BBQ

For a while now we have been working with a company installing power monitoring equipment. It has been interesting. We install controllers, modems, interfaces and the CTs with voltage taps.

I will post the pictures and explain it as people ask.

Below are two controllers, the controllers connect to the internet to transmit the data to the monitoring company. They also have a serial cable that connects them to a special modem




Below you can see the load master (modem) and the load runner mounted on top of the gear. You only need to install one Load master for each separately derived system and it communicates to a large number of load runners via the power lines.

The load runners can handle about 36 of the CT units so you install as many of those as needed.



The CT units come in one conductor and three conductor versions. Each has a set screw that pieces the insulation for voltage monitoring and they all connect back to the load runner via a ribbon cable.



Here are some 3 conductor types we installed in a MCC.

BBQ

Chris Kennedy

It doesn't appear the CT's are split. Gear has to be powered down for install?

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Bulldozers and Dirt

HARRY304E

In the bottom picture in Post#2 what to those letters and numbers mean on the CT's ? are they addresses?

Phase A..11C

Phase B...13B

Phase C...1BD

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ES2 Flat Rate , The best $99 I've ever spent ..

NacBooster29

We do a lot of installs, and service for enernoc. Same idea. I'll get some pics soon. It amazes me the money the power companies will pay customers back to be able to shed load when needed.

BBQ

Yes.

But 70E and OSHA requires that anyway.

BBQ

I think so and they seem to be entirely random.

We get them installed, they fire up the system get them all communicating and then use a bar code reader to enter the address and circuit info into the software.

BBQ

This is not power company monitoring for load shedding, we actually had to install some of these right beside the CTs for that.

This is entirely for the customer to monitor circuits.

Chris Kennedy

Are there any grounded or grounding connections. (anything that might affect GFP?)

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Bulldozers and Dirt

BBQ

No.

Celtic

Very interesting.

Why are they doing this?
preventive maint. measure?

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BBQ

That is how it is being presented.


It also allows the assignment of power usage to certain departments within the store.

I don't have pictures right now but we monitored each circuit of about ten 42 circuit panels.

erics37

A few years ago I think I installed something similar at a local resort condo place. The electrical room in each building got a wire tap device with conductors tapped off of it, and you connected up their magic box gizmo and somehow it put internet signal over the power conductors for the whole building.

That's how I perceived it anyway, I was a 1st year apprentice at the time so I might have gotten a few details wrong

360max

.....what a waste of money. If it was for factory monitoring of equipment, in the event it goes down and cost 1 million every hour a machine is not running, yea, I could understand that. Every circuit It needlessly increases product cost .

347sparky

Is that 1 continuous piece of ribbon cable or individual short pieces?

Big John

It depends. If they really were sold on this from a PM angle, I agree, because current trending branch circuits is very rarely gonna be valuable.

But if this is some sort of pilot program for energy-efficiency, I might be able to see it.

-John

BBQ

They provide us with a long roll of ribbon cable, bags of connectors and a tool to crimp them into place. We make the ribbon cables after we install the CTs.

In the picture below you can see the ribbon cable hanging out of the panel.

BBQ

Let me just say I install electrical equipment to earn a living.

Inphase

Who's Badger?

BBQ

Badger