Circuit breakers are undoubtedly one of the unsung heroes of the electrical world. They perform vitally important tasks, protecting an electrical circuit from damage caused by overcurrent/overload of short circuit. In short, they interrupt current flow as soon as the protective relays detect a fault.
The above alone makes a solid case for why circuit breakers require maintenance and, importantly, diagnostics. However, to place it in everyday context, it’s important that we take one step back and look at some of consequences of faulty breakers.
Foremost, when circuit breakers start to break in a plant or factory, this can lead to various problems, primarily downtime. Moreover, if there are no spare parts available, the situation can be even more problematic. Replacing a breaker, especially an older one, is a time-consuming task that involves changing several connections, resulting in significant downtime.
This downtime doesn’t just affect the faulty breaker; it can have a cascading effect on other systems, causing additional failures and disruptions. In the current energy provision landscape, extended downtime should be avoided at all costs.
Fortunately, there are a number of expert service providers that offer both the entrenched auditing experience and diagnostics tools that ensure crucial components like circuit breakers are managed and maintained. In fact, diagnostics are emerging as a critical success factor in improving electrical room safety, durability and performance. Proper electrical equipment diagnostics requires a high level of human experience and expertise, sophisticated software tools, and broad access to equipment field performance data.
The question is what should you look for when choosing the right diagnostic offering? Breaker diagnostic tools assess the speed of particular breakers over time, and whether they have slowed down, highlighting which ones should be repaired or replaced outright. These diagnostic tools also provide detailed information and recommendations that will allow organisations to plan for the future. They can determine how long a breaker can still be used, and offer scenarios that outline what parts will still be available in the next ten years. They also generate reports that include data from visual inspections, and technical data from the various tests conducted on the breaker to assess its condition.
Schneider Electric’s ProDiag diagnostic tools offer a combination of dedicated sensors and internal software that allow services personnel to analyse trip units, relays, breakers, fuses and other electrical components. Its ProDiag Breaker tool identifies the symptoms of undetected incidents or degradation of equipment and offers the following additional benefits:
• Detects the early stages of breaker degradation, which aren’t necessarily detected during regular preventive maintenance.
• Assists with protection of downstream electrical distribution equipment, goods, and the people operating them.
• Enhances reliability, mitigating unexpected shutdown risks and operating costs.
AI data centres, nature and innovation Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented demand for data centre capacity, with liquid cooling now central to managing the heat generated by high-density GPU clusters. Schneider Electric examines how next-generation data centres can balance performance with environmental responsibility.
Read more...High-performance industrial power converters
Electrical Power & Protection
Vepac Electronics supplies PowerGood’s range of industrial AC/DC and DC/DC converters, spanning 15 W to 700 W, with full protection features and compliance with EN55032 Class A and Class B electromagnetic interference standards.
Read more...Decarbonising the energies and chemical industry without the risk Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric argues that decarbonisation in Africa’s energies and chemical industry need not compromise production or profitability. A phased, digitally enabled approach, starting with energy efficiency improvements, can reduce emissions while strengthening competitiveness.
Read more...Modular UPS system with scalable, high-availability architecture
Electrical Power & Protection
Legrand South Africa has launched its fifth-generation TriMOD three-phase modular UPS, available from 10 to 80 kW. The system features hot-swappable modules, multiple input/output configurations, and up to 99% efficiency in Eco Mode, designed for data centres and critical industrial environments.
Read more...Why mining operations need local lightning early warning Senseca
Editor's Choice Electrical Power & Protection
Lightning can develop into a serious mining hazard before the first local strike, leaving crews little time to stop work and reach safety. Local early-warning technology can provide valuable lead time, allowing mines to connect developing storm conditions to defined trigger actions that protect people, explosives and equipment.
Read more...The rise of software-defined brownfield automation Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert is enabling brownfield operators to modernise incrementally, decoupling control logic from hardware to bridge legacy equipment and future-ready operations without disrupting production.
Read more...South Africa’s dirtiest fuel is building its most resilient boilers
Electrical Power & Protection
Steinmüller Africa argues that duff coal, the low-grade fines and discards stockpiled over decades, can now underpin reliable, compliant industrial boilers using mature circulating fluidised bed combustion technology, turning a long-standing liability into a phased energy transition pathway.
Read more...Retrofitting for sustainability Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
As budgets tighten and sustainability targets increase, retrofit and modernisation strategies are gaining traction across Africa, allowing organisations to upgrade only what limits performance while preserving existing infrastructure and extending asset life.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version