Smooth operation of smelting facilities

The large crucibles and vats used in smelting systems are often moved by electric motors with various voltages and currents. Reliable uninterrupted power is required to prevent the molten metal from solidifying in these containers. The power supply or transformer grounding is often designed as ungrounded or resistance grounded. Bender fault location systems are available for both resistance grounded and ungrounded systems to quickly and automatically locates defective power circuits. Safety and uptime are both improved.

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The power supply is critical to refining and smelting systems. The medium voltage supplied to the facility is transformed down to 480 V or 600 V and distributed through the facility via electrical cables or busbars often referred to as branch feeders. It is then either connected to loads or transformed to lower voltages. Depending on the system grounding either a Bender ISOMETER®s or RCMS residual current monitoring relays (ground-fault monitors) monitor these and help ensure continuous operation. Fault detection is only the first step in troubleshooting. The addition of downstream monitors and current sensors can allow quicker and safer location of ground faults. References mention that approximately 80-95% of the faults in a facility start as a phase-to-ground fault - making this time savings compound the return of investment.

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