A safe work environment is a feature of good companies throughout the world. All employees want assurance of their safety and protection. Workplace safety is a very important issue and employers aim to improve safety in the workplace on a nonstop basis.
An ultra-high-risk area that can be mitigated by digitization is the switching of the high-tension breakers in substations. Special protective arc flash suits must be worn to protect the Artisan from potential arcs. These suits take a while to dress up in and hinders movement. Minelert Smartplant removes the Artisan from the substation and allows switching to be done from the outside using a computing tablet.
Now you can switch your HT Breakers remotely from a tablet while standing outside the substation to remove the arc flashing risk in its totality.
The Minelert IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) system was developed as a management tool to increase visibility of HT Breaker statuses and to provide insights on preventative maintenance, early warnings, and trends within operations. The Smartplant IIoT system is not limited to substations as any asset/PLC can be monitored such as generators, crushers, water management and many more.
On a HT breaker we typically monitor the key areas of the switch by installing our BLUE BOX ™ in the substation. The BLUE BOX contains a PSU/UPS, an IIoT Controller, gateway and industrial tablet. The IIoT controller collects the data and uploads it to the Minelert Cloud Service via WiFi or GSM. The Minelert Safe Switching application is installed on the tablet to force pre-work checklists to be completed before any work is done. The system records the shortfalls and automatically flag the shortfalls in a “task outstanding” list. When ready the WiFi connected tablet is taken outside and the HT Breaker is switched from a safe distance. 100% Safety to the Artisan.
The Business Benefit
The ability to remove the Artisan from the switching environment and to remotely monitor the switchgear status/performance results in the following business benefits:
- The workplace is kept to a higher standard for safety, maintenance inspections and housekeeping
- A safe work environment produces happier employees
- Decrease in workman compensation claims
- Predictive maintenance and increased reliability allows accurate budget management
- Reduced unplanned/unscheduled downtime results in increased productivity and profits
- Aligns with the customers’ digital strategy and 4IR initiatives.
- Increased efficiency, availability, and utilization
Budget and costs
The Smartplant IIoT System is designed for the robust South African environments for all industries. The solution is planned, designed, and deployed according to agreed business requirements and a standard deployment is below R200k excl. depending the user requirement. A small fee to pay for this major safety enhancement. This budget includes a turnkey solution to remotely monitor a substation as well as remotely do all HT switching. Artisans are fully trained to correctly use the system from the word go. The budget however excludes the monthly hosting fee of appr. R10k per month excluding subject to a 12 month contract.
Contact
Contact Patrick Warriker on patrick@profiteksa.com or 0622592468 for a quote or more detail.