High-performance motor control and distribution centre

Eaton's Power Xpert CXH system incorporates advanced motor control and protection technologies designed to optimise performance while protecting personnel and equipment. It helps increase the safety of operations and maintenance personnel by incorporating arc flash mitigation technologies to minimise the dangers associated with an arc flash event, surpassing the requirements established in IEC/TR 61641. The MCC's fully isolated busbars, segregated cable connections and terminal barriers are specially designed to help prevent arc flashes by creating arc-free and arc-proof zones.

The system enables closed-door racking from disconnect, to test and connect positions for user safety during operation. The incoming air circuit breaker (ACB) is equipped with Eaton's Arc Flash Reduction Maintenance System which reduces incident energy during maintenance. It is enabled only for the time required to perform maintenance, and as a result, it preserves over-current coordination under normal operating conditions.

Safety is critical to uptime, but so is the reliability of control and power distribution equipment. The Power Xpert CXH MCC is reliable and its robust design improves process uptime and reduces maintenance. A key feature is Eaton's patented low-resistance silver-plated scissor clamps which reduce contact wear on the vertical busbar. This special contact is designed so that there is no welding to the vertical bus in the event of high starting or short circuit currents.

Power Xpert CXH withdrawable units can be exchanged from the front without a shut-down or power-off. This means replacements and additions to the system can be carried out without having to interrupt production. The drawers can be interchanged quickly, without disconnecting wiring and networking cables, offering a plug-and-play system, and are tested for more than 1000 mechanical operations, significantly higher than the IEC standard of 200.

The MCC has a small footprint, with increased flexibility of design. With virtually maintenance-free vertical busbars, and because all the functions can be accessed from the front of the switchgear, the need for rear access is reduced. As a result, the Power Xpert CXH can be placed against a wall (requiring only 10cm for ventilation purposes), which can save up to 1m2 per section, allowing more valuable floor-space for the process or application. The portfolio includes high-density drawer configurations, which enables its small footprint.

In addition, Power Xpert CXH MCC is equipped with the intelligence of the Power Xpert C445 motor management relay, which is designed to give advanced diagnostics such as performance trending, fault analysis and high-accuracy data monitoring, so users can prioritise their maintenance schedules to help keep their processes running smoothly and further minimise downtime.

Peter Werner, global product line manager for low-voltage IEC assemblies at Eaton, says: "Motor failure has the potential to cause production downtime, costly repair bills and serious safety concerns for plant personnel, so protection from a reliable motor control and power distribution solution is a core element of a dependable and safe system. At Eaton we are dedicated to helping our customers operate safely while maximising uptime, so we've designed the Power Xpert CXH to deliver reliable high-performance control and protection so users in oil and gas, mining and other industries can improve process efficiencies."

To learn more about Eaton and the Power Xpert CXH, visit www.eaton.eu.