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  • VIEWS & OPINION: more >>

  • LIGHTING: more >>

    • The importance of lower light levels, shade, shadows and darkness in lighting

      by Philip Hammond, BHA Lighting and BHA School of Lighting

      New lighting technologies are about to change the way we do lighting design, how we install lighting and how we will use it. Day is, of course, divided into daytime and night time or, put another way, light and dark. Daylight gives us energy and we can see to perform our tasks. Our bodies are […]

    • The workspace reinvented

      Information from Signify

      This article discusses ways in which connected lighting systems can support major trends in the transformation of offices. Several major trends are driving the transformation of the traditional office space: Globalisation: with organisations and employees frequently distributed across multiple geographical locations. Changing demographics: As generations Y and Z, as well as “generation next” employees enter […]

    • LED chip heat dissipation mapping

      Information from Comtest

      The LED chip is the core component of LED lighting. If the chip temperature is too high, the LED life and luminous quality could be severely affected. A heat sink is a common component in many electronic devices. It transfers the heat created by a device, acting to reduce the device’s temperature to prevent overheating. […]

  • SWITCHGEAR & DRIVES: more >>

    • Medium voltage industrial variable speed drives: Part 2

      by Joable Andrade Alves, Gilberto da Cunha and Paulo Torri, Zest WEG

      This article considers the technologies and topologies of MV drives, their advantages, disadvantages, and their impact on the quality of energy on the mains and motor sides. Part 1 of this article explores the line-side topology of MV industrial VSDs (see Vector, October 2018, page 32). On an MV drive with a motor-side filter capacitor, […]

    • IE3-IE4 motors: selecting the right control and protection components

      by Adrian Franco and Pierre Dehaut, Schneider Electric

      Worldwide demand for energy is expected to double by 2050. At the same time, governments must halve their countries’ CO2 emissions to halt climate change. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electric motors account for 40% of total global electricity consumption, far more than lighting, a far better-known culprit, which weighs in at just […]

    • Benefits of variable speed drives in mining applications

      Information from ABB

      To safeguard their future, mining companies must improve performance, cut production costs, reduce environmental impact, and increase automation. Mining companies face major challenges in terms of sustainable growth. As demand for commodities exceeds supply, mining companies search for new deposits in remote and inhospitable regions where production costs are high. In addition, they seek to […]

  • MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY: more >>

    • Noise considerations: machines and the design factory

      Prof. EJ Richards

      From the ICMEESA Archive A synopsis of an original lecture delivered on 15 December 1965 on the dangers of industrial noise, as well as on measures of noise reduction. A high standard of living in a given society implies high productivity, which is accompanied by the use of machines of increasing power and speed, resulting […]

    • Bursting tests for boiler tubes

      Information from ICMEESA

      From the ICMEESA Archive In the 1960s, the International Standards Organisation required design data on creep-rupture in boiler tube materials. The draft ISO boiler code demands fuller design data on creep-rupture behaviour of boiler tube materials and the collection of such data at the Electrical Research Association is sponsored by British industry for this purpose. […]

    • The mash-lap welding process

      Information from ICMEESA

      Mash welding is a form of resistance seam welding where the sheets to be joined are overlapped by a distance of roughly 1,5 times the sheet thickness. From the ICMEESA Archive When low frequency electric current is allowed to flow between two contacts placed on abutting metal surfaces, the current follows the direct low resistance […]

  • INSTALLATION & CONTRACTING: more >>

    • Designing with thermocouples: get the most from your measurements

      Information from Phoenix Contact

      Some of the basic technical issues that engineers should consider when applying thermocouples. More than 60% of all industrial temperature measurement applications in the USA use thermocouples. Despite their widespread use, there are many misconceptions about thermocouples. Why use thermocouples? Some common reasons for using thermocouples are: They’re already used in your facility. The application […]

    • How to use your multimeter safely

      Information from Fluke

      Failed multimeters are often discovered to have been subjected to higher voltage than the technician thought they were measuring. As distribution systems and loads become more complex, the possibilities of transient overvoltages increase. Motors, capacitors and power conversion equipment such as variable speed drives can be prime generators of spikes. Lightning strikes on outdoor transmission […]

    • Lightning and surge protection for SSEG plants

      Not implementing lightning and surge protective measures at PV installations is a recipe for disaster in countries such as South Africa. South Africa is seeing the rise of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) as end-users and businesses alike work towards reducing their reliance on the national grid. Small-scale embedded generation refers to power generation under 1 MVA, […]