OTHER SERVICES

Due to its diverse team of highly experienced engineers, Niko has strong capabilities in MV/HV/EHV cables systems design, earthing design, functional safety, and CAD design services.

For more information on any of these services, send your enquiry to info@niko.nz

MV/HV/EHV cables systems

Niko offers design services for MV, HV and EHV power cables, such as:

Along with CymeCap, we use Quickfield finite element analysis with a suite of internally developed tools to build thermal models of complex cable installation environments.

Earthing design:

Niko provides full design services for earth grids at power system sites. 

The purpose of this design is to determine the safety of the site; this may involve soil electrical resistivity testing and/or off-frequency injection testing. 

Earth grid requirements are established in a model using CDEGS earthing and electromagnetic analysis software. Inputs to this are test results and other related physical characteristics of the site. Where existing earth grid electronic drawings are available, these are also imported as inputs. 

The software then assesses:

• Touch and step voltages around the site and adjacent areas
• Earth grid impedance, Earth Grid Voltage Rise (EGVR) and Earth Potential Rise (EPR)
• Impact on adjacent services (e.g. communications, other earth grids, local power supplies, water pipes etc)

The earth grid design then defines appropriate locations for buried earth conductors and/or electrodes, to ensure that the voltages in and around the site are within tolerable voltage limits for the safety of people.

Niko has a specialist testing team trained to carry out the required on-site testing for earthing design services, anywhere in New Zealand

Functional safety:

Our team, which includes a TUV FSEng certified engineer, is highly experienced in delivering consulting services for safety critical elements (SCE), alarm systems and functional safety.  This includes the design of SIL rated safety solutions in many applications for our clients.

We can support you with the following systems:

Our engineers also have the experience and competency to assist our clients through the following aspects of the safety and alarm management lifecycle:

CAD Design:

Niko has a large CAD Design team spread across our offices, whose primary role is to support our Design Engineers.  However, they are also available for direct client draughting engagements and design.

We use 3D tools for most of our outdoor draughting work, and some indoor work. This helps us present alignments and clearances clearly, especially in large structures covering wide areas. Attention to detail is crucial as there is usually existing cabling, pipework, support framing, and multiple cable ladders in the area under design.

For modifications to existing structures or project areas, we often perform a 3D Laser Scan, saving time compared to traditional measurement methods. This scan data is translated into a 3D model, ensuring precise design compatibility. This technique has also been used for internal structures, such as switchboard interiors.

Our experienced CAD Design team collaborates with engineers to develop detailed project designs, including 3D and 2D circuit diagrams and layouts, prioritising accuracy through self-checks and engineering verification before undergoing a quality assurance review.

Our CAD Design team is skilled in using AutoDesk software, including Revit, Inventor, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, Navis Works, Raster Design, and Recap Pro. We utilise a customised AutoCAD system with scripts for efficient and error-free population of design drawings from circuit templates.

We also understand the importance of accurate As-Building drawings. We work as efficiently as possible to complete these promptly upon request.