MARECHAL DECONTACTORS™ enhance electrical safety at The Port of Liverpool
MARECHAL DS2 decontactors have been fitted to quay-side cranes at the Port of Liverpool, to replace out-dated hard-wired, ground-box connections. The decontactors allow the Port to improve electrical safety whilst integrating control and power in the same connector, and minimising down-time and maintenance costs. With sealing to IP66/67, the decontactors provide a watertight and dust-tight connection, whilst the robust construction ensures an extended operational lifetime despite the heavy-duty operating environment and high levels of salt-water and spray.
Key Facts:
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- DECONTACTORSTM replace out-dated hard-wired ground-box connections
- Up to 250A power and control signals in the same connector
- Watertight and dust-tight with IP66/67 sealing as standard
- Fast and safe disconnection without the need for a qualified electrician
- Reduces down-time and minimises maintenance time and cost
The unique design of the DS2 decontactors includes safety features such as a quick-release button with an integral isolation switch, which makes it possible for the maintenance team to quickly and safely connect and disconnect power, even under load, and without the need for a qualified electrician. The connection is watertight as soon as the plug is inserted into the socket and the socket-outlet is watertight when lid closed. The DS decontactors are rated for currents up to 250A and are manufactured in metal casings, with silver-nickel butt contacts, enabling them to resist shocks up to IK09.
Gary Holcroft, Engineering Assets Manager at the Port of Liverpool, adds; “The auxiliary contacts in the DS2 decontactors have given us the flexibility to add electrical interlocks, which prevent accidental or malicious disconnection, and have also allowed us to add earth-leakage
circuit-breakers.”
The Port of Liverpool handles 700,000 containers a year, making it one of the busiest ports in the UK. The installation of the MARECHAL decontactors not only increases electrical safety but also allows the maintenance team to work faster which minimises down-time and increases the number of containers that can be loaded and unloaded.
About MARECHAL Electric:
MARECHAL Electric pioneered the use of high performance, silver-nickel butt contacts in electrical socket systems, which are now available for applications from simple compact multipin to heavy duty 600A connections. This technology is used across a range of demanding environments such as the food and drink, nuclear power, heavy industry, infrastructure and ATEX sectors. An effective alternative to both hard-wired equipment and pin/sleeve type contacts, the decontactor is a highly flexible method of connecting and disconnecting electrical equipment at the press of a latch – safely. MARECHAL brought the decontactor, the high performance industrial connector with integral AC21 switch, to the electrical market.
www.marechal-electric.com
About Peel Ports:
Britain”s second largest group of ports, Peel Ports, is strategically located to serve the whole of the United Kingdom. It consists of.five major gateways handling a broad spectrum of international trade amounting to more than 65 million tonnes of cargo a year.
At the centre of the country and at the centre of the Group are the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal, now one continuous water highway forming a single port facility of major strategic significance forged under the banner of Peel Ports.
Clydeport serves Scotland”s industrial heartland. Heysham in Lancashire provides a significant springboard for trade between Britain and Ireland.
Medway Ports sit on the doorstep of the nation”s capital in the prime South East Region of England. The Group also includes the operation of container terminals in Belfast and Dublin.
For further information, please contact:
Laure de Piante
MARECHAL Electric
Tel: + 33 1 45 11 60 56
Email: l.depiante@marechal.com
