Power management company Eaton recently expanded its hands-on Experience Center in Houston, aimed at providing training opportunities to engineers, students, industrial contractors, and oil and gas plant operators. The center now features six interactive applications for commercial, oil and gas, data center, and utility markets. The applications, which include a full-scale downstream petrochemical plant, will supplement the experience center’s hands-on safety, application, product, and monitoring training opportunities in a true-to-life industrial environment, the company said.
“This expansion gives attendees the opportunity to experience a range of live applications in one setting,” Allan Clark, manager of the Houston Experience Center, said in announcing the opening. “Each new area provides novel learning opportunities—from supporting data center uptime to advanced training within design and build engineering, plant operations, and innovative automated control systems within hazardous environments.”
The six interactive application areas at Eaton’s Experience Center—Houston include:
- Data Center—Attendees will interact with hot isle containment, electrical distribution, and state-of-the-art-emergency backup schemes while learning about solutions for maintaining uptime.
- Power Quality Lab—With real-time surge events, harmonics, and voltage sags, attendees will learn power distribution, surge protection, motor control systems, and energy correction capabilities.
- Petrochemical Refinery—This full-scale downstream petrochemical plant features complete power distribution, motor protection, process instrumentation, and life safety solutions, providing many advanced training opportunities.
- Upstream Drilling and Production Rig—The upstream rig application supports operations and engineering for offshore platforms, helping attendees understand weight savings solutions, power distribution technologies, and process management through international installation practices.
- Land-based Drilling—Featuring variable frequency drives and automated control systems, the drilling unit highlights energy-cutting advances and sustainable procurement of natural resources.
- Utility and Power Distribution—Step through smart grid power distribution technology and medium voltage switchgear to learn about energy regulations and smart grid technology.
A highlight of the expanded center is a 14,000 square-foot simulated petrochemical refinery and power distribution grid featuring more than 8,000 products installed in upstream, midstream, and downstream applications.
The Eaton Experience Center in Houston provides product and solution training on Eaton equipment and works with industry organizations to deliver training on codes and standards, the company said.
