Trainee Info For Mentors Benefit

[GMES]

As per title, I started the attached thread http://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/threads/please-read-this-guys.112411/

And Pete999 Raised a good point and the first suggestion to the thread.
Could all trainees post in here a quick update and intro, No peronal details need but just maybe age, what courses you're currently on, how long left before being qualified etc etc , you get the idea.
I've also made it a sticky.

 

[Pete999]

As per title, I started the attached thread http://www.electriciansforums.co.uk/threads/please-read-this-guys.112411/

And Pete999 Raised a good point and the first suggestion to the thread.
Could all trainees post in here a quick update and intro, No peronal details need but just maybe age, what courses you're currently on, how long left before being qualified etc etc , you get the idea.
I've also made it a sticky.

Right here goes, no prizes just a one off for the moment to see how it goes:

During my time as a manager I had to interview candidates on several occasions, one of my pet questions, which was really aimed at the work we were doing at the time is outlined below I appreciate this may be difficult for some Trainees, but have a bash anyway.

Scenario:
You have been asked to provide power to a building, the problem is the place where this building is situated has an intermittent Electrical supply, in fact some times outages can last for hours.

The client needs a constant supply regardless, your task is to come up with a suggested way around the problem, no loading, cable sizes volT drop calculations are required just a means of providing the client with a constant stable supply, good luck.

 

[hightower]

I'm 32 in a few weeks, starting on the 2365 level 3 in September. Define qualified, it's a tricky one: I'm registered with NICEIC so I can take on some larger work so technically I'm out on my own, however, there's a good couple years until I get my NVQ. I think 'qualified' means so much more than a bit of paper.

Anyhow Pete, with regards your post there'd be two avenues I'd be looking down. Firstly some sort of battery backup, but I guess this depends on exactly what it is the client needs power to in a failure. If it's a large demand I think I'd be looking down some sort of generator route, like an on site power station.

 

[GMES]

I was 32 once

 

[GMES]

And totally agree with the quals bit , I suppose what it means is at what stage you will be happy to call yourself qualified.

 

[Pete999]

I'm 32 in a few weeks, starting on the 2365 level 3 in September. Define qualified, it's a tricky one: I'm registered with NICEIC so I can take on some larger work so technically I'm out on my own, however, there's a good couple years until I get my NVQ. I think 'qualified' means so much more than a bit of paper.

Anyhow Pete, with regards your post there'd be two avenues I'd be looking down. Firstly some sort of battery backup, but I guess this depends on exactly what it is the client needs power to in a failure. If it's a large demand I think I'd be looking down some sort of generator route, like an on site power station.

Along the right lines, perhaps I should have mentioned he will be using the DNO's supply, he wants something to back it up

 

[hightower]

So a generator with some sort of changeover switch? Which I guess would mean a small outage while the generator fires up. A perhaps a generator that is running tick over permanently so it's ready to go all the time. Or perhaps a generator and battery backup together, the battery providing enough power in the event of an outage until the generator is fully fired up? Or perhaps I'm totally over engineering this?

 

[Pete999]

Generator is NOT running all the time, so far you have the Generator covered along with the DNO supply 1 more item to put in the equation, and you have just about got it with the batteries, but batteries are DC? and no you aren't over engineering it far from it. No one else seem interested in solving this, so it's up to you HT

 

[hightower]

Getting out my depth here but some sort of capacitor bank?

 

[Karin]

hey, i'm 28 and currently getting absolutely nowhere on completing the NVQ portfolio! started it in april i think, but don't really know how to begin on the writeups (though i've got plenty of photos). gonna have to sit down with it properly sometime, but to be honest i just get distracted as i'm more interested in reading on here and textbooks etc for new knowledge and things, 'cause really i feel like i could probably pass the AM2 tomorrow, but am still a long way from having the knowledge and experience to be what i would consider to be a fully competent electrician. to be honest a bit of paper saying i'm qualified seems to be the least important part of this whole thing!

cheers for the question Pete. i'm gonna throw in an inverter to hightower's scenario to convert the DC to AC, but beyond that i have no real experience of backup power supplies so am watching with interest! would the generator charge the batteries rather than directly power the installation in the event of an outage?

 

[Leo_chaos]

I'm 29, live not far from Lakeside
passed BTEC National construction when I finished school, circumstances didn't match carrying it on and I lost a lot of interest in it,
went back to college 2 years ago finished Level 2 2365 in June, should be starting Level 3 September,
no real experience since getting into that isn't as easy as they told us it would be (no surprises really)

 

[Pete999]

I'll wait until I have had a glass later on this afternoon sometime around 14:30 to divulge the answer, thanks to those who have participated so far, may be some more trainees will have a go, the big reveal will be later keep tuned in.

 

[Pete999]

hey, i'm 28 and currently getting absolutely nowhere on completing the NVQ portfolio! started it in april i think, but don't really know how to begin on the writeups (though i've got plenty of photos). gonna have to sit down with it properly sometime, but to be honest i just get distracted as i'm more interested in reading on here and textbooks etc for new knowledge and things, 'cause really i feel like i could probably pass the AM2 tomorrow, but am still a long way from having the knowledge and experience to be what i would consider to be a fully competent electrician. to be honest a bit of paper saying i'm qualified seems to be the least important part of this whole thing!

cheers for the question Pete. i'm gonna throw in an inverter to hightower's scenario to convert the DC to AC, but beyond that i have no real experience of backup power supplies so am watching with interest! would the generator charge the batteries rather than directly power the installation in the event of an outage?

Something along those line, but of course if you have had little or no experience, coming up with the answer wil be a bit difficult, but you and HT are certainly on the right track.

 

[Karin]

okay, i'm gonna use what i got in my head to cobble together some kinda setup, maybe between us we can work this out..

so i'm thinking it would most likely be a diesel genny (or similar fuel) as an always available backup to charge the batteries in case the power is out for a while. in normal use the mains supply could charge them. either way you'd need a rectifier to get DC. dunno if you'd have to smooth the gennys output waveform before rectifying it?

when the power goes out, something has to automatically change over to battery supply (can this be done without a momentary loss of power?) OR would the installation be run from the batteries the whole time with just the mains keeping them topped up?

so an inverter between the battery and installation to supply AC.

i'm thinking we're gonna need RCDs for fault protection and some rods as a reference to earth on the battery side of things. not really sure how this all plays if using the mains to supply the installation in normal operation (as opposed to just charging batteries which i think would be simpler but maybe unrealistic?)..

 

[Pete999]

okay, i'm gonna use what i got in my head to cobble together some kinda setup, maybe between us we can work this out..

so i'm thinking it would most likely be a diesel genny (or similar fuel) as an always available backup to charge the batteries in case the power is out for a while. in normal use the mains supply could charge them. either way you'd need a rectifier to get DC. dunno if you'd have to smooth the gennys output waveform before rectifying it?

when the power goes out, something has to automatically change over to battery supply (can this be done without a momentary loss of power?) OR would the installation be run from the batteries the whole time with just the mains keeping them topped up?

so an inverter between the battery and installation to supply AC.

i'm thinking we're gonna need RCDs for fault protection and some rods as a reference to earth on the battery side of things. not really sure how this all plays if using the mains to supply the installation in normal operation (as opposed to just charging batteries which i think would be simpler but maybe unrealistic?)..

Gettin there Karin, forget all about RCDs they are not in the equation, the only thing you and HT need to worry about is how, in theory could it be done.