High School- Mitigation Services

Exterior Photo

High magnetic field levels sufficient to cause excessive computer monitor distortion and concern about uncertain health effects, caused this high school in the midwest to abandon use of a large classroom and attached offices located immediately above the school’s basement transformer vault and main switchpanels.

Basement Electrical Facilities With Ground Floor Classroom Superimposed

This superimposed view of the classroom floor plan over the basement electrical facilities show that the utility transformer vault and distribution panels are immediately beneath the classroom. Peak magnetic fields of 112 mG are present in the classroom above. The entire classroom area has very sizable fields, averaging 26 mG..

Photo of Transformer Vault Interior

Exposed copper bus bars mounted to the ceiling of the transformer vault (immediately beneath classroom floor) are the most significant source of magnetic fields.

Isometic or Cross-Section View of Bus Bar Shield

As a first mitigation measure, FMS designed a custom manufactured multi-layer magnetic shield for installation around the exposed transformer vault ceiling mounted bus-bars.

Photo of Bus Bar Shield In Manufacture

This is a view of the custom manufactured multi-layer magnetic field shield for the bus-bars, just prior to shipment to the high school installation site.

Photo of Bus Bar Shield Being Installed

This is a photo of the custom bus bar shield, being hoisted into an external entrance well, for installation around the ceiling mounted bus-bars.

Photo of Bus Bar Shield Installed

This view shows the completed installation of the custom multi-layer shield around the exposed ceiling mounted copper bus bars.

Plan View of Floor Shielding Plan

As a second mitigation measure intended to further reduce elevated magnetic fields in the entire area of the classroom and attached office, FMS installed a continuous plane of shielding material on the floor of the classroom and offices.

Photo of Completed Floor Shielding

This photo shows the completed installation of shielding material on the floor of the classroom and attached offices.

3D Plots of Magnetic Field Before & After Shielding

This is a 3D plot of magnetic field conditions at one meter from the floor, in the classroom area prior to the installation of the custom bus-bar shield and shielding of the classroom and office floors. Peak fields of 112 mG and an average of 26 mg were present throughout the classroom and offices. The second plot of magnetic field conditions at one meter from the floor in the classroom, shows the dramatic results after the FMS shielding installation. Peak conditions were reduced to less than 10 mG and the average throughout the classroom and offices was comfortably below 5 mG.