Troubleshooting 4 to 20 mA (milliamp) process control systems without breaking the loop using Fluke 773 Milliamp Process Clamp Meter
Fluke customers share their tool-tips for the 4-20 mA.
You could call this a factory, but you've never seen a plant like this before. The "manufacturing" process here relies on "shots" of laser energy focused on a target the size of a BB. The product: a nuclear reaction six times hotter than the core of the sun . . . and a growing understanding of fusion reactions that could one day free the planet from dependence on dwindling fossil fuels. "
In 2005, most facilities viewed their monthly electrical utility bill as a standard cost of doing business. When oil topped $100 per barrel, attitudes changed practically overnight, generating a surge of interest in energy-conscious retrofits that previously would not have been cost-efficient. Yet, when the energy costs came down, attitudes and practices did not entirely revert. The United States was still trying hard to shake a recession. Global competition for providing products and services had grown even more intense. American facilities had found a potential new source of margin and profitability in the form of their monthly energy bill, and they weren't giving it up.
“Let's just oversize the motor and we can run it lightly loaded—that will save us some money and be easier on the motor.” This is a false belief among some who select and install motors. Properly sizing motors for a given load results in driving loads more efficiently, saving energy, and saving dollars. Motors typically are most efficient when they are 90 % to 95 % loaded. Just because a motor says “25 Hp” on the nameplate does not mean the motor is producing twenty-five horsepower as it operates.Clamp meter readings: Problems and Solutions
Since a small increase in current flow to a motor produces a proportionately larger amount of heat, motor amperage exceeding nameplate values should be carefully investigated as a possible cause. These overload trips, though often caused by motor loading issues, can also indicate bearing failure, insulation breakdown or voltage unbalance.
“Cogeneration” captures heat from energy-intensive industrial processes and puts it back to work—to make steam that drives a turbine generator or that heats other parts of the facility, for example. Heat recovery can increase energy efficiency by 30 percent or more. Cogeneration has garnered a lot of attention as a result, and sophisticated, almost turnkey cogeneration solutions are now available in a range of sizes. Even the most sophisticated cogeneration system, however, is an electromechanical system that requires regular maintenance for reliable operation at peak efficiency.