Blog

Commissioning Assistance When a new plant is constructed, a big step to bringing the plant into production is to commission the new equipment, and make sure it all works as designed. Recently, a new plant, whose power distribution system was designed by IAS, was nearing the end of the construction phase. The distributed control system integrator was new to network controls with a smart Schneider motor control center. So the integrator and customer requested IAS help to configure the computers in the motor control center and help the integrator establish communications.     Above is Jimmy, an IAS engineer, and above right is Edgar, an intern, who were tasked to help the DCS vendor. They worked with experts from both companies to optimize communications and confirm wiring. With IAS assistance, startup challenges are being overcome, and the customer is closer to getting a plant that is checked out and ready for production. Please tell your customers that IAS has the knowledge and capability to test and commission new equipment. May the new plant have excellent production for many years! Ken Deering...

Bradley Attack!   For those of you who believe that IAS only hires engineers from Iowa State, then here is some jarring reality news – IAS has 2 engineering interns from Bradley University! What’s that all about? Well, we needed some summer engineering help and we found 2 eager young college students that were looking for summer engineering work. The equation balanced for both parties, so here they are. Edgar (Left) is from the Quad Cities area, and is from a family of 3 other children. He enjoys computers and helping folks, and actually did that job at a local retailer in Moline. He’s a fisherman, so he can probably exaggerate, too. Edgar has worked hard on his studies at Bradley, and is looking forward to graduating in May, 2017 or perhaps sooner if the chips land the right way.     Cameron, (Right) shown here with his panel building mentor, Mike, is from Central Illinois, east of Peoria. Cameron is a soccer player from high school, and also ran track. He looks like he is in pretty good shape, so I wouldn’t suggest you challenge him to a race. Cameron will be graduating in May, 2017. Stop by and introduce yourself to Edgar and Cameron. Their office is next to Jimmy Skadal. Help these Illinoisians feel welcome at IAS/Shaw Electric, even if you’re an Iowa State fan! Ken Deering...

Acceptance Testing If you hire a mechanic to fix your car, how do you know if their work is acceptable? You check it out, right? You look it over carefully, you give it a test spin, you may look under the hood, and you may keep your eyes and ears open to make sure there aren’t any weird noises or dashboard lights. So, how do our customers know if what Shaw Electric or IAS installs is acceptable? They check it out, or often, they hire someone that has the knowledge and expertise to check it out. Or, the customer might ask for testing results, which is where IAS comes in. Stephen Mahieu is IAS’s Field Service Supervisor, who performs acceptance testing to ensure the installation is done well. Shaw Electric jobs are acceptance tested as a matter of good practice. Here’s some of what is expected by Bob Shaw on Shaw Electric jobs: For services, test ground resistance and check grounding connections, check panel connections and bus work, and check for surge arrestor. For cables, meggering, hi pot testing for high voltage cables, and visual examination. For breakers, test trip units and check settings. For high voltage transformers, test ground resistance, check connections, check for physical protection, and megger test. For medium voltage gear, check connections and bus work, megger, and check terminations. Visually check the installation. After systems are energized and loaded,...