The increase in sensitive electronics, as a result of technological progress, implies a greater dependence on the earthing system. In addition, earthing provides information on malfunctions not only of the electrical installation but also of the equipment connected to it. SMART EARTHING MONITORING SYSTEM is the technological solution to optimise the safety and operational-financial efficiency of the assets connected to the earthing system.
Technological progress brings enormous benefits such as maximising the productivity of companies, the efficiency and quality of their processes, together with the convenience of end users. The overall balance is extremely positive, as it means an unquestionable improvement in the quality of life of the technological society.
On the other hand, technological progress has its counterpart in the increasing dependence on highly complex equipment with very sensitive electrical and electronic components. Degradation of these components may develop unnoticed by the user, but it reduces the lifetime of the equipment and increases the possibility of failure. These failures could cause the collapse of all connected systems and paralyse the business.
The increase in sensitive electronics in equipment means that equipment is more dependent on specific protections, as the more sensitive the electronics, the more they can be affected by various disturbances such as surges and electromagnetic noise. These protections work by shunting electrical disturbances to the ground system, so proper grounding is essential to provide electrical currents with a low impedance path to prevent these currents from circulating along unwanted routes and causing damage to equipment such as computer reset, loss of communications, etc. Also, grounding minimises electromagnetic noise to improve signal quality, measurement accuracy of sensors, etc.
On the other hand, the earth is the common element to which structural and electrical units, piping, etc. are connected directly or indirectly, so that its poor condition or operation can affect safety components (protections, insulation, etc.) and functional components (filters, measurement lines, screens, etc.).
For this reason, earthing is a fundamental safety element for both people and equipment, but, in addition, at Aplicaciones Tecnológicas S.A. we have changed the paradigm because we know that the earthing system reflects the state of health of the entire electrical installation.
The reason for this is that the earthing system allows us not only to observe the electrical dynamics attributable to anomalous operation of the electrical installation but also that of the equipment connected to it that could be affected by transients, leakage currents, spurious currents, harmonics, etc.
The new SMART EARTHING MONITORING SYSTEM, developed and patented by Aplicaciones Tecnológicas S.A., is the technological solution for the efficient supervision of earthing systems.
SMART EARTHING MONITORING SYSTEM, intelligent monitoring of earthing systems
SMART EARTHING MONITORING SYSTEM performs centralised monitoring of earthing systems by means of intelligent sensors distributed at selected control points. Through them, it evaluates the status of the installation at regular and programmable intervals, guaranteeing the safety and continuity of the service.
This intelligent system facilitates optimal management of the electrical installation in terms of operational excellence, risk minimisation and financial efficiency.
Sensor readings enable data-driven predictive maintenance that optimises the lifetime of assets. In addition, the system provides real-time alerts for corrective maintenance. In this way, the prevention of failures and safety-critical situations is feasible through centralised monitoring.
It is well known that inadequately maintained earthed sockets can increase the risk of step and touch voltages, with the serious danger of electric shock to people. Thanks to the continuous monitoring of the system, SMART EARTHING MONITORING SYSTEM checks the status of the assets unattended, while detecting in real time earth disconnections and providing alerts in the event of theft, degradation, breakdown or accidental breakage. In this way, the risks derived from the poor condition or functionality of the earthing system are minimised.
Furthermore, all of the above leads to cost savings due to the logistical simplification of verification processes and early detection of asset failure situations, optimising both preventive and corrective maintenance.
SMART EARTHING MONITORING SYSTEM is a configurable system that can be adapted to the user’s needs, offering remote updates. Its applications include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Logistical and operational optimisation of periodic regulatory checks.
- Determination of the regulatory resistive value of the monitored system.
- Verification of conductors and connections that form part of the monitored loop (cable screens, etc.).
- Verification of the continuity of the earth conductor (breakage, vandalism, etc.).
- Characterisation of current flow in interconnected earth systems.
- Evaluation of leakage currents in industrial systems and processes for optimisation of preventive maintenance of machinery.
- Assessment of the level of electrical noise causing interference associated with equipment malfunctions.
- Monitoring of hardware earth and transformer neutral in substations.
- Optimisation of maintenance associated with cathodic protection.
- Power supply quality control.
However, if anything defines Aplicaciones Tecnológicas S.A. products and services, it is the adaptability to any scenario according to our clients’ requirements. Therefore, we invite you to contact us to evaluate how in your particular case SMART EARTHING MONITORING SYSTEM optimises the security and operational-financial efficiency of your assets.