Enhancing Safety at Water Treatment Works with Arc Flash Assessments

At Katoni Engineering, our commitment to safety and reliability in electrical power systems is paramount. Recently, we embarked on a project for a prominent water company, leveraging our expertise in using ETAP software to assess Arc Flash incident energy levels at their wastewater treatment works.

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Comprehensive Arc Flash Assessments

Arc Flash incidents pose significant risks, including severe injury and equipment damage. Understanding these hazards, our team of electrical power systems specialists meticulously gathers detailed client information, which forms the foundation of our assessment. Using ETAP, we simulate various operational scenarios to evaluate potential incident energy levels, ensuring that every aspect of the electrical network is thoroughly analysed.

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Mitigation Process and Protection Setting Reviews

Once the initial assessment is complete, our focus shifts to mitigation. We carefully review the existing protection settings, aiming to optimise them for enhanced safety. This critical step involves:

• ‍Evaluating Protection Devices: Ensuring that circuit breakers, relays, and fuses are appropriately rated and correctly set to respond swiftly to faults.

• ‍Coordination Studies: Verifying that protection devices operate in a coordinated manner to isolate faults efficiently without unnecessary disruptions.

• ‍Arc Flash Incident Energy Calculation: Assessing the residual Arc Flash hazard with updated protection settings.

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Hazard Reduction Recommendations

The culmination of our process involves providing actionable hazard reduction recommendations. These recommendations are designed to minimise the risk of Arc Flash incidents and typically include:

• ‍Upgrading Equipment: Suggesting modern, Arc Flash-rated equipment where necessary.

• Commercial Viability: Whilst it is not always commercially viable to upgrade equipment, there are retrofittable solutions including retrofittable Arc Detection relays/light sensors, maintenance mode (sensitivity enhancement) panels and Remote Switching Panels

• ‍Implementing Protective Barriers: Installing physical barriers to safeguard personnel.

• ‍Training and Procedures: Offering comprehensive training for staff and developing detailed safety procedures for handling and maintaining electrical systems.

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Commitment to Client Safety

Our dedication to delivering high-quality assessments and mitigation strategies ensures that our clients can operate with confidence, knowing that their electrical systems are optimised for safety and reliability. By partnering with us, the water company not only meets regulatory compliance but also significantly enhances the safety of its personnel and infrastructure.

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At Katoni Engineering, we are proud to lead the way in electrical safety, using advanced tools like ETAP to deliver precise and effective solutions. Our recent project at the water treatment works exemplifies our unwavering commitment to protecting people and assets from the dangers of Arc Flash incidents.

Katoni Engineering: Experts in electrical power systems and safety solutions.

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