Conducting arc flash studies at one of the world’s largest brewers
At one of the Dutch branches of one of the world’s largest beer brewers, a number of installation components such as switchgears, cabling and security equipment have been in operation for some time. The technical team wondered about the risks posed by short-circuits, which could potentially lead to arcs, and about the response time of safety equipment. The brewery’s installation manager knew something had to be done to protect people and installations and ensure standards compliance. He knew about the potential arc flash hazards but needed documentation to support his claims to management and ensure this issue would become a priority. HyTEPS were asked to carry out an arc flash study and provide documentation, recommendations and solutions.
Challenge
“We wanted to involve an independent specialised partner who would not just to reject or approve parts of the installation, but who could really think along with us and indicate what could be improved and how,” explains the installation manager. T”hat’s why we decided to work with HyTEPS. HyTEPS’ people were completely autonomous – I could simply let them get on with the job without checking up on them constantly.”
Objectives
- Perform arc flash studies including labels and PPE guidelines
- Provide reports as basis for management discussion
- Recommend, implement and test solutions
Solution
“This was a very large, complex project, involving multiple buildings with their own transformers,” explains Harish Ravi, HyTEPS Technical Engineer and project team lead. “What’s more, not all information was available owing to the installation’s age! Some parts were 70 years old and documentation was either missing or incomplete. We had to work out how to estimate parameters accurately without data. For example, we calculated cable lengths by studying architectural drawings.”
“We first assessed the main distributors and found out where we could ensure standards compliance quickly and easily. Our report clarified whether each protection device was accurately dimensioned and whether it would trip at the right moment.”
Results
“HyTEPS soon provided us with arc flash labels for the cabinets and we have purchased all the necessary PPE, which is now correctly specified” says the installation manager. “We are examining the analyses and discussing next steps with management. With HyTEPS, we are discussing follow-up steps. Working with HyTEPS has made it easier to present these issues and make our case to management and to other departments. We now have insightful reporting to support our activities. We can now also tackle arc flash safety in a structural manner instead of working on one thing at a time. Furthermore, we can also share our learnings with other plants in a structured way.”
Harish: “No competitor was willing to take on this project which involved quite a few challenges and demanded a great deal of highly specific expertise. The customer was happy to get the solutions and advice they needed within just a few months, and they appreciated having reports that would allow them to discuss safety with management in detail.”
“We’re now looking at reducing the number of unsafe distribution boards in the next phase. For me it was really interesting to work on an installation of this size. What’s more, I got to see all of the processes involved in making beer – I never knew there were so many steps involved!”
HyTEPS quickly provided us with arc flash labels and correctly specified all the necessary PPE
