SMART CONSUMER - Understanding The Earth, Neutral and Phase Points

When you call an electrician what does he check? How does he identify faults in your electricity supply lines? Do you have clear understanding of the Phase, Neutral and Earth points in the sockets of your house?

Well, we are not trying to teach you Electrical Engineering. As a consumer, it is smart to be aware of the electricity distribution from Power Plant to your house. It is also important to understand the Phase – Neutral – Earth points and what is their importance. 

Let us first understand the basic of domestic electricity supply chain.

Domestic electricity supply can be broadly divided into three categories:

       1. Generation

       2. Transmission

       3. Distribution

GENERATION: Generation happens in big power plants (Thermal, Hydro, Nuclear, Solar, Wind etc)

TRANSMISSION: Generated power is stepped up for ease of transmission. Power is transmitted via DELTA connection, (a Delta connections needs only 3 wires R-Y-B).

DISTRIBUTION: From the transmission lines the power is stepped down through local transformers and from the local transformer connection is distributed to individual houses. 

From the local transformers power is distributed to different houses as STAR connection which is having 4 wires. Three Phase wires and one Neutral wire. The Neutral point in the transformer is connected to the ground.

For domestic connections, the Neutral point is common, and any one phase (R, Y or B) is given as line to individual houses.

Understanding the Socket

According to electricity rules, the left point will be Neutral (N) and the right point will be Phase (P). The Earthing (E) point will be at the top. The earthing is used for safety purpose.

Point P should always have power, this can be checked by a Tester. The N point has no power in it, it cannot be checked with a Tester. To check the N point, a test lamp should be used.

What is the difference between Earth and Neutral?

Neutral is connected to the Neutral point of your local distribution transformer.

The Earth point is unique, made for your house only.

Why Earthing is important?

If earthing is not done, there will be chances of electrical shock in case there is some fault in the circuit.

No risk of electric shock if Earthing is done even if there is a fault in the circuit.

Mahindra Powerol deals in robust and fuel-efficient diesel and gas gensets ranging from 5kVA to 625 kVA. To know more about our products visit us at www.mahindrapowerol.com  or call us at 1800-419-1999

Reasons You Need a Backup Diesel Generator

Energy infrastructures across the world are under stress and this could lead to a sudden and unexpected power outage. While scheduled load shedding can be prepared for, the unexpected outages can delay production and even lead to massive losses. 

Here are some reasons your business will need a backup generator. 

           A) Secure information and data: -

               Consistent power supply is mandatory if you need sensitive data. Since diesel generators typically switch on within ten seconds of a power outage, a backup generator can save millions of man hours and money. 

      B)  Consistent power for productivity: -

                  In today’s scenario, no business can survive without power. Even an outage for a couple of hours can have devastating consequences. A back-up genset ensures that your operations are not disrupted in the case of power failures. 

          C) Damage to equipment: -

         Power interruptions can damage expensive equipment. A back-up system protects your assets and will save you replacement and maintenance costs in the long run. 

          D)  Easy to operate: -

                     Diesel gensets are comparatively easy to operate and trained personnel can keep them effective and productive. 

           E)  Natural Disasters: -

                 In case of a natural disaster, power supply is first affected. A backup generator will keep your unit running till regular power supply is restored. 

          F) Load Shedding: -

                   In certain areas, regular power cuts make it difficult for businesses to function efficiently. A diesel genset will ensure supply during hours of outage. 

          G) Availability of diesel: -

             Since diesel is not very expensive and easily available, diesel gensets are usually the best bet as backup power systems. 

   Mahindra Powerol deals in robust and fuel-efficient diesel and gas gensets ranging from 5kVA to 625 kVA. To know more about our products visit us at www.mahindrapowerol.com or call us at 1800-419-1999

Smart Consumer - Understanding Power Factor

Understand the ‘Power Factor’ of your AC Load

Are you facing problems like a generator tripping due to Over Current Alarm or excessive black smoke?

Have you been advised to reduce the electrical load to suit the capacity of your generator?

If you are using a generator in a Factory, at a construction site or for any other commercial purpose, you may have faced such a situation. Most likely, you did not hire any electrical consultant to evaluate your electrical load before buying the generator.

A poor Power Factor (PF) might be the reason for these kind of problems. Keep reading for a fundamental understanding of what is a power factor.

The Beer analogy is the most popular and easy way to understand the Power Factor.

In a glass of beer there will be beer and also few inches of foam. You are paying for per glass of beer, therefore more beer and less foam is better value for money.

Let us compare this glass of beer with electrical power.

Glass of Beer                      = Beer + Foam

Apparent Power               = True Power + Reactive Power

True Power (Beer) is the power which we actually use, but Apparent Power (Beer + Foam) is the power we pay for.

Power Factor (PF)                            = True Power (kW) / Apparent Power (kVA)

Apparent Power (kVA) x PF          = True Power (kW)

The value of Power Factor will be between 0 - 1.

A Power Factor of 1 is best, but practically very difficult to achieve. A higher Power Factor value is always better.

There are various types of electrical loads. Broadly electrical loads can be divided into following three types.

1.       Resistive Load

2.       Inductive Load

3.       Capacitive Load

Pure Resistive, Inductive or Capacitive loads are never present in practical application, it is always a combination of different types of loads. Each type of load has different impact on the PF. 

Bad Power Factor

Bad Power Factor means more Reactive Power (foam of Beer) which is useless. Bad Power Factor reduces the capacity of Electricity Board supply lines. There is a provision of Penalty fees by the Electricity Board for having bad (very low) PF in your Loads. For domestic use there is no such penalty.

Commonly there will be more Inductive Loads which negatively affects the Power Factor.

Inductive Load causes Lagging Power Factor

Inductive Loads tend to hold back the current and results in a Phase shift between the Voltage and the Current. 

Capacitive Loads causes Leading Power Factor

This is opposite to the Inductive Load. Capacitive load tends to hold back the voltage, causing a phase shift.

Rectifying Leading Power Factor :- 

If you have a leading power factor caused by high capacitive loads ,

- Add Inductive Load to the circuit.

Pure Resistive Load causes Unity Power Factor – THE BEST

Pure resistive loads have a PF value of 1. There will be no phase shift between the Voltage and Current.

It means the Voltage and Current (in AC circuits) will cross the 0 value together at the same time.

Benefits after improving Power Factor

1.       Increase in efficiency of system and devices

2.       Low Voltage Drop

3.       Can use optimized size of Power Cable which will give a cost benefit.

4.       An Increase in available power

5.       Appropriate Size of Generators.

6.       Eliminate the penalty of low power factor from the Electric Supply Company

7.       Saving in the power bill

8.       Better usage of power system, lines and generators etc.

For further guidance or information on diesel/gas gensets visit our website at www.mahindrapowerol.com/ or call us at 1-800-419-1999

Mahindra Powerol - Redefining the future of gensets.

Mahindra Powerol has been in the gensets category from a very long time. We manufacture robust and fuel efficient gensets for various segments. Some of the advantages of our gensets are:

ADVANTAGES OF POWEROL GENERATORS

1. Best in class fuel efficiency.

2. Compact design (minimum foot print).

3. Low noise level.

3. Compact engine design (good weight to power ratio).

4. Compliant with latest environmental norms.

Our gensets have various features that will help us redefine the future of the genset industry. Let us look at them below: -

A)     SMARTPHONE CONTROLLED GENSET

In an era when our home appliances like AC, TV and Refrigerators are becoming smart, why not your genset? Mahindra Powerol gensets are truly future ready, smart and controlled by ‘DiGi-Sense’ technology. Our smart gensets can be remotely monitored via your smartphone or laptop.

Various tasks like checking fuel consumption, running hours, checking the coolant temperature, oil level etc. can be carried out from the comfort of your home or office without going near the genset.

B)     COMMITMENT FOR A GREENER FUTURE – GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Air pollution is everywhere. It is a global concern. There can’t be any excuse for inaction.

Our sincere commitment towards a greener future is articulated by the launch of India’s first CPCB 2 approved CNG Genset.

Zero particulate matter emission and very low operating cost makes these gensets truly economical and environment friendly.

C)      FUEL-EFFICIENT HEAVY-DUTY ENGINES - ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED

The bigger engines of our portfolio are all technologically advanced modern day engines, engineered for superior performance. These rugged heavy duty engines are low maintenance and perfectly suited for difficult working conditions.

These are electronically controlled CRDE (Common Rail Diesel Engine) engines. An Electronic Control Unit acts as the brain of the engine. This highly sophisticated brain primarily optimizes the fuel injection system and controls the emission and much more.

D)     FUEL SAVING TECHNOLOGY FOR TELECOM

For the first time in Telecom industry , Mahindra Powerol presented a patented innovative technology – Electronic Fuel Saving System (eFSS). The technology enables variable speed governing on diesel gensets. An intelligent engine governing by varying the engine speed for optimum diesel efficiency based on power demand.

With this technology, the Diesel Generator consumes 18 - 20% less diesel. It also reduces carbon dioxide emission approximately by 5.5 Ton per year per site. A truly green technology.

E)      SOLARISATION OF TELECOM SITES

Mahindra Powerol offers complete Energy Management Solution (EMS) to Telecom towers with solarising the existing diesel generator backed towers.

Solar power is generated using Photo Voltaic (PV) cells. The output is suitably attached to an intelligent Controller which charges the Batteries or directly powers the Tower based on the load and time of the day.

To know more about Mahindra Powerol, visit www.mahindrapowerol.com or call 1-800-419-1999