1 Safety Considerations

This laboratory uses 208 Volt 3-phase power supplies, bench-top rotating machinery and resistor banks to dissipate 1.5 kW into heat. There are numerous ways in which you may cause significant harm to yourself, other students or the equipment. Please follow the guidelines below. The voltages used in this lab can cause severe electric shock leading to serious injury. You should take care to ensure that the power supply is off when connecting circuits and also exercise caution when moving near the energized conductors. The supply to the drive is a 208V 15A supply, the drive DC link voltage is in excess of 300V DC. The drive output is up to the input at 208Vac and the DC machine generates up to 180V DC at the terminals. Particular caution should be taken care near:

1.1 You should:

  • Keep clear of the motor shaft while the machines are rotating. The surface force at the shaft is in excess of 1kN. Loose clothing and jewellery should be removed if possible (e.g. ties) or restrained. Long hair must be tied back.
  • Only make changes to the circuit when the power is off and the machines are not rotating. With the exception of the power meter, feel free to move the voltage probes and current probe when necessary but please be careful.
  • Make sure that an instructor or TA checks your circuit before energising to avoid costly mistakes.
  • The machines and load boxes can get very hot when operating under high loads. So be cautious if you are going to touch them because they can burn you.
  • Do not exceed the capabilities or specification of the equipment because this can cause damage. Make sure you are aware of the specifications (current, speed etc.). This is particularly important when adding load resistors in parallel. The load resistance for the DC machine at one speed may not be safe at a higher speed.
  • Immediately report all damaged equipment to the lab instructor.
  • Please be cautious with your experiments!!!