Voltage Equipment News

The 10-year-old Viking Grace returned to operate between Turku and Stockholm on February 12 as a better and climate-smarter version of itself. During its three-week visit to the dock, new technology to reduce fuel consumption was installed and the interior refurbished. Some 5,000 square meters of old carpet and bags and bags of textiles were recycled.Viking Grace has spent the last three weeks at the dry dock in Odense, Denmark, where an extensive refurbishment and maintenance…

UK engineering company JGC Engineering and Technical Serviceshas, on behalf of Siemens, completed the construction of high voltage equipment containers for the Moray East offshore substation platforms."The Moray East offshore windfarm project completed its first fabrication milestone as the Thurso SME engineering firm finalised work on the containers which will be fitted in the three offshore substation platforms," said a press release from Siemens.JGC fabricated eight of 12 containers at its site in Thurso and have also supported Siemens with other offshore projects in the UK.The containers’ total length, height and volume are larger than an Airbus A380 aircraft which highlights the impressive feat Siemens and JGC have completed together.

Coming in response to recently introduced STCW requirements, Transas has launched a high voltage training solution for marine engineering and electrical training. The new rules require training to be conducted using real equipment, leading Transas to partner with the power technology specialist ABB for the development of a real hardware high voltage generator breaker cabinet compatible with the Transas ERS 5000 TechSim simulators with high and medium voltage systems. The Transas High Voltage Training Breaker is designed to train high voltage switchboard operations…

Buenos Aires, Argentina. Transas Marine has delivered its leading Engine Room Simulator ERS 5000 TechSim to the Center for Marine Engineer Officers and Chief Engineers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Center for Marine Engineer Officers and Chief Engineers is the corporate and trade association that brings together Merchant Navy Officers specialising in machinery. These professionals are responsible for the operation, maintenance, management and troubleshooting of all technical elements on merchant ships. The simulator complex consists of a classroom for training in diesel propulsion, steam and ASD tug plants with eight workstations, a classroom for training in refrigerating plants operation with four trainee workstations.

India continues to grow as a global center of technological excellence, accounting for 10% of research and development and home to five of the top 10 science and technology schools in Asia. Govt of India, having a network of more than 50 laboratories deeply engaged in developing a range of technologies from electronic and computer sciences, through life sciences and materials, to marine research and development, will invest in a new scientific research platform vessel to be built by Bharati Shipyard, based in Mumbai. The Class XII merchant vessel will host scientists from various Indian government scientific laboratories. It will be used to carry out multipurpose research along the coastal sea belt of India.

Maritime training specialist Seagull plugs the gap in training for shipboard expertise in operation of high voltage electrical systems. The wider adoption of electrical propulsion, variable speed drives and cold ironing have combined to make shipboard higher voltage systems (above 1,000V) increasingly commonplace in the maritime industry. Two new Seagull courses, CBT#0232 and CBT#0233, address revisions to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW 2010) on electrical system management which are now force. They cover theoretical knowledge of HV systems, practical skills and safety awareness. The revised STCW requires seafarers working with, or around, HV systems to be trained.

Maritime training specialist Seagull has plugged a growing gap in shipboard expertise by launching new CBT titles targeted at High Voltage electrical systems operation and maintenance. The wider adoption of electrical propulsion, variable speed drives and cold ironing have combined to make shipboard higher voltage systems (above 1,000V) increasingly commonplace in the maritime industry. Two new Seagull courses, CD#0232 and CD#0233, address revisions to the International Convention on Standards of Training…

New giant offshore wind turbines need specialized equipment to connect to the electricity grid to minimize power losses. As offshore wind farms move towards deploying higher capacity turbines of 5MW and above, energy losses during energy transfer will escalate unless higher voltages are used for power evacuation. This is leading to increasing applications of high voltage equipment in the wind energy market. ABB's intensive R&D efforts have yielded the appropriate solution by fulfilling this demand with the new and compact HV multi-functional module PASS M00 which can be inserted and fitted in narrow spaces such as a wind tower or nacelle. the cable ending. The disconnecting switch and the earthing switch are now enclosed in a single subassembly.

Commercial and military users of electric propulsion systems have experienced failures of the variable frequency drive (VFD) and harmonic filter (HF) systems because the system design, including the VFD, did not have adequate self-monitoring and protection. On a ship, a variable-frequency drive (VFD) can be used to control the speed and direction of rotational motors, such as pumps, propellers and azipod systems. In some cases, these failures have resulted in catastrophic equipment failures causing arcing, fire and explosions of capacitors. In September of 2010, the Cunard Carnival cruise ship RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) was underway in the Mediterranean when an explosion occurred in the aft main switchboard room resulting from the failure of one of 12 capacitors in a harmonic filter…

Tideland Signal, Dabbrook Services and Tranberg Systems of Denmark have joined forces to present a comprehensive service for specifying, supply and installation of navigation warning systems and all other low-voltage equipment on offshore wind farms on stand 321 at Global Offshore Wind, ExCel London from 13 to 14 June. Tideland Signal is a leading global supplier of navigational aids and solar power systems to the world's ports, harbours and offshore industries, while its sister company, Dabbrook Services Ltd.

Keppel Verolme BV (Keppel Verolme) and consortium partner AREVA Energietechnik GmbH, a German subsidiary of French energy company AREVA, have secured an $82.5m contract from Wetfeet Offshore Windenergy GmbH (Wetfeet Offshore) to build a Mobile Offshore Application Barge (MOAB) for a new offshore wind farm in the German Exclusive Economic Zone in the North Sea. This self-erecting floating platform will be deployed at the Global Tech I Wind Farm that is being built and operated by Wetfeet Offshore.

GMATS has recently added a new course in Marine High Voltage Safety. This course meets the unique demands in the maritime field for training concerning high voltage electrical situations. It has been written in cooperation with current industry leaders who are using high voltage equipment daily. The special needs in the marine environment for high voltage training are addressed in this class as they pertain to propulsion, maintenance and repair. In marine use and ashore the term “high voltage” refers to voltages over six hundred volts. The use of high voltage power is becoming much more common in the marine propulsion field and is commonly found in offshore oil rigs, cruise ships, and new builds.