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Advancements in Mechanical Design: Trends and Innovations

Mechanical engineering is a continuously evolving field, with a long list of emerging trends and advancements that have a profound impact on various sectors, leading to enhanced operational efficiency, increased productivity, and improved safety measures.With the rapid emergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, robotics, and sustainable practices, keeping pace with these trends and innovations can be challenging without the insights and advice offered by a reputable mechanical engineering consultancy firm. By consulting with experts in the field, your organisation can make informed decisions and leverage these advancements to drive success and achieve competitive advantage.

Discerning companies seek engineering, power system, and mechanical design consulting services to access experts who can lend their experience, expertise, and competency in updating knowledge and skill development. By applying their years of industry experience, mechanical engineering specialists can deliver accurate and effective solutions and reports to guide your decision-making. Plus, they ensure solutions that comply with industry regulations and standards.

What are the latest innovations and trends in mechanical design?

1. 3D printing

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is one of the growing trends in mechanical engineering design, and it’s expected to thrive with the increasing need to build flexible systems and sustainable materials.

2. CAD

The computer-aided design may not be new, but the tried-and-true system continues to evolve with newer software and tools that allow engineers to simulate performance and conduct stress tests.

3. Digital transformation

The digital transformation of the mechanical engineering sector accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, manufacturers have found ways to speed up their digital timetables with automation programs and new digital tools. Plus, the sector implemented remote work systems, which are still relevant today.

4. Green engineering

With more countries trying to reduce their carbon footprint, sustainability has become more relevant in many sectors, including mechanical design engineering. Mechanical engineers are contributing to efforts by looking into eco-engineering and green technologies to reform their industry. However, they need support from a mechanical engineering consultancy firm to make the right decision.

Meet a mechanical engineering consultant today.

Elegrow Technology is an established mechanical engineering consultancy firm with years of technical expertise in the field. With their help, you can discover and apply optimum mechanical design methodologies to your unique requirements. You can count on their engineers to provide a comprehensive that includes evaluating the technical feasibility of your project and preparing the necessary documents and drawings. Reach out to Elegrow Technology today.

About the Company:

Elegrow Technology is eminent for providing international standard design and technical assistance in the field of electrical, mechanical & power systems with utmost professional transparency.

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Why Protective Device Coordination Is Essential for a Secure and Reliable Power System

To keep electrical power systems functioning optimally, it's crucial to address their susceptibility to electrical faults. One approach is to determine the adjustable settings of circuit breakers and relay circuits.

In residential settings, electricians usually select circuit breakers or fuses by applying a safety factor to the expected maximum load current on the circuit. However, commercial and industrial settings require more detailed and thorough studies called protective device coordination. These studies prevent electrical hazards, ensure equipment and personnel safety, and are essential both before and during the operation of the power system.

Protective device coordination studies involveanalyzing short circuits and arc flash hazards. They estimate electrical fault currents and compare them to protective devices' ratings to ensure they can withstand or break the fault currents while operating electrical circuits. Additionally, they assist in selecting the proper conductors, transformers, motors, and generators.

Understanding the importance of protection coordination

Protective device coordination identifies the best settings for fuses, circuit breakers, protective relays, and other devices. It ensures the safer generation and breaking of a circuit within integrated power systems in case of unsafe electrical conditions, such as short circuits or an overload. Through protection coordination, you can overcome challenges like frequent unnecessary shutdowns, tripping and delayed protection devices, and electrical fires.

Some situations will also require protection coordination, like when an electrocution occurs, and you’re unsure about having adequate protection systems. It’s also recommended when a single failure triggers a chain reaction of more failures, and your protection system is not designed per OSHA, NFPA, NEC, or ISO standards.

Conclusion

Protection coordination ensures the utmost safety of your personnel and equipment by preventing electrical fires and faults. It’s highly recommended when interconnecting conventional generators, renewable energy resources, and DERs with the main grid. However, you don’t have to do it on your own because there are engineering consultants who can help you with this.

Perform an industrial safety audit now.

Choose Elegrow Technology to help with protective device coordination. Their engineering consultants have extensive experience in conducting root cause analyses and industrial safety audits, making them effective at protection coordination. Contact Elegrow Technology to know how they conduct their studies and assessments.

About the Company:

Elegrow Technology is eminent for providing international standard design and technical assistance in the field of electrical, mechanical & power systems with utmost professional transparency.

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How Can Infrared Thermography Save on Maintenance Costs?

Did you know that large industrial and manufacturing plants lose 323 hours of production time each year? Unfortunately, unplanned downtime doesn’t just halt operations but can result in serious losses. According to research, equipment downtime costs companies an average of $260,000 per hour. This makes preventive maintenance a must for organisations, and infrared thermography inspection servicesare an excellent way to start.

How infrared thermography inspection serviceshelp save maintenance costs

Infrared thermography involves using thermal imagery to detect radiation emitted by an object. The resulting image, also known as a thermogram, shows the temperature distribution of heat-producing objects, which is normally invisible to the naked eye.

This process is widely used in various industries, including additive manufacturing, material testing, and electrical and mechanical applications. Additionally, infrared thermography is commonly used in maintenance and conditioning monitoring applications such as:

Monitoring the electrical and mechanical conditions of a motor

Inspecting abnormal bearing friction

Locating gas, liquids, and sludge levels

Examining refractory insulation

With that said, how does infrared thermography help reduce maintenance costs? Consider the inspection of mechanical components, for example. Mechanical parts are designed to move, but movement creates heat. By using thermography, inspectors will be able to:

Point out the areas experiencing mechanical stress due to draft, friction, and pressure

Resolve fast movements and detect faults

Examine parts and analyse data from a safe distance

Overall, detecting such anomalies and taking note of changes in data with thermography allows you to address issues before they can result in downtime and other permanent problems. This, in turn, helps minimise the need for costly maintenance and repair services. Infrared thermal imaging surveys are 73% more cost-effective than unplanned failures and can save up to 42% of maintenance time.

Infrared thermography inspection serviceshelp identify potential equipment failures before they can occur. With state-of-the-art thermal imaging technology, these services can detect abnormalities that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye, ultimately saving money from expensive repairs and downtime.

Elegrow Technology is a Certified Level 1 Thermographer and engineering consultant offering infrared thermography inspection, among other services. Contact the company now and start monitoring the condition of your assets and equipment.

About the Company:

Elegrow Technology is eminent for providing international standard design and technical assistance in the field of electrical, mechanical & power systems with utmost professional transparency.

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How Can Infrared Thermography Be Timesaving and Cost-Optimizing?

It can be challenging to tell the actual condition and safety of equipment until it breaks downs or causes problems. When that happens, it can cause extensive downtime and incur costs associated with emergency breakdowns and repairs. Infrared thermography inspectionservices can prepare you for the inevitable by identifying the condition of your equipment and machinery. It eliminates the need to inspect systemsmanually, saving you time and money.

Infrared thermography is an advanced imaging technology that can tell you about the equipment’s status through its thermal condition. It relies on the infrared light emitted by an object and shows the temperature pattern through an image, which you can use to monitor the condition of your assets.

Benefits for your operations

Thermography uses an infrared camera to identify abnormally cold or hot areas on a component while operating under regular conditions. It is a non-destructive evaluation method to characterize issues like corrosion or erosion in metallic objects.

Infrared thermography inspection services can detect erosion or corrosion damage in plants constantly operating at high temperatures. Inspectors can also use infrared thermography to identify internal plugging or fouling of piping systems, verify refractory lining quality, and detect leaks and composition changes in laminates.

Identify potential issues before they worsen.

With thermography, it is easier to identify the temperature of objects. It applies to most areas of plants but is usually suitable for facilities with elevated temperatures. Infrared thermography is a safe, non-contact testing method that delivers real-time and accurate information on your equipment’s status.

More ways to save time and money with infrared thermography

Infrared thermography testing services can minimize the costs of unexpected maintenance. It helps increase the safety of your facility for everyone, including your employees and other personnel. Inspectors can refer to the data to determine if the system or elements are properly installed and undamaged. This way, infrared thermography can minimize incidents of system and power failures.

Infrared thermography testing can prove the safety and quality of your equipment and systems to insurance providers to decrease your premiums. Service providers use high-quality equipment for accuracy and to conduct the testing while the system is operational, eliminating the need to shut down. Their solutions are more cost-effective than the cost of failure and more time-saving than doing unscheduled maintenance.

About the Company:

Elegrow Technology is eminent for providing international standard design and technical assistance in the field of electrical, mechanical & power systems with utmost professional transparency.

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Partial Discharge Testing: Need, Testing, and Addressing Defects

Did you know that more than 85% of disruptive failures in MV (medium voltage) and HV (high-voltage) equipment are related to partial discharge (PD)? This is why partial discharge testing is crucial for early detection and to keep your electrical infrastructure in good condition.

Studies have proven that PD activity can deteriorate assets, resulting in insulation being unable to withstand electrical stress. Over time, it can lead to flash-over and equipment failure. Testing is conducted to analyze the health of electrical insulation.

One of the effects of flash-over is the high-frequency current pulse traveling through the insulation’s capacitance (C1 and C3). The short, microsecond duration makes it a low-energy pulse, but it negatively impacts insulation and eventually results in catastrophic failure. Partial discharge breakdown also produces heat, light, sound, smell, HF electric current, and electromagnetic waves.

Understanding partial discharge

PD occurs when an aspect of an insulation system fails to withstand an electrical field it comes in contact. It is typically the result of poor workmanship or design, aging, contamination, or defective materials. Of all the available methods, partial discharge testing is the widely recognized practice for analyzing the health of electrical assets.

How is it done?

Online non-destructive and non-invasive techniques for surveying and monitoring are proven to deliver sufficient details for condition assessment without interrupting system operations. Modern techniques make it easier to test a wide range of assets from 3KV to 700KV and greater.

Partial discharge testing can identify all types of PD:

Surface PD – The most common phenomenon that occurs across the surface of the insulation. It is affected by humidity and salt air.

Internal PD – This occurs in voids, cavities, or defects within solid insulation.

Corona PD – Occurs in gaseous dielectrics with inhomogeneous fields, usually from the conductor, directly into the air, and in outdoor electrical assets.

Professionals can test air-insulated assets, GIS switchgear and busses, extruded cables, and paper-insulated cables online without causing an outage. They use various techniques, such as ultrasonic technology, HFCT/RFCT online cable testing, and transient earth voltage (TEV) methods. Some companies can perform partial discharge testing using UHF for non-contact detection with electromagnetic PD signals in cable systems, open terminal switchyards, and distribution networks.

About the Company:

Elegrow Technology is eminent for providing international standard design and technical assistance in the field of electrical, mechanical & power systems with utmost professional transparency.

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What Can an Energy Audit Reveal to a Petrochemical Industry?

An energy audit can give vital information to stakeholders on their facility’s energy consumption and the expenses or savings associated with it. It is especially crucial to the petrochemical industry, which has a significant impact on the environment as it accounts for around 18 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions in the world.

With an audit, petrochemical companies can determine their energy efficiency and obtain a complete assessment of their electricity consumption. The goal is to help them understand how they use energy in their plants, discover opportunities to improve energy savings, and implement solutions to minimize their environmental and social impact.

When is it needed?

It is considered good practice for the petrochemical industry to request an energy audit. However, it may be more necessary to overcome challenges, such as noncompliance with BEE guidelines, standards, and regulatory norms. It may also be necessary to conduct energy audits under the following circumstances:

Reactive voltage and power issues across the distribution system

Higher production costs and energy bills

Power loss issues

There’s a need to utilize resources more efficiently

Employees must understand the importance of energy optimization and management.

Benefits of an audit

A properly planned and executed energy audit can support the petrochemical industry in attaining complete safety and standards compliance. Companies can use the information to develop better policies or upgrade existing ones while minimizing energy losses and ensuring justified electricity use.

An audit may also clarify the importance of getting one, especially when the results provide information for boosting productivity, competitiveness, and work efficiency. Seasoned energy auditors may recommend energy-saving opportunities for petrochemical companies, too.

How often should you get energy audits?

Per the 2010 CEA regulations, it is advisable to get an energy audit every three years from the date of submission of a previous report by an accredited auditor to the management of a designated consumer. With this in mind, it is crucial for petrochemical companies to partner with an experienced and credible auditor specializing in their industry. 

Timely audits can influence other factors in their organization, such as profitability, performance, and productivity. Moreover, they encourage the organization to be conscious of its energy consumption and costs to eliminate waste, optimize energy supply, and maximize efficiency.

About the Company:

Elegrow Technology is eminent for providing international standard design and technical assistance in the field of electrical, mechanical & power systems with utmost professional transparency.