ARNON AND TKF FORM A UNIQUE ELECTRIFYING TEAM

Known at the time as Tampereen Kondensaattoritehdas, TKF was founded in 2000 to meet its customers’ capacitor needs. In 2017, TKF was merged with Arnon. In recent years, TKF’s selection has expanded to cover other power quality solutions.

“The power quality field is constantly evolving. The key developments in the big picture are a reduced need for power factor correction and the diversification of power quality challenges. These have been influenced by several factors, including the transition from fluorescent tube lighting to LEDs, and direct drive motors being controlled by frequency converters. The change is continuous and, in close cooperation with our customers, we contribute to this change every day,” says Teemu Lindgren, Sales Directo at TKF.

TKF’s solutions are used at thousands of sites from properties to industry, hospitals to the defense forces, and power companies to airports. Thesecret behind the impressive customer base is profound application know-how and a broad understanding of power quality solutions.

“Our experience allows us to apply the solutions correctly to the situation at hand,” Lindgren says. “Power quality is relevant on a broad scale in very interesting customer appli- cations. Knowledge can be applied and brought to other technological areas, for example from one industrial sector to another.”

CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT

The benefits and cost impacts of the local production of reactive power required by electrical motors are clear to professionals in the sector. TKF’s selection includes power factor correction equipment for small, medium, and high voltages.

“We are happy to investigate together with plants’ electrical experts to determine what kind of solution is the most energy-efficient and appropriate at any given time. The solutions are constantly developing. Several power quality phenomena often come into play simultaneously, and that is when our expertise is put to the best use,” says Lindgren.

For OEM manufacturers, TKF’s services provide a convenient way of integrating partial solutions that improve energy efficiency and power quality as part of the product.

HARMONICS ACCUMULATE COSTS

The costs caused by low power quality are not directly visible on the electricity bill. Harmonics and other phenomena that reduce power quality become apparent, for example, as a power grid failure when an industrial plant with low power quality joins a grid and disrupts the operators that are already connected to the grid. The more delicate electrical devices in the plant’s own network could also break down and wear out: computers in the same electricity network, the logic within a production process, or a coffee machine, for example, might need to be replaced. Low power quality can also cause equipment malfunctions.

“Low power quality affects the average life span of electrical equipment and hence costs. You shouldn’t just accept that equipment breaks, but rather de- termine the power quality by measuring, and then implementing the necessary corrective measures. The right moment is when there are symptoms, and all ways after installing or removing a set of equipment,” Lindgren recommends.

REMOTE FEATURES INCLUDED IN POWER QUALITY SERVICES

TKF combines its power quality exper- tise with Arnon’s Advanced Knowledge Services.

“When remote diagnostics are added to traditional power factor correction equipment, especially newer solutions that improve power quality, this produces the greatest value for customers. Remote diagnostics, remote monitoring, power quality analysis, and a constantly available situational picture – these are the things that genuinely make the customer’s life easier, and this unique offering is available under one roof,” Lindgren says. •