elecworks™ 2019: what is new?
Trace Software International, with a unique passion for the design of high-performance software solutions for electrical engineering since 1987, announces that elecworks™ 2019 is available on the market from October.
User interface
New options have been added to the user interface to increase the interactivity.
- Interface compatible with 4k
The complete interface has been updated with the new icons. Now ribbons, menus, dockable panels, etc will have brand new icons. The newest icons guarantee an even better interactivity. Its new interface, compatible with the 4k resolution, will allow the user having a better resolution and a sharper view.
- New option “Dimension Unit”
With this new version, the user will be able to choose the units to display wires, cables, and manufacturer parts. The dimensions can now be displayed in millimeters or inches. This new option will help companies in the internationalization of their projects. - New button in the project configuration
In the project configuration dialog box, the button “Apply” has been added. The user can save the parameters and see the changes without exiting the dialog box while saving time in the configuration of the project.
Project
New features and enhancements have been added to allow a faster and smarter project design.
- Inserting macros. New command
It is possible to insert the macros directly from the menu. A new command to insert a macro has been added in the schematic and in the line diagram menus. This new command allows saving space on the screen, hiding the macros palette and improving ergonomics since there is no need to change the PC screen. - Converting types of drawings
Accessible from the drawing properties dialog box, the users can now change the type of drawing. A schematic or line diagram drawing can be converted into a mixed scheme drawing, saving time by avoiding to re-design the scheme or duplicate the drawing. - PLC manager. New command
A new command allows to go from the contextual menu of the list of circuits to the drawing, now user can open the drawing in which the symbol representing the I/O is inserted. This means an important improvement in terms of usability for the user. - Archiving improvement
A specific improvement has been developed in the archive command. The user will find now a new wizard to manage the external files to store when archiving the projects, like 3D files, images, etc. This will help the users to keep projects and all documents related archived. - Wiring cabling order navigation
A “Go to” command is added on the contextual menu of the component in the wiring cabling order dialog. It will be helpful for identifying and detecting possible errors and find out the component quickly in the scheme. - Renumbering components. Type of symbol choice
A new parameter has been added to the project configuration dialog. From the 2019 version, users can choose the priority for renumbering components. This choice can be between multiwire symbols and line diagram symbols. Thus, the user can assign the priority to components inserted in different types of drawings. This is especially useful for those users that include the drawing number in the component mark. In this way, they can define the drawing where the multiwire symbol is inserted. - Connectors graphical representation
New parameters have been added to the connector configuration. Dynamic connectors can be customized from the shape, break, and position of the connection poles, giving the user more flexibility to create connectors according to needs. * Available only in elecworks™ Onboard licenses.
- Inserting macros from XLS Automation
Now it is possible to insert the project macros and the specific schemes from a project through the XLS Automation command, reducing the number of macros needed for the automation projects.
Reports
A greater usability to get the information needed.
- Views for reports customization
Newest views have been added to the report database, helping to create complex relationships between tables for new reports. Reports customization is now easier than ever and without any SQL advanced knowledge requirement.
- Hyperlinks in report drawings
The new hyperlinks allow the user to navigate to the different parts of the project in an easy and practical way straight from the report. Links are automatically generated in the reports drawing. The user can now navigate to a drawing, function or location amongst others from the reports drawing.
Library
More options and details for your electrical symbol library
- Electrical assemblies in the project
The super parts are now named “Electrical Assembly”, the special component that gathers various references under a unique material reference and its management have been improved. In addition, they can be now stored in the project, allowing listings of materials grouped by assemblies or equipment.
- Black box information
Now you can customize what information to show in the connection points and attributes of the black boxes, parameterizing the values according to templates and clients. - Wire/Cable termination types
Termination types are used to define how the cable cores or the wires are connected to the components. A new library of terminations is available within elecworks™. In addition, these terminations are selectable from the components, allowing to make a list of the number of the terminations used
throughout the project.
Active subscribers can download this new version from Trace Software support area.
The full list of the new features and improvements of our 2019 version is available in the Help menu or by pressing the F1 key.
Want to know more?
Tracesoftware – Empowering electrical solutions.
Check out: Webinars eSHOP Sales Linkedin
A contribution of asynchronous motors to short-circuit currents
The symmetrical component method used by elec calc™ 2018 for the calculation of short-circuit currents allows a very accurate calculation of these currents according to the characteristics of each motor and this at every point of the installation, and for each of the operating scenarios described in the project.
A reminder of the requirements:
The standard IEC 60909-0 and its French equivalent NF EN 60909-0 “Short-circuit currents in AC three-phase networks” specify:
“Medium and low voltage motors contribute to the initial symmetrical short-circuit current, the peak short-circuits current, symmetrical short-circuit current cut and for asymmetric short-circuits, also to the permanent short-circuit current. The medium-voltage motors must be taken into account when calculating the maximum short-circuit current. Low-voltage motors must be taken into account in plant auxiliaries as well as in industrial installations and the like, for example in the networks of the chemical and iron and steel industries, and in pumping stations (…)
(…) It is permissible to overlook the contribution of asynchronous motors to the short-circuit current in low voltage supply networks if their contribution does not exceed 5% of the calculated initial short-circuit current. without motors (…)
(…) In the calculation of short-circuit currents, it is allowed to overlook these medium and low voltage motors, when, in accordance with the circuit diagram (locking) or the operating process (reversibility), they are not in use at the same time.”
In order to meet these requirements, some guidelines (PD CLC / TR 50480 or FD C 15-500) provide a comprehensive approach that leads to increasing the maximum short-circuit currents of the plant as a function of the ratio of the total power of the motors running simultaneously and the total power of the sources.
This approximate approach is, of course, conservative and fastidious to implement if the installation comprises several operation modes with different sources.
To overcome this difficulty and improve the accuracy of the results, elec calc ™ 2018, thanks to its real-time calculation possibilities, offers the user the choice for each motor whether or not it participates in short circuits.
By Philippe Aupetit – Product Manager for elec calc™2018 software
Want to know more?
Tracesoftware – Empowering electrical solutions.
Check out: Webinars eSHOP Sales Linkedin
What is industry 4.0?
Industry 4.0 is the new chapter in the history of the industry. The term of the industrial revolution, used to refer to the entire transformative process, highlights the disruptive power of changing paradigms within the entire ecosystem of organizations. Industry 4.0 is the new industrial panorama, and it has to do with the convergence between the physical and the digital world. But not only.
Industrial Revolutions
- The first industrial revolution changed the agrarian structure of society through the mechanization of the manufacturing processes. This was the time of the steam machines, for example. The organization of work changes considerably with the rise of the factories, which imply a specialization of functions.
- The second industrial revolution is very often conceived as the logical extension of the first phase. The era coincides with a myriad of technological and scientific innovations able to grow exponentially industrial production. The assembly line, the electricity, and the railways are some of the great inventions of this time. The so-called mass production generated changes in society’s consumption patterns.
- The third revolution witnesses the development of the first programmable logic control and mainly celebrates the advent of electronics and information technology to automate production.
Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 marks the fourth revolution in the industrial history and inaugurates a new era for the entire manufacturing ecosystem, from design to end-customer. Also known as Smart production or Smart Manufacturing, industry 4.0 refers to a scenario of interoperability where people, devices, and machines of the entire value chain can connect and communicate with each other.
The flow of information, which is generated in this interactive structure, is crucial in industry 4.0. In fact, interconnected technologies devices relate to each other, collect and analyze data to generate information for the advanced analytics of the process. These insights will be used to spur actions in the physical world.
“In other words, Industry 4.0 is a state in which manufacturing systems and the objects they create are not simply connected, drawing physical information into the digital realm, but also communicate, analyze, and use that information to drive further intelligent action back in the physical world to execute a physical-to-digital-to-physical transition. The result is a more flexible system capable of adapting to and learning from changes in the environment.” Deloitte.
Linear processes are now a thing of the past and business success will depend on the ability to strategically manage this immense volume of information in order to drive future action. Operators can, therefore, make strategic decisions in real time, analyze the processes and adapt them according to needs, design the products or services, or the way in which they are developed, coherently allocate resources, rethink on how to manage inventory or personalize the customer experience.
Industry 4.0 represents a great opportunity for companies as it gives access to a horizon of possibilities to increase the organization’ benefits by optimizing the overall performance of the value chain, reducing risks, improving the time-to-market, gaining more flexibility, driving innovation and not only.
Tracesoftware – Empowering electrical solutions.
Check out: Webinars – eShop – Sales – Linkedin
The lightning protections
Lightning protection systems are used to prevent or reduce lightning strike damage.
According to NASA, there are 2,000 thunderstorms active all over the world at a given time and produce about 100 flashes per second. The number of annual lightning fatalities is difficult to estimate, ranging from 6 000 to 24 000 depending on the different studies; this not counting tens of thousands of injuries and millions of dollars in property damage.
Different scenarios may occur:
– The lightning strikes a structure directly
– Lightning strikes the ground adjacent to the structure
– Lightning strikes services connected to a structure such as, for example, power cables
– Lightning strikes the ground near services connected to a structure
When lightning reaches the earth, it generally does so directly on natural elements (trees, hills, water, etc.) but also occasionally on structures, buildings, pylons, and other artificial structures. This is a distinction that leads to the division into two distinct types of effect. Those described as “direct” that is due to the circulation of the current that heats the materials and those “indirect” that produce overvoltage by conduction, induction or increase in earth potential.
Direct
– Electric. This refers to electric voltages created by electric shocks when a certain field is struck by lightning. The occurrence of this event usually leads to fires.
– Thermal. The effect will be linked to the resistance of the affected material. There is a strong release of heat which causes a very high localized pressure. The consequences are fires or the melting of equipment.
– Electrodynamic. Near the place of passage of the lightning, the current appears a strong magnetic field generating voltages and induction currents on any conductive element located in its immediate field of action. Induced mechanical forces can cause deformation, tearing, destruction.
– Electromagnetic. Lightning current induces an extremely high voltage and an extremely strong electromagnetic field that generates very powerful electrical impulses that can damage sensitive electronic devices.
– Physiological. From nervous shocks to blindness or death, there are numerous damages that lightning can cause to the human being.
Indirect
– Conduction: a surge that propagates along a conductor who has been in direct contact with the lightning. This effect is all the more destructive as most of the lightning energy is propagated across the entire network. This problem is solved by installing the installation with a suitable surge arrester.
– Induction: caused by the electromagnetic field radiated by lightning. It generates an overvoltage on the conductors proportional to the steepness of the lightning current rise. As a result, under the influence of sudden changes in current, cables and even conduits acting as antennas can be subjected to destructive overvoltage. This is why the placement of the underground network does not guarantee lightning protection.
Risk management includes the calculation of the potential hazards caused by lightning and provides the basis on which to make decisions to limit the disastrous consequences. Firstly, for a comprehensive risk analysis, it is necessary to take into account different factors: local meteorological risks, territorial morphology, the nature of the structures to be protected, the activities carried out, the fragility of the equipment, the strategic level of the plants, the rate of acceptable failure, etc.
There are various methods of risk analysis for this, which also vary according to national directives. The primary purpose of lightning protection is to protect buildings against direct lightning and the possible risk of fire or the consequences of lightning currents.
In Europe, the “Lightning Protection Standards EN 62305-1 to 4” dictates the guidelines on lightning protection. The first section mainly contains information on the risk as well as the characteristics of the phenomenon. The second section, on the other hand, is dedicated to risk management, thus also determining mandatory protective measures from both an economic and technical point of view, up to a tolerable level of risk. In the third section, the normative talks about the protection of structures and people from material damage and lethal situations caused by the lightning current. In these situations, a lightning protection system is external (external protection, air termination system, down-conductor system, and grounding) and internal (lightning equipotential bonding and separation distance). The fourth section talks about the necessary protection measures against the effects of the eventual occurrence of an electromagnetic field.
A special case of photovoltaic installations
In France, the standards and guides related to photovoltaic installations specify the measures to be implemented to provide protection against overvoltage of atmospheric origin or due to switching. It is also stated that, regarding the sensitivity and location of photovoltaic modules, particular attention should be paid to protection against the direct effects of lightning, especially for large installations.
For this purpose, standard NF C 15-100 proposes a simplified risk analysis taking into account, among others, the density of lightning, the type of installation, the type of power supply, the presence of lightning rods and the probability of risk to the safety of people and property.
archelios™ calc integrates this simplified risk analysis to check the adequacy of the surge arresters to be used in the photovoltaic system. This verification is mandatory for installations designed according to French standards and optional for those made with the IEC standard.
With the contribution of Philippe Au Petit – elec calc™ Product Manager at Trace Software International
Want to know more?
Tracesoftware – Empowering electrical solutions.
Check out: Webinars eSHOP Sales
Trace Software International teams up with Luo Yang Economics School in China
Last week Trace Software International announced a strategic partnership with the Luo Yang Economics School in China to provide the next generation of electrical engineering students with the know-how for competitive success. The happening has been celebrated during the “School-Enterprise Cooperation Signing Ceremony”, which has taken place in the University on the 18th of October.
In their training, the students will adopt elecworks™– the electrical CAD for the design of electrical installations and automation projects and elec calc™ – the software for size low voltage and high voltage electrical installations. This practical and innovative approach, known as “learning by doing” is all about learning through experience to acquire awareness on the process’ best practices and the skills to solve real problems. Thanks to the strategic simulation of realistic situations, the students will dispose of the right set of skills to succeed in the future workplace.
This is the main purpose of the “elecworks™ Electrical Design Certification Center” and of the “elec calc™ Electrical Calculation Center” in the Luo Yang Economics School in China.
Trace Software International is a global leader in the development of software solutions (CAD & CAE) and consultancy services for the industrial engineering, with a unique expertise in the design of electrical installations within Manufacturing, Energy, Building, Medical, Process & Plant and Transportation industries.
“The industrial landscape is changing, and companies need to harness the power to emerging technologies to stay competitive. If we provide students with the right expertise, they will represent a valuable asset for any organization just right after their graduation” said Pedro Puig – CEO of Trace Software International.
Want to know more?
Tracesoftware – Empowering electrical solutions.