OREANDA-NEWS. Power management company Eaton today announced a new, arc-resistant version of its industry leading FlashGard® motor control center technology that is designed to both prevent an arc flash event and protect personnel if an arc flash occurs. Eaton is the first manufacturer to combine arc-preventative and arc-resistant technology within a single motor control center.

Eaton will display its FlashGard motor control center and portfolio of power distribution and control solutions at the 2016 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) May 2 to 5 at NRG Park in Houston, in booth #3517. Attendees can learn how Eaton’s solutions can help customers enhance safety and improve production by anticipating and helping reduce the risk of hazardous situations.

“Eaton’s new FlashGard arc-resistant MCC builds on nearly a decade of more than 10,000 installations and is designed to establish new levels of protection for personnel and equipment in a wide range of new and retrofit industrial applications,” said Glynn Newby, product manager at Eaton. “The innovative technology is one of more than 55 Eaton solutions designed to help prevent arc-flash hazards. Eaton continues to invest in research and development to deliver products that foster safer, more reliable work environments.”

The solution is designed to emphasize prevention, insulation and isolation to support safety during routine maintenance operations in oil and gas, water and wastewater, mining and other industrial applications.

In 2007, Eaton’s FlashGard MCC was the first arc-preventative motor control solution designed to help prevent and protect personnel and equipment from the dangers of arc flashes. Today, Eaton is delivering the next generation solution, which provides customers with an updated range of arc-resistant features to help further strengthen protection against arc flash events.

Unlike conventional MCCs, Eaton’s patented FlashGard design enables units to be disconnected and reconnected to the vertical bus with the unit door closed; maintaining a dead-front barrier during maintenance operations helps enhance operator safety. The solution also incorporates Eaton’s industry-first RotoTrack racking mechanism, which is designed to provide bus isolation, stab indication and lockout features to proactively prevent the initiation of an arc flash event.

The new FlashGard arc-resistant MCC is engineered to provide the added benefit of National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Type 2 arc-resistant construction, meaning that arc resistant designs or features are present on the front, back, and sides of the assembly. This Type 2 rating translates to enhanced safety around the entire perimeter of the MCC should an arc flash event occur.

The FlashGard arc-resistant MCC is tested and verified per the criteria found in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) guideline C37.20.7 and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standard C22.2 No. 0.22-11. It is also Underwriters Laboratory (UL) UL845 approved. The solution is available for three-phase, 230-volt applications up to 300 horsepower, or three-phase, 480-volt applications up to 600 horsepower.

In addition, Eaton’s Arcflash Reduction Maintenance System™ can be applied to the primary circuit breaker feeding the MCC to help reduce fault-clearing time at work locations downstream of the device. For added protection, an optional remote operated racking device can advance and retract the bus connections from a distance of up to 25 feet to keep operators well outside of the arc flash boundary.

Eaton’s electrical business is a global leader with expertise in power distribution and circuit protection; backup power protection; control and automation; lighting and security; structural solutions and wiring devices; solutions for harsh and hazardous environments; and engineering services. Eaton is positioned through its global solutions to answer today’s most critical electrical power management challenges.

Eaton is a power management company with 2015 sales of $20.9 billion. Eaton provides energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton has approximately 97,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.