3 May 2016

Quartzelec, a multi-million pound UK independent electrical engineering group, has just invested over £40,000 in its Swansea workshop’s test facility, greatly extending current capabilities so ensuring high voltage rotating electrical machines can be tested locally.

This investment in a new soft-starter allows Quartzelec to now comfortably test machines rated up to 2MW at 3.3kV at its South Wales workshop; with the potential to test machines with a full-load starting current of 400A which equates to around 4MW. Previously, utilising a Direct-On-Line (DOL) start, testing capabilities were limited to around a 500-600kW machine, dependent upon the starting current. Machines that exceeded this limit were internally transferred to Quartzelec’s larger facility and head office in Rugby.

Previous test limitations were an inherent ‘issue’ through limitations imposed by the local energy provider when the Swansea workshop was purpose built for Quartzelec back in 2006; concerns with the potential for energy spikes to be created on the local 11kV ring.

“Engineering businesses in South Wales have been hit hard over recent months, most recently with the unfortunate TATA announcement (a key client for us) but we are confident that local industry will bounce back, hence our commitment to the region and this investment in our future,” stated Keith Evans, General Manager Quartzelec’s Swansea operation. “The ability to work on and comprehensively test larger machines within our Swansea workshop, rather than rely on our Rugby operations to provide full speed operational tests, including temperature and vibration, means that we can now offer a more responsive and cost effective service to our customers; fully optimise our local workforce; plus we don’t incur significant transport costs.”

The new ‘Centris’ Motortronics soft starter was supplied by Fairford Electronics, which sells and services them under license from the USA and who provided expert advice in selecting the optimum specification required. The order was placed in early December, was specifically fabricated, shipped and then commissioned at Quartzelec’s workshop mid-April. The commissioning engineers used a 1460 HP fan as the test motor which effortlessly ‘ran up’, controlled by a current of 92A from the new soft starter unit. Additionally, Quartzelec fabricated the necessary ancillary elements to optimise the installation, including the overhead ‘cable-tidy’ arm to reduce trip hazards and to avoid any health and safety issues.

“We predict that the investment should pay for itself in less than two years; plus having this added capability should now enable us to win additional high voltage motor and generator maintenance and repair contracts across the region,” continued Keith Evans. “The installation went completely to plan and the unit is active and ready for use. We already have the first job on a mission critical piece of safety equipment scheduled in for early May plus have had several enquiries from potential new customer, aware of our plans to extend our local testing capabilities; so we’ve got off to a flying start. Being able to fully test electrical motors and generators at full operation speeds locally is a real advantage and means that our customers will no longer have to devote a whole day travelling up to our Rugby facility to witness the tests, as the reliability tests of all maintenance and overhaul work can now all be completed here.”

Quartzelec has an annual turnover in excess of £60m and a heritage that stretches back more than 80 years with the ability to design, manufacture, repair, refurbish and rewind large, project critical motors and generators, relying on its extensive library of design drawings and a full design department. It also has a rapidly expanding electrical contracting business and has the ability to work on any OEM-manufactured machine and/or equipment, including those built by its previous heritage companies such as GEC Machines, GEC Alsthom Large Machines, ALSTOM and Cegelec.