United States of America (USA) Electrical Industry News

Ameren Illinois announced key senior leadership changes to support the company's strategic priorities and the retirement of two vice presidents, according to Lenny Singh, Chairman and President of Ameren Illinois.  Kristol Simms has been promoted to the newly created position of Vice President of Clean Energy Transition, Economic, Community and Business Development for Ameren Illinois. In this newly created position, the functions responsible for energy efficiency, beneficial electrifica...

  Schneider Electric, the pioneer in the digital transformation of energy management and industrial automation, appointed Ruben Llanes as Chief Executive Officer of AutoGrid Systems Inc. (AutoGrid), a Schneider Electric company advancing solutions for the grid. Llanes will also assume the responsibility of Segment President for Schneider Electric’s North American Power and Grid segment. Llanes succeeds AutoGrid founder Amit Narayan, who will continue to serve on AutoGrid’s...

An ABB delegation joined Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon and the UK’s Secretary of State for New Energy and Net Zero, Grant Shapps MP, at an energy transition summit on Wednesday 1 March in London. The one-day event, attended by 500 energy business leaders and government officials from Norway and the UK, strengthened collaborations between the two countries to achieve net zero by 2050. Event Agenda The event emphasized the significance of policy frameworks, investments, advancement in dig...

Schneider Electric, the globally renowned company in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced that it is working with Camston Wrather, a sustainable mineral recovery company, to increase efficiency and control within their industry-renowned e-scrap recycling operation. Smart technology is rapidly evolving, leading to increasing rates of obsolescence for computers, cellular phones and other devices, resulting in more than 8.3 million metric tons of e-scrap in the...

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. has expanded the product lineup through the development of new applications for the S-band and L-band by extending the normal C-band range of the FRL1441U Series pump laser of high output power, low power consumption for Raman amplifiers. Furukawa Electric will start shipping product samples from April 2023 and begin mass production from September 2023. Development of a pump laser for Raman amplifiers The development of a pump laser for Raman amplifiers that suppor...

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. has developed an 8-channel TOSA (Transmitter Optical Sub-Assembly) for CPO ELS employing a blind mate optical connector. Data traffic has been increasing to support many kinds of IT services such as cloud services and 5G mobile networks. Hyperscale data centers that process big data and edge data centers that realize the low latency for Beyond 5G are faced with the challenge of expanding bandwidth and reducing the power consumption of a network switch server. CPO -...

When thinking of gas detector calibration and how often it must be performed, it is dependent on many variables. First and foremost is determining if a gas sensor is out of calibration. The best way to establish this is through a 'bump' or functional test using a certified standard gas mixture of known concentration. If the device is functioning properly and still measuring gas within tolerance, calibration is unnecessary. Bump testing should be performed as regular maintenance on any gas det...

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. announced the formation of a new employee resource group (ERG) dedicated to providing an avenue for women to grow both professionally and personally through education, networking, and advocacy. Known as Franklin Women’s Network (FWN), the Group’s promise is to, “Build a welcoming, inclusive community, provide professional alliances, equip Franklin women with relevant development tools and resources, and guide Franklin women to identify and achieve...

Aggreko, the world’s renowned provider of mobile modular power, temperature control and energy solutions, has announced that they will be providing their industry-renowned temporary power modules to Cirque du Soleil for several of the entertainment company’s North American Big Top shows in 2023. The agreement continues Aggreko’s long-standing partnership with Cirque du Soleil, which began in 2012. Aggreko and Cirque du Soleil partnership Aggreko will coordinate 2,500 kW of r...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it has developed a 200Gbps (112Gbaud four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4)) electro-absorption modulator laser diode (EML) chip that doubles the speed of the company's existing 100Gbps EML chip thanks to a proprietary hybrid waveguide structure. Support for coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) of four wavelengths realizes 800Gbps transmission using four chips or 1.6Tbps using eight chips. improved performan...

Switches are no longer the blind, ‘dumb’ electromechanical devices of a generation ago. Signals from sensors in critical safety loops (e.g. protecting against high temperature or pressure) are typically integrated with the plant control system via a discrete or analog input channel. A switch provides a binary (on/off) input, while transmitters provide a continuous (4 to 20 mA) analog input. Both signal types have a role to play in Safety Controls, Alarms and Interlocks (SCAI) inclu...

Volta Trucks, the disruptive all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has confirmed that the European Investment Bank (EIB) is engaging with the company for €40 million venture debt financing. The funding from the EIB would support the rollout of Volta Trucks’ Truck as a Service (TaaS) infrastructure over the period 2023-2026. electrification of the road transport sector The aim of the European Investment Bank’s funding support for Volta Trucks is t...

Many industrial plants use our standard "blue" product line, the One Series Smart Electronic Switch. This product has been tested for stringent environmental conditions and harsh workplaces and it has achieved the most rigorous certifications in the market. However, some production plants may have a higher standard. Field Safety Transmitter ONE Series field safety transmitter became popular due to its cost-effective and more rigorous instruments for installation The "yellow" ONE Series is the...

At MWC Barcelona 2023, Schneider Electric, Capgemini and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced their collaboration on a first-of-its-kind 5G-enabled automated hoisting solution. The three companies have joined efforts on design and installation of the solution at Schneider Electric’s hoisting lab in Grenoble, France. 5G Private Network solution Replacing wired connections with wireless and unifying existing wireless connections from Schneider Electric’s industrial automation syste...

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Furukawa Electric) has developed the high optical output power 50 Gbaud electro-absorption modulated laser (EML) ‘FOL13EBxCS’ with integrated semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and began shipping samples in January 2023. Background The installation of 5G networks for mobile phones has resulted in more cloud services that operate at faster speeds and larger data volumes, and following increased data traffic at the network edge, the demand for signal l...

WEG announces plans to supply motors to the largest malting plant in Brazil, Latin America. The project is part of the plant expansion for the production of 360,000 tons of malt per year and includes the integration of motors from the W60 and W50 line. Brazil is the third largest beer producer in the world, a market that moves R$ 77 billion per year, behind only to China and the United States of America (USA). The sector pays out R$ 27 billion in total wages, generating more than two million di...

Pressure switches are widely used within many applications in industrial facilities. The basic function of a pressure switch is to detect a pressure change and convert it into an electrical function typically on/off or off/on. These products have been around for decades but sometimes customers still need help when looking to select a pressure switch to solve a problem or improve the performance of a process in their facility. basic considerations ...

In industrial applications, a “switch” typically means “a snap-acting electrical component that is combined with a process sensor to provide electrical switch output and take action to alert or control a process”. While a transmitter is defined as, “an instrument that continuously monitors and provides information about a process with no switch point”. Switches take action and transmitters inform Users can also think about a switch as a point monitor and a...

Electromechanical switches were once ubiquitous in industrial plants. With the advancement of instrumentation technology, the apparent limitations of these switches have become more obvious over time. accuracy and repeatability As eMicroprocessors have continued to get more powerful, plant operators have demanded greater accuracy and repeatability from process monitoring/control instrumentation, something which could not be fulfilled by mechanically-operated switches. The same end users also...

HiGRID, the innovative mattress company, has launched the UK’s 1st and only SmartGRID mattress. Designed with Patented Japanese Technology, SmartGRID mattresses are created using a core construction of grid-shaped hyperelastic polymer. Each mattress at every layer has been crafted with Sleep Science at its foundation and ergonomics for both durability and comfort. ultimate sleeping experience Globally approximately 45% of the population suffers from sleep problems and research also indi...

Sval, Storegga, and Neptune have formed a partnership to apply for a CO2 storage license in the Norwegian North Sea for the Trudvang project. The Trudvang license, located to the East of the Sleipner field, has the potential to store up to 225 mn tonnes of CO2 and comes after the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy announced a new area in the North Sea for applications related to injection and storage of CO2. Assessment of the CCS value chain Truls Olsen-Skåre, Senior Vice Presid...

The One Series is our smart electronic switch with a variety of different models including low-capacity and high-capacity switch outputs, transmitter options, and a variety of other useful features. More information can be found in our technical brochure for the One Series models. In order to summarize some of the benefits of using One Series, included 10 of the most important reasons below, in no particular order, for selecting the One Series over a mechanical switch: Uses th...

The ONE Series electronic switch was designed to work with the leakage current from process controllers, and therefore it is a specialized switch like no other: it brings the benefits of electronic switches and smart sensors, with no extra penalty on additional power wiring. The final user can just replace their mechanical switch with the ONE series and then their process can reap all the benefits of intelligent instrumentation. ONE Series (1XSWLL, 1XSWHL/HH) Mechanical pressure and temperatu...

A typical Safety Instrumented System (SIS) consists of a Safety Integrity Level (SIL)-certified sensor, logic solver, and final element. These SIS systems can be complex, including multiple components such as a pressure or temperature transmitter, safety relay, and programmable logic controller (PLC). Also, it can include a trip amplifier; and requires intensive wiring and programming.  SIL-certified safety transmitter A newer approach using a SIL-certified safety transmitter (sensor)...

The ONE Series Field Safety Transmitter is a complete safety instrumented system (SIS) all together in a single package. The ONE Series Field Safety Transmitter complies with the IEC 61511, the technical standard that ensures the safety of industrial processes using instrumentation. The One Series Field Safety Transmitter is Exida certified. It has a Safe Failure Fraction (SFF) of 98.8% and a Probability of Failure on Demand (PFDavg) ≤ 2×10-3. Also, the Safety Transmitter won the Exida...

Back in 1681, Denis Pepin designed the first pressure relief valve to keep his experimental steam chamber from exploding. His idea was simple – to use the process’ own power as the safety operator, rather than an external system. Fast forward to 1931 when the modern rupture disc was invented using the tensile strength of various materials to provide both barrier and relief if things went wrong. That same year, United Electric Controls connected a metal bellows to the snap-action ele...

Many times, when specifying replacement switches I&E technicians may feel most comfortable replacing “like-with-like”, and stick with a mechanical switch. Users may be acclimated toward electromechanical switch maintenance and may not be fully aware of the hidden maintenance costs vs. those associated with an electronic switch serving the same function. Electromechanical switches  Electromechanical switches are built from an array of moving parts including mechanical swit...

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. developed Forward Raman Units that enable longer distances and higher quality signal transmission with improved noise characteristics compared to conventional transmission systems.  It will begin shipping samples from July 2023 with manufacturing commencing thereafter. Raman amplification Raman amplification is a core technology in optical fiber communications. Backward Raman amplification, which amplifies optical signals from the receiving side, is ap...

AIPH announces the AIPH International Expo Conference – featuring progress reports, and a guide to Expo master planning. Expo organisers from future AIPH-approved International Horticultural Expos will travel to the Portuguese Iberostar Selection Lisboa hotel in Lisbon, Portugal, to present their progress reports at the International Horticultural Expo Conference, which is scheduled to take place from 13 March, 2023. AIPH-Approved International Horticultural Expos AIPH-Approved Internat...

Rosendin is proud to recognize and congratulate the winning teams in the 2023 Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Regions 6 & 7 Student Competition’s Electrical Challenge. The annual competition attracts the nation’s top construction and engineering college students who have 14 hours to develop building solutions using real-world applications. The six-member Milwaukee School of Engineering team secured first place with the most comprehensive proposal to build an addition to...