The Several On-Shore and On-Hand supplies of Different Transmission Equipment

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog, Materials of Enclosures , , ,

To ensure the electrical grid is totally secured is not new in the entire process, however with the potential alarming threats existing today together with the risks in forms of physical assaults, possible calamities, and cyber attacks how sure are we that our community is ready to face threats in their quality of life, economic-well being as well as their overall safety?

Together with these potential threats just roaming around the corner, comes with more and increased potential questions. How are the companies prepared to face possible threats and how to effectively respond to them in terms of recovering from high impacted low-frequency HILF events? These events can bring large-scale, multi-site impacts on other companies. How well are companies’ plants in terms of assessing the recovery time whether the affected assets of several transformers requires longer lead time for transportation? How certain are they to measure and assess if the spare assets are readily available to technicians’ reach when there is a restoration needed? What will happen if the customers are not well prepared to face these adversaries?

Together as an industry, companies should be eager to seek new ways in improving their resilience and recovery time when facing these problems ahead of them. The companies should take the leadership in stewarding the development of a holistic plan that comes with cost-effective solutions in improving the resilience of the electric grid. Once the concerns regarding the resilience will remain unsatisfied by the actions in the industry, the concerned regulators and some government officials will opt to formulate their own solutions. This will eventually result in new laws, legislation, mandates, and standards.

However, it is not practical to just protect or harden the grid that covers hundreds of thousands of miles’ worth of transmission lines and tens of thousands of substations that comes with them. There is one option viable, that is already considered by companies as one new way in improving the resilience. This is to eventually increase the energy supply of the nation through large power transformers or what we call as LPTs.

Some of the utilities decided to maintain some of the operational spares in the order to form them to replace the large power equipment that will eventually fail because of the normal wear and tear because of frequent use. However, it still remains to be economically reasonable to restrict the stockpiling of expensive pieces of equipment in line with the preparation of the companies’ own worst-case scenario. Unless including in each utility is the storage of their backups in some of the secured and off-site locations. However, it is also likely that the backup transformers in this process will eventually be damaged because of the same HILF event that brought damage in their in-use equipment.

Last 2006, the nation’s power sector took a very important step in addressing the replacement of these transformers that were damaged because of some terrorist acts. In line with this, the Edison Electric Institute and some of the utility companies eventually formed a Spare Transformer Equipment Program (STEP). This program gives the participating utilities the permission to buy huge power transformers bought from other utilities in the industry but this happened only after a presidentially declared terrorist emergency happened.

The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog , ,
The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

The Internet of Things is not all about making the production more efficient on the factor floor; it is meant to help in the aid of creating a much safer working environment for the workers. 

In the manufacturing industry, the applications on how the internet of things can help in improving processes has been well covered. But for the safety of using IoT, the benefits that the personnel will get is less discussed. Once the application that shows how Iot solutions can help in preventing risks and accidents by promoting the support of safety, it can predict pattern in the workers efficiency on the factory floor. With this in mind, this can reduce risk of injury. 

One of the benefits of this safety solutions – with the emphasis on the safety solutions – have been greatly emphasized in the recent years as IoT continues to drive the industrial automation carrying through the digital age. The major benefit is the increased profits for the companies, basing on the more efficient technology and productivity. With this in mind, the IoT that contributes to the safety of the workers can also reduce costs because there will be no fatal injuries that personnels can incur. 

Some companies that doesn’t have proper safety measures can eventually result to compensation to employees, fines, pays for sick leave, and the recovery time of the employees among other additional costs that can incur. In the global market, from 2015 and 2016 the were occurrence of ongoing improvement that is calculated more than 50% of changes to safety directives and standards. The changes in the initial stages of its development is costy to implement. But it will have long lasting changes and developments because it can bring safety to lives and save companies costs in the long run. 

The companies can put safety measures in the production plants for machineries that are being used to prevent unauthorized access and prevent unsafe practices. However, they can be totally ignored by the personnel using it because of the company culture that are being developed towards the production plants about safety regulations. In line with this, poor practice will eventually result to reckless decisions. 

Some employment contracts are being paid dependent on the process output rather than by the hour. Eventually this will result to a sense of urgency because employees should meet their quota. Safety measures that are established can increase the time that needs to be spent on doing a certain task and it some ways it can distract the workers’ work because they work around the safety procedures to save working time. 

In conclusion, the internet of things (IoT) can have a positive, increasing impact on influencing the companies to conduct safety products and solutions. They can do this by having an improved connectivity of safety intelligent devices.  These devices can give companies insight about the customer data that can give improvements on how they do and process things, in addition to the core safety features that are being implemented in the companies. 

The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog , ,
The Numerous Human Factors that Affect IoT Safety

The Internet of Things is not all about making the production more efficient on the factor floor; it is meant to help in the aid of creating a much safer working environment for the workers. 

In the manufacturing industry, the applications on how the internet of things can help in improving processes has been well covered. But for the safety of using IoT, the benefits that the personnel will get is less discussed. Once the application that shows how Iot solutions can help in preventing risks and accidents by promoting the support of safety, it can predict pattern in the workers efficiency on the factory floor. With this in mind, this can reduce risk of injury. 

One of the benefits of this safety solutions – with the emphasis on the safety solutions – have been greatly emphasized in the recent years as IoT continues to drive the industrial automation carrying through the digital age. The major benefit is the increased profits for the companies, basing on the more efficient technology and productivity. With this in mind, the IoT that contributes to the safety of the workers can also reduce costs because there will be no fatal injuries that personnels can incur. 

Some companies that doesn’t have proper safety measures can eventually result to compensation to employees, fines, pays for sick leave, and the recovery time of the employees among other additional costs that can incur. In the global market, from 2015 and 2016 the were occurrence of ongoing improvement that is calculated more than 50% of changes to safety directives and standards. The changes in the initial stages of its development is costy to implement. But it will have long lasting changes and developments because it can bring safety to lives and save companies costs in the long run. 

The companies can put safety measures in the production plants for machineries that are being used to prevent unauthorized access and prevent unsafe practices. However, they can be totally ignored by the personnel using it because of the company culture that are being developed towards the production plants about safety regulations. In line with this, poor practice will eventually result to reckless decisions. 

Some employment contracts are being paid dependent on the process output rather than by the hour. Eventually this will result to a sense of urgency because employees should meet their quota. Safety measures that are established can increase the time that needs to be spent on doing a certain task and it some ways it can distract the workers’ work because they work around the safety procedures to save working time. 

In conclusion, the internet of things (IoT) can have a positive, increasing impact on influencing the companies to conduct safety products and solutions. They can do this by having an improved connectivity of safety intelligent devices.  These devices can give companies insight about the customer data that can give improvements on how they do and process things, in addition to the core safety features that are being implemented in the companies. 

Naming Engineer Materials Using Artificial Intelligence Part 1

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog , ,
Naming Engineer Materials Using Artificial Intelligence Part 1

There is an instance where applying a little bit of stain to a semi-conductor piece or other crystalline material can bring deformity of the orderly management of atomic structure in it. This is enough to cause very different and dramatic changes in its properties and it can also affect the way it conducts electricity, transfer light, or transfer heat. 

Today, a new team of researchers located in MIT, Russia, and Singapore has discovered ways on how to use artificial intelligence in determining and having control of the changes in the chemical framework and how it can possibly open up new ways of researching on advanced materials used for engineering works. 

The recent research was done by Suresh, Dao, and Yang Lu, a former MIT postdoc now at the City University of Hong Kong, has shown that the diamond – the hardest and strongest material that is naturally found in nature – can also be elastically stretched as much as 9% without breaking it. It can only be done when it is in the form of nanometer-sized needs. The researchers showed that the nanoscale wires of silicon can also be stretched elastically by more than 15%. These said discoveries have a paved way of opening up new possible ways of exploring how devices can be made that can bring dramatic and possible changes in certain materials’ properties. 

The other ways of changing the chemical structure of a material’s properties called chemical doping – which results in a permanent, static change on the material. However, strain engineering allows the changes to the properties on the fly. “Strain is something you can turn on and off dynamically,” Li said. 

The possibility of potentials showed by the strain-engineered materials has been prevented by the wide range of different possibilities. Strain can be applied by using six different ways and in infinite gradations of a certain degree. This range is so full that it can show possibilities almost impractical to explore just by simply doing a trial and error. “It quickly grows to 100 million calculations if we want to map out the entire elastic strain space,” Li said. Strains can be also applied in three various dimensions and each of the dimension can result to strain in and out or sideways. 

This is the reason why the researcher’s team novel application of different machine learning methods came in aid of this dilemma. This system of methodology gives a more systematic way of exploring different materials and giving in the appropriate amount of strain to get the ideal set of properties that are meant for specific purposes. This methodology is having a very high-accuracy method that can greatly lessen the complexity of the different calculations needed. 

This new method can possibly give new ways and possibilities of creating materials that are being precisely tuned for electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic devices that can find use in different industrial purposes such as communication, information processing, and different energy applications.  

Best Way to Avoid Automation Madness: Adding Productivity

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog , ,

In this article we will discuss how systems integrator gives good value by serving as the manufacturing plant’s MAC or main automation contractor that reduces project risk and overall maximizing production’s productivity? 

In improving manufacturing process, one of the best ways to make it happen is by using automation. This is the most important element that builds a reliable system and making its value more maximized. The technology is continuing to make innovations on how companies make businesses, how things are built and how we can continually satisfy customer demands. 

Daily, new solutions can improve processes, reduce waste, gain quality control, and ultimately increase the bottom line. The world of technology can be intimidating, and many manufacturers find it too costly to maintain internal expertise. 

By depending on the automation experts that gives an efficient way to integrate technology, the system integrator can give huge and best value by serving as the manufacturer’s primary automation contractor. 

Usually the first focus of this kind of project is the controls. Integrating controls to the project initiation makes the project valuable. Consequently, one can tap into the creativity of the main automation control that contributes to the overall design. MAC is expert in managing very large and complicated projects and MAC gives knowledge on the various systems available. In return, a company will not only minimize the risk but will also have control systems that utilizes the plant’s productivity. 

There are three factors that can help companies achieve this result: 

Integrating a lead integrator early in the process; 

Integrating a well-structured methodology and its best practices; 

And depending on best technical resources available 

With this, they can create good production alignment and make sure that the companies achieve its integration goals 

It is of vital importance to create a team that approaches this system efficiently from the start of the integration process. This is to make sure that all the members of the team – including the operations and controls – have a final say to the final system that will be implemented. 

In order to have a good foundation for the success of main automation control, an engineer should follow these basic simple tips: 

An engineer should have a well prescribed methodology that addresses and initiates the project by first identifying the scop, project kick-off and the final detail and functions of the design. Next to this is the building of the system and testing it. This process involves planning, system development, procurement and assembly, panel quality control, factory acceptance testing, and final step which is shipment. In the last process of the system building, it should have integration, installation and training for the key personnel using the overall system. 

The company should involve all the employees at the start of this process so that their perspectives and requirements are already designed and integrated into the system design. These steps should also include the automation and networking standards, the communication protocols and different factors unique to the plant where it will be integrated. 

How to Choose and Differentiate a Sectional from Monoblock Valve

Frances Bennett Engineering Blog , ,

The majority of the hydraulic systems needs to have directional control valve. With numerous different styles and installation setups, it is hard to have a good understanding which valve type is the most suitable for your system. Having the right knowledge about the features any company would need and how it is operated and controlled is the first step in the success of this process. The sectional valves are the most flexible and can be configured valve type. But the monoblock one offers several additional benefits when it is properly applied in the system. 

Compared to monoblock valve, the sectional valves has several benefits to being able to have an additional section or having it removed whenever it is needed. The ability to stock individual sections of it and establish an array of different valves setups makes it more cost efficient in stocking it and have versatility in the production. This can also make the servicing and maintenance of these valves much easier compared before because engineers can easily remove and replace a section in the system. This can be quickly backed up and have it moving and running. 

With this in mind, several sectional vavles are built in order to cover a wider range of higher pressure that flows through in several monoblock valves that cannot be handled. The sectional valve can have this functionality work in the place of a monoblock setup because they have some bad qualities to be considered. In each different section that is being added to the valve, there are potential leaking points that should be observed as well. With this in mind, there are several and different serviceable parts that when serviced, the tie rods that hold these valves together cannot be torqued correctly. The output would be leaking or spools that are not properly shifted. 

The monoblock valves are usually more cost-efficient compared to its sectional valve counterpart. This makes it more attractive as a choice in most systems in different companies. Also, they are lightweight and they are comparably more compact than a sectional valve. It is often overlooked as a benefit of monoblock valves. Because they do not have several sectional leak points. This can lead to many service and installation problems that might occur. 

With this in mind, the monoblock valves also comes with its own disadvantages and challenges. The entire valve can be placed in one casting and when there is a need for it to be serviced the engineer or technician should remove the whole valve. If there is an occurrence such as major problem within the section of this valve, the whole of it should be scrapped. This will lead to a more costy replacement rather than just removing a section in the valve. However, the majority of the monoblocks are used for lower to medium flows that can handle just enough pressure. Which in return helps companies to keep cost, weight, and size down. But they will only have limited application they can be used for.