Module No.

9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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UNITS IN THIS COURSE

UNIT 1 UNIT 2 UNIT 3 ELECTRICAL TERMS ELECTRICAL DEVICES ELECTRICAL SAFETY

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Para 2.0 2.1 2.2 OBJECTIVES ELECTRICAL DEVICES BATTERIES 2.2.1 2.2.2 2.3 Wet Cell Storage Batteries Dry Cells Page 3 4 4 5 8 9 11 12 13 13 14 15 15 16

SWITCHES 2.3.1 2.3.2 2.3.3 2.3.4 2.3.5 2.3.6 Push-button Switch Toggle Switch Rotary Switch Multipurpose Rotary Switch Spring - Loaded Rotary Switch Rotary Selector Switch

2.4

PROTECTIVE DEVICES 2.4.1 Fuses

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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2.0

OBJECTIVES After completing this course the student will be able to: Describe a wet cell battery. Recognize the hazards of working around storage batteries. Describe a dry cell battery. Recognize the uses of different types of switches. Describe how a fuse works. Differentiate between a fuse and a circuit breaker.

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

2.1

ELECTRICAL DEVICES

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This part of the course will show you some of the common electrical devices you will see and use everyday in a plant. 2.2 BATTERIES Batteries supply direct current (DC) power. Batteries contain cells. A cell is a device that uses chemical energy to produce electrical energy. There are two basic types of batteries : Wet Cell Storage Batteries Dry Cell Batteries

A cell creates a chemical reaction to produce electricity.

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

2.2.1

Wet Cell Storage Batteries

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In a wet cell a chemical reaction which produces electricity takes place in a liquid. Figure 2-1 shows a typical wet cell.

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Figure 2-1 A Single Electrical Cell The acid electrolyte (sulfuric acid and water) reacts with the zinc bar. Positively charged zinc atoms, or ions, go into the electrolyte solution. Free negative electrons remain in the zinc bar, giving it a negative charge. Positive ions in the electrolyte (the liquid) collect around the copper bar, giving it a positive charge. The chemical reaction creates (makes) an electrical potential across the electrodes. Although a voltage potential exists, there is still no electricity. Recall that electricity is the flow of electrons. Without a circuit that connects the positive and negative terminals, there is no path for the electrons to flow through. In Figure 2-2, a wire connects the two terminals. Now there is a path, or circuit, for electrons to follow. The free electrons flow from the negatively charged zinc terminal through the wire to the positively charged copper terminal. This electron flow lights up the lamp in the circuit.

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Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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Figure 2--2 Chemical Action Electricity A battery is two or more electrical cells connected in series. In series means that the positive terminal in one cell is connected to the negative terminal in the next cell, and so on.

Figure 2-3 Lead, Acid Battery

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

Figure 2-3 shows a storage battery. It is similar to the storage battery in a car. It Page 15/16

supplies DC voltage when it is needed. When storage batteries are used a lot, they lose their ability to make electricity. When this happens, they must be recharged. Recharging battery allows the battery to supply electricity again. Many plants have a bank of storage batteries. These a . re kept continuously charged by a battery charger. The battery charger is powered from the AC power supply. If there is a major power failure, the storage batteries will supply emergency DC power for the plant. (See Figure 2-3). STORAGE BATTERIES CAN BE DANGEROUS Large storage batteries can produce a very high current. If you drop metal tools onto storage batteries it can cause a short circuit. This could cause a large spark (flash) and possibly an explosion. Another danger with storage batteries is that they contain acid. Do not get close to them without protective clothing. The acid can burn.

Figure 2-4 Battery Bank for Emergency DC Power

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

2.2.2

Dry Cells

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Dry cells produce potential DC energy by the same sort of chemical action used in storage batteries. Dry cells are called dry because they do not use liquid electrolyte. All of the parts in a dry cell are sealed inside a metal container.

Figure 2-5 Common DC Dry Cells Figure 2-5 shows you two types of dry cells. The materials and the electrolyte (chemical) are different from wet batteries. However, the cells produce potential energy the same way as the lead-acid storage battery. In the past, dry cells were not recharged when they lost their power. They were usually thrown away and replaced. Now it is possible to get rechargeable dry cell batteries. Rechargeable means they can be charged again. Dry cells are often used in test equipment, and, of course, in flashlights, mobile telephones, wristwatches, pagers, cameras etc.

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

2.3

SWITCHES

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There are many different types of switches. Switches have one thing in common. They all do only one thing. They open or close an electrical circuit. Recall that an open circuit has a break in it and current can not flow through it. A closed circuit is complete so current can flow through it. No matter how they work or how they are tripped (activated), the end result is the same. An electrical circuit is either opened or closed by a switch. Switches are control devices used to operate electrical equipment. Switches open and close the electrical circuits which give power to the equipment.

Figure 2-6 A Switch Circuit There are many different kinds of switches. There are switches that are activated by changes in process variables. For example, a rise or fall in temperature or pressure. There are-switches that are tripped by electronic circuits. Switches can be simple or complex. (See Figure 2-7)

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Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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Figure 2-7 Types of Switches

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Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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2.3.1

Push-button Switch A very simple kind of switch is the push button. (See Figure 2-8)

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Figure 2-8 Push-button Switch There are two types of pushbutton switches. NO NC normally open (push it to close) normally closed (push it to open)

All push-button switches work in the same way. A spring in the switch holds the button open or closed. A fail open switch will cut off all electrical current in a circuit if there is a fault or failure in the system. Most emergency shutdown systems use the FAIL OPEN system. Switches in the system are normally closed. They will open if there is a fault.

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Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

2.3.2

Toggle Switch

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The switch in Figure 2-9 is a toggle switch. Some toggle switches do not have a spring like the push-button switches. The toggle switch will stay in the position it is set, open or closed. Other toggle switches have springs in ' them. Their normal position is neutral, neither on nor off. The switch is moved to one position or the other, but when it is released, the spring returns it to the neutral position.

Figure 2-9 Toggle Switch

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Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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2.3.3

Rotary Switch The word Rotary in rotary switch simply means that you turn the switch in a circular direction (rotate it) to operate it. Figure 2-10 shows a simple ON/OFF, two position, rotary switch.

Figure 2-10 Simple Rotary Switch 2.3.4 Multipurpose Rotary Switch Multipurpose means that the switch serves more than one purpose. Figure 2-11 is actually a circuit breaker switch. A circuit breaker is a device that protects electrical equipment from too much current. When the switch is off, the circuit is off. The type of switch is often used on electrical control panels. Turning the switch directly to the ON position will not activate the circuit. The switch must first be turned to the RESET position, then to ON. In the ON position the switch closes a circuit breaker. Turning the switch to the OFF position opens the circuit breaker and deactivates the circuit. We will look at circuit breakers later in the unit.

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Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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Figure 2-11 Multipurpose Rotary Switch 2.3.5 Spring - Loaded Rotary Switch Figure 2-12 shows an example of a spring-loaded switch. The switch is normally in the position shown. It is in a neutral position, which means it is not doing anything. The operator can turn the switch to the position he wants. If the circuit is off (broken) he turns the switch to START. When he releases the switch, a spring in the switch returns it to the neutral position. To break the circuit, the operator turns the switch to STOP. When he releases the switch, the spring in the switch returns it to the neutral position again.

Figure 2-12 Spring-Loaded Rotary Switch

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Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

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2.3.6

Rotary Selector Switch Figure 2-13 is a rotary selector switch found on a gas turbine engine control panel. The switch is a complex rotary switch as shown in figure 2-7. This type of switch allows an operator to select the function he wants to perform. We have said earlier that a switch does one thing. It opens or closes a circuit. The switch in figure 2-13 is still only opening or closing a circuit. The switch selects which circuit to open or close.

Figure 2-13 Rotary Selector Switch 2.4 PROTECTIVE DEVICES The electrical equipment used is expensive. Some of it is very expensive. Too much electric current can damage or destroy these electrical devices. Two cheap devices that protect the expensive devices are Fuses Circuit Breakers

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Module No. 9 : Industrial electricity for operators

Unit No. 2- Electrical devices

2.4.1

Fuses

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A fuse is an electrical device, placed in a circuit, that protects the circuit from too much current. High current in the circuit will cause a wire inside the fuse to melt. This will create an open circuit which the current cannot flow through. There are many different types and sizes of fuses. Each circuit needs a specific type of fuse. Figure 2-14 shows some of the types of fuses you will see.

Figures 2-14 Examples of Types of Fuses Figures 2-15A and 2-15B show you the inside of a typical fuse. The fuse wire is designed to melt when too much current flows through it. Figure 2-15B shows the result of too much current in a circuit. The fuse wire has melted and the circuit is broken.

Figure 2-15 Inside a Fuse

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