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SUPPLEMENT ENCLOSURES & ENCLOSURE FURNITURE
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THE GROWING NEED FOR ARC FLASH PROTECTION: A CASE FOR PUSH BUTTON SAFETY
Schneider Electric’s newest addition to its circuit breaker range, MasterPacT MTZ with the new MicroLogic Active controller, provides a comprehensive safety solution. Matthew James, marketing offer manager LV&MV Switchgear, Schneider Electric, explains
risks in industrial environments, occurring when an electrical current travels through the air between conductors. This poses a major health and safety risk to OT staff, with potential injuries impacting employees as well as leading to unplanned downtime. Now, operator safety is definitely within the responsibilities of the end user’s company, however there is an opportunity for OEMs and panel builders to mitigate the risk of arc flash while promoting repeat business and support throughout a facility’s lifecycle. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports
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around 1,000 electrical incidents each year, with about 25 people dying of their injuries. The regulator serves a wide range of industries, not all 1,000 incidents relate to arc flash, but with the risk so high any protection an OEM can provide will be a worthwhile investment.
UNCOMPROMISED PROTECTION OEMs are experts at deploying technology for customer’s specification, working to bridge the gap between OT and IT systems, combining new solutions with legacy assets, and most of all delivering efficiency-improving solutions. Those solutions include air circuit breakers, and OEMs that want to prioritise safety in every phase of the asset should opt for circuit breakers equipped with features to mitigate risk. Whether a customer is looking to boost
s many sectors push for greater output from aging infrastructure, arc flash represents one of the most dangerous
manufacturing, mining, critical infrastructure, and buildings, including legacy and other sites where assets are not digitally connected.
PUSH-BUTTON SAFETY The ACB features an Energy Reduction Maintenance Setting (ERMS) that is enabled at the push of a button. ERMS allows operators to safely reduce the size of fault currents that could arise while they’re on site, lowering the risk of arc flash incidents. The MicroLogic active displays breaker health in a real-time display so that maintenance professionals can pre- emptively identify faults before they escalate into arc flash. Operators can also gain insight on the ACB’s condition and recent faults by downloading data via near field communication or a USB connection. When combined with the push-button safety, this delivers peace of mind for operators. OEMs are often at the forefront of technology
performance, introduce a new product, or enhance operational resilience, any deployment must consider safety. As OEMs know, any industrial asset will see a level of wear and tear. No matter how minor this is, over time electrical components can degrade leading to insulation failure or short circuits which are common precursors to arc flash incidents. This is especially true when adding new assets to existing infrastructure that could have seen changes in temperature, humidity, or vibration, and will be reliant on high-voltage electrical power as technology is integrated into production lines. Manufacturing teams often have to work on a continuous operation approach, with maintenance activities performed while equipment is energised to minimise downtime, driving the need for a smart air circuit breaker solution that informs teams of abnormal electrical conditions in real-time. OEMs can package safety within their offering by integrating the MasterPacT MTZ Active. This is based on the latest high- performance ACB with the new MicroLogic Active trip unit for enhanced arc flash safety. It is a cost-effect and intuitive solution for
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and digitalisation and are brought in to combine best-in-class components into a tailored solution – and choice of circuit breaker is no exception. OEMs and panel builders can ensure seamless integration with the MasterPacT MTZ Active even with existing automation systems, which opens repeat business opportunities by offering existing customers improved safety that doesn’t disrupt operations. As industries continue to demand more from
their electrical infrastructure, the importance of arc flash protection cannot be overstated. Schneider Electric’s MasterPacT MTZ Active offers OEMs a solution with safety at its core, supporting business growth with a component that is easy to maintain, operate, and most importantly creates a safe work environment. Arc flash remains a very real concern for
operators that work close to the switch room but mitigating this risk doesn’t have to come with additional complexity. OEMs can deliver push- button safety that displays key information without overloading operators with complex dashboards, making electrical protection and arc flash risk mitigation simple for any business. Find out more about the Schneider Electric MasterPacT MTZ Active on the website.
Schneider Electric
www.se.com
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