CONTRACT NEWS
CONTRACT NEWS
A TIMELY PROJECT
Maxilux has created a bespoke , digital , addressable light strip system to enable the remote control of an impressive clock at City University of London .
The 2m wide installation , which is part of a multi-million pound project to provide an inspiring environment for students and academics , is sunken into the floor and can be set to 24-hour , red or white displays , as well as set to turn on / off at certain times .
To enable these functions and meet the client ’ s requirements , Maxilux had to design customised software with an inbuilt , real time clock , in order to programme the digital strip .
The project had some very special challenges – not only in the design and manufacture of the hardware and software , but also because the installation itself was some 17m from the power supply , which meant there was the potential for issues with reliable data transmission .
Maxilux produced a 3D printed control box , LCD display and remote control receiver , to ensure the functions could be switched between easily and efficiently .
The clock is situated in the new entrance of the university , which has been designed to improve flow around the university and provide an impressive arrival point . The new building was opened by Princess Anne at the end of March .
For further information visit : www . maxilux . co . uk
POLES A PART
Marshall-Tufflex ’ s PowerPoles have delivered the right mix of style and versatility for a blue chip manufacturing company ’ s new headquarters in business and retail hub Logistics North , Bolton .
Sophisticated and elegant , PowerPoles provided the ideal choice for the offices of the company ’ s new premises , delivering power and data services to island and non-perimeter work stations . Installed by W Portsmouth & Co from Luton , a total of 170 white double-sided Series 1 PowerPoles were fitted , together with RCD / MCB housing and accessory boxes , all supplied by wholesaler BEW Electrical , Bedford .
Luke Royce , contracts manager at W Portsmouth & Co said , ‘ Thanks to its versatility any redesign costs will be minimal , allowing the client to be flexible and ensure the space works around its needs . Installation was easy too . The PowerPoles were delivered containing all the relevant components along with instructions on final assembly . The instructions were simple to understand and our installation team enjoyed working with the product .’
For further information visit : www . marshall-tufflex . com
IN HOSPITAL
Patients and hospital staff in South Devon are benefiting from the latest installation of Open Technology ’ s smart lighting control system . The system , Ligo , is now fully operational at Torbay hospital ’ s new 14-bed intensive care unit , which opened last month .
Ligo ’ s features include circadian balancing , which ensures that the colour temperature of the lighting matches the times of day and night . This function is helpful in ensuring that intensive care patients have better sleep patterns to aid their recovery .
The lighting control system also makes the work of hospital staff easier . Lighting in all areas of the ward , including bed bays , offices and corridors , can be controlled locally and configured to the clinicians ’ needs . The system is controlled by easy to use touch screen interfaces located in each of the two nurses ’ stations in the unit .
The Ligo lighting control system was easily integrated with the hospital ’ s Trend Building Management System ( BMS ), which was installed by Trend ’ s approved partner Colton Controls . Overall system design was carried out by Hoare Lee in Plymouth and installation was completed by Totus Engineering .
For further information visit : www . opentechnologyuk . com
ANYONE FOR CRICKET ?
AmbiRad , part of Nortek Global HVAC ( UK ), is celebrating securing its 1,000th Nor-Ray-Vac system at Reeds School for the new Jarrett Indoor Cricket centre in Cobham , Surrey .
Working in conjunction with Sports Clubhouses and SGE Services , AmbiRad will provide a radiant heat sports hall solution for the indoor cricket centre , which consists of five training cricket wickets in the sports hall with six changing rooms , reception space and toilets to the ground floor .
The building will be constructed using a timber frame principle with large glulam beams sweeping across the hall , providing an exposed timber look and feel internally . ECB approved cricket netting and flooring will be included with significant lux lighting and a Nor-Ray-Vac radiant tube system .
Radiant tube heating ’ s big advantage is that air remains relatively cool and conducive for active sports . Air does absorb some of the heat given off by people and the building fabric at low level , but it is not heated directly so the occupants are comfortable .
A Nor-Ray-Vac system will be installed consisting of 3 x 32kW burners arranged in one zone feeding into a manifold and discharging the products of combustion to atmosphere via a vacuum fan located externally remote from the playing environment . The Nor-Ray-Vac system design layout provides blanket heat coverage of the sports facility , eliminating any cold spots .
For further information visit : www . nortekhvac . com
PROGRAMMABLE PUMP
Severn Trent Water has cut the risk of flooding homes with sewage overflow by installing an ABB variable speed drive ( VSD ) within a pump control system .
The new control system is switched on if the primary programmable logic controller ( PLC ) based wash water control system fails , avoiding the need to use an emergency tank which only has capacity for eight hours of incoming sewage .
The wash water is a critical part of the wastewater treatment process at the facility . It is used to clean the screens at the inlet works . If no wash water is available , the screens become blocked , the water level in the inlet channel rises and the inlet screw pumps turn off to prevent the screen house from flooding .
The six pumps controlling the wash water are usually controlled by a PLC , but this has suffered many failures caused by the controller ’ s memory loss , which have led to it going offline . When this happens , no wash water is available to clean the inlet screens .
Zac Dorn , electrical and instrumentation maintenance technician for the site , designed a system that would act as a back up to the main PLC while it was out of service . This is based on an ABB machinery drive , ACS355 , acting as a PID controller . The drive uses a watchdog relay to monitor pulses from an output on the PLC . When these pulses are not detected , the drive goes into action .
For further information visit : www . abb . com / energy
18 | June 2017