EARTH FAULTS are an especially complex problem & the general belief is that the Earth Faults of 440V or on the high voltage system are important. The secondary voltage, generally 220V or 110V are not considered important since there is already a transformer in place that provides 'galvanic isolation'. Go back and read that! If you got all that then here's the reason we should especially worry about the earthfaults on the domestic voltage level. Would it surprise you to learn that the earth faults left unattended could even cause fire. It could also knock off the power to control equipment & the equipment being controlled could be critical. Back in the office we were looking at an instance where a ship's whole accommodation section was scorched. The attributed reason was incendive sparks, faulty equipment & incorrect wiring terminations. However, the possible earth fault that may have triggered the event seemed to be low on everyone's agenda. Lesson's learnt: Fire on board is still the most serious contingency there is. It does not happen too often; but when it does, it's the crew's readiness to act & system implementation inculcated to grueling routines over the years,that save the day. Trust your instincts'; Have faith in reason. Train through the year to be able to tell which situation you are in. Today, this is called, "Situational Awareness'.

Vinod Chandran's kiosk ideas

Today's visit at AEMA was especially great. The visit was intended to check on the progress in two areas. The Control Room project & 'Project Wheelhouse'. While there is progress on the control room project, the wheelhouse progress seems to have halted on account of the masonary repairs that have to be effected to the roof & the covering of the bannisters. The work has begun though & we should have something before the week is through.
While chatting up colleagues there, Vinod mentioned casually that it would be great to have kiosks all over the alleyway & if possible in the campus that are information centres for the DNS & GME cadets. Various possibilites emerge. Tablets, Androids, Windows options were all discussed & pose tremendous possibilites.
C'mon guys, Get in the ring!