ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE SKILLS
FOR INSTRUMENTATION PERSONNEL
COURSE 120: 8 DAYS
The end objectives are identical to those of the Electrical maintenance skills (Course 110) but this course starts from the assumption of prior electrical knowledge associated with instrumentation engineers, or candidates who have gained a basic understanding of the relevant electrical principles from another source. It is designed to provide basic electrical skills to those who wish to perform first-line electrical maintenance tasks – including the safe isolation, replacement and testing of a range of common electrical devices (motors, sensors, heating elements, solenoids, etc.) – in a safe and effective manner. Importantly, the format of the course is specifically designed so that, when combined with suitable on-site consolidation of training (see section ‘Consolidation of training’), it will assist the maintenance manager in meeting the legal requirements for employee competency in electrical work.
PARTICIPANTS
The content of the course is aimed specifically at those who currently fulfil an instrumentation role. Since prior electrical knowledge is assumed it is important to note that basic electrical theory is not covered on this course.
COURSE PRESENTATION
The course has an extensive ‘hands-on’ component, placing emphasis on safe working practice and on the development of useful, practical skills. Comprehensive course notes are provided.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
On completion of the course, participants will be able to
- practice safe working methods on electrical systems
- understand the relevant regulative requirements
- understand the principles of earthing / protection and associated protective devices
- demonstrate an understanding of electrical systems, switchgear and circuit types
- recognise the most common industrial motor types and understand their operation, connections and maintenance requirements
- identify motor and power circuit faults
- take precautions when resetting overloads etc
- perform electrical isolation, testing for dead, etc on a wide range of devices and circuits safely.
Successful completion of the course leads to the award of Amicus / Technical Training Solutions competence certificate 120: Electrical maintenance skills for instrumentation personnel.
This course is particularly suitable for our on-site consolidation scheme, which enables candidates to practice their newly acquired skills in the workplace. For more information on the scheme, please contact us.
What do candidates on the electrical maintenance skills for instrumentation personnel course actually do?
In Week 1 candidates learn about electrical dangers and protection methods; the principles of earthing, the effects of electric shock, fuses, circuit breakers, RCDs and other related issues. They also learn about the Electricity at Work (EAW) Regulations and how these might affect their future work - exploring issues like live-working, competency, etc.
We teach them the right way to prepare and terminate cables into plugs and sockets, how to use professional crimp tools to crimp conductors properly, and whilst doing this we can ensure that they are able to use the relevant tools correctly.
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They also learn why and how to use insulation and continuity testers, for which we have developed simulation units so that once they are able to use the testers properly to check cables, accessories and current-using equipment, they then apply their skills to finding open circuits, short circuits and insulation breakdowns within specially constructed test circuits. This allows them to gain some basic electrical faultfinding skills, developing their skills and understanding of electrical fundamentals into the electrical engineering field.
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We then teach the candidates about three-phase motors: how they work, identification features, terminal configuration, testing, etc, whilst using their knowledge of voltage, current and resistance to understand the principles of induction.
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In Week 2 we then introduce industrial control panels with DIN-rail mounted components like MCBs, fuses, contactors, overload relays, timers, switches and lamps. The candidates build some basic industrial electrical circuits - for example from simple DOL to star/delta starters - giving them the experience of recognising each of the components, their markings and terminal identifications, the differences between the load and control circuits etc, in an engaging way that they really enjoy.
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The candidates can then (before connecting these circuits up to our custom-manufactured 3-phase 40 Volt motors) inspect and test their prepared units, ensuring that the circuits have been interpreted correctly. We have developed a three phase 40-volt ac supply to power these systems so that all this can be done safely.
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Candidates are then presented with various scenarios, to which they apply their knowledge of how a safe isolation should be performed on a practical working electrical circuit.
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