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APPLICATIONS
BROADCAST
Maintaining correct incoming supply voltage to broadcast and communication equipment is necessary to avert malfunctions and to increase the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of the equipment. Increased sophistication of electronics within the broadcast and communication industry ensures this protection is now viewed as essential.
The actual cost of a Voltage Stabiliser or UPS compared to the purchase price of broadcast equipment and the subsequent loss of revenue due to failure, is minimal.
The company's specialist knowledge within industry is highlighted in our proven track record with numerous broadcasting and communications companies. Claude Lyons will secure quality mains voltage supply protection for your sophisticated broadcast and communication equipment regardless of its world location.
ENERGY SAVING
Electrical equipment has to be designed to accept a range of input voltages about its nominal design centre, but if the actual supply is higher than necessary for proper operation, the equipment will consume more power than needed and also in many cases life is reduced - both increasing the cost of ownership.
Substantial savings in power consumption and improvements in operating life can thus be obtained by a reduction of the supply voltage. Where the mains supply is stable, a fixed-ratio 'energy saving transformer', dropping the voltage by a suitable amount, typically 5-8%, is suitable.
However, where the mains supply is unstable, and particularly if the electricity supply company enforces its own 'energy saving' by voltage reduction, the result may be to reduce the equipment supply below acceptable operating limits. This may be overcome by using a mains voltage stabiliser in 'energy saving mode' where the output is stabilised at a lower than nominal value, e.g. 220V on a 230V nominal supply.
More detailed information is given in our Technical Note.
MEDICAL
One of the major causes of failures or malfunction of medical equipment, particularly in developing countries, is unstable mains supply.
Claude Lyons have for many years manufactured mains voltage stabilisers which are widely used to regulate the supply to medical installations. Smaller models can control the supply to a single piece of equipment whilst larger units can provide bulk stabilised mains supply to a complete facility such as an operating theatre or laboratory, or a complete building.
Maintaining correct incoming mains supply voltage to many types of medical imaging equipment is crucial to obtaining consistently usable exposures. Claude Lyons automatic mains voltage stabilisers are used to provide stable voltage to X-ray, CT, MR and DMR installations and are particularly useful where the stability of the mains supply is doubtful, and also in mobile applications, where the quality of the power feed to the van or trailer is often questionable.
The increasing sophistication of other types of medical electronics demands that attention be paid to line voltage quality if errors and inaccuracies are to be avoided. Claude Lyons series TS and MSB voltage stabilisers are well suited to such applications and are available to cover all power requirements from 1 kVA to several hundred kVA.
Ideally, stabilisers should be specified and supplied at the time of first installation but it is often only realised after the medical equipment is taken into service that unstable mains supply is the cause of problems.
PRINTING
Ink curing
Mains voltage variation causes problems with the curing of inks used by today's generation of digital printers. These large UV light cured printers are susceptible to low mains voltage which can cause the lamps to not be at their correct output. The result is the ink is not dried properly, leading to smudging. Leading manufacturers now recommend or specify Claude Lyons series TS Voltage Stabilisers which have provided a complete solution.
RAILWAYS
Trackside equipment - voltage stabilisation
Voltage drops due to extensive feed distances to trackside equipment cannot be compensated by fixed voltage correction since the drop varies with loading. Fitment of Claude Lyons voltage stabilisers provides accurate and continuous correction of the AC mains supply to telecommunications, signalling, air conditioning and other equipment.
Examples include the Lantau Light Rail extension in Hong Kong, where we have supplied a number of 70 kVA (TS-666) and 140 kVA (TS-777) three-phase voltage stabilisers for trackside use, as well as 200 kVA (TS-888) stabilisers for indoor operation.
Points heating transformers
The Transformer and Electrical Company (TEC) have for many years been a leading supplier of points heating transformers which are available in standard 3 kVA, 5 kVA and 10 kVA ratings and with protection to IP54.
TEC are also manufacturers of signalling and telecommunications transformers which have been supplied to BR and their successors for many years.
Link-Up - ID No 19906
The Claude Lyons Group are Registered, under the Rail Industry Supplier Qualification & Registration Scheme for the following Product Groups:
| 330302 |
IT Environmental - Uninterruptible Power Supplies |
| 62039 |
Signalling - Supply of Materials & Equipment - Other |
| 6599 |
Telecoms - Other |
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Mobile radio base stations
Installations throughout the world have benefitted from the installation of Claude Lyons voltage stabilisers.
Voltage stabilisers offer protection to equipment within base station sites. Applications include providing stable voltage to air conditioning units used to cool the equipment and extra protection to rectifier units enabling them to operate at nominal voltage to provide improved efficiency, minimal harmonics and extending working life.
Earth stations
Stabilising fluctuating voltages to sensitive measuring and control equipment in systems for tracking, telemetry and orbital analysis within earth stations helps to ensure a seamless service, allowing equipment to operate at optimum efficiency with increased MTBF and reduced downtime.
Mobile satellite stations also benefit greatly from voltage stabilisation eliminating fluctuating supply from generator sets.
TESTING
It is standard practice to provide controlled temperature and humidity in testing and calibration laboratories. But it is equally important to provide a stable supply voltage both to the equipment under test and to the testing instrumentation.
Specifications for the testing of many types of equipment and apparatus require the application of a specified supply voltage and it is often required that tests are carried out over a range of voltages.
Feeding a variable test voltage (often provided by Claude Lyons Regavolt Variable Transformers) from a stabilised mains supply ensures repeatability and adherence to specifications. Manufacturers and importers of power domestic machines have found this especially beneficial.
UPS
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) rely on the mains voltage being within appropriate limits to ensure their batteries are in good condition and fully charged so as to be able to provide the specified autonomy after mains failure.
There have been many expensive cases of failure to provide the required back-up due to the supply voltage having been low and, unknown to the user, the UPS actually running from its batteries.
Fitment of a voltage stabiliser before the UPS is an economical and effective way of avoiding what could otherwise be at the least an embarrassment and in some cases a disaster.
VOLTAGE REDUCTION COMPENSATION
`UK Grid says risk of power cuts next winter' runs the headline of a Reuters' report on June 4. An article by the Daily Express's environment editor John Ingham on August 15 adds:
`A spokesman for National Grid Transco, which runs both the electricity and gas supply networks, admitted that a cold spell could lead to "some form of demand control". He added: "This would most probably be voltage reduction, which most customers would not notice."
But some customers certainly will. Many types of electrical and electronic equipment, such as medical scanners, digital UV printers and the like, will not work properly if the supply voltage falls appreciably below the manufacturer's recommended limit. The position is likely to be exacerbated if a fixed ratio energy-saving (voltage reducing) transformer has been fitted, as the effect will be to make an already low voltage even lower.
Much of the installed equipment will operate satisfactorily, and indeed with a reduction in energy consumption and cost, so the answer is to fit a voltage stabiliser on critical equipment only.
Large installations consuming considerable power, for example a medical scanner, should have an individual stabiliser fitted. In other cases, especially where a number of low consumption critical items are in the same location as non-critical, it is worth running a supply cable fed from a suitably rated stabiliser and feeding sockets specifically labelled `stabilised supply'.
Claude Lyons will be very pleased to advise and recommend suitable stabilisers and installation configurations.
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