Switchgear Design4/19/2021
You can find out about our cookies and how to disable cookies in our Privacy Policy.If you continue to use this website without disabling cookies, we will assume you are happy to receive them.By controlling the circuit, switchgear protects and isolates electrical equipment from the power supply, enabling testing, maintenance and fault clearing work to be undertaken.
Switchgear Design How To Disable CookiesSuitable provision should be made for access to the switchroom, entrance into the room and moving the equipment around. The complexity of these rooms varies considerably depending on location, function and technology adopted by the owner. This article provides general guidance on the factors to be considered in the design of a typical room. Typical Switchroom Equipment Switchboards The positioning of indoor MV switchboards requires careful consideration. Suitable access around the switchboard for maintenance, withdrawing of circuit breakers, safety and regulatory compliance needs to be allowed. Under fault conditions many switchgear require a minimum clear space above for the venting of gases. Attention needs to be given to the fixing down of switchboards and cable entry into and out of the switchboards. Protection Panels While relays can be incorporated within the switchboards, often they are installed in separate panelsracks. Provision needs to be made for the installation of any protection panels and control cabling to the associated switchboards. Auxiliary Systems Other Considerations In addition to major equipment, there is whole host of other systems and issues which need to be considered in the design of any given installation: Earthing Lightning Protection - given the high levels of fault current associated with MV switchrooms, consideration of the earthing (grounding) is an important aspect of the design. Earthing systems need to provide adequate paths for fault current, ensure sufficient current for relay operation and limit step and touch potentials to safe values. Lightning protection if necessary needs to be installed and coordinated with the earthing system to provide a safe means to discharge any strike to ground. These can become quite significant requiring equipment racks and associated cable distribution. Space provision for suitable dc supplies (rectifier, controls, batteries, etc.) needs to be considered in developing the switchroom layout. Cable Containment power MV cabling, low voltage cabling, control and SCADA cabling and optical fibres all require to be routed between equipment as well as into and out of the building. This can require significant space in terms of cable ladders and trenching. In many installation basement or below floor space is utilised for cable containment. Building Services - whilst the purpose of the switchroom is to hold the MV equipment, building services (lighting, small power, fire detection and protection, ventilation and air-conditioning, security and access control all need to be considered and provided where appropriate. To provide the building services an external low voltage supply will be required. EMF - there is a growing concern over the effect of EMF on the human body. Where people have access to areas surrounding switchrooms cable distribution paths it is necessary to establish that the associated EMF levels are below recommended limits. Switchroom Layout Switchrooms are built to house switchgear and associated systems (cables, dc systems, SCADA and cable containment). Suitable provision should be made within the room for all these systems. In addition requirements such as toilets, desks, telephones, security systems, etc. Much of the equipment located within the switchroom is large and heavy.
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