IEC News Letter

Volume 2, Issue 1 Year-2011


Sunil Khanna – Managing Director
Emerson Process Management India Pvt Ltd
Smart Wireless Instrumentation for Offshore Applications
O&G Offshore operators are continuously
on the lookout for ways to reduce capital
and operational expenditure in an
increasingly fluctuating business
environment. With less weight, smaller
footprint and enhanced security and
reliability, wireless technology provides
answers to some of these business
challenges and is fast changing the
industry's thought patterns. How does one
extend the power of predictive intelligence
into areas that were previously out of
physical or economic reach and open the
doors for new possibilities in process
improvement? Remote locations, physical
obstructions, and the high cost of
engineering and integrating new
technologies with exiting technologies
should no longer be the barriers for this.
Decision makers today have become
more comfortable and familiar with
wireless technology applications offshore.
In the past several years, wireless
monitoring instruments have made their
way into remote, hard-to-reach areas
on offshore platforms where high
construction costs made wired devices
uneconomical. Though we have to
acknowledge that traditional cabling will
continue to be used in contiguous areas,
as well as in safety systems, wireless is fast
gaining acceptance as a credible solution.
Existing offshore facilities are taking
greater advantage of wireless benefits, and
new construction projects are being built
with wireless in mind. This shows that
wireless is now seen as capital investment
and is a key component in the CAPEX
plans. Facilities using reliable and robust
wireless technology are realizing savings
and becoming smarter through simpler
engineering and construction, flexible
startup, faster deployment and project
completion.
Today there are several real-world Smart
Wireless installations using one-second
updates, enhanced PID and battery
management based on the IEC 62591
(WirelessHART®) communication
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standard. These can easily be integrated
with existing Distributed Control systems
using standard communication protocols
like Modbus and Ethernet LAN. Full
redundancy protects the wireless network
from any single point of failure by allowing
primary fail-over to failure by allowing
primary fail-over to ensure that the data
are always delivered even if there is a
malfunction. Other enhancements
include redundant wireless I/O, power
and communications, and a redundant
Smart Wireless Remote Link. When
offshore operators are planning for the
platforms of the future, they're now
thinking about a combination of new path
breaking concepts like fieldbus, electronic
marshalling, and wireless. Those
installations who have deployed wireless
are finding that wireless can be cost
effective, economical, and quickly
installed. It's going to prompt a mindset
change about the design process with
greater awareness of what customers
need and what they don't really need. This
is leading to paradigm shift from wired to
wireless technology.
Evolution of the Smart Wireless
technology
For years, 4-20 mA analog
instrumentation was the industry
standard. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the
search began for a digital replacement,
and FOUNDATION™ fieldbus was
developed. It is now widely used
throughout the industry, especially for
controls. The first wireless networks were
limited by a line of sight requirement - a
drawback that was especially
cumbersome on offshore platforms.
Today's Smart Wireless solution uses a
self-organizing mesh technology that
overcomes this obstacle. Self-organizing
mesh networks continuously monitor
transmissions from a variety of
measurement devices that keep track of
pressure, temperature, flow, pH,
conductivity and even position or
vibration. The network automatically finds
the best communication route back to the
network gateway. If a connection is
temporarily blocked, signals are rerouted
to adjacent wireless devices, and
connectivity is maintained.
This mesh technology is the basis for the
internationally accepted IEC 62591
standard. It enables users to quickly and
easily gain the benefits of wireless
technology while maintaining
compatibility with existing devices, tools,
and systems. With this technology, as you
add more devices to the network, the
entire network continues to get stronger
and stronger with more potential
communication paths for each device to
use. This is very important when you think
about the ever-changing environments
plant instrumentation faces each day –
pumps, motors, and fans cycling on and
off, scaffolding being erected and torn
down, welders, and a whole host of other
things happening all the time. With the
network's ability to automatically reroute
data, we see data reliabilities of more than
99%, regardless of process environment
or application.
2

Impacting the bottom line
When Smart Wireless technology is used
for 25% to 45% of total I/O on both small
and large capital projects, significant
savings can result. An Emerson Process
Management study of an actual offshore
platform with about 4,000 I/O proves
wireless technology can be broadly used
in process applications.
In fact, restricting wireless to those
applications where deploying wired
instruments would be too expensive or
impossible is only limiting the realm of
actual possibilities.
Examination of various combinations of
wired HART, fieldbus, and wireless
devices, and the projected installed costs
showed wireless to be cost-effective
in comparison with the other
communications means. For the platform
studied, approximately 17% of signals
were economically and reliably
transmitted via wireless devices. In this
case, installing wireless along with other
technologies in the process control system
can realize savings of up to 7%, or more
than USD 1 Million. An additional saving is
seen in eliminating 800 wired points,
which results in weight saving of up to 35
tons, and reduces required deck space of
up to 4,556 sq. ft. in cabling, cable trays,
junction boxes, and cabinets. When
another study compared wireless to the
traditional hardwired 4-20 mA/HART
design, the savings were even more
significant. They found 44% of the total
points can be wireless, which would result
in a savings of 36%.
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Scalable solutions fit a variety of needs
The Smart Wireless technology can be
adapted seamlessly to cover anything
from a small field network to a full facility
complex. Smart Wireless is neither a top-
down nor bottom-up model. One can
begin at the plant network level and work
down to the field, or at the field network
and work up. One can start anywhere
based on what the highest priority needs
are. You are not required to invest in an
expensive wireless infrastructure
throughout the facility to try out a simple
monitoring application. Field and facility
networks have different technical
considerations. Wireless field networks
use lower bandwidth for short, high-
priority communications. Operating from
batteries that last from five to 10 years, the
field networks (usually many devices
distributed in harsh environments) have
low power demands and are secure and
reliable. For facilities, Smart Wireless
brings the high bandwidth, flexibility, and
expansion capabilities required for
business and operational applications.
Open standards such as 802.11 (Wi-Fi)
are used to provide these solutions. Top
applications for facility networks include:
■Field data backhaul■Mobile workers
■Video
■Safety mustering and asset tracking.
Field data backhaul is the most common
wireless application. If a number of
wireless field devices are in a remote area
of the facility and there is no distributed
control system (DCS) rack room, a
communications link (or backhaul) is
installed to bring the information back to
the DCS. The other three applications
affect personnel and security. The
business driver for the mobile worker
application is worker productivity,
Improvements are realized when
operations and maintenance workers are
able to take the control room console with
them or have access to asset management
tools or procedures for troubleshooting
problems. Video surveillance is widely
implemented as part of facility process
safety and security systems. The
traditional wired system is costly and takes
a long time to deploy. Using wireless
networks, video feeds can be delivered to
the control room and office buildings with
flexibility not possible with a wired
solution. Video has many practical uses
offshore. One operator faced corrosion
issues in its FPSO [Floating Production,
Storage, and Offloading] storage tanks.
When they tried to determine how they
were going to monitor it, wireless video
cameras were the obvious answer. Also,
using video conferencing with personnel
on the platform has limited the travel and
location risks. Safety mustering and asset
tracking improve personnel safety,
enhance facility security, and optimize the
use of critical assets in a harsh
environment. People's safety is the highest
priority, providing full visibility to people's
locations in hazardous areas or mustering
stations is extremely critical to an efficient
evacuation in case of emergency.
Technology designed with the customer
in mind
'Make it easy to use' was a motto during
the entire product development process of
t h e S m a r t W i r e l e s s t e c h n o l o g y.
Customers today do not have the
resources or the time to learn new
technologies and buy special interfaces
and software. Plus, with Smart Wireless,
you don't have to run cables to every
device, making installation much simpler
than for wired networks. In fact, the major
attraction of this technology is that you
don't have to deal with the complexity of
3

all those wires. Because the Smart
Wireless devices have the same process
connections as traditional wired HART
devices, existing procedures can be used
to complete the installation. Sensors for
Smart Wireless can be calibrated using the
same configuration tools as for traditional
HART devices. Sophisticated planning
and costly site surveys are not necessary
for field networks. As long as each device
or gateway is within range of at least one
other, it can communicate with the
network. Site surveys are a must to define
line-of-sight communication paths in
traditional point-to-point wireless
solutions or those where network
reliability is a concern. These surveys can
be time-consuming, especially if
equipment or other obstacles limit
available communication paths.
Adapting legacy systems for wireless
use
Emerson Process Management has
developed a unique product called the
Smart Wireless THUM™ Adapter that
helps free up diagnostics and process
information from existing HART field
instruments that were previously
inaccessible in wired legacy system
installations. Most HART instruments
have rich diagnostics and process data, yet
this valuable information goes unused
because older legacy systems are not
equipped to receive HART
communications.
Since it is often too expensive and
complicated to access this data through
traditional wired means, upgrading
transmitters with the THUM Adapter is an
easy and cost effective way to 'see' the
valuable diagnostic and process
information. The THUM Adapter is a
WirelessHART device that can retrofit
onto almost any two- or four-wire HART
device without special power
requirements to enable wireless
transmission of measurement and
diagnostic information. Devices with the
THUM Adapter operate as components of
Emerson's Smart Wireless self-organizing
field networks. As a result, predictive
intelligence can be expanded into key
areas throughout the facility by:
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■Tapping the power of in-situ meter measurement point can be reduced by an
order of magnitude using wireless
verification for Magnetic flowmeters and
instrument networks.
Coriolis meters, enabling significant
But for a significant capital project—a new
operational improvements
Greenfield unit or a significant brownfield
expansion – the wireless value
■Enabling enhanced valve capabilities
proposition may not seem as clear cut.
with in-service valve testing, alert
Few would propose to eliminate wires
monitoring, and valve position trending
altogether in a new process plant, so if
some number of wires must still be run,
■ Remotely managing devices and
monitoring health by allowing customers when does it make sense to install a
parallel wireless infrastructure as well?
to troubleshoot HART devices from their
own desks Increasingly, the answer is “all the time.”
And not primarily because of installed cost
savings either. Rather, it's the forward-
■Making any HART device wireless and
eliminating the high cost of loop wiring looking flexibility of wireless that allows
the addition of measurement points and
due to remote locations or physical
obstructions the change and evolution of control
strategies and work practices that has
earned wireless a place alongside fieldbus
■ Efficiently gathering data from
and traditional point-to-point hardwiring
multivariable devices.
in the preferred mix of process automation
The case for implementing wireless in network technologies for capital projects.
existing facilities has been well made and
So, in the end, our question to the
has justified thousands of applications in
Offshore O&G producers is: Why
process plants worldwide over the past
wouldn't Smart Wireless be part of your
several years. If a few incremental
next capital project?
measurement points are needed, and you
can avoid running new conduit or
armored cable to the field; if you can avoid
the need to add new cabinet space; if you
can avoid the need to expand I/O capacity
- installed cost per incremental
4

Souvik Ghosal , L&T Control & Automation.
Intricacies of Dam Instrumentation for water bodies
Dams are barriers that restrain water which
is used for storage and then evenly
distributed between various locations
through service pipe lines. Dams and their
infrastructure are occasionally subjected to
extreme conditions in which they are fully
loaded, such as floods and earth quakes.
Such conditions adversely affect the
stability of the structure. Instrumentation
and control systems help in analysis of the
behavior of the Dam and take remedial
actions.
Dam monitoring, maintenance and safety
is a complex and challenging task which
calls for implementation of a variety of
instruments to monitor the various forces
acting on the colossal structure at all times.
Safe and efficient maintenance of a dam
calls for a variety of fail safe and monitoring
systems as well as proper application of
these systems through intricate
engineering. The system architecture,
interconnection of the systems,
specifications of the equipments,
functionalities have to be accurate and
seamless.
Modernized automated dams call for
customized instruments for Dam
monitoring, integrated with Data
Acquisition Systems, PLC and SCADA
systems designed for process control and
monitoring the behavior of Dam.
A typical set of instruments that go in Dam
projects include:
Pore Pressure Meter used to measure
pore water pressure in soil, earth/rock fills,
foundations and concrete structures. These
devices are protected against lightning
spikes, hermetically sealed under a vacuum
of 0.001 Toor and have the ability to
measure negative pressure and very small
tile lag, capable of transmitting signal as
frequency over long wire lengths.
Strain Gauge designed for the
measurement of dynamic strains in
concrete structures, asphalt roadways and
soils. Strain Gauge has good frequency for
tracking rapid fluctuations in stress, capable
of simultaneous measurement of multiple
points and remote points and provides
electrical output for easy data processing.
Crack/Joint Meter are ideally suited for
measurement of movement of concrete
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joints. These are important for monitoring
the behavior of civil structures and
buildings and are rugged and robust,
corrosion proof & easy to install, reliable,
accurate and compatible with data loggers
or acquisition system
Normal/Inverted Plumb Line: Normal
Plumb line is used for the measurement &
monitoring of displacement between the
top and base of a DAM. The Inverted
Plumb line is used for the measurement &
monitoring of displacement between the
base of the DAM & the rock foundation.
These instruments are more accurate than
with Geodesic or Theodolite survey.
Earth & Concrete Pressure Cell: are
used measures the vertical pressure of the
concrete. The Pressure cell consists of
pressure transducer incorporating the latest
vibrating wire technology to provide
remote and digital readout. These are Fluid
filled for high rigidity and provide accurate
and fast response.
Seismographs are used to measure the
seismic movement around the dam and
recorded at station.
Thermocouples: are embedded in the
concrete structure to measure the
temperature changes in the dam body
which is critical parameter to consider
during the RCC construction. Temperature
is monitored for next 4-5 years to study
RCC behavior.
PLC and Process Instruments: PLC and
horde of other process instruments like flow
meter, level meter and analyzers are used
to monitor and control the dam operation
such as opening and closing of service
gates, radial gates, control service flow etc.
All Dam instruments are hooked up to Data
Acquisition System (DAS) and process
instruments are interfaced with PLC and
accumulated data is further transmitted to a
SCADA over the standard protocol. The
Data Acquisition System is built
incorporating the programmable
measurement and control module that
provides sensor measurement,
communication, data reduction,
data/program storage and control
functions. A battery backed clock assures
accurate time keeping. A multi tasking
operating system allows simultaneous
measurement and communications
functions. The DAS scans the data
channels from a few times per second to
once every few hours. The DAS Database
is mapped in SCADA server in any
standard database format like MS SQL,
Access etc. The SCADA system is
interfaced with a remote Station Control
Center (SCC) over VSAT network. From
the remote station, dam parameters like
dam level, service flow, seismic data,
weather data, etc. are continuously
monitored and recorded for decision
making activities. This complex system is
an example of an intricate and elaborate
monitoring and control system used in
Dams.
For the first time in India a completely
SCADA controlled Dam monitoring
system is being implemented by Control &
Automation (C&A) Business Unit of
L a r s e n & To u b r o f o r M u n i c i p a l
Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM)
on the Vaitarna river in Thane's Kochale
village in Maharashtra. The project is
targeted to complete by year 2012. The
dam will stand at a height of 102 meter
when completed and will hold up 455
million liter of water vital for Mumbai's
growing water demand. The challenging
task of implementing instrumentation and
control systems will extend over a period of
three years and will be done in phases.
Designing the control philosophy of dam
operation and implementation using PLC
is also critical task undertaken by C&A.
5

Dileep Miskin – UL Group of Companies
Dileep Miskin – UL Group of Companies
More uniformity for greater multiplicity
(in the planning workflow) of Electrical
CAD softwares (CAE)
A great mass of data, and that from
different fields of application: Planning
process engineering plants is characterized
by complicated coordination of quite
different highly developed specialist
disciplines. Thus up to now the task was to
get under one umbrella the classical CAD
for the P&I diagrams, special I&E planning
tools and the peculiarities of electrical
engineering tools, and then to take this as
basis for constructing a consistent, safe
process engineering plant. An additional
difficulty is brought about by the ever-
increasing demands on the safety of the
data and the plants. A database-driven
CAE platform achieves the
standardization and nonetheless offers
easy handling.
A question of the discipline
In a process engineering job for a
manufacturing process, materials are
mixed, ground or subjected to chemical
reactions and transported through
pipelines. The control of these plants is the
task of the measuring and control
technology. The planning job starts with a
process description, and the different
plant units meet in the typically graphic
P&I diagram. Measurement tags are
defined and specified in tabular form, and
interconnection typicals are used to
describe the interfacing with the
corresponding control system. For the
filling machines one encounters classical
plant construction, however: Here
special-purpose machines and conveying
equipment must be combined and their
higher-level cabling must be designed. For
individual packaging machines the
electrotechnical planning approach is
required, which operates by equipping an
assigned cabinet with devices and wiring it
– including the appropriate energy supply
and fusing.
For plant designers as well as operators
this means a large number of tools and
interfaces that must be handled and
surveyed. And the operator needs a lot of
know-how because there the data from all
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disciplines are combined. Later on for
maintenance or possible changes he must
be able to use and operate all these
different tools
Combination prowess
Whether for coordinating the disciplines in
the planning phase or concentrating the
know-how at the operator's site – at
present only one integrated tool with
standard database and an open object
system offers the solution for an up-to-
date projecting job. If all planning
workflows are combined in one tool, then
many interfaces are left out, and with them
many sources of error. However, the
complexity of the tasks involved in
planning process engineering plants can
make a uniform tool covering everything
extremely complicated.
With this danger in mind, the Hanover-
based system house Aucotec placed
particular emphasis on easy handling, thus
creating a database-driven and object-
oriented tool that is able to combine all
electrically relevant plant units under one
roof; it can moreover integrate and
manage associated disciplines such as the
3-D pipeline planning or the specification
of the software modules for the tags.
25 Years of experience in various fields
of application
With different ECAE systems for
mechanical engineering and plant
construction but also for power generation
and and wiring harness development,
Aucotec has in 25 years been able to
achieve a high standing. All of this
experience has been integrated into the
platform Engineering Base (EB), which
with its branch solution "Instrumentation"
offers several unique properties.
The typical-oriented approach of I&E
design and engineering can also be
exploited in general plant construction if
the handling is designed to be intuitive.
This ease of operation was one of the most
important specifications for the new
platform. Therefore the Aucotec
developers decided exclusively in favor of
Office-compliant user interfaces;
Microsoft Visio is used for graphic editing,
which is a familiar tool for many process
engineers.
Thanks to its multi-level client-server
architecture EB can be used from a
notebook to a company-wide multiuser
solution. The branch solutions based on
the platform cover everything from P&I
(P&ID) via I&E design and engineering
and electrical engineering to planning the
cabling and the hydraulic system. They
are all mutually operable because they are
based on the same data model. Taking the
tags as an example, it becomes clear what
this means:
Unity generates speed – and safety
The tags are specified and labelled on a
P&I flow diagram – often with a simple
CAD program. In parallel there are tabular
applications where the same tags must
again be recorded for a detailed definition.
Apart from the time required, this results in
several sources of error initially during
data adoption into the table and later on
when changes are made – even if the
change is only a renaming. The next step is
detail engineering: In electrical planning
via Electrical-CAD system the designer
elaborates among other things the
representation of the field distributors as
well as of the cabinets, e.g. with power
supply or the control system cards. Again
one deals with the same tags. Their
sensors, connectors and cables are the job
of the electrical engineering department.
This means another round of adopting
tags and integrating them into the
electrical diagram, considering and
correcting later changes – again new
potential sources of error for the same
components. Even without corrections
entering tags costs precious time and
consumes expensive specialist resources.
Merging the data on a common basis
therefore means vast gains in time for the
highly qualified personnel in the
disciplines involved.
Putting together what belongs together
Because of the database foundation a tag
has to be specified and declared only
once. All persons in charge of additional
subject areas access precisely these tags
6

and just add their special details. In the
integrated environment each operator
uses his favored view, but in the
background each object is present only
once. If a tag is renamed, it appears
renamed everywhere – no further search
and no confusion. Thus many people
work jointly on a data model that maps the
complete plant on the computer.
And EB Instrumentation not only unites
the different projecting disciplines of the
process engineering proper but also
enables links to connected tasks: The 2-D
pipeline design is passed from the P&I
diagram to a 3-D tool in the XML format in
order to optimize the spatial arrangement
there – for example supported by
automatically laid splines. Again the
mechanic accesses precisely the same
objects that were specified in the 2-D
representation. Changes in the 3-D
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representation e.g. of the pipeline lengths
or process connections are again stored in
the very database used for feeding all
representations.
Thus both designers and operators can
save costs for several tools as well as
training and maintenance costs because
the platform indeed offers a hitherto
unknown level of standardization.
Extreme time economy by interfacing
with the control system software
EB also integrates the generation of the
control system software for the loops into
the overall planning. Here the time
economy is extraordinary because the
tool can specify the software components
needed for each tag. The latest
development permits selecting from a list
of standard modules. Moreover in
addition to the measuring and control
functions the designer can create purely
logical functions in the plant hierarchy and
similarly equip them with software
modules.
A first pilot project showed that the
originally scheduled time interval for
creating the software was reduced from
four weeks to half a day of extra work in
EB. The otherwise common renewed
complete setup of all signals is
superfluous.
UL Group in India brings in the richly
loaded software with various libraries for
ease of applications in the variety of the
Industrial applications. Many users are in
the stage of the implementation of their
documentation in their system workflow
at the planning stage itself. This will go a
long way to have the uniformity in the
application & the availability of the data to
the users whent hey need this.
7
 IEC Newsletter
Haren Shah- Marketing Executive
Meco Instruments Pvt. Ltd. Navi Mumbai

Innovative Methods for Measurement

of Earthing / Grounding Systems.

Electrical Safety : Earthing Aspect

Hazards Happening Everyday Due To Improper Earthing

8
 IEC Newsletter

The faults in any electrical system are
unavoidable. Every electrical
equipment's, appliance, system must be
Earthed or grounded to obtain a low
resistance path for dissipation of current
into the earth. Earthing plays an important
role in Generation, Transmission &
Distribution for safe and proper operation
of any electric installation.
Electricity most often kills a man not
causing extreme physical injuries but by
merely shocking the life out of the body
suddenly. This is due to life and electricity
in minute form being closely inter-related
so that a small current can prove fatal.
When body is alive it is found to maintain a
potential difference between its inside and
outside. This potential difference exists as
long as life and disappears when life goes.
This potential difference is very small 10 to
100 millivolts.
Galvany in 1780 proved that all live
muscles contract when electricity applied.
When contraction due to electricity is
more that will power contract and relaxes
which brings to death due to electric
shocks. The current affect heart muscles
and when contract become too powerful,
muscles bewildered and fall in state of
flutter, called ventricular fibrillation, the
heart stops functioning. It will be proper to
know what current and potentials are safe
to handle.
The maximum safe current person can
tolerate and still release grip of energize
object differs person to person. It depends
on body resistance (varies 500 to 1 lack
ohms.) at time of accident (Man-9ma,
Wo m e n - 6 m a , c h i l d 4 . 5 m a )
Under the provisions of Indian Electrical
Rules 1956, Electrical installation of the
licensees, consumers are inspected every
year by the Electrical Inspectorate wing
of Government of Maharashtra under
the guidance of Chief Engineer
(Electrical) P.W.D. Mumbai for
observance and for enforcement of safety
measures for working on electrical
Equipment , Installation. During
inspection of every installations, overhead
lines Transformers, etc. if any defects are
observed then the recommendations are
given to the concerned for compliance of

9

the same. Also all the electrical accidents
are investigated by the electrical
Inspectorate wing to check the
observance of electrical measures and
recommendations are given for
compliance.
In the field the condition of earthing is so
poor and normally earth resistance or
leakage current is not measured either
because of prevailing tedious & time
consuming methods or handy instruments
were not available. Many a times the
important aspect of proper earthing is
neglected resulting in complex problems
associated with poor earthing. The
Distribution Transformers fail because of
earthing not being proper and lightening
arrestors do not carry out their work. In
case of HT consumers the meter behaves
erratic as unbalance voltages are recorded
due to poor earthing or no earthing. To
ensure proper monitoring of earthing it is
necessary to give a handy and easy to use
equipment to the field staff.
Major Accident are happened due to
improper earthing and leakage current
passed through human body or through
hazards material and fatality or loss
occurs.
Ø Person dies after touching the
pole. It was observed that the pole was not
earthed & lamp wire inside was with
deteriorated insulation & came in contact
with inside pole.
Ø In a sugar factory a person was
stacking sugar bags by climbing on steel
ladder. He took support of roof truss and
got shock. The fitting erected on truss was
short & leakage pass to labor.
Ø A person on the roof is
electrocuted as he touches the TV
antenna. In TV phase directly goes to
internal circuit & neutral connected to
chassis. Antenna circuit is also connected
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through capacitor. As phase position
changed & phase comes directly in
contact with chassis: circuit is completed
but as a capacitor of antenna gets shorted
& leakage transfer from chassis to metallic
part of antenna.
Ø A holy cow fell down in the
gutter and got shocked. Earth wire was
disconnected from earth rod and was in
energized condition due to heavy leakage.
Whenever electrical Installation is to be
completed its non-conducting parts
should be connected firmly to earth
electrodes. Every Electrical Installation
should be having proper Earthing.
Earthing provides protection against
dangerous potential under fault
conditions.
It is also important to take precautions
against leakage of current. Insulation
Resistance values should be checked
periodically. It is also necessary to
maintained Earthing properly of all
electrical Installation. As the same time it is
also very important at regular interval to
check and if required unproper Earthing
should be repaired.
Importance Of Proper Earthing /
Grounding Systems
Ø Every electrical equipment or
appliance must be 'Earthed' or 'Grounded'
for the safety of equipment, network as a
whole and operating personnel.
Ø Ground fault current directly has
an impact on human safety. Major
accidents happen due to improper
Earthing. Leakage current passes through
human body and fatality occurs.
Ø Every Overhead line / Sub
station / Generator station which is
exposed are liable to injury from lightning.
Ø Purpose of Earthing in an
electric power system is to limit, with
respect to the general mass of earth, the
potential of current carrying conductors,
which are part of the equipment, non-
current carrying metal works, associated
with the equipment, apparatus and
appliances connected to the system.
Ø Earthing plays an important role
i n G e n e r a t i o n , Tr a n s m i s s i o n &
Distribution for safe and proper operation
of electric system.
Ø Every Earthing should be tested
/ checked at regular interval so as
resistance of Earth connection should be
minimum. The records should be
maintained if results are poor, action
should be taken to be improved.
Old Measurement Methods is called fall of
potential method./ In this method earth
grid is to be isolated from the earth
electrode. Two auxiliary electrodes – one
current electrode and another potential
electrode are placed besides the electrode
to be tested at equal distance in a straight
line. A measured current is passed
through the auxiliary current electrode.
The potential difference developed
between the auxiliary potential electrode
and the electrode
Measurement Of Earthing / Grounding
- The Most Neglected Subject Today!
Old Measurement Methods Are:
Ø Crude
Ø Time Consuming
Ø Require Shut - Downs
Ø In-Accurate
Ø Strainful
Now Latest Handy Instuments are
available to measure Ground / Earth
Resistance and Leakage Current By just
clamping to the grounding lines without
disconnecting the circuit or Driving
auxiliary electrodes. Meco 4680 Clamp-
10

On Earth / Ground Resistance Tester can
measure ground resistance & AC current
(load/leakage) by just clamping to the
grounding lines without disconnecting the
circuit or driving Auxiliary Electrodes. Is
based on an unique principal in which a
pre-defined current is injected in the
ground circuit under test and then the
induced magnetic current there by
generated in the circuit is measured at a
high frequency by use of special clamp -on
current transformer in the instrument.
Major Application of Measuring Earth
Resistance and Leakage Current
Ø Earthing cable of Transmission
Pole (Tower) to get ground resistance of
soil resistivities. Soil resistivity is a crucial
factor in obtaining a “Good Earth”. Every
overhead line, which is exposed as to be
IEC Newsletter
liable to injury from lightening, shall adopt
efficient means for diverting to earth any
electric surge.
Ø To measure at earthing wire of
Transformer to check proper grounding as
most difficulties occur from the contact
between the soil & the stack. If this is poor
the flow of electricity is resistricated
Ø To measure earth / ground
resistance of Live Electrical installation
earthing wire of any
Transformer/Motor/Control Panel
Without shutdown. In a Delta connected
system a neutral point shall be obtained by
insertion of grounding transformer &
current limiting resistance or impedance.
Neutral point to measure proper
grounding of Passive lines. An effective
grounding system is one in which the
potential rise of the surrounding earth is
minimized.
Ø E a r t h i n g w i r e o f
Telecommunication shelter cabin or
Signal Relay Antenna at Ground near
Earth Bit. As it is important to reduce the
Electrodynamics stress on material to limit
the induced voltage on
Telecommunication line & Over voltage
on LV Component.
The objectives of Maintaining Proper
Earthing is very good but the road ahead is
very long, rough and tardy but with the
cooperation and strong will, nothing is
impossible.
11
 IEC Newsletter
Suprita Mitta – Reliance Industries Ltd.

Proud of you!
Time Machine – II

Friends! As you know my past adventure, where I went to future in my machine,

now, I decided to go to the past. I will narrate my experience to you. I had gone 1
billion years ago in my machine. It was the time when dinosaurs ruled the earth. I
took all my tools and weapons to protect myself from the dinosaurs. I entered the
machine and Whooooosh!
When I opened my eyes, I realized I was in a forest with my machine. It was very
thick forest. Then I heard something howling. Was it a dinosaur?

M.Harish (Age : 10 years)
Then I saw a huge Tyrannosaurs Rex. It
was about 70 feet high. I was trembling
with excitement. It howled so loudly that, it
seemed to shake the earth. It was trying to
eat me. I ran and ran until I found myself
lost. My heart was beating hard. At the
same time I saw Ceratopsia, the only
dinosaur with horns and it came charging
towards me. I picked up my pistol and shot
the bullet at the dinosaur but it missed
because my hands were shaking so much.
I ran in the opposite direction but there
stood a Brachiosaurus, the largest meat
eating dinosaur.
Now, I was in a great trouble. I turned to
the other side and ran. I ran and ran until I
saw a cave. When I went inside it, it was
very dark and I heard someone or
something make noises. A chill ran down
my spine. “It is an early man”, I shouted.
Yes! It was.
It was very hairy and he was taller than me.
He spoke in a strange language which I
could not understand. I was very thirsty
and made gesture that I need water to
drink. He took me to small pool outside
where I could quench my thirst. He
offered me meat but as I am vegetarian I
could not eat anything. I was starving.
In fact, I was trapped. If I go out of the
cave, I would fall prey of the dinosaur and
if I am in the cave, I would be starving!
Somehow, I managed in the cave that
night.
Next morning, I set out in search of some
fruits. I got to eat few apples. Soon I
realized I had no friends and no pizzas and
no burgers. When I turned to get back into
my machine, I realized that I was lost. Now
my real adventure began. I was so
frightened that my hair was standing in the
end. Then I heard a loud roar. “Again”, I
cried and saw the huge Tyrannosaurs Rex
and I started running in full speed. After
sometime the dinosaur vanished. Now,
what do I do? I thought. Should I live here
for my entire life, a scary thought was in
my mind. Then I remembered that I had
brought all the tools and chemicals to
make my machine. I was starving to death.
Finally, I took me one day to build the
machine. Then I stepped into my machine
and went to 2010.
Now I know that life was very close to
nature but was more lonely and
dangerous in the past.

12
 IEC Newsletter
Prabha Verma
Deputy Engineering Manager- Instruments
Aker Powergas Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai 400 042, India

Keep it up !
Time Machine – II
My daughter Ekta Verma is 16yrs old & a student of DPS. She is
very creative & artistic child and has won numerous prizes in
drawing and craft, both in school and outside. She is student of
Bankim Art Academy at Vashi. This year she is one of the top 17
finalists in 13th Annual Peace Pals International Art competition in
age category 16-19yrs. She is one of the recipients of "Hydrangea
Gold Award" in 15th International drawing competition held in
Japan in 2009. She is also bagged 3rd prize at state level art
competition organized by Godkar's Art Academy. She received
honorary prize in Yang-Ming 2nd international children's painting
contest held in Taiwan in 2008.

13

Jokes Corner
Automotive Engineer vs. Vanilla Ice Cream
A complaint was received by the Pontiac
Division of General Motors: "This is the
second time I have written you, and I don't
blame you for not answering me, because
I kind of sounded crazy, but it is a fact that
we have a tradition in our family of ice
cream for dessert after dinner each night.
But the kind of ice cream varies so, every
night, after we've eaten, the whole family
votes on which kind of ice cream we
should have and I drive down to the store
to get it. It's also a fact that I recently
purchased a new Pontiac and since then
my trips to the store have created a
problem. You see, every time I buy vanilla
ice cream, when I start back from the store
my car won't start. If I get any other kind of
ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want
you to know I'm serious about this
question, no matter how silly it sounds:
'What is there about a Pontiac that makes
it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and
easy to start whenever I get any other
kind?'"
The Pontiac President was
understandably skeptical about the letter,
IEC Newsletter
but sent an engineer to check it out
anyway. The latter was surprised to be
greeted by a successful, obviously well
educated man in a fine neighborhood. He
had arranged to meet the man just after
dinner time, so the two hopped into the
car and drove to the ice cream store. It was
vanilla ice cream that night and, sure
enough, after they came back to the car, it
wouldn't start.
The engineer returned for three more
nights. The first night, the man got
chocolate. The car started. The second
night, he got strawberry. The car started.
The third night he ordered vanilla. The car
failed to start.
Now the engineer, being a logical man,
refused to believe that this man's car was
allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged,
therefore, to continue his visits for as long
as it took to solve the problem. And
toward this end he began to take notes: he
jotted down all sorts of data, time of day,
type of gas used, time to drive back and
forth, etc.
In a short time, he had a clue: the man
took less time to buy vanilla than any other
flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout
of the store. Vanilla, being the most
popular flavor, was in a separate case at
the front of the store for quick pickup. All
the other flavors were kept in the back of
the store at a different counter where it
took considerably longer to find the flavor
and get checked out.
Now the question for the engineer was
why the car wouldn't start when it took less
time. Once time became the problem --
not the vanilla ice cream -- the engineer
quickly came up with the answer: vapor
lock. It was happening every night, but the
extra time taken to get the other flavors
allowed the engine to cool down
sufficiently to start. When the man got
vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the
vapor lock to dissipate.
Moral of the story: Even insane looking
problems are sometimes real.
14

Engineers and Lawyers
There was once an engineer who found a
magic lamp. When he rubbed it, a genie
jumped out and said to him, "You have
three wishes. But there is a catch - this wish
system of mine was designed by a lawyer,
so whatever you wish for every lawyer in
the world will get double of!"
The engineer replied, "That's no problem,
The efficiency expert concluded his
lecture with a note of caution. "You don't
want to try these techniques at home."
"Why not?" asked someone from the back
of the audience.
"I watched my wife's routine at breakfast
IEC Newsletter
I can live with that." He then said, "For my
first wish, I wish I had a Ferarri."
"OK", said the genie, and a Ferarri
appeared in front of the engineer. "But
remember, every lawyer in the world now
has 2 Ferarris," the genie told the engineer.
The engineer remained unperturbed and
Efficiency Expert
for years," the expert explained.
"She made lots of trips to the refrigerator,
stove, table and cabinets, often carrying
just a single item at a time. 'Hon,' I
suggested, 'Why don't you try carrying
several things at once?'"
said, "For my second wish, I wish for a
million bucks." So a million bucks
appeared in front of the engineer and the
genie said, "remember, every lawyer in the
world now has 2 million bucks."
The engineer was non-committal and then
said, "I always wished I could donate a
kidney!"
The voice from the back asked, "Did it
save time?"
The expert replied, "Actually, yes. It used
to take her 20 minutes to get breakfast
ready. Now I do it in seven.”
15