Case Study - Why Vermin Proofing of Panels are must and must be periodically checked- Part-II

Hello Friends/Sir,

We love wildlife as much as the next person. But when they get into your Electrical Installation, they becomes ‘Vermin’.

Animals, mostly Reptiles & Birds can cause significant damage to your Critical & Expensive Electrical Installations, since they love to setup their houses in the Nooks and Crannies where control and protection wiring is housed. The warmth and seclusion is particularly attractive to them.

All the plants, where we Served, Visited or Know, we have noticed that Mouse, Lizards & Snakes have a special affection towards Electrical Switchgear and Instrumentation Panels.

 Sharing with you all, one such Incident and Photos of what we have observed during maintenance of 11 kV HT Panel.

As a part of service, we do complete Switchgears (HT Panel & LT Panel maintenance which includes, Relay Testing, Breaker Servicing & Testing, Control panel cleaning & Tightness, CT & PT testing) & Switchyard Servicing & Maintenance in various plants.

During maintenance of one such 11 kV panel board, we found Dead, Half Burnt Snake inside the Breaker chamber as shown in Pictures. RIP for the Snake. Sharing with you all pictures of Snake and place from which it has entered. We are sharing Photos so that others can also learn from the incident.

 ? Dead, Half burnt Snake inside the panel

? From where the Snake has entered.

 Coming back to the point, lets us assume what if this snake would have travelled towards 11 kV bus? This could have leads to Heavy flashover, system breakdown worth rupees Lacs/Crores, risk of life to individuals and owing liability of this incident, last but not the least, Transfer/Suspension/Termination from the Maintenance team as a consequence (We don’t want to scare you, but the photos are real and big accident in waiting have been averted). Maintenance team must be lucky that this hasn’t happened and has been rectified then.

Now, when enquired with Maintenance team, they said they didn’t get the chance to check the complete panel in last shutdown due to unavailability of required skilled manpower (it’s a biggest issue nowadays. Contact us to discuss in detail), Limited period of shutdown and through checking of entire panel cubical was done more than 3 year back. Now out of around 35 Panels only one Panel was found where vermin proofing was breached.

Now, out of 35 Nos. of panels, if this is case with one panel, giving error margin of 2% and this could have caused Marginally higher loss.

Jokes apart, we advise to all our customers and their Maintenance Team either we serve or not, to check their Switchgear Panels during every annual shutdown or Complete cleaning, Servicing & Maintenance of HT Panels in every 2 years for safety and surety. Although Checking of Busbar is altogether a different issue and required heavy planning with complete shutdown of the system.

Since, almost every plant goes for Relay Testing and Breaker servicing every year through 3rd party. We, System Protection, serving in more than 250 plants for Circuit Breakers and Relays independently.

Apart from Circuit Breakers and Relays, what’s left in Panel is Control Wiring Simulation & Tightness, Cleaning of complete Panel cubical (front and rear), CT & PT testing (if Required). And if this is is done by Testing/Service Engineers of plant, they will take Technicians & Helpers (Mostly non-skilled) from contractor and then will indent cleaner, brush, scrubs, Blower (If not available), Tool kits like screwdriver set, spanner set (If Not available) and then to take care and follow up for all the indents and quality of work done (that too from Non-Skilled workers).

This is how, most of the times Maintenance suffers and leading to such incidents and consequences as a result.

 Regards

Avinash Singh

[email protected]