Wollega University

College of Engineering and Technology

ECE(Control Stream)

Electrical installations
Lecture 3 & 4
Dereje Korme
Collected: 2021
1
Power Distribution System Equipment
The main equipment can be classified into:
A – Power handling equipment
1- Medium voltage distribution networks
2- Transformers
3- Emergency generators
4- Distribution panels
B – Wiring systems
1- Conductors/cables selection
2- Conductors/cables insulations
3- Conductors/cables installation
Power Distribution System Equipment
C – Protective devices
1- Circuit breakers types and properties
2- Fuses
3- Protective relays
D – Control and Utilization equipment
1- control devices such as contactors
2- utilization devices such as different electric loads
(lamps, motors, AC, sockets, switches TV, firing
system, Alarms and associated control devices )
 A - Power handling equipment
1- Medium voltage distribution networks
Represents the main distribution distributors
(radial/lateral or ring) to feed the load centers and
associated accessories.
i. Main distribution stations (F1/F2/F3)
to step down HV to MV (11 Kv) and
the medium voltage distributors.
ii. The secondary substations (H75) to
step down MV to LV (220/110 Volt)
and feed the unit distribution systems
(A1).
iii. Main Distributors to feed big projects
 A - Power handling equipment
1- Medium voltage distribution networks
ii. The secondary distribution substations (H75) contains:
 The Ring main units for connecting different inputs and
outputs of MV and transformers through load break
switches (LBS).
 Low voltage distribution panels a and distributors.
 Measuring devices and Grounding switch.
 A - Power handling equipment
The main types of switches
1.Isolator / disconnector. Only suitable for opening at no-load. If you open the
switch on load, you'll draw an arc. Cheap.
2.Load-break switch. opened/closed under load. Cannot interrupt fault current.
3.Circuit breaker: Opened/closed under load. No frequently operating.
4.Contactor. A kind of load break switch that is meant to be frequently opened
and closed under load, i.e. to control a direct-on-line motor.
5.Fuse-switch - a switch combined with a fuse. Comes in off-load or load-break
types. Common in overhead distribution systems, in the form of the "expulsion
drop-out fuse" which can be operated using a hook on the end of a long stick.
Provides short-circuit and overload protection.
6.Fused contactor - A fuse in series with a contactor. The fuse protects the
contactor against fault currents which might damage the contactor. Common for
control of HV motors.
 A - Power handling equipment
The main types of switch
Main difference between
LBS and CB:
CB is designed to
interrupt fault current,
and acts as an alternative
to fuses. So a CB is both a
LBS and a Fault
Interrupter.

LBS is designed
to ONLY interrupt a
circuit under "normal"
operating conditions.
 A - Power handling equipment
2- Transformers
Transformers used to step down MV to LV.
Factors affecting of selecting the
transformers:
1. Power rating (MVA)
2. Connection Method (Υ/∆) and earthing
(sold/impedance)
3. Impedance (Voltage drop and s.c
current)
4. Cooling method (Air, Oil, Fans, Pumps)
5. Type of oil (oil used in isolation and
cooling)
6. Noise level (due to motion of
laminations)
 A - Power handling equipment
3- Emergency generators
 Loads classified into normal load and critical / important
loads according to the ability of power interruption.
 The critical loads are supplied from Emergency distribution
panels which feed by an emergency source of power
during power interruption from the main grid.
 The connection can be done manually or using automatic
Main Supply
transfer switch (ATS).
The emergency source can be: Generator

1- Un-interrupted Power Supply

2- Diesel power supply ATS- Automatic

Direct Supply

Controlled Supply
 A - Power handling equipment
4- Distribution panels:
The distribution panels can be classified into main and
secondary distribution panels. The functions of the
distribution panels can be summarized as:
1. Control the on/off switching of electricity
to devices at high degree of operating
safety
2. Protect the persons and equipment from
conductor and bus bars
3. Protection during abnormal operating
conditions and faults
4. Operating state monitoring using
measuring devices
5. Balancing distribution of loads among
three phases
 B – Wiring systems
1- Cables selection
 Cables refer to the main feeders and distributors
 Wires conductors in the low voltage circuits.
 Factors affecting on cable selection:
1. Max. operating voltage/current carrying capacity
2. Insulation method
3. Maximum overload and short circuit current
values and periods
4. Acceptable voltage drop and maximum operating
temperature (DC and AC resistance)
5. Ambient conditions (weight, diameter, soil, air,
pipes …)
 B – Wiring systems
2- Requirements of cable
1. Stranded conductors are used to provide flexibility to the
cables and should able to carry the desired load current
without overheating and causing excessive voltage drop.
2. Effective insulation thickness to give high degree of safety
and reliability at the working voltage for which it is
designed.
3. Cables should be provided with a mechanical protection
so that it may withstand the rough usage in laying it.
4. Materials used in manufacture of cables should be such
as to give complete chemical and physical stability
throughout.
 B – Wiring systems
3- Cable construction
1- Conductor material (Cu/Al)
2- Conductor Shield from semiconductor material
to obtain uniform electric field
3- Main insulation or dielectric (PVC/XLPE)
4- Main insulation conductor shield
5- Metallic Sheath to protect Cable during SC
6- Filler & Binding Tap: Non Hygroscopic PVC /
Poly propylene Fiber to maintain roundness of
cable.
7- Metallic Screen: Nonmagnetic metallic materials
Copper Wire / Tape or Aluminum Wire / Strip
7- Armor galvanized steel for mechanical strength
8- Outer Jacket (PVC) to protect cable from
temperature / moisture /corrosions
 B – Wiring systems
4- Insulating materials for cable requirements
1. High insulation resistance to avoid leakage current and
Capability of withstanding high rupturing voltages.
2. High dielectric strength to avoid electrical break-down of
the cable.
3. Good mechanical properties to withstand the mechanical
handling of cables and Non-inflammable ‫مقاومة االشتعال‬.
4. Immune to attack by acids and alkalis, over a range of
temperature of about – 18°C to 94°C.
5. Non-hygroscopic because the dielectric strength of any
material goes very much down with moisture contents.
6. Low coefficient of thermal expansion.
 B – Wiring systems
5- Types of insulating materials
A- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) :‫البولي فينيل كلورايد‬
 PVC’s relatively low cost and chemical resistance
 It is suitable for conductor temperatures up to 70°C.
 The mechanical properties, i.e. elasticity and recovery
from stretching are not as good as those of rubber
specially at high temperature; the insulation resistance
is also lower.
 Applications: Low voltage copper conductor PVC cables
are extensively used for internal wiring for lighting
circuits and power circuits (homes, factories, ships, …).
 B – Wiring systems
B- Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE) ‫البولي ايثيلين التشابكي‬
 The useful properties of XLPE are temperature
resistance, pressure resistance, environmental
stress crack resistance (esc), and chemical
resistance
 XLPE cables work for the working voltage of
240 V to 500 KV. The rated maximum
conductor temperature of 90 °C up to 140 °C
 Applications: Under Water or Underground
cables and installation on trays and ducts.
 B – Wiring systems
C- Other insulating materials
1- Rubber: drawbacks: absorbs
moisture, maximum safe
temperature is low (about 38ºC),
soft and liable to damage due to
rough handling.
2. Vulcanized India Rubber (V.I.R.):
It is prepared by mixing pure rubber
with mineral matter such as zine
oxide, red lead etc., and 3 to 5% of
sulphur.
3- Impregnated Paper
4- Varnished Cambric
5- PolyEthylene (PE)
6- EPR (Ethylene Propylene
Rubber): EPR is more flexible than
PE and XLPE, but has higher
dielectric losses than both
 B – Wiring systems
5- Reading of Cable name
 What is the meaning of cable with the name: 3x95+50
mm2 PVC/CU?

 This means multi-core (4 core) three phase copper cable

isolated with PVC . The main phases are 95 mm2 in
addition to 50 mm2 for neutral conductor.

 The size of neutral conductor is usually 0.5 the size of

main phase to account the unbalance loading of the
three phase.
 B – Wiring systems
6- Power losses problems in cables:
There are three main power losses reasons in cables:

1- Power losses due to copper losses (due to the resistance of the

conductor)
2- Insulation Loss (charging current losses) (Ich= wCV)
3-Metallic Sheath Loss (eddy current losses)

• The voltage drop increases with cable resistance and current

• These losses increase the temperature of the cable and for very
high temperature, oil filled cable can be used.
• The cable resistance varies with frequency and temperature.
• Change in insulation resistance with cracks and moisture
 C – Protective devices
Main function od protective devices:
Protective devices are responsible of detecting abnormal conditions such as
overloading or short circuit and safely disconnect the faulted equipment

Adjusting trip
Short-circuit current without C.B Short-circuit current with C.B
operation
 C – Protective devices
1- Circuit Breakers 2- Fuse
1 - Circuit Breaker is a switching device
which can be operated manually and
automatically for controlling and protection of
electrical power system.
 The selection of CB is based on:
A - Rated current/voltage
B - Short circuit capacity
C -Time of tripping
D – Maximum number of On/Off
E - Cost
 Circuit Breakers have three main functions:
1. Protection against overload
2. Protection against electrical faults
3. Switching a circuit on and off , less common function.
 C – Protective devices
 Working Principle of Circuit Breaker:
CB mainly consists of fixed contacts and moving contacts. In normal "ON"
condition of circuit breaker, these two contacts are physically connected to each
other due to applied mechanical pressure on the moving contacts.

 The trip is based on:

A - Overload protection is B - Fault protection at Short
accomplished by means of a thermal circuit is accomplished with
mechanism electromagnetic induction, and
the response is instant.

Thermal Type Circuit Breakers:

 The trip can be:
Magnetic Type Circuit Breakers:
- Adjustable - Non-adjustable
 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker

LOW Power
VOLTAGE Circuit
CB Breakers

Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) Air Circuit Breaker

Molded Case Circuit Breaker Vacuum Circuit Breaker

(MCCB)

Earth leakage circuit breaker

Oil Circuit Breaker
(ELCB)

Fuses SF6 Circuit Breaker

 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: LOW VOLTAGE CB
1- Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)
 MCB construction is simple, price depends on the Max rated SCC
 MCB has no replacement parts and is not designed to be repaired . In case of SCC
more than the rated SCC of the MCB, it damage and replaced (Irated < 125 A).
 MCB is used to protect against: Overloads and Short circuits faults
Region (1) : No Trip Region (2) : Thermal Trip Region (3) : Magnetic Trip
Type B 1.13 < I < 3 rated current Type B 3 < I < SCC
I < 1.13 rated current Type C 1.13 < I < 5 rated current Type C 5 < I < SCC
Type D 1.13 < I < 10 rated current Type D 10 < I < SCC

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

Resistive loads Inductive Loads Highly Inductive Loads

 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: LOW VOLTAGE CB
2 - Molded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB)
 Ability to adjust rated variables such as the Pickup current to (0.5,
0.7, 0.9, 1, 1.25…) from rated current.
 MCCBs will have a rated cooperating current up to 2500 Amps and
a range of short circuit capacities up to 150kA.
 Technical specifications:
 Rated Frame Current (Inm) is the maximum current value for
which the MCCB is designed.
 Rated Current (In) is the current value above which overload
protection is tripped.
 Rated insulation voltage (Ui) is the maximum voltage that the
MCCB can resist according to laboratory tests.
 Rated working voltage (Ue) is the continuous operation voltage
 Operating short-circuit breaking capacity (Ics) is the highest fault
current that the MCCB can trip without being damaged permanently.
 Ultimate short-circuit breaking capacity (Icu) is the maximum
possible fault current that the MCCB can clear.
 Mechanical / electrical life (trips manual and automatic)
 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: LOW VOLTAGE CB
3 - Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB)
Residual-current circuit breaker (RCCD)

Single Phase Residual Current ELCB. Three Phase Residual Current ELCB.
RCCBs come in different ratings like: 30 mA, 100 mA, 300 mA
The working principle of operation:
When the line (lines) and neutral currents are not balanced they create an out-of-balance flux.
This will induce a current in the secondary winding which is used to operate the tripping
mechanism by actuating the electromagnetic relay.
 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: LOW VOLTAGE CB

4- Fuses
A fuse is an overcurrent protection device; it possesses an element
that is directly heated by the passage of current and is destroyed
when the current exceeds a predetermined value.

High rupturing capacity (HRC)

Different Between C.B & Fuse

 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: Power Circuit Breakers
1- Air circuit breaker (ACB):
high pressure air is forced on the
arc through a nozzle at the instant
of contact separation. The ionized
medium between the contacts is
blown away by the blast of the air.
Advantages of air blast circuit breaker:
1. The risk of fire is eliminated
2. The arcing products are completely removed by the blast.
3. The growth of dielectric strength is so rapid that final contact
gap needed for arc extinction is very small. this reduces the
size of device
4. The arcing time is very small
 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: Power Circuit Breakers
1- Air circuit breaker (ACB):
 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: Power Circuit Breakers
2- Vaccum circuit breaker
- The operation of opening and closing of
current carrying contacts and associated
arc interruption take place in a vacuum
chamber in the breaker which is called
vacuum interrupter.
Advantages
1. No fire hazards
2.have longer life
3.No generation of gas during and after
operation
4. Can interrupt any fault current
5.No noise is produced while operating
 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: Power Circuit Breakers
3 - Oil Circuit Breaker (OCB)
 Advantages of Oil Circuit Breaker (OCB)
1. Oil produces hydrogen during arching. The hydrogen
helps extinguish the arc.
2. The oil provides insulation for the live exposed
contacts from the earthed portions of the container
 Disadvantages of Oil Circuit Breaker (OCB)
1. Oil is inflammable and may cause fire hazards. it
may cause an explosion
2. The hydrogen generated during arcing, when
combined with air, may form an explosive mixture
3. During arcing, oil decomposes and becomes
polluted by carbon particles, which reduces its
dielectric strength. Hence, it requires periodic
maintenance and replacement
 C – Protective devices
Types Of Circuit Breaker: Power Circuit Breakers
4 - SF6 Circuit Breaker
 A circuit breaker in which the current
carrying contacts operate in sulphur
hexafluoride or SF6 gas is known as
an SF6 circuit breaker.
 Advantages
 Simple construction
 less cos compared to other CB at HV.
 SF6 gas is non flammable
 non toxic
 Maintenance free C.B.
 Ability to interrupt low and high fault current
 Disadvantages:
 Expensive for MV applications 400 kV SF6 live tank circuit breakers
 C – Protective devices
Circuit Breaker Coordination
 D – Control and Utilization equipment
1- Lamps, switches, Sockets, TV, Fire cir…
2 - Contactors
 Contactors is an electrically controlled switch used for
switching an electrical power circuit. (Normally Open/
Normally Close)
 Unlike a circuit breaker, a contactor is not intended to interrupt
a short circuit current.
 Contactors are used to control electric
motors, lighting, heating, capacitor banks
3- Reclosers
 A recloser is a protection device for electrical distribution networks.
 The first benefit is that reclosers prevent transient short circuits from
triggering prolonged power outages
 The second benefit is that reclosers restore power automatically, without
requiring an engineering site visit.
 In cause of the short circuit has not cleared itself would the recloser with
the cooperation with sectionalizer after a pre-determined number of
interruptions to keep the breaker open until the cause is manually cleared.
 Work Sheet
1. State the main equipment of electric power distribution system.
2. Explain with the aid of schematic diagram the elements of Medium voltage distribution
networks.
3. What is the function of Ring main units in the secondary distribution substations?
4. What are the factors affecting of the selection of the transformers in distribution
systems?
5. Discuss the main functions of the distribution panels in electrical projects.
6. Explain the main requirements and factors affecting on cable selection.
7. Explain the main components of electrical cable construction.
8. What are the main types and required properties of insulating material for cable
construction?
9. Discuss the main sources of losses in cables.
10. What is the main function of protective devices in electric power system?
11. Explain the functions of circuit breakers and the factors affecting of selection of CBs.
12. Classify the main CBs of low voltage applications.
13. Compare between Miniature Circuit Breaker and Molded Case Circuit Breaker.
14. Explain with the aid of schematic diagram, the working principle of operation of Earth
Leakage Circuit Breaker.
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