Just as few people would venture into uncharted waters without a map, insight, and meaningful planning, electrical distribution infrastructures warrant the same in-depth analysis to insure optimization and proper coordination of protective devices as well as SCADA and other communicative systems. Not only do these studies make sense for planning and protecting purposes, but also for meeting the compliance standards set forth by entities such as OSHA 1910.2.69 and NFPA 70e.
NFPA 70e, also known as the Standard for Safe Electrical Safety in the Workplace, has evolved to a level in which Arc Flash safety and analyses are mandatory for all non-dwelling operating environments. Applied Power Systems is currently addressing this burgeoning requirement for our present customer base, and aspire to do the same for you. With an Arc Flash study, you can also tailor your study to address the following arenas of consideration:
- Short Circuit
- Protective Device Coordination
- Arc Mitigation
- Load Flow
- Grounding/Ground Fault
- Harmonics
- Transient Stability
- Feasibility/Power Audits
For customers who have complex power environments with multiple utility services feeding into the facility, back-up generators, UPS, vast ATS infrastructures, and even co-generation capabilities, the utmost care and attention must be taken in assessing the influences that each may cast upon an electrical distribution system. Since the roots of APS originated in designing, engineering, building, and maintaining low, medium, and high voltage power systems, APS is competent and capable in handling the intricacies associated with these types of environments. Furthermore, this type of experience results in APS technicians being more efficient when gathering data for your study. All of the APS technicians are rigorously trained, pass a series of certifications, and apply their knowledge daily in the field.
Through market research and assessing the feedback from our customer base, APS sought partnership with a software developer to create a web-based arc flash program management tool. Our observations definitively spoke to us: industries such as food & beverage, raw commodities, waste water, and distribution experience rapid growth and production floor transformation resulting in power mutations and reconfigurations multiple times throughout the year. Far too often, arc flash, coordination, and short circuit studies are not updated when these enhancements occur, resulting in inaccurate arc flash labels and insufficient awareness of risk levels. The web-based Flash Track arc flash management tool allows our customers to control this potential liability exposure by being proactive and responsible for what has been entrusted to them. No more marked up power studies, or red lines or “X’s” and “O’s” all over your one lines! You simply send us the submittals, nameplate data, and any other pertinent electrical data related to your project though our web portal, and APS will engineer and send out the new study to you along with the updates NFPA 70-compliant arc flash labels. Staying compliant and aware has never been so easy!