS have adapted industrial motor control products and technology to produce a commercially viable domestic solution offering fast payback which is enhanced by rising energy costs.

EPS embarked on a comprehensive testing phase using knowledge of motor control to ensure risk free operation of motors, compliance to Australian Safety Standards and independent energy saving verification.

A single setup button on the face of the unit and a simple plug and play approach means this solution is easily implemented by the general public.

There is a possibility of large cumulative energy savings if the units are retrofitted to existing pool pumps.

Fluke Australia
Rio Tinto: Earth ground testing for mine sites with Fluke 1625

Fluke Australia Rio Tinto: Earth ground testing for mine sites with Fluke 1625Regular earth testing is a very important practice for mining companies such as Rio Tinto.

The purpose of a ground, besides the protection of people and equipment, is to provide a safe path for the dissipation of fault currents, lightning strikes, transient over-voltages, static discharges, EMI and RFI signals and interference.

A ground is a conducting connection, whether intentional or accidental between an electrical circuit or equipment and the earth, or to some conducting body that serves in place of the earth.

It helps by stabilising the voltage to earth during normal operation, and limits the voltage rise created by lightning, line surges or unintentional contact with higher-voltage lines. In the event of an electrical fault or lightning strike anywhere in the vicinity of the mining area, a low impedance ground electrode will help carry the energy into the earth.

By keeping the potential gradient low, damage is minimised. Over time, corrosive soils with high moisture content, high salt content, and high temperatures can degrade ground rods and their connections.

Special instruments make it simple and easy for maintenance and safety teams to measure earth resistance and troubleshoot problems.

For Rio Tinto, the Fluke 1625 is used to measure the capability of the earth ground system at the substations. Earth resistance measurements are often corrupted by the existence of ground currents and their harmonics.

To prevent this from occurring, the Fluke 1625 uses an Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) system. This automatically selects the testing frequency with the least amount of noise.

NEP Solar
Biosol3Gen

NEP Solar Biosol3GenThe Biosol3Gen project was designed to allow optimising of the performance of the trigeneration process (ORC turbine, absorption chillers, residual heat) through the addition of mini-solar concentrated sources. This would allow buildings to incorporate solar roof top mounted solar sources to boost the overall efficiency of such processes.

The scope of the project for NEP Solar and Yokogawa was the supply of an autonomously controlled solar concentrating collector field suitable for mounting on commercial and industrial buildings, that can easily be integrated to the existing building or plant control system.

The reporting capability built into the system allows the operator to understand quickly and easily the efficiency improvement and calculate the ROI for the solar implementation. Biosol3Gen incorporated a synergy of skills from both NEP Solar and Yokogawa.

NEP Solar's technology provides a solution which offers a transportable and easy to install roof mounted solution that can be expanded to any size field required. Yokogawa's core control capability solar tracking solution provides the solution with precision industrial control for highest tracking efficiency and thus efficiency in solar collection and delivery of that energy to the required source.

The project outlines the suitability of a mix of technologies providing a renewable solution for commercial buildings that allows them to be retrofitted with high efficiency renewable technology.

PTronik
PTronik pMC Master Controller

PTronik PTronik pMC Master ControllerDust generated by many industrial processes is a global OH&S issue with hazards ranging from pneumoconiosis to spontaneous combustion.

This lead to the development of the PTronik pMC, a technology (software solution and hardware platform) that collects and uses real time plant data to automatically monitor and control the cleaning process thereby optimising plant performance.

The development of the pMC relied on employing accepted engineering principles to monitor the ongoing performance of filtration units.

Its sensors needed to measure key indicators including header pressure, differential pressures, hopper temperature, humidity levels, and dust particles concentrations to determine the state of the air filtration unit's collection bag.

The most important element is that by continuously tracking and collecting data describing the ongoing operational state of the plant, sophisticated algorithms are employed to continuously and automatically change the cleaning regime in real time.

Thor Technologies
Smart Rack Guard 11

Thor Technologies Smart Rack Guard 112006 saw the launch of the Smart Series range. The latest release from this generation was in February 2011 and featured the Smart Protect 4 and Smart Rack Guard 11. When racks are involved space is generally a premium. The Smart Rack Guard 11 is only 1RU and is neat and compact without the bulk.

Both audio visual and computer racks can benefit from the high end protection and filtering offered. The filtering cleans audio and visual components to ensure crystal clear picture and a "blacker" sound. Protection from interference typically caused by fluorescent lights, refrigerators and air-conditioners can rob a system of its performance.

In addition to protection, the Smart Rack Guard 11's filtration provides solutions which assist in the reducing of system hangs, file corruption, software glitches and system lockups. All research, development and engineering is undertaken in Australia. Thor Technologies is 100% Australian.

O’Donnell Griffin
Rainbow Springs – the Big Splash

O’Donnell Griffin Rainbow Springs – the Big SplashO’Donnell Griffin was appointed to do the electrical installation of Rotorua’s $10 million Big Splash water ride at Rainbow Springs which is on an 80-year-old site renowned for its work on conservation.

Concluding with a 12-metre plummet down a waterslide, the ride features a three-level log fume ride for which O’Donnell Griffin installed all electrical services, including the main switchboard, PLC, control stations and field control devices.

The ride departs every minute and has the capacity to carry nearly 500 tourists per hour, with water pumped from a natural spring at the rate of 3000 litres per second.

The team offered an alternative installation method for the mains cabling by installing ducts in 12-metre sections across the site, rendering continuous trenching unnecessary.

Originally scheduled for a nine-week period, due to delays in access, the project was successfully completed in just five weeks through the implementation of a number of time and cost-saving initiatives including the installation of the main switchboard and PLC in a shipping container.

Schneider Electric stresses ongoing commitment to make energy safe and greenPACE Zenith Awards 2012: Power & Energy Management category is proudly sponsored by Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric
t: 1300 369 233

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