Sinking and Sourcing Concepts and their differences

Sourcing and sinking are the core terms of PLC wiring and can greatly affect the reliability and functionality of your control system. In this article, we will explore these fundamental concepts and ensure the success in design and installation of a PLC system. What is sinking and sourcing? Sinking and sourcing refer to two distinct … Read more

Electrical terms and their definitions

Below are the 500 most common Electrical Terms and their definitions. Many find these terms might sound confusing to you. Hope this electrical glossary helps you understand those. Electrical terms list AC (Alternating Current) Electric current that periodically reverses direction, commonly used in power transmission. AC Coupling A method of coupling two circuits together through … Read more

The Concepts of a 4-20mA current Loop

4-20mA Current loops are widely used to transmit process variable data such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, level, consistency, speed, etc between the process controllers and the field devices. Transmitters convert these process signals to 4-20mA DC for the purpose of transmitting the signal. This signal can be transmitted to a long distance with little … Read more

Ground potential rise

Ground Potential Rise (GPR) refers to the increase in electrical potential between the ground and a point of reference when a fault occurs on a power system. It is caused by lightning or high voltage ground faults. Under these conditions the potential of the soil surrounding the point of ground fault increases to dangerous levels. … Read more

Differences between GTO and SCR

Gate turn-off thyristors (GTO) and Silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR) are semiconductor switching devices used in converters, rectifiers, charging circuits, etc. in order to control the current flow. This article illustrates the key differences between GTO and SCR. What is an SCR? An SCR is a unidirectional semiconductor device that can be triggered into conduction by … Read more

Factors influencing requirements for a good grounding system

Grounding systems are required not only to ensure the safety of the personnel and the safe operation of equipment but also to protect the system from lightning and ensure accurate measurement of electrical parameters. Here are a few factors that influence the requirements for a good grounding system. The following are the major factors influencing … Read more

Gate turn-Off thyristor (GTO)

A gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) is three terminal semiconductor device – made up of four layers of alternating P-type and N-type material. Just like a conventional thyristor, it is also a current controlled, minority carrier device. The gate turn-off thyristor was invented with the purpose to address the difficulties in the turn OFF mechanism of … Read more

What is a motor control center (MCC)?

Hundreds are electrical motors are used in modern-day industries for process automation and control. To control those motors, motor control centers or MCC panels are needed. They contain circuit breakers and motor starters to start, stop and run motors effectively. In this article let us discuss the structure types and features of motor control centers … Read more

Methods of Ground/ Earth resistance measurements on existing systems

It is vital to maintain good ground in a system. In order to ensure that, ground resistance measurements and tests are conducted on existing earth electrodes at periodic intervals after their installation. This ensures the resistance in the ground is at an acceptable level and is maintained. Here are the different methods of ground/ earth … Read more