News Sponsored by
GORE-TEX PYRAD PIONEERS PROTECTION IN
ELECTRIFIED INDUSTRIES Electricity is becoming the primary energy source for many industries and applications. The renewable energy sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, ushering in industries such as solar and wind power generation, battery and electric vehicle manufacturing and data centres. In its wake come new professions that demand a shift in how we think about workplace safety. GORE-TEX PYRAD® product technology offers bespoke protection for workers in these electrified industries.
The electrification of industries comes with a range of risks that require new ways of protection, for example:
• Operating within the realm of high-voltage equipment, workers are exposed to the imminent dangers of electric shock, arc flashes, arc blasts and explosions.
• The use of high-voltage batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) can lead to the development of new types of fires, requiring specialized methods for detection and extinguishing.
• The use of hazardous chemicals in battery manufacturing introduces the risk of chemical splashes.
• Contact with hot equipment and heat conductive materials poses a significant risk of burns.
• Workers in power plants or substations may be susceptible to heat-related illnesses due to high ambient temperatures.
• Workers operating wind farms, often offshore, face exposure to unpredictable and extreme weather conditions including high winds, cold and extensive wet conditions.
The combination of risks calls for new ways of protection
It is not only the risks themselves, but their combination that poses
20 | TOMORROW’S FM
an additional challenge. For instance, the manufacturing of car batteries with high density often uses chemicals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other hazardous material compounds, making the batteries highly flammable and explosive if not handled properly. Workers are potentially also exposed to extremely dangerous arc flash incidents. According to experts, a highly dangerous incident energy of up to 29 cal/ cm² is generated when attaching batteries with the engine in EV car manufacturing. When installing charging stations for EVs, the energy can even exceed 50 cal/cm². Direct contact with these incident energies would end fatally if workers were not protected sufficiently.
Renaissance of direct current
One hazard that stands out in all the new professions is the renaissance of direct current (DC) as the dominant electric current in new applications and industries: Many renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaics and wind power, initially generate DC. It can be more efficient for transmitting electricity over very long distances, such as from offshore wind farms, because it has fewer line losses. And because electric vehicles need DC to charge their batteries, the charging infrastructure and on-board systems of the vehicles are based on DC power technology.
Oliver Polanz, Head of Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality at SPIE Germany and Central Europe, explained: "Contact with DC is more dangerous than alternating current (AC). DC can cause continuous muscle tetanus, making it more likely to ‘freeze’ a victim in a shock scenario. Thus, we make an extra effort to sensitise and train our employees for DC-related dangers."
Understanding the new challenges
"Across all electrified industries, extensive research is underway to
maximum eco
better understand the risks associated with DC. This includes reviewing emerging standards and conducting risk assessments in the field," says Miguel Calixto, Product Specialist for GORE-TEX Professional Fabrics. "We are working closely with electrical industry partners and health and safety experts to have a clear understanding of the new hazards and risks in the workplace and the safety requirements for appropriate PPE to keep electrical workers safe."
Forming a stable carbon layer to protect electrical workers
GORE-TEX Professional Fabric’s PYRAD product technology offers bespoke protection for workers in electrified industries. The technology is based on a physical effect and consists of countless small reactive dots homogeneously distributed over the membrane. When the dots are strongly heated by a sudden flame or arc incident, they react and expand by more than 10 times their original size to form a stable, gapless carbon layer that effectively inhibits heat flow.
As society charts its course toward an electrified future, it's important to keep sight of the human element - the men and women who are driving this transformative change. More research needs to be done on the hazards that come with it to protect those who make it work in their daily jobs. Not only for their safety, but to enable society's journey to a decarbonised world.
www.gore-tex.com
www.goretexprofessional.com
www.gore.com
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
