1. science
2. engineering

delive r ing re lia bilit y
Annual Review 2014
Contents:
• Key Performance Indicators - Summary
• Introduction - Paula O’Neill
• Career Transition - Hugh O’Kelly & Raymond Sexton
• Quality Standards - Pat MacNally
• Delivering Excellence in Reliability - Michal Sopocko
• Designing a Future - Robbie Gilbert
• Premium Software - Alan O’Kelly
• Safety is Paramount - An Approach to Arc Flash - Andrew Hogan
• Premium Support - Judy Fitzpatrick
• New Frontiers - Paul Dempsey
• Top Quality Gear - David Corcoran
• Premium Power Board - Raymond Sexton/Jack O’Keefe
• Power Team - Michael/Joe et al
• Social Calendar/Family News - Paula O’Neill
Annual Review 2014
Key Performance Indicators-Summary
>Growth in Turnover: 30%
>Number of Languages Spoken: 9
>Number of New Employees: 5
>Number of Countries Serviced: 5
Introduction
Welcome to our inaugural Premium Power
Annual Review. It’s been a busy year and
we want to highlight some of the major
achievements and events during the year be
they recruitment, technical development, client
support or social. To add some spice we have
spread the task across a range of our team and
we hope you enjoy the result. For my part here
are some key points I believe are worth noting.
With our Financial Year just finished in May we’re
delighted to see a steady increase in demand for
our services. Sales are up by over 25%, mostly due
to an increased demand for consultancy services.
Hogan outlines this in more detail and Pat McNally
highlights our accreditation for providing CPD
Courses in this area.
They say ‘the only place where success comes
before work is in the dictionary’ so it goes with
saying that these achievements are due to the great
diligence and hard-work of our team.
Customers are being made aware of the
advantages of keeping the software model of their
electrical system up to date. We offer this as a
service to our customers and they come to us for
any changes required to protection coordination,
load flow, short circuit studies or capacity planning.
Our champion in this area is Michal Sopocko who
will tell you more on page 3.
Our commitment to excellence continues through
a relentless pursuit of a greater knowledge and
understanding of the Power Quality issues affecting
our clients in the Pharmaceutical, Industrial,
Utility and Data Centre sectors. Our recent
National Power Quality Survey is the most recent
manifestation of this commitment.
Specialist electrical design work for generation
projects such as wind farms is an interesting
growth area. Changes to grid and distribution
codes have increased requirements in this sphere.
We now offer a comprehensive list of services for
this supported by the latest versions of the various
modeling tools required by customers.
Focused on the large energy enterprises on the
island of Ireland this survey sought to identify:
• The strategically important power reliability issues
in the industrial, commercial and IT sectors
• The cost to users of inadequate resilience,
reliability etc. on electrical power systems.
About 50 participants took part and the results are
currently been analyzed by the Beaufort Research
Centre in UCC and we look forward to sharing the
results with you in the coming months.
The demand for power system modeling services
continue to grow, particularly for arc flash incident
energy assessments. Later in this review Andrew
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On the power quality measurement side of things,
we are seeing compliance to new standards and
codes for harmonic measurements, ROCOF and
communication upgrades as driving requirements
for more specialists power quality meters. We
continue to assess the best offering for our
customers in this regard.
With new staff, growing revenues and profitability
we are ambitious for the future as we seek to
provide exemplary services to our customers and
provide both meaningful and satisfying employment
for our staff as well as a good return on investment
for our shareholders.
Here’s to a great 2014-2015! -Paula O’Neill
Premium Power Annual Review 2014
Career Transition
During the year our Founder and Technical Inspiration Hugh O’Kelly decided he wanted to spend more time on personal and
recreational pursuits. To mark his transition we held a special dinner in the Conrad Hotel in Dublin. All Directors and Staff along
with their partners enjoyed a beautifully prepared meal and joined Hugh and Mary in celebrating the occasion. Paula O’Neill, our
CEO outlined the pivotal role that Hugh played in the foundation and development of the company and she went on to express our
genuine hope that Hugh enjoys the next stage in his personal journey. Hugh, we’re sure will continue to have an interest in the
current trends in Power Quality and be fascinated by any unusual power events that we identify. Hugh in turn wished us all well
for the future and for the ongoing development of the company. A great night was had by all!
- Hugh O’Kelly & Raymond Sexton
Quality Standards
Delivering Excellence in Reliability
Quality Standards, ISO 9001 & OHSAS
18001 help us meet your needs.
Industry sectors experience different challenges be it through
expansion or downsizing of their operations. As products and
services change, the need to adjust the electrical infrastructure
becomes apparent. Even without significant change the need
for ongoing maintenance remains as electrical components
have a recommended life span and they need to be inspected
and evaluated on a regular basis.
Quality and occupational health
and safety is at the core of
everything we believe in and do.
In this regard, our integrated
QHS management system helps
ensure not only that we meet our
customers’ expectations in terms
quality and occupational health and
safety, but also that we enhance
customer satisfaction. We aim to
all meet statutory and regulatory
requirements and towards this
end, we maintain a comprehensive
register of legal requirements and
technical standards.
A point in case being our arc flash training programme,
which has received accreditation from Engineers Ireland.
This training programme incorporates a detailed discussion
of the legal requirements in relation to arc flash hazard, not
least the need for risk assessment, and the provision of safe
equipment, information, instruction, training and supervision.
The programme also includes a discussion of relevant national
standards, as they apply to the analysis of arc flash hazard, and
the provision of suitable switchgear and PPE.
Our management system treats quality and H&S as being
inextricably linked. Indeed, we know our customers see the
benefits of this approach through our monitoring of customer
perceptions of our service.
Through customer feedback we identify improvement
opportunities and the journey towards excellence continues.
Our engineers carry out all work in accordance with the results
of risk assessments and method statements and communicate
these to all parties involved. Raising awareness of Quality and
Occupational Health & Safety is core to our approach bringing
observations with regard to safety to the attention of our
customers.
All of the above aspects influence the reliability of the site.
Early last year, Premium Power developed an enhanced
reliability offering for industrial customers, which can be
utilised for successful electrical network design, plant
expansion (with capacity planning) and as maintenance tools,
thus improving the plant stability.
Through Premium Power’s emphasis on excellence and
reliability we have secured a new range of customers with
interesting projects, ranging from UPS & MCC investigations to
system design and commissioning of wind turbine at mission
critical site.
To assist in raising awareness of the component parts of Power
Reliability we developed the reliability pyramid (shown below)
including highlighting reliability standard IEEE493. With greater
awareness in the industry we identified new opportunities and
in turn set new challenges for plant managers.
Premium Power carry out studies based on statistical
calculations which present a new approach to cost benefit
analysis relating to system reliability. This is a powerful
engineering tool when applying for budgets for upgrade,
expansion or design projects.
There is a high demand for Power Reliability Assessments and
we continue to be commissioned because of excellence in our
engineering approach, quality of the work delivered and our
commitment to health and safety.
- Michal Sopocko
While ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 certification is very
important to us and our customers, crucially we recognise
that certification is not an end in itself. Rather, it is through
the continuing implementation and
maturation of our management
system in accordance with the
requirements of those two standards
that we seek to continually improve
both quality and occupational health
and safety performance, and enhance
customer satisfaction.
-Pat MacNally
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Premium Power Annual Review 2014
Designing a Future
Premium Software
Coming from a large multi-disciplinary engineering
consultancy I joined the Premium Power team in May this year,
attracted by the prospect of a genuine opportunity to develop
both personally and professionally.
Our advanced software solutions bring expertise and value to
Industry and Utilities alike. 2014 has seen us deploy version 2
our Decision Metrix platform to ESB Networks where it helps a
company to lead the world in renewable integration.
Electrical design has been my thing with some exposure to the
role of construction. With experience in sectors such as Oil and
Gas, Infrastructural, Medical Device, Semi-Conductor, Power
Generation I’m passionate about championing the delivery of a
more comprehensive range of design services to the market.
Building on Premium Power’s specialist Power Reliability
expertise, we aim to further support our clients by providing
more integrated electrical design services.
Our solution helps ESB monitor and evaluate network
performance of Fault Ride Through, Maximum Export
Capacity, Power Quality and many other increasingly important
characteristics of a modern distribution network.
Additionally we have leveraged the Decision Metrix platform
to bring Energy Advanced Budget Solutions to a world leading
chip manufacturer.
Before I joined, I was aware of
Premium Power’s reputation of not
being shy of the more technically
challenging projects. From first
meeting the Premium Power
team I was further impressed and
immediately became interested in
becoming part of the group.
By combining Premium Power’s
extensive technical expertise and my
experience in engineering consultancy,
we now have a unique service offering
that can assist our Clients at every
stage of the project lifecycle. Premium
Power can now offer system design,
construction, commissioning services
while also bringing significant
expertise in the identification and
provision of solutions to issues concerning existing electrical
systems.
The autumn will see a new developer join Premium Power
through the InterTradeIreland Fusion Programme. This role
will give us the capacity to begin the next phase of our product
development.
Figure 1.Decision Metrix. Fault Ride
Through Screen
I look forward to doing my part in ensuring that Premium
Power are the ‘go to’ company for expert technical power
systems consultancy for all companies operating in the
engineering sector in Ireland and our chosen international
markets.
Premium Power’s commitment to
excellence and our customer focus will
at the forefront of the next stage as we
develop cloud based solution. We will
leverage our knowledge leadership to
bring value to large range of customers.
-Robbie Gilbert
-Alan O’Kelly
Safety is Paramount-An Approach to Arc Flash
Safety is Non-Negotiable - An Approach to Tackling Electrical Arc Flash
Without a detailed arc flash risk assessment, your staff, contractors or visitors are at risk. The risk is
significant for electricians and people working close to electrical equipment. In particular the risk is
greater if they do not know to what level of arc flash hazard they are exposed.
By ascertaining the potential Arc Flash hazard of your electrical infrastructure and its various component parts you
will allow responsible parties to deal with the risk accordingly. In addition the risk of an Arc Flash, once identified can
often be greatly reduced by implementing mitigation techniques. Premium Power can implement Arc Flash mitigation
measures including the design, procurement, installation and commissioning of the specialist equipment if required.
Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Statistics
The USA have been the world leaders in assessing arc flash as a hazard in its own right as far back as the 1970’s. US
statistics clearly define the difference between an electric shock and electric arc flash hazard, and record it as such. A lack of
understanding and knowledge around the topic of arc flash in Europe and Ireland, has meant that electrical hazards, arc flash
and electric shock incidents, are often recorded/branded as the same type of hazard.
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Premium Power Annual Review 2014
Causes and Consequences of an Arc Flash
– Story from Industry
Arc Flash, which is an explosive release of energy, can result
from an electrical short circuit, and can cause serious injury,
including burning, blindness, loss of hearing, impact injury
and even death.
standard IEEE1584, carrying out detailed risk assessments
in line with local has legislation and with proper training,
Premium Power have been able to successfully assist
our clients in implementing the most appropriate control
measures/ mitigation techniques to reduce the arc flash risk to
the people most exposed to the potential hazard.
Critically, Arc Flash accidents typically occur while equipment
is being worked on or operated. This highlights the risks
to those working on live electrical equipment, but also to
those working nearby. The consequences of these Arc Flash
instances can have very serious, and sometimes catastrophic
consequences for both workers and business alike.
Premium Powers Arc Flash Program - Arc Flash Awareness
for the Future
Premium Power have excelled in the last five years in
developing our arc flash offering, adding another 10 arc flash
projects to our ever growing reference list in 2013/2014 alone.
Having made great strides in raising awareness and
understanding around the topic of arc flash in Ireland over past
four to five years, the next step will be to share our knowledge
on arc flash on the European stage. Developments throughout
Europe have already began with trips to the UK and Finland.
The myth that arc flash is a US hazard has well and truly been
quashed with many experienced people in industry recognising
the direct link between the need to assess the potential arc
flash hazard in electrical installations with local legislation,
such as S.I.299 of 2007 part 3 (Electricity).
“Electrical safety is paramount and it starts with electrical arc
flash hazard assessment” (Andrew Hogan, 2014).
The damage to the equipment and injuries to the electrical
contractor were sustained when the electrical contractor was
installing general purpose fuses rated at 10Amps. A loose
connection on one of the phases caused the single phase short
circuit.
Premium Power Approach to Arc Flash
Experience has found that arc flash hazard assessment is not
just a once off instantaneous measurement, but actually a
continuous interactive program, which must be maintained and
adhered to on an ongoing basis.
Deploying Premium Powers Arc Flash Program, by calculating
the magnitude of this hazardous energy using international
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Level 4 Arc Flash PPE
Level 2 Arc Flash PPE
- Andrew Hogan
Premium Power Annual Review 2014
Premium Support
As with any business or organisation Premium Power needs ongoing support across a number of different areas. In my role as
Administrator I can often find it challenging as we try to meet the demands of excellent service delivery, yet I continue to be
rewarded as we resolve issues for staff, suppliers and above all our customers. During the past year we have selected a few
areas for particular attention:
Controls and Procedures have been strengthened to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the business.
In terms of Purchase & Sales Orders we have developed policies and procedures to improve the order tracking system resulting
in significantly reduced errors. This work continues.
An agreed Returns Policy in now in place with our main supplier streamlining faulty product returns.
Providing a high quality Working Environment for all staff is paramount and with staff numbers increasing this will be addressed
progressively.
-Judy Fitzpatrick
New Frontiers
With a growing team, diverse in backgrounds of experience we have decided to widen our remit and offer our services to the Oil &
Gas Sector and the evolving Wind Energy Sector.
Oil and Gas platforms and installations often suffer similar power reliability problems as other mission critical clients, albeit on
an even larger scale. Our initial step in approaching this market is to gain a better understanding of the sector through involving
the various Oil & Gas installations on the island of Ireland in our Power Quality Survey. Through this process, we’ve had some early
encouragement by recently securing an Earthing Study for the Shell Corrib gas plant in Mayo.
In the Wind Energy Sector the Lower Cork Harbour Group Wind Turbine
Project in Ringaskiddy has proved a huge success and provides an
excellent reference site for Premium Power. This project though very
technically challenging, delivered many learning outcomes which can be
applied to large scale wind projects. Premium Power is committed to this
growing sector and continues to carry out Research & Development to
enhance our service offering to both National and International clients.
- Paul Dempsey
Top Quality Gear
The cost of power quality mitigation is often a very small
fraction to the costs associated with an unplanned interruption
to a mission critical process. A holistic approach needs to be
taken in dealing with these types of power quality issues which
are becoming more and more of a concern due to continuing
expansion of complex and sensitive electronic equipment.
Premium Power provides an extensive range of power quality
solutions. My job is to ensure that we offer the best solution,
at the best price to each client. Usually, this starts with a full
in-depth power quality investigation which allows for the best
& most cost effective solution for the client.
Filters & Surge Protective Devices
Voltage transients can have a serious impact on the reliability
of an electrical system. Critical processes depend on a clean
uninterruptable supply. Premium Power offer solutions such
as
Power Conditioning
Power quality disturbances such as poor power factor or
high levels of voltage harmonics can lead to unplanned
interruptions to mission critical processes. These critical
processes require a clean supply. Premium Power offers the
most cost effective solutions for power conditioning. We offer
solutions such as
• Detuned PFC Units
• Active & Passive Harmonic Filters
• Active Tracking Filter
We are continuously researching and engaging with equipment
manufacturers to be at the forefront in providing our clients the
most viable and cost effective PQ solutions.
• Surge protection Device
- David Corcoran
• Sag ride through device
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Premium Power Annual Review 2014
Premium Power Board
I was delighted to join the Board of Premium Power Ltd., a dynamic
engineering company focused on Power Quality Solutions for Mission Critical
Operations for Industrial, Pharmaceutical, Data-centre and Utilities sectors.
Having worked in the energy and industrial sectors for over 25 years I
endeavour to bring a broader perspective to this evolving company. Premium
Power Ltd. has significant growth potential and is poised to have a positive
impact in job creation and in supporting efforts to attract Foreign Direct
Investment and to facilitate major industrial/infrastructural expansions in
Ireland and the UK. It is great to work closely with Jack O’Keefe, the other
Non-Executive Director who is a very experienced Business Consultant with
significant financial experience. It is important for the Board to keep the eye
on the ball in terms of profitability and corporate governance while ensuring
that the talent of the executive team is maximised and fostered.
-Raymond Sexton/Jack O’Keefe
Some Members of the Power Team
Michael Murphy
Joe McCann
My name is Michael Murphy and I have been employed as an Electrical
Engineer with Premium Power since July 2013. I qualified as an
electrician 9 years ago and have since completed level 7 and level 8
degrees in Renewable & Electrical Energy Systems and Electrical/
Electronic Engineering respectively.
Having retrained as an electrical engineer, after nearly 10 years as an
electrician, the biggest challenge for me was to find the right company to
continue my development. That was one of the main reason I was excited to
begin my new career as an electrical engineer with Premium Power. From the
beginning the job has entailed a mix of all disciplines required to excel as an
engineer. These include; technical guidance, report writing, documentation,
sales, software modelling and most importantly communication skills.
Throughout the past year I have been exposed to various electrical
systems and covered a wide range of power quality issues with our
customers. The nature of our work is very interesting as you get to
work one to one with customers and assist in improving their facilities’
overall reliability. All works are carried out in compliance with ISO 9001
and OSHAS 18001 to which Premium Power are certified. Safety is a
huge concern and we practise this throughout all environments be it
working in the office or on-site works.
Our projects involve monitoring, assessing and advising customers
on how to improve the reliability of their plant. Reliability is extremely
important to our customers as power failure could result in millions in
lost revenue. The first step is to identify the underlying issues. This can
be achieved with the permanent/temporary installation of intelligent
power meters which are connected back to a central power monitoring
system. Mitigation techniques can then be advised by Premium Power
once the root cause has been identified.
There is a very keen and diligent staff within our company. All employees
are proactive in continually bettering their skills and are always willing
to assist other engineers when assistance is required. Below is a list of
projects I have been involved in during my time with this company.
• Arc Flash Study
• Power Quality/Harmonic Study
• Power Monitoring System
• Wind Farm Analysis
• Testing of the worlds’ best PQ meters
As a graduate my initial training involved an introduction to the quality
management systems and the software packages used within the
company. Since then my training has progressed to the point where
I can deal directly with clients and answer their questions in a clear
and knowledgeable manner. I have also been fortunate enough to be
trained up as an internal auditor of our quality management system.
This is a vital skill for any engineer as it gives an excellent insight into
the documentation process involved in a company that adheres to very
high standards as ISO 9001 & OHSAS 18001.
This past 12 months has been a steep learning curve for me. I’ve
learned an incredible amount in this period and made my fair share
of mistakes but there is always guidance available to help out when
needed. This makes me all the more comfortable in my role as I know I
can rely on the support of others within the company when I need it.
Another important aspect for me is the relationships with work
colleagues. I am lucky enough to work with a great bunch of people
and a lot of us share similar interests. There have been a number of
social events already this year and more are planned. This gives us the
opportunity to let our hair down and gels the whole team together a
little bit better with the added benefit of a feed of pints in the process.
There is a real buzz around the company these past 12 months and I
feel that I am in the right place at the right time with the right people to
really develop and progress as an engineer.
- Michael Murphy
- Joe McCann
Social Calendar/Family News
granted the professional title of Chartered Engineer from Engineers
Ireland during the year.
The team at Premium Power continue to grow with the second
intake of engineers on the graduate programme currently underway.
Graduates who joined the 2013 Programme are continuing to develop
their skills and experience in specialist areas of power quality, power
analysis and electrical design.
The more experienced engineers are supported to complete their
Masters courses in DIT Kevin Street. They deserve great credit as it can
prove challenging to juggle the various demands on their time.
We are delighted to congratulate Michal Sopocko who has been
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We have also had two very enthusiastic undergraduate electrical
engineering students from DIT and UCG who completed their 6 month
work placements with us. We hope they return to their final year
in college with technical knowledge and an appreciation of what it
takes to become good electrical engineers and how interesting the
work can be. We foster a culture of information sharing and technical
advancement for all who are interested in developing their skills and
achieve their potential as Electrical Engineers.
-Paula O’Neill
Premium Power Annual Review 2014
About Premium Power
At Premium Power our team of highly trained engineers have been providing
power reliability solutions to industry since 2001. We have extensive
experience in delivering mission critical solutions to large customers.
For further information, please visit our website www.premiumpower.ie.
Power Quality
Studies and
Solutions
Training on
Electrical
Reliability and
Safety
Harmonic
Filtering Solutions
and Power Factor
Correction
Intelligent Energy
and Power
Management
Systems
Premium Power Ltd.
Unit 4D
Fingal Bay Business Park
Balbriggan
Co. Dublin
Republic of Ireland
Tel:
+353 (0)1 810 5032
E-mail:
[email protected]
Internet:
www.premiumpower.ie
d el iver in g rel iab il it y