Balfour Beatty Engineering Services powers ahead with Clare tester
Published: 24 June, 2010
Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES), one of the UK's largest mechanical and electrical building services businesses is using an advanced tester from Clare Instruments to improve the electrical safety testing of its power installations.
BBES delivers innovative, leading-edge solutions with a single focus on meeting the needs of customers and offers the most comprehensive, unrivalled experience, expertise and technical competencies across the broadest range of market sectors.
The Power Systems division of the company focuses on the power industry and is a leader in the design, manufacture, installation, test, commissioning, and turnkey project management of EHV transmission and distribution substations including all associated civil work.
The company has replaced its previous electrical safety tester with a new HAL Combi http://www.clare.co.uk/products/halcombi_hipot_tester.asp to improve the accuracy and reliability of its product commissioning procedures.
The HAL can undertake a wider range of electrical tests on the substation control and protection panels produced by BBES and then provides detailed analysis of each individual panel including performance and outputs.
It contains the four core electrical safety test required by routine production line testing.
Stuart Glennie, supervisor at BBES based in Aberdeen, was impressed by the HAL"s safety features. He added:
"We opted for the HAL Combi as it proved to be far safer, and a much more compact test set than the one we were using before.”
“This is the first time we have used this specific type of instrument, which allows us to carry out a 500V insulation test, followed by a 2000V dielectric test.
“The HAL’s reports show all test results and values. This is beneficial as it reassures our clients who are happy to except the reports as we’ve been able to identify the individual panels and site on the test report.”
The HAL is part of the latest generation of test instruments, complete with specialist software and a large capacity internal database.
Tests can be quickly configured into the tester by scanning in pre-defined bar codes that operate as test codes, making the equipment ideal for any ISO traceable application in quality control, conformance, or production line testing applications.
These pre-defined bar codes can be generated directly from the test equipment on adhesive labels, using the Test and Tag printer, or from proprietary Microsoft PC applications. These barcodes can be incorporated into live test procedure documents or the manuals required as part of ISO quality systems.
Specialist software and a large capacity internal database give the new generation of test instruments the ability to store test details and results against individual equipment serial numbers. Test reports can be downloaded directly to a PC or printer for the production of complete test data records.
In addition, the networking of test data with central management information systems allows the test station to become an important MIS data collection point, not only in identifying failure rates, but also by providing details of productivity levels and other information as part of quality audit trails.
Incorporating a stylish new case design for space efficient bench testing and equipped with highly intuitive user interface, operation of the HAL range of testers is achieved through the use of programmable soft keys and a rotary switch used in association with a large graphical display.
All HAL testers comply with the EN50191 safe operation of test equipment standard and are the only product available with fully isolated test outputs, making it the safest Flash/HiPot tester in the world.
More at sales@clareinstruments.com or www.clareinstruments.com Tel: 0191 587 8741.
