Sometimes, things go wrong. But, as electrical engineers, it’s our job to prevent errors, injuries, or worse – catastrophes. One of the problems that can occur when a piece of equipment is being worked on is arc flash – which is a dangerous release of energy. What Causes Arc Flashes? Arc flashes are caused by […]
Daylighting is the controlled admission of natural light into a building to reduce electric lighting and save energy. Daylight can enter a space through several architectural elements, including windows, skylights, roof monitors, and clerestories. Each of these elements creates a daylighting zone, which must be controlled with a daylighting responsive lighting control system in order […]
It was a dark and stormy night. As you’re lounging on your couch, relaxing from your workday, everything goes black. No lights, no television, and no margarita machine. Power outages occur from time to time in different spaces, but thanks to electric codes (and smart engineering) lighting can be restored and safety ensured in commercial […]
THE CONTROL OF LIGHTING AND BRANCH CIRCUIT LOADS, WHETHER FOR CODE COMPLIANCE, CONVENIENCE, OR LOAD OPERATION FUNCTIONS, IS TYPICALLY PROVIDED BY CONTACTORS, LOW VOLTAGE RELAY PANELS, OR SMART BREAKERS CONTACTORS Contactors are historically the most common type of control device. Contactors can be of the three pole type, with a high ampere rating and […]
Recently, we received a phone call from a maintenance staff member concerned about “dirt” building up around ceiling air diffusers in the common area of his mall. This is an interesting and common problem. The solution has two parts. Part One Engineers select diffusers with initial leaving air velocity and terminal velocity in mind. Careful […]