TAS Engineering Consultants, the UK engineering division of GSE Systems, has launched a new 22-point Arc Flash Hazard Studies Service to support purchasing professionals without specific engineering experience.
Mitigation of electrical arc flash, a hazard associated with the release of energy in the form of a passage of electric current between two electrodes, is becoming an increasingly important element of safety management within any industrial setting.
However, it is also becoming common for arc flash studies to be procured by facilities managers, human resources departments and HSE officers, who may not possess the required technical knowledge to specify arc flash study purchasing requirements.
The menu enables non-engineering purchasers within companies to select the level of study and remediation required for their operation.
The hazards of electric arc faults have been known since the commercial use of electricity began, however, it has only been relatively recently that methods to quantify the energy released by an arc fault and mitigate the risk of burns to personnel have been developed.
An electric arc can result in an explosive release of energy, generating temperatures in the region of 19,500°C, which can cause injury to nearby personnel (and in extreme cases fatalities), damage to equipment and interruption to operations and productivity.
To support the new service menu, TAS has developed a video presentation, which helps inform non-engineers of the arc flash issue and the process carried out by the TAS team.
The video can and has been used to inform engineers of large, multi-site, multi-country customers of what happens when TAS specialists arrive on-site. It can also be tailored to suit customers’ individual requirements including language and electronic format.
Graham Wren, European VP for GSE Systems, said, “With engineers less commonly responsible for purchasing outsourced services, it is important to be able to bridge the information gap to help purchasers meet the requirements of their plant. Our new Arc Flash Service enables purchasers to apply which part of mitigation service applies to them without deep specialist engineering knowledge.”
He added, “A key element of completing a successful arc flash study and remediation is capturing the hearts and minds of engineers whose support is required to ensure the correct calculations are taken and subsequent studies are completed efficiently and effectively.
“To this end we have created our unique video presentation, which provides an effective first introduction to our processes and prepares engineers for the level of detail and information they require.”
