Low-Voltage Switchgear lessens electrical system lifecycle cost.

Press Release Summary:



Able to identify feeder breaker circuit location where ground fault exists without additional hardware, Entellisys(TM) 4.0 also offers features built-in redundancy and converts all metering values to amps and volts in IEEE floating point format. Zone-based protection enables detection, in as little as 25 ms, of arcing faults in equipment while maintaining selectivity. Other features include Ground Fault Priority Tripping, Near-Gear Control Stack, and current and voltage waveform capture.



Original Press Release:



GE's New Entellisys(TM) 4.0 Low-Voltage Switchgear Cuts Electrical System Lifecycle Costs



PLAINVILLE, CT - Cost- and safety-conscious plant managers, contractors and consultants dealing with critical power applications-such as oil and gas, process industrial, healthcare, data centers and airports-will welcome GE Consumer & Industrial's new Entellisys(TM) 4.0 Low-Voltage Switchgear, a follow up to the company's low-voltage switchgear solution. Most of the upgrades in Entellisys(TM) 4.0 are software-based to help reduce costs, shorten schedules, and increase reliability throughout the process of designing, installing, maintaining, and operating low-voltage power distribution switchgear.

"We have identified 17 ways our customers can save money through the value-driven product life cycle of Entellisys(TM) 4.0 Low-Voltage Switchgear," says Jane Barber, Entellisys product manager. "We can work with our customers to develop a financial savings report, customized for their application."

Designed for value
Entellisys(TM) 4.0's new High Resistant Ground Fault (HRGF) feature identifies the location of the feeder breaker circuit where the ground fault exists with no added hardware, which saves time locating the fault. Ground Fault Priority Tripping, another new feature, is also available. If a second HRGF ground fault occurs before the first one is fixed, the system will trip the feeder that has the fault based on the load prioritization identified by the user.

The solution offers advanced protection modes, known as zone-based protection, that include bus differential, dynamic zone-selective interlocking and multi-source ground fault protection. This protection enables detection-as fast as 25ms-of arcing faults in the equipment, while maintaining selectivity.

Cost-effective installation and start-up
Entellisys(TM) 4.0's streamlined architecture minimizes wiring and shipping split terminations by reducing the amount of wiring in equipment, in some cases up to 70 percent. Start-up is more effective by streamlining the remote communication integration process to use one interface for the entire lineup. Entellisys(TM) 4.0 also converts all metering values to amps and volts in IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) floating point format, so no scaling is required.

"This is not typical in the electrical industry," says Barber. "Most devices require the integrator to capture the current transformer ratios and calculate each value for each circuit, which is time-consuming and requires additional start-up time in validating."

Increased reliability
Compared with traditional switchgear, Entellisys(TM) 4.0's architecture provides increased reliability through streamlined hardware and built-in redundancy. Entellisys(TM) 4.0 has one set of hardware to provide the entire range of possible needed functionality. The system has redundant central processing units, communication buses and UPSs as standard.

An industry first, Entellisys(TM) 4.0's waveform capture records the current and voltage waveforms for every EntelliGuard(TM) circuit breaker, when any circuit breaker is opened or closed. Entellisys(TM) 4.0 will now issue an alarm and/or trigger a waveform capture whenever any of the current for a particular load is above the selected set-point level and delay. This enhances the Entellisys(TM) diagnostic tool kit and provides key information to improve power system performance.

Until now, the Entellisys(TM) CPUs and UPSs were located in the switchgear lineup. As a new option, a separate stack can now house the CPUs, UPSs and HMI, allowing the operator to monitor and maintain the key Entellisys(TM) components away from live equipment.

The enhanced Near-Gear Control Stack, allows the operator to monitor and maintain the key Entellisys components up to 300 cable feet away, which is generally far outside the flash protection boundary. In addition, some of the HMI enhancements include: event log color-coding based on event type priority, larger alarm visual indication, Reduced Energy Let Through mode visual indication and an easier log-in process.

Ease of maintenance
Since the Entellisys(TM) 4.0's architecture of circuit hardware (current sensors, messengers) is in the equipment-not on the circuit breaker-users achieve efficient maintenance.

"Traditional low-voltage power circuit breaker testing requires personnel to remove the circuit breaker from the gear, move it to a test station for high current injection testing and return and rack the circuit breaker back into the switchgear," says Barber. "This is not only time-consuming; it increases the probability of damage or an arcing fault due to the movement and handling of the circuit breaker in and out of the gear."

Entellisys(TM) 4.0's test kit, on the other hand, can be connected to the HMI via the USB port to download all of the circuit breaker settings to the test kit. The test kit can then be used to test each circuit breaker and associated system response. Additionally, the solution uses fewer spare circuit breakers since the circuit-specific components are located in the equipment, making circuit breakers more interchangeable. Because users no longer need to consider sensor rating and trip unit type, they can stock fewer spare circuit breakers.

Additional features of Entellisys(TM) 4.0 Low-Voltage Switchgear include:
  • Existing Entellisys customers can upgrade functionality to any of the new Entellisys 4.0 software features with a software upgrade;
  • ANSI, UL and now CSA approved and available for use in Canada;
  • Time synchronization across systems with SNTP;
  • Expanded control capabilities for large ATO schemes, now accommodating up to 4 buses;
  • Remote HMI communicates with up to 25 systems; and
  • Software-based architecture enables the equipment to stay current with technology.

    "Since our original Entellisys(TM) launch in September 2005, we have continued to develop new features based on feedback from customers," says Barber. "These advanced features expand the solution's ability to enhance safety, reliability and flexibility, and help maintain Entellisys' status as a ground-breaking low-voltage switchgear solution."

    For more information about Entellisys 4.0 please visit www.geelectrical.com/entellisys. Entellisys(TM) and EntelliGuard(TM) are trademarks of the General Electric Company.

    NOTE: GE Consumer and Industrial has identified 17 cost-saving features of Entellisys 4.0. To learn more, readers may visit http://www.geindustrial.com/publibrary/checkout/Brochures|DEA-427|generic.

    GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and "ecomagination," a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram®, Profile(TM) GE®, Hotpoint®, SmartWater(TM) Reveal®, Edison(TM) and Energy Smart(TM) consumer brands, and Entellisys(TM) industrial brand. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
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