Published by the Communications and Development Department

 

3 November 2003

A practical project by power engineering students at the University of Canterbury may hold the key to a safer working environment at the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter (NZAS).

Earlier this year staff at the smelter approached the University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for help in developing a test to determine the level of electrical insulation provided by the boots worn by smelter staff.

Lecturer Dr Wade Enright set the task as a project for final-year students and seven teams of three set about building a “hand to foot” tester which staff could use at the start of each shift. NZAS provided $2000 for materials, seven pairs of boots for testing and three industrial standard multimeters as prizes for the winning team. The results have impressed both Dr Enright and NZAS.

Glenn Otway, site specialist electrical engineer with NZAS, said the company was always looking at ways to maintain a safe working environment in the potlines.
" The potline environment is one where people work in close proximity to live electrical buswork and rely on, amongst other things, electrical insulation for protection.”

Unable to find a suitable workboot electrical insulation tester off the shelf, which met the company’s requirements, NZAS turned to the students for ideas.

" The outcome from NZAS’s perspective has been extremely rewarding and is testament to the quality of power system engineering students coming from the University of Canterbury.

" A number of effective solutions were prototyped which, with a small amount of additional development, could be applied to our working environment,” said Mr Otway.

" The best three boot-testers will be transported to NZAS where we hope to engage a University of Canterbury student over the holiday period to further develop the boot-tester and commission it for in-service use.”

Dr Enright said the project provided a lot of fun for the students who had to test their own devices to ensure they did not give electric shocks. Creating a test that would gauge the insulation of boots, without having enough current that would let the person feel a sensation of electric shock when the insulation failed, was quite a challenge, Dr Enright said. Students did experience shocks during the trials but nothing that required “doctor or hospital treatment”.

The project was run along similar lines to an engineering contracting job. The teams, working in competition with one another, submitted a conceptual design report that NZAS reviewed. Once the design reports were approved, students turned their attention to manufacturing and testing.

" The students were very innovative and provided a fresh look at the problem. All made devices that worked and everyone passed,” said Dr Enright. “If further testing proves successful, I imagine these boot-testers will end up in smelters around the world.”

 

For further information contact:
Dr Wade Enright
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Canterbury
Ph 03 364 2867
Email wade.enright@canterbury.ac.nz