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PFC Switch ReplacementApril 16, 2024 - 11:30 am- Baggage Line PFC ReplacementApril 8, 2024 - 11:30 am
- Power Factor Assembly ReplacementMarch 28, 2024 - 11:00 am
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Overview of our services…
PFC Engineering Ltd has been helping businesses save money on their electricity bills since 1976. The company focuses on providing high quality power factor correction equipment to customers throughout the UK and beyond.
Our services include maintenance and repair of power factor correction equipment, not just on our own kit, but of all manufacturers’ equipment.
We now service over 1000 sites each year for PFC maintenance alone and have expanded our portfolio of products and services to include the following areas:
Power Factor Correction
Power Factor (Cos φ) is the ratio of True Power (kW) to Apparent Power (kVA) and is used as an indication of how efficiently an industrial or commercial site is operating. The closer the Power Factor is to unity (1), the more efficiently a site is said to be operating. Generally, anything higher than 0.95 is said to be a healthy Power Factor and will usually be sufficient to avoid penalty charges on the electricity bill. However, there are times where it’s essential to operate as close to unity as practically possible in order to keep the current levels to a minimum to avoid tripping breakers on overload.
Reactive Power Charges and Excess Availability Charges are direct savings you can benefit from with Power Factor Correction equipment. Send us copies of your bills for us to verify them.
Want to expand, but can’t because of limitations on the network supply? Improving your power factor could free up enough capacity to facilitate this without costly upgrades.
Power Factor Correction equipment should be serviced at least once per year to ensure that the capacitors within are still producing 100%. This maintains those reactive power charge savings.
As on-site maintenance teams become smaller, routine inspection of PFC equipment can be infrequent or not at all. We offer annual reminders with our service and can set-up long term contracts at fixed prices so it’ll never be forgotten.
We offer an emergency call-out service which includes immediate advice over the phone and site attendance where required. Hopefully it’ll never come to this; but if it happens, we can help.
PFC Maintenance
Power Quality
Power Quality basically refers to the quality of the electrical environment in which a consumers equipment will have to operate. In essence, the term Power Quality relates to the quality of the voltage at the consumers premises.
More than ever, industry and commerce rely upon IT systems for process control and effective communications. Allied to this is the need for a clean power source in order that such sensitive equipment can operate reliably and without interruption.
It is estimated that within the EU, poor power quality costs industry and commerce in the region of €10 Billion.
Power quality analysis is nothing new; it’s been carried out on commercial and industrial sites for years and is a vital service to diagnose and solve complex power related issues. However, it usually takes place in response to a pre-existing problem, we don’t believe this is the most effective way of managing power quality.
By the time a power quality survey has been commissioned in response to a problem, significant amounts of damage or lost production time could have happened.
The Answer: With a proactive approach, committing to regular power quality health checks, potential problems could be identified before costly issues arise.
Power Quality Healthcheck
G5/5 Harmonic Assessments
The Energy Networks Association Engineering Recommendations G5/5 (also known as ENA EREC G5/5 or simply as “G5/5”) was introduced on 17th June 2020, superseding the previous recommendations G5/4-1, which were in place since 2001.
The main purpose of G5/5 is to provide a set of design ‘limits’ for harmonic voltage levels that ensure the actual IEC compatibility limits are not exceeded when new or additional load is connected.
In other words, if the system is designed within the harmonic levels prescribed in G5/5, then harmonic voltage levels should be well within the IEC compatibility limits.
Surge Protection Devices (SPD’s) are parallel connected devices whose sole purpose is to divert potentially damaging voltage transients to earth; thus preventing sensitive electronic equipment being exposed to such voltages.
PFC Engineering can provide analysis, design and implementation of surge protection schemes based upon the specific site requirements.
If you’d like any assistance with your protection scheme or would like any advice on which SPD’s are most suitable for your application, please complete the form below and one of our technical engineers will make contact to discuss your situation further.
Surge Protection
Voltage Optimisation
The basic idea behind most forms of voltage optimisation is to reduce the incoming supply voltage from a level provided by the grid to one that is more suited to the needs of the equipment on site – with the main aim being to save money and energy.
Prior to 1995, the UK’s nominal voltage was 415/240V ±6% (227 – 254V) and this is what the distribution network was originally designed to provide. In 1995, this was changed to 400/230V +10% -6% (216 – 253V) in an attempt to get closer to Mainland Europe’s 380/220V ±6% (207 – 233V) and is where we remain today.
To make things easier for buying and selling electrical equipment within the EU, the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) 2006/95/EC was introduced to ensure that any equipment bearing the CE mark shall operate within the proposed harmonised voltage levels of 400/230V ±10% (207 – 253V).
Therefore, with all modern equipment being capable of operating at a nominal voltage of 230V and within 207 – 253V, it’s unnecessary to continue to operate in and around 240V. As stated above, this can cause equipment to consume more energy than required and can shorten life expectancy – this is where voltage optimisation can help.
If your site already has a Voltage Optimiser installed, PFC Engineering can carry out a detailed service of your equipment. This can be done as either a non-intrusive visual check along with a thermographic check or if this if the first time the equipment has been service, we would recommend a full internal inspection during shutdown conditions.
Voltage Optimisation Servicing
Load and Harmonic Analysis
Harmonic Analysis is the procedure of measuring and studying the characteristics of an electrical power system to identify, predict and mitigate issues associated with high levels of harmonics.
It involves installing specialist power analysers, for a minimum of a week and a maximum sample interval of 10 minutes, to monitor the load and collect vital information on the day-to-day running of an industrial or commercial building.
In addition to harmonic analysis, the advanced analysis equipment employed also records other important power quality indicators.
We all know how important it is for businesses to monitor their electrical energy consumption in order to determine the effectiveness (or otherwise) of any energy saving measures that may have been implemented.
Most LV switchboards have a built-in metering cube which can provide vital ‘real time’ information on the condition of the sites load as well as offering the ability to log data for weekly site checks.
Energy Metering
Energy Monitoring
Together with our partners at Go Monitor, collecting data and monitoring your site equipment has never been easier. Now you can have continuous remote monitoring 24hr a day, 7day a week with a fully customisable IoT portal.
