March/April 2019 I 27
equipment is installed once
and remains in that place.
However, in the industrial space,
large power users, such as machines
and supporting systems, can be
moved, replaced, or added regularly.
Machines and equipment may have
their own transformer(s) for voltage
adjustment and/or isolation
protection. As these power
components migrate around the
facility, it is common that there will
be differences in ground potential
between these pieces of equipment
and possibly the base building’s
power distribution system. These
differences in potential move and
change along with the equipment,
and they can quickly introduce
harmful levels of electrical noise
into the communications
infrastructure. In a perfect scenario,
all grounding and bonding would
be sufficient and remain intact such
that this situation would not be
a concern, but history denotes
otherwise. In light of this, installers
must also be keenly aware of this
scenario when installing the
infrastructure and may need
to consult with the designer
throughout a project to ensure
the communication system's
ultimate reliability.
When considering that the
infrastructure on a factory floor
actually controls the product
equipment and its inherent safety
components, ICT infrastructure
designers and installers should
recognize the vital importance
of their work. If the installed
infrastructure is substandard and
a machine or process malfunctions,
a person’s life may be at risk, high
value product may be deemed scrap,
or a production unit may lose
thousands of dollars an hour until
the issue is identified and resolved.
This has a much greater impact
than a user not receiving an email
in a timely manner or not being
able to connect to the internet for
a brief time.
The key to rolling out a successful
industrial IP infrastructure project
is to ensure that both the design
and installation teams have
sufficient knowledge and experience
to both identify and mitigate the
incumbent risks to the infrastructure
within these varied and evolving
intelligent environments, as well
as adhering to applicable codes,
standards, and best practices. Choose
to learn and grow together!
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Luke Young,
RCDD, is the general manager
at Sam Young Electric, a design
and installation company located in
Ontario, Canada. His credentials include
Construction & Maintenance Electrician
(with Industrial Electronic Control)
since 1995, an RCDD since 1998,
and a Master Electrician since 2007.
His extensive 20-year plus ICT
experience includes managing a
contracting business where he designed,
quoted, and installed electrical power,
control, and communications
infrastructure systems. Luke can
be reached at
lyoung@samyoungelectric.com.
link
/www.hca.hitachi-cable.com