With the end of the year fast approaching, in this November 2022 issue of Electricity + Control we bring together a range of interesting and informative content across the focus areas of: Control systems + automation, Drives, motors + switchgear, Sensors + switches and Plant maintenance, test + measurement.
In Control systems + automation, we look at the automotive test bench at Kempten University of Applied Sciences in Germany, which is used primarily for testing new vehicles and new vehicle functions, as quickly as possible, and to examine how individual functions influence each other. We see how PC-based control technology from Beckhoff Automation is central to the automated testing system, coordinating and controlling individual components to implement a range of different tests all with different procedures.
In Drives, motors + switchgear, Johan Basson of JB Switchgear, drawing on his years of experience in the industry, questions why we persist with the construction of brick and mortar buildings for substations, transformer bays and motor control centres, on often remote sites with all the arduous demands and delays they present. He argues rather for the offsite engineering of electrical control and instrumentation solutions, providing a turnkey time- and cost-saving alternative to the conventional approach.
In Sensors + switches we learn how the development team at Omron set about fine-tuning temperature sensors to handle new plastic packaging. The development journey was undertaken with a view to resolving the bigger issue of marine plastic waste. As manufacturers around the world look for ways to switch from plastic packaging to eco-friendly alternatives, they encounter new challenges with the new materials. Omron developed a high-precision temperature controller to overcome the packaging defects that arise with the use of eco-friendly materials on existing packaging lines with older sensor technologies.
Looking at the use of sensors to optimise safety in working with cobots, UK-based research institution IDTechEx summarises its recently released review of the sensor technologies available for such applications, identifying their respective benefits and limitations.
In Plant maintenance, test + measurement, at this time when solar energy is being used increasingly in commercial and industrial applications, contracted suppliers and the users of solar energy are, of course, looking for optimum performance from their systems. Gerrit Barnard of Comtest says, to support this objective, solar panels should be inspected regularly and defective panels repaired or replaced as necessary. He shows how the Fluke TiS60+ thermal imager can be used to check the condition of solar panels and points to some of the problems maintenance teams should look out for.
With regard to water supply management, Peter Telle of Ultra Control Valves sets out the key considerations to be taken into account in designing reservoir level control systems, to protect control valves and manage water pressure in supply systems.
There is also plenty more of interest in our regular columns on Cybersecurity, Reskilling, upskilling + training, Engineering the future, and Write @ the back.
Click to download and read this issue in PDF format.
