Cholamandalam MS Risk Services Limited

Electrical hazards continue to threaten safety of people and property in the form of shocks, burns, injury, fire and explosion. With electricity having become an indispensable part of our life, electrical risks are to be managed effectively.

In process industries, fires due to electrical reasons are very probable, especially in industries that handle flammable chemicals. In service industries such as information technology, telecommunications, business interruption losses due to electrical hazards (fire in server room, damage of expensive communication equipment, loss of data, fire in cable gallery, etc.) could be substantial.
Typical scope of study

    Verification of statutory compliance with respect to Indian Electricity rules
    Physical inspection to identify electrical hazards (shock, fire, explosion, overloading) and to suggest electrical safety solutions
    Review of plant lightning protection system (need, adequacy, installation and maintenance)
    Review of static electricity hazards in the plant operations (if applicable)
    Review of hazardous area classification and selection of flameproof electrical equipment in the plant, including maintenance aspects (if applicable)
    Review of electrical preventive maintenance system (including tests, documentation, history cards, etc).
    Review of electrical accidents and near misses in the plant to identify the root causes
    Review of electrical systems & procedures (work permits, interlocks, lockout tags, etc).
    Review of the importance given to electrical safety in the company safety policy, safety committee, continuous electrical risk identification, etc.
    Assessing the integrity of insulation of cables by carrying out insulation resistance tests on a sample basis
    Review of the earthing system (installation & maintenance aspects), including sample earth resistance tests
    To identify areas of overloading by carrying out load current measurements and compared against cable current carrying capacity calculation
    Hotspot detection using infra-red hot spot detection equipment/ thermal imaging (as necessary)

Methodology

    Pre-Audit Questionnaire
    Audit
    Physical Inspection
    Tests
    Discussion
    Document review
    Management Briefing
    Final Report Submission

To view Presentation on Electrical Safety

HAC is a method of analyzing and classifying the environment where explosive gas atmospheres may occur to allow the proper selection of electrical apparatus to be installed in that environment.
Scope of Study

    To review the existing Hazardous Area Classification of the plant with respect to API RP 500 and relevant NFPA-Standards like 496 and 497
    To review the selection of electrical equipment installed in the hazardous area as per NFPA guidelines
    To review the maintenance practices as per NFPA 70 B OR IEEE-625

Click here for more details on Hazardous Area Classification

Lightning Protection Study is highly site-specific, with many designs unique to individual facilities and structures. Mitigation of the effects of lightning strikes is attempted through the deployment of a combination of exterior and interior defenses.
Objectives:
The objectives of the lightning protection study is to

    Review the existing lightning protection system against national and international standards.
    Study of the maintenance aspects of the lightning protection system and suggest suitable corrective actions.

Scope of the study
The lightning protection study would be based on the following national and international standards. The study would also include review of existing lightning protection installation in the plant.

    Indian Standard 2309 – Code of Practice on Lightning Protection of Buildings & Allied Structures
    National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 780
    Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) 180
    British Standard on Lightning Protection (BS 6651)
    American Petroleum Institute (API) RP 2003 -Lightning protection Standard

Perspective:

Harmonics are AC Voltages and Currents with frequencies with integral multiples of the fundamental frequency. Rapid advancement of power electronics in the industrial applications makes industrial load non-linear which generates harmonics. Since the load is non – linear, the current will be distorted and become non – sinusoidal. Harmonics arise from inverters, VFDs, rectifiers, voltage controllers, frequency controllers and other semiconductor switching devices generators, transformers, welders and arc furnaces.

Cholamandalam MS Risk Services Limited (CMSRSL) offers Harmonic Study Analysis as preventive maintenance to safeguard electrical and electronic equipments from damage due to rise in harmonic levels.

Objective of Harmonic Analysis Study:

    Identification of harmonic sources
    Protecting the equipments from power related problems
    Safety against loss and interruptions
Application:

• To prevent Voltage and current harmonics as per IEEE 519:1992 and CEA Regulations
• To limit Frequency variation
• To limit Voltage and Current Unbalance
• To Improve Power Factor Analysis and maintain close to Unity
• To limit Voltage fluctuations as per NFPA 70B

Advantages of Harmonic Study Analysis:

• Improved system efficiency
• Suppress the magnitude/frequency of power variations
• Add solution to mitigate the power quality problems
• Safety measures against harmonics
• Decrease the liability of failure of electrical equipments
• Avoids line loading and losses

Expertise

• Bureau of Energy Efficiency Certified Auditor
• Engineers undergone Power Quality Training organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
• Interpretation of results based on international guidelines/good engineering practices.
• Rich experience in carrying out the study for industries, manufacturing units and also service sector
• Use of KRYKARD Energy and Power Quality Analyser.