Electricity and Control March 2016

LIGHT + CURRENT

Transformer order for South Africa’s expanding electric rail fleet ABB , power and automation technology group, won an order worth around $50 M fromBombardierTransportation for traction transformers and associated products for 240 freight locomotives that will help form the backbone of South Africa’s electric rail fleet.The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2014. The traction units, to be installed in Bombardier’s TRAXX locomo- tives to be built in South Africa, will reliably transform electricity for trains running on the country’s dual 3 kV direct-current (dc) and 25 kV alternating-current (ac) overhead voltage network. ABB has supplied traction transformers for several of Bombardier’s electrical locomotives since 1998. Designed for their versatility and ruggedness, ABB traction transformers already power more than half the world’s electric locomo- tives and train sets. South Africa, with the continent’s most-comprehensive railway system, is investing nearly $5 billion to renew and expand its rail fleet, not only to boost passenger travel but also to increase its ability to efficiently ship freight including iron ore for export around the world. South Africa aims to boost the share of freight shipped by rail signifi- cantly over the next decade. “Compact design and exceptional reliability make ABB traction transformers ideal for powering freight loads under challenging condi- tions, ensuring both high performance and energy efficient rail opera- tions,” said Bernhard Jucker, head of ABB’s Power Products division. Enquiries: Email shivani.chetram@za.abb.com

‘Just Imagine’ – a future focused blog Imagine a world where the physical and digital interact seamlessly; where creativity is the new corporate currency; and where business minds take lessons from children when it comes to innovation. Aurecon’s new blog, Just Imagine, provides a glimpse into the future for curious readers. “If businesses are to thrive in a future that is as yet unwritten, creativity must shape how they operate, and design and innovation are the tools that offers the solution,” says John McGuire, Aurecon’s Chief Innovation Officer. For Aurecon , this means finding new ways to transform clients’ businesses and help them become more competitive through innovation. “Innovation is grounded on deep technical expertise, but it’s not enough to invest in being ‘smart’. We need to foster creativity, challenge the ‘status quo’, explore and experiment to envision what’s possible,” believes McGuire. In line with this, the company’s new blog, Just Imagine, explores ideas that are probable, possible and for the imagina- tion. Forward thinking, imaginative and innovative, the content is everything but the ordinary. It seeks to push the boundaries and imagine what might be possible if we challenge the sta- tus quo, asking ‘What if…?’ and ‘Why not…?’ across a broad spectrum of leadership and business theories and ideologies, technological innovations and processes. Enquiries: Email Jody.boshoff@aurecongroup.com Visit www.aurecongroup.com

World’s first thermal imaging clamp meter

resolved, but they also put their safety at risk without knowing what dangers they faced.The FLIR CM174 puts an end to any uncertainty. The FLIR CM174 600A ac/dc ClampMeter has a built-in thermal camera that powers the FLIR IGM technology, which visually guides users to temperature differences and pinpoints anomalies, so they can fix the system, not just the fault, to get the equipment up and running and ensure that it will not go down again. Electricians may even find new issues they didn’t expect to see, expanding their scope of work and resulting in more busi-

In the new FLIR CM174 , the world’s first thermal imaging clamp meter with IGM (Infrared Guided Measurement), electri- cians have a highly effective tool for quick and efficient troubleshooting. For a long time, electricians investi- gated complex compounded problems by chasing down the cause – one electrical measurement at a time. A lot of the time the true source of the problem was never found, leading to call-backs from customers asking the electrician to fix the same issue over and over again. Not only did they waste time trouble- shooting problems they thought they had

ness. For instance, theymight have a hunch that a faulty motor controller caused an equipment failure, but after using FLIR CM174 they discover that an overheating motor or a loose connection was to blame. Enquiries: Email sales@flir.uk.com

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