Page 21 - 86064_NSAA_W19_web

Pity the unfortunate individual standing in front of the downtime and equipment malfunction and damage. (And
blast. An arc flash can reach 35,000°F in seconds, and the even lower voltages, i.e., below 480v, have the potential for
ensuing pressure wave can reach thousands of pounds per arc flash.)
square inch—enough to knock someone off a ladder, collapse Working in conjunction with Meterlogic, Alta Ski Area
a lung, shatter equipment to pieces, and send shrapnel flying. in Utah installed metering equipment on lifts in the summer
Even if you’re wearing protective eyewear and clothing, it’s of 2015 that allows personnel to monitor line-side as well
not something you want to experience. (Just ask Dave, who as some load-side voltages and performance without the
left a permanent shadow of his body on the wall of the oper- risks and exposure of opening cabinets or attaching a por-
ator building adjacent the event). table meter.
And we haven’t even talked about the thousands of dol- “We have found that when a ski lift is down or we are
lars of damage to equipment this can cause, or the possibility troubleshooting a power outage, it is invaluable to be able
that your equipment may not run during a critical period to ask the lift operator what the voltage is reading on the
(Martin Luther King weekend, for example). Replacing a ski monitor screen,” said Greg Bell, Alta’s mountain operations
lift drive can be a real challenge considering the need to find, manager. “This provides us instant information in a more
obtain, and install a replacement, then load the lift so you effective way than transporting a properly trained person,
can test and calibrate the new drive. in appropriate PPE, to each site individually. To have this
One of the best ways to minimize this hazard is with efficiency, without the exposure of an open power cabinet,
careful and ongoing monitoring of power panels—all of has proven very useful.”
them—at a ski area. This includes ski lifts, snowmaking Meterlogic also offers remote metering, meaning that
equipment, buildings, and other infrastructure that depend a worker sitting in front of a computer elsewhere on the
on electricity, including the electric motors that turn the mountain can also monitor the system. Additional monitoring
bull wheels, run pumps, compressors, and refrigeration. The measures provided by Meterlogic include current trans-
motor controls for these operations are sometimes located formers and network communication systems, such as those
in tight, confined spaces, such as the operator lift shacks, at Keystone Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort, Colo.
mechanical rooms, and small kitchen areas. If personnel are
able to monitor the power (incoming and load/used power)
through metering, without having to open a cabinet, they
can reduce their exposure and the time it takes to don any
required personal protective equipment (PPE).
Reducing the number of events that require PPE in our
typically wet mountain environment, and accessing these
controls, can be advantageous, to say the least. In some cases,
personnel can adjust and filter the incoming power, or power
down and perform the necessary adjustments without having
to eyeball what is happening with the cabinet open and the
power on. Arc flash can’t be completely eliminated, but you
can mitigate it to a point and reduce the exposure to people
and equipment by adjusting the voltage and wearing PPE.
Fortunately, there are electrical measurement safety
tools designed to minimize arc flash hazards. One such
company that is gaining prominence is Meterlogic, based in DEVELOPMENT
Lone Tree, Colo. Meterlogic (an NSAA supplier member) is WITHOUT COMPROMISE.
a Schneider Electric EcoXpert Partner specializing in power OMEGA V.
management and power quality. The company uses metering OVER THE YEARS, NOT A SINGLE PART
equipment to allow maintenance workers to view voltage OF THE CABIN HAS REMAINED THE
readings on switchgear and cabinets without opening SAME. WE HAVE CONTINUALLY
DRIVEN FORWARD ITS DEVELOPMENT.
the panels. At the same time, the core values of the
Meterlogic’s solutions consist of hardware and software original have always been retained. Our
recipe for success: unmistakable identity
components to monitor voltage and power. Power quality cwa.ch and consistent further development.
problems are one of the major causes of unscheduled

28.11.2018 08:58:02
181119_OMEGA GENERATION_92x118.indd 1 WINTER 2019 | NSAA JOURNAL | 19