Hopefully, the next few months will see a major uptake in many sectors across the UK. I’m not just talking about the throngs descending on the nearest pub garden when opening again (although what a thrill that will be). I’m looking at key sectors which will be attempting to ramp up production and efforts to pre-pandemic levels. With the likes of the hospitality, tourism & food/drinks industry aggressively pushing to capacity in time for what will hopefully be another great British summer, one area which anyone running operations should be thinking about right now is refrigeration. In cases where a business has been operating minimally or could be ready to push to meet demand, you never want to be caught out with something going wrong. Not only will it disrupt operations, but a broken refrigeration system could come back to bite you with hefty costs and billings; the last thing anyone wants! Thanks to the refrigeration experts at Star Refrigeration, who are helping businesses throughout the UK have a better understanding of industrial refrigeration, here are some of the key areas a business may want to look at to ensure you are optimising and improving refrigeration as we get closer to summer and units are put to the test. Hopefully, by looking into some of the areas highlighted here, your business may take some preventive measures, or at the very least, talk with your refrigeration suppliers for advice. Servicing Let’s start with the most important area first. With everything that has gone in in the last year and a bit, you may have completely forgotten to get your units serviced. If your systems haven’t been used much, you shouldn’t expect to find yourself asking a supplier for any major upgrades. What you should be concerned about are spare parts, or rather, understanding the need for parts after servicing. Any reputable engineer should be able to carry out a comprehensive check of your system and let you know if anything looks like it may need replacing in the near future. Any business running a bespoke/custom internal system should ask their engineer are there are any unique parts that should be sourced and kept spare in case of emergency. It’s one of those cases where a minor cost now could help prevent losses when something goes wrong. Also, ask your engineers if any areas within your system require routine/out of hours maintenance. For example, you may have pumps or condensers in desperate need of maintenance checks which can’t be down during normal hours. Once again, it’s a case of after-hours work saving you in the long run. Planning Anyone who knows their stuff should have contingency planning in place when working with chillers. I like to pose the importance of planning with an example dilemma: Imagine you were making 100 litres of ice cream on a summer’s day, when suddenly your chillers all stop working. Would you be able to instantly know how long it will take to get those chillers working again, how much product you’ll be expected to lose, and what temporary solutions you have instant access to? It is surprising to me how many business owners don’t have emergency planning in place. You might be lucky that your refrigeration company has some level of contingencies as standard. Still, I highly recommend you get in touch and ask. If they don’t, ask why and how much it will cost to have a full site survey carried out. Bill Management Last but by no means least, I want you to look into bill management. If your company has been keeping costs to a minimum these last few months, and you’re expected to use refrigeration more in the next few months, get in touch with your provider and ask if they offer any form of system monitoring or analysis. Like a watched pot not boiling, unmonitored units can see your bills soar. Star Refrigeration estimates that “90% of energy costs in the cold storage sector can be attributed to refrigeration”. Most people would never imagine it being so high! Contact your provider Now that you’ve read through this, I hope you have come to realise that all these efforts boil down to getting in touch with your suppliers and asking them what supportive services they provide. It’s always a case of “don’t ask, don’t get”, and a simple call is the easiest way to keep refrigeration bills down at a time of year when dependency is at its highest.

Electrical fire is one of the most common sources of residential and commercial fires all over the world. Depending on its severity, it can lead to either minimal damage or a massive property loss. What’s worse, however, is when it takes the lives of hundreds of victims.  Sadly, some people appear to never learn from the devastation caused by electrical fires. Many residential and commercial property owners still ignore the importance of implementing safety measures, such as the use of short circuit protection devices in their household and commercial buildings. What Is Circuit Protection It’s not only the responsibility of owners to ensure that their property’s electrical wiring is safe enough to protect its residents from the occurrence of electrical fires. Every country also has specific electrical codes that engineers and electricians are required to follow when building houses and other infrastructure. Once faulty electrical wiring is identified as the main reason for a fire’s occurrence, this inability to meet the indicated standards has serious legal repercussions for these involved professionals. Another source of electrical fires is a faulty appliance or an ignored worn-out electrical wire. This type of problem is usually avoided through the practice of circuit protection. Circuit protection works by adding extra devices or equipment to an electrical circuit. Conveniently, different types of circuit protection equipment are readily available in the market that can help eliminate the massive danger and property loss resulting from these preventable events,  Using circuit protection devices ensures that the wirings are protected under faulty conditions or when there’s a sudden spike of high current. These devices and equipment are designed to protect the circuit from total damage by cutting the current flowing on it, whenever it detects excessive current in the electrical wirings. Different Types Of Circuit Protection Devices And Equipment There are many circuit protection devices already available in the market. Deciding if it’s the right one for your household or property will depend on their usage and how they work. Below are some types to consider: 1. Fuse  For starters, it’s important to note that electric current flows from the source to the load. A good example of source is your house’s circuit breaker, while loads refer to any of your electrical appliances.  As a circuit protection equipment, fuses have strips that bridge the current flowing from the source to the load. Its strip is designed to melt when an excessive amount of current passes through it. When this happens, this will cause the strip to separate. Upon melting, the bridge no longer exists, stopping the current flow from the source to the load.  There are different types of fuses available in the market. Most common are the cartridge type and screw-in type fuses, but they all generally work the same.  2. Circuit Breakers  Generally speaking, electrical guidelines require a proper size of circuit breakers for electric circuits. Unlike fuses that you can only use up until the strips have melted, circuit breakers work differently. Circuit breakers have a bimetallic strip, which is a kind of metal conductor, that doesn’t need to melt to be triggered. This strip is connected to another piece of metal conductor inside the circuit breaker, which is then connected to the output or outlet. Overcurrent results in too much heat. Once this gets detected by the bimetallic strip, it’ll immediately bend, making the piece of a metal conductor lose contact with the source.  Nothing is technically broken, which means that together with other metal conductors inside the breaker, it’ll still be good to use even after getting triggered. What needs to be done is to simply move the circuit breakers’ lever to close the circuit once again. This will allow the current to flow without replacing any part. There are many types of circuit breakers. The most common is the Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) and Residual Current Circuit Breaker with Overload Protection (RCBO). These two are frequently used in both residential and commercial establishments as they only require low voltage power distribution. Their main difference lies in the fact that Miniature Circuit Breaker can only be used against short circuits and over-currents, while Residual Current Circuit Breaker with Overload Protection can also protect against earth leakage current. 3. Surge Protection Device (SPD)  Your electrical appliances or electrically powered gadgets have a specific voltage requirement that it can accept. For example, your television needs 120 volts from the outlet to function. While a voltage lower than 120 can make no harm to your television, an amount higher than 120 volts can cause serious damage to it.  Surge Protection Device eliminates overvoltage in appliances or load. It’s connected to the source and load in a parallel circuit to provide protection. Once overvoltage occurs, this device conducts the excess voltage to the ground.  4. Residual Current Device (RCD)  The worst scenario that can happen because of faulty electrical wiring or appliance is getting someone electrocuted. More than properties, human lives should be the main priority in adding circuit protection devices to electrical circuits.  If you mistakenly touch a live wire or a faulty appliance, the Residual Current Device may save your life. This device immediately cuts the current once it detects that electricity is flowing in an unintended path, like your body. This is its way of eliminating the risks of humans getting electrocuted.  This is one of the unique features that an RCD has that fuses and circuit breakers don’t.  5. Thermal Protectors Thermal protectors are generally designed to protect a motor from overheating by cutting the current flow when its temperature goes too high. This prevents the motor from severe damage and becomes a cause of fires. Thermal protectors work similarly to circuit breakers. They have bimetallic strips inside, which bends when heated and causes the circuit to break. Once the bimetallic strip cools down, its metal contact will go back to its original state and close the circuit once again. Choosing The Right Electrical Products And Services  By now, you’ve learned in this article

Airthings, makers of the best-selling indoor air quality and radon solutions for businesses and professionals, has launched its View Plus indoor air quality monitor, including the brand’s most advanced air quality technology to date. View Plus is a battery operated device which includes sensors for particulate matter (PM), radon, carbon dioxide (CO2) and much more, along with a customisable display for easy visualisation. For businesses, View Plus is the most comprehensive indoor air quality monitor to complement the Airthings for Business solution, helping create healthy, productive, and energy-efficient indoor spaces, whether it be a school, office or a restaurant. According to the World Health Organisation, 9 out of 10 people breathe unsafe air on a regular basis. The effects of allergens, pollution, wildfire smoke, radon and airborne viruses impact the health of people all over the world, yet these invisible enemies often lurk freely in our everyday environments without the ability to detect them. View Plus is here to change that and offer a level of control over the air that has never been possible before. By monitoring for PM, radon, CO2, humidity, airborne chemicals (VOC), temperature, air pressure, and even outdoor air quality, View Plus displays a comprehensive spectrum of insights and provides a glance into air quality in a way that is easy for anyone to understand. View Plus for Business also includes a light and noise sensor, as well as occupancy data and the Virus Risk Indicator. Invisible to the naked eye PM detection is a new addition to Airthings’ range of product capabilities and will provide a level of insight into air quality, both at home and at work. The term “particulate matter” describes microscopic particles in the air, which can include anything from dust and pollen to pollutants emitted from car exhaust, industrial activity, wood-burning stoves, smoke from wildfires, cooking, cigarette smoke, and pets, and more. While invisible to the naked eye, the impact of PM on our health can be colossal – it can irritate lungs, agitate pre-existing conditions such as asthma, and can even contribute to serious illnesses, such as heart attacks and coronary artery disease. The only way to combat PM in the air is to gain awareness of its presence and take informed action; which is where View Plus can help. The product features a built-in particle sensor that can detect PM2.5 and PM1, and provide users with continuous access to data, as well as notifications to alert about changes in the air. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen the levels of awareness about air quality increase dramatically,” said Oyvind Birkenes, CEO of Airthings. “We decided to develop View Plus to help people everywhere understand that they have more control over their air quality than they might think. Our mission at Airthings has always been to educate people and foster constructive conversation about how air quality can impact their health and daily lives. With View Plus, we can empower people and businesses to learn about the air quality in schools, offices, or even their favorite restaurants, in a way that is constructive and easy to understand.” Customisable to everyone’s needs With a sleek and minimalistic design interface that will fit seamlessly in any building, View Plus adapts to the surroundings, showing the most relevant data based on the location. It also allows for customisation options for users who want to prioritise the air quality data that matters most to them – whether it be PM, radon, CO2, humidity, or something else. Gaining an understanding of the air with View Plus is as easy as waving a hand in front of the device for a colour-coded air quality check. Users can log into the Airthings Dashboard for in-depth insights into the air or open the Airthings app for a quick and easy view of the air quality levels. The View Plus for Business is wireless and connects to the Airthings for Business solution over SmartLink using the Hub, allowing for a battery life of up to four years. View Plus can be placed in any school, office, restaurant, or other commercial buildings—making for a convenient way to transform indoor air quality from an invisible threat to a visible, understandable, and controllable aspect of life. Airthings for Business has been developed to allow businesses to monitor, visualise and control indoor air quality to ensure a safe and healthy environment for staff. This in turn improves general health, wellbeing and productivity of the workforce. Set up in a matter of minutes, the wireless monitors run on long-lasting batteries, making the solution easily scalable and customisable to any new or existing space.

Mixergy, the smart hot water tank company, has upgraded its entire range of hot water cylinders to allow them to operate with a heat pump at any point during their working life. Once fitted, the multi-use cylinders, which can be used with a gas boiler, mains electricity or solar PV, now give consumers the option to install a heat pump without having to replace the tank. The Mixergy tank is made from high-grade stainless steel to ensure that it lasts at least 25 years. The design team was determined to avoid product obsolescence and prepare the householder for a low carbon future whether using direct electric heating, heat pumps or hydrogen boilers.  Mixergy’s smart hot water tanks use innovative technology to optimise energy use. Using thermal stratification to prevent hot water mixing with cold, Mixergy tanks heat only the water required instead of the whole tank at once when operating with direct electric, gas or PV. This approach, combined with the use of AI techniques that learn to heat water only when it is needed, can save consumers up to 20% on their hot water bills. When connecting a heat pump, installers simply fit the Mixergy Heat Transfer Module (HTM) , which uses an external plate heat exchanger assembly and circulation pump to achieve a more efficient heat transfer and improved volumetric performance. The HTM boosts the heat pump’s coefficient of performance (COP) by up to 10% for water heating whilst the tank is able to store up to 20% more hot water within the same installation volume compared to a coil heated tank. “The government has set a target for 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028, which the industry agrees is a challenging goal,” said Dr Pete Armstrong, chief executive officer and co-founder, Mixergy. “By developing a heat-pump ready cylinder, we are offering householders a way to upgrade their water tank now, connect it to their existing boiler and be ready if they choose to install a heat pump in the future. The same tank will continue to work if the gas boiler is upgraded to work with hydrogen or if the customer decides to go all-electric with PV and a smart tariff. Fundamentally, we believe that there are multiple paths to net zero and we are determined that our tanks should be equipped for all without needing to be replaced. This saves money and hassle whilst eliminating the environmental impact of product obsolescence.” The Mixergy cylinder is also available as a slim-line version, which is the smallest heat-pump cylinder on the market, and comes with a 25 year warranty. As well as its multi-use features, Mixergy tanks offer smart scheduling controls through an app and are internet-connected to enable them to work with smart time-of-use energy tariffs, so that consumers have the option to heat their water when electricity prices are low or even negative. Mixergy’s solution was the first domestic hot water product to be certified by National Grid to provide grid flexibility services. Mixergy is working with Centrica to deploy thousands of smart hot water tanks as part of Centrica’s 2.5GW virtual power plant. Mixergy tanks already deliver more than a megawatt of Demand Side Response (DSR) service to the National Grid, time shifting demand to help balance the grid and facilitate the uptake of renewable energy generation.

As an electric arc lamp, a helical xenon flash tube can produce extremely full-spectrum, incoherent, and intense white light for short times. Designers used electrodes on both ends with glass tubing to make the flash tube. When a user triggers it, it produces the light by ionizing and conducting a high voltage pulse. While the photographic platform gets the most use of the helical xenon flash tube, others who employ it are entertainment, industrial, medical, and scientific industries. Construction Bursting with a noble gas, there is a hermetically sealed glass tube in the lamp. This noble gas is typically xenon. Also essential to transmitting electrical current to the gas are the electrodes, and vital to boosting the gas for any trigger occasion is a high voltage power source. Operators also use a charged capacitor for the supply of energy to the flash. With that, when they trigger the lamp, they can have speedy delivery of high electrical current. Glass Envelopes The glass envelopes are made of Pyrex, borosilicate, or fused quartz and typically thin. These can be bent or straight into several different shapes, such as circular, U shape, and helical. Whether because of plastic degradation, laser rod damage, ozone production, or other detrimental impacts, some applications may not need the ultraviolet light emission. As such, users can use doped fused silica in these cases. With that, they can get different cutoff wavelengths on the ultraviolet side when doping with titanium dioxide. However, solarization may impact the material. This case is because they typically use it in non-laser lamps, sun-ray lamps, and medical lamps. Cerium-doped quartz tends to be a better alternative. Since the fluorescence reradiated part of the absorbed ultraviolet as visible, it has higher efficiency and does not suffer from solarization. Users can get their cutoff at around 380 nm. Conversely, they use synthetic quartz as the envelope when calling for ultraviolet. Though its cutoff is at 160 nm and susceptible to solarization, its materials are the most expensive. The rate of the lamp’s power level is in area/watts, and the lamp’s inner wall surface divides the total electrical input power. Essentially, it is quite crucial to cool the lamp envelope and electrodes at high power levels. Lower average power levels can cause enough of the air cooling. Operators use a liquid to cool high power lamps with a tube they use to encase the lamp by flowing demineralized water. The glass will shrink around the electrodes due to water-cooled lamps to provide a direct thermal conductor between the cooling water and the electrodes. There must also be a cooling medium flow across the whole length of the electrodes and lamp. There must also be water flowing across the exposed electrode ends and the continuous-wave arc and high average power lamps. As such, operators can use deionized water to prevent a short circuit. There is a need for above 15 W/cm2 forced air cooling. They can use liquid cooling when in a compact space, and when it is above 30 W/cm2, liquid cooling is required. Because the thinner walls have lower mechanical strain across the material thickness, they can survive loads with higher average-power. Between the cooling water and hot plasma, a temperature gradient caused the mechanical strain. Thus, operators use thinner glass when designing continuous-wave arc lamps. The belief is that with thicker material, it will be possible to handle the shock wave energy impact that can be generated by a short-pulsed arc. As such, they typically use quartz that is about 1 mm thick for flash tube construction. The output power has another limit from the envelope material. The limit for 200 W/cm2 is 1 mm thick fused quartz. However, there may be about 240 W/cm2 for synthetic quartz with similar thickness. Borosilicate and some other glasses don’t have the same power loading capacity as quartz. And because of the increased glass energy absorption resulting from sputtered deposits and solarization, there is a need for some derating for aging lamps. Seals and Electrodes People can use different techniques to seal each tube end as the electrodes protrude into them. They can bond ribbon seals with its thin molybdenum foil strips directly to the glass, and with that, they can have a durable project. However, they will have a limited amount of current passing through. If they are looking for a robust mechanical seal, they can use solder seals for the glass. However, this sealing can only be useful with the low-temperature operation. Rod seal is the most common with laser pumping applications. With this, the designer wet the electrode rod using a different glass type. They will then bind it to a quartz tube directly. They can have a durable seal capable of outweighing high currents and temperature. The glass and the seal need to have a similar expansion coefficient. Users can have low electrode wear with tungsten electrodes. It has the highest melting point for metals and can handle the electrons’ thermionic emission. The byproduct of porous tungsten are cathodes with a barium compound fill. People can get low work functions with it. Therefore, they must tailor the cathode structure for the application. Anodes are made from pure tungsten. They are also made when there is a requirement for good machinability. People machine them to offer additional surface space to handle the power loading. There is mostly a sharp-tipped cathode with DC arc lamps to control temperature and keep the arc away from the glass. And to decrease sputter peak currents may cause and reduce the hot spot event, there is a flattened radius cathode with flash tubes. What also influences electrode design is the average power. Operators must take note to achieve enough electrode cooling when at high levels of average power. The lamp’s life expectancy may significantly reduce through cathode overheating, even when there is lower importance for anode temperature. Regarding the fill pressure and gases, people may have a range of a few kilopascals to hundreds of kilopascals of gas fill

There’s nothing new about flickering lights, electrical wiring, and device installation in the home. Electrical projects are among the most common issues homeowners have to deal with on a daily basis. And because we all know how easy these situations could go south, the first instinct is to fix them. Hiring a technician to fix the problem is something some people deem financially unnecessary. Why spend money when you can do it yourself? However, what most of them fail to acknowledge is that not everyone can handle an electrical project. Going DIY on an electrical project could go south real fast, which could only end up costing you more. Before getting your tool box and going to work, determine whether this is a situation that requires the expert skills of a technician or not. If the project is beyond your skill set, you should call up an electrician for assistance. What are some of the situations you may need to hire a professional to tackle an electrical project in the home? Let’s dive into the article and find out. Rewiring the house Choosing to rewire your house may seem like a great idea until you find other systems such as electrical switches and circuits you never would have known existed. Before you get ahead of yourself, you should know that the house’s wiring is connected to a broader interdependent network. On the surface, it may look simple, but it is more complicated than that. It takes a professional to find their way around the system and rewire the house with no problem. 2. Replacing control panels Flickering lights are a common sign that your control panel has a problem. What you might assume is a minor inconvenience could be part of a bigger problem. Looking up a few guidelines on the internet will not cut it. Your control panel may need servicing or replacement; either way, you need to know the NEC code regulations to do this. The best solution is to call up your local electrician in Surrey and have them look into the problem. 3. Relocating the power grid You may think, ‘Who needs an electrician when you can YouTube your way around relocating a power grid?’ Trust us; it’s not that simple. If you do not want to end up with a blackout or an accident, get a professional electrician to do it. It will save you both time and money to trust your electrical contractor with the project when you think of it. 4. Installing additional light Adding a new light where there was no sign of one requires one to get into the wiring and figure out how to run it to where it is needed. If you have no understanding of outlets and how an electrical circuit works, do not risk it. Call a professional electrician with knowledge, experience, and tools to install an outlet for your light. 5. Tripping circuit breakers Overcoming this kind of problem is straightforward once you determine which appliance is causing your circuit breaker to trip. However, if you’re still unable to determine what’s causing it, then you may need a commercial electrical contractor to step in and help. 6. Power outlets or switches are warm to the touch This can sometimes indicate that an electrical system is overloaded, which can usually lead to electric shocks, and worse, cause fire. Although there are many videos you can find online teaching you how to replace your electrical outlets, replacing or installing an electrical outlet of light switch is a project that needs a licensed and trained electrician.  7. Installing a security system Technology is a gift that keeps on giving and security systems in the 21st century are a testament. As the security systems have upgraded to ensure more safety, the more complicated they have become. The manual instructions that once guided homeowners through the installation are no longer the all-you-need guide. It is best to seek the help of an experienced Surrey electrician to do the installation. While this minimizes your frustration, it also ensures installation is done correctly. Why hire an electrician? Here are some of the reasons you shouldn’t risk solving the above-mentioned electrical problems yourself.  Reduce the risk of short circuit and fires: Incorrect wiring installation at home increases the likelihood of causing a short circuit, which can usually lead to heat build-up, melting your wiring and cause electrical fire. Conforming to building codes: A licensed electrician is required to handle wiring work and conform with building codes. These codes are complicated and detailed and failure to follow it can be dangerous and even make your property difficult to sell.  Final Thoughts Recommending that you hire a professional electrical contractor in these cases does not mean you will no longer change your bulb. As long as you leave the technical stuff to the experts, you can change as many bulbs as you want. What we simply mean is if you do not know your way around an electrical system, it is both safe and convenient to have an expert do it for you. Do some digging on professional electricians in your area and hire one best for your electrical needs.