UNIT -V

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS

Presented by

Dr. G.Muni Reddy

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
EEE DEPARTMENT
BHARAT INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING &
TECHNOLOGY
HYDERABAD-501510
 CONTENTS
• Components of LT Switchgear: Switch
Fuse Unit (SFU), MCB, ELCB, MCCB.
• Types of Wires and Cables.
• Earthing.
• Elementary calculations for energy
consumption and Power factor
improvement.
• Types of batteries-important characteristics
of batteries, battery backup.
 Components of LT switch gear
The apparatus used for switching, controlling and
protecting the electrical circuits and equipment is
known as switchgear.

The term ‘switchgear’ is a generic term

encompassing a wide range of products like circuit
breakers, switches, switch fuse units, off- load
isolators, HRC fuses, contactors, earth leakage circuit
breakers (ELCBs), etc...
 FUSE
A fuse is a short piece of wire
or thin strip which melts when
excessive current flows
through sufficient time.
whenever the current flowing
through fuse element
increases beyond its rated
capacity then short circuit or
overload occurs. This raises
the temperature and the fuse
element melts, disconnecting
the circuit is protected by it.
 SWITCH FUSE UNIT (SFU)

It is Switched Fuse
Unit. It has one switch
unit and one fuse unit.

When we operate the

breaker, the contacts will
get close through switch
and then the supply will
passes through the fuse
unit to the output.
MCB
MCB is an electromechanical device which
guards an electrical circuit which automatically
switches off electrical circuit during abnormal
condition of the network means in over load
condition as well as faulty condition.

The normal current rating is ranges from 0.5-63

A with a symmetrical short circuit breaking
capacity of 3-10 KA, at a voltage level of 230 or
440V.

Characteristics of MCB
The characteristics of an MCB mainly include
the following
•Rated current is not more than 100 amperes
•Normally, trip characteristics are not adjustable
•Thermal magnetic operation
 MCB
Working Principle:
There are two contact -one is fixed and the other is
moveable. When the current exceeds the predefined
limit, a solenoid forces the moveable contact to open
(i.e., disconnect from the fixed contact) and the MCB
turns off, thereby stopping the current from flowing in
the circuits.
 MCB
Operation
An image of MCB is shown in Figure 1 and internal
parts of an MCB are shown in Figure (1). It mainly
consists of one bi- metallic strip, one trip coil and
one hand operated on-off lever.
 MCB
Advantages:
i. MCBs are replacing the re-wireable switch i.e., fuse units
for low power domestic and industrial applications.
ii. The disadvantages of fuses, like low SC interrupting
capacity (say 3kA), Etc. Are overcome with high SC breaking
capacity of 10kA.
iii. MCB is combination of all three functions in a wiring
system like switching, overload and short circuits protection.
Overload protection can be obtained by using bi-metallic
strips where as shorts circuits protection can be obtained by
using solenoid
MCCB
Molded case circuit breakers are a type of
electrical protection device that is
commonly used when load currents exceed
the capabilities of miniature circuit
breakers. They are also used in applications
of any current rating that require adjustable
trip settings, which are not available in
plug-in circuit breakers and MCBs.

The main distinctions between molded-case

and miniature circuit breaker are that the
MCCB can have current ratings of up to
2,500 amperes, and its trip settings are
normally adjustable.
 ELCB
Early earth leakage circuit breakers are voltage
detecting devices, which are now switched by
current sensing devices (RCD/RCCB).
An ECLB is one kind of safety device used for
installing an electrical device with high earth
impedance to avoid shock.
Characteristics of ELCB
This circuit breaker connects the phase, earth wire
and neutral
The working of this circuit breaker depends on
current leakage
 ELCB
None of the protection devices like MCB, MCCB, etc.
Can protect the human life against electric shocks or
avoid fire due to leakage current.
The human resistance noticeably drops with an
increase in voltage.
It also depends upon the duration of impressed
voltage and drops with increase in time.
As per IS code, a contact potential of 65V is within
tolerable limit of human body for 10 seconds, where
as 250V can be withstood by human body for 100
milliseconds.
The actual effect of current thorough human body
varies from person to person with reference to
magnitude and duration.
 ELCB
The body resistance at 10V is assessed to be 19 k ohm
for 1 second and 8kohm for 15 min. At 240V, 3 to 3.6
kohm for dry skin and 1-1.2 kohm for wet skin.
An Earth Leakage Circuits Breakers (ELCB) is a device
used to directly detect currents leaking to earth from
an installation and cut the power.
There are two types of ELCBs:
(1) Voltage Earth Leakage Circuits Breaker (voltage -
ELCB)
(2) Current Earth Leakage Circuits Breaker ( Current -
ELCB)
 ELCB
1. Voltage Earth Leakage Circuits Breaker (voltage -ELCB):
• Voltage-ELCB is a voltage operated circuits breakers. The device will function when
the current passes thorough the ELCB. Voltage-ELCB contains relay coil and one end
of the coil is connected to metallic load body and the other end is connected to
ground wire as shown in Figure(12.12).
• If the voltage of the equipment body rises (by touching phase to metal part or
insulation failure of equipment), which could cause the difference between earth
and load body voltage and the danger of electric shock will occur.
• This voltage difference will produce an electric current from the load metallic body
and phase through the loop to the Earth.
• When voltage on the equipment metallic body rises to danger level i.e., which
exceed to 50V, the flowing current through relay loop could move the relay contact
by disconnecting the supply current avoid from any danger electric shock.
• The ELCB detects fault currents from line to the earth (ground) wire within the
installation it protects.
• If sufficient voltage appears across the ELCB's sensing coil, it will switch off the
power, and remain off until manually reset.
• A voltage sensing ELCB does not sense fault current from line to any other earthed
body.
ELCB
Figure.12.12 Voltage Earth Leakage Circuits
Breaker
 ELCB
Current Earth Leakage Circuits Breaker ( Current -ELCB):
• Current-ELCB is a current operated circuits breaker
which is a commonly used ELCB.
• Current-ELCB consists of a 3- winding transformer,
which has two primary windings and one secondary
winding as shown in Figure (12.13).
• Neutral and line wires act as the two primary windings.
• A wire wound coil is the secondary winding.
• The current thorough the secondary winding is zero at
the balanced condition.
• In the balanced condition, the flux due to current
through the phase wire will be neutralized by the
current through the neutral wire, since the current
which flows from the phase will be returned back to
the neutral.
 ELCB
• When a fault current occurs, a small current will flow
to the ground also.
• This makes an unbalance between line and neutral
currents and creates an unbalanced magnetic field.
• This induces a current through the secondary winding,
which is connected to the sensing circuit.
• This will sense the leakage and send a signal to the
tripping system and trips the contact.
 Types of wires and cables:
Wire: If bare conductors are provided with Insulation, then it is known
as a wire. The insulation separates the conductor electrically from other
conductors.
Cable: It consists of two or more conductors covered with suitable
insulation and surrounded by a protecting cover.
 CABLES

• The main requirements of the insulting materials used

for cable are:
1. High insulation resistance.
2. High dielectric strength.
3.Good mechanical properties i.e. tenacity and
elasticity.
4. It should not be affected by chemicals around it.
5. It should be non-hygroscopic because the
dielectric strength of any material goes very
much down with moisture connect
 TYPES OF CABLES
RUBBER: used for house
wiring, buildings, factories
and low power work.

PVC(Polyvinyl chloride):
It is a thermo plastic
insulating material. These
are used up to 1.1kv
voltages especially in
concealed wiring system.

TRS(Tough rubber
sheathed) or Cab type
sheathed(CTS): These are
used 250/ 500v circuits.
 Electrical Earthing
The process of transferring the immediate discharge of the
electrical energy directly to the earth by the help of the low
resistance wire is known as the electrical earthing.

Mostly galvanised iron is used for earthing.Earthing provides

simple path to the leakage current.

Earthing is an important component of electrical

systems because of the following reasons:
•It keeps people safe by preventing electric shocks
•It prevents damage to electrical appliances and devices by
preventing excessive current from running through the circuit
•It prevents the risk of fire that could otherwise be caused by
current leakage
 TYPES OF EARTHING
The various methods of earthing in common use are
1. Plate earthing.
2. Pipe earthing.
3. Rod earthing.
4. Strip or wire earthing.
 Plate earthing:
• In this method either a copper plate of 60cm x 60cm x3.18 or GI plate of
60cm x 60cm x 6.35 is used for earthing.
• The plate is buried into the ground not less than 3m from the ground
level.
 Contd.
• The earth plate is embedded in alternate layers of coal
and salt for a thickness of 15cm as shown in figure
(12.4).
• In addition, water is poured for keeping the earth's
electrode resistance value below a maximum of 5 ohm.
• The earth wire is securely bolted to the earth plate.
• A cement masonry chamber is built with a cast iron
cover for easy regular maintenance.
 Pipe earthing:
• Earth electrode made of a GI (galvanized iron) pipe of
38mm in diameter and length of 2m (depending on
the current) with 12mm holes on the surface is placed
upright at a depth of 4.75cm in a permanently wet
ground.
• To keep the value of the earth resistance at the
desired level, the area (15 cm) surrounding the GI pipe
is filled with a mixture of salt and coal.
Pipe earthing:
 Contd.
• The efficiency of the earthing system is improved by
pouring water through the funnel periodically.
• The GI earth wires of sufficient cross-sectional area
are run through a 12.7mm diameter pipe (at 60cm
below) from the 19mm diameter pipe and secured
tightly at the top as shown in Figure (12.5).
 Rod earthing:
• It is the same method as pipe earthing, A copper rod
of 12.5cm (1/2 inch) diameter or 16mm (0.6in)
diameter of galvanized steel or hollow section 25mm
(1 inch) of Gl pipe of length above 2.5m (8.2 f) are
buried upright in the earth manually or with the help
ofa pneumatic hammer.
• The length of embedded electrodes in the soil reduces
earth resistance to a desired value.
Rod earthing:
 Elementary calculations for energy
consumption
STEP I : Calculate Watts Per Day
In this step, simply multiply your device’s wattage by
the number of hours you use it in a day. This will give
you the number of watt-hours consumed each day.

For example, say you use a 125-watt television for

three hours per day. By multiplying the watts (125)
by the hours used (3), we find that the television is
consuming 375 watt-hours per day.

125 watts X 3 hours =

375 watt-hours per day
 Cont.,
STEP II : Convert Watt-Hours to Kilowatts
Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours on
your bill, not watt-hours. One kilowatt is equal
to 1,000 watts.

so to calculate how many kWh a

device uses, divide the watt-hours from the
previous step by 1,000. Using our previous
example, this means you would divide 375
watt-hours by 1,000, resulting in 0.375 kWh.

375 watt-hours per day /

1000 =
0.375 kWh per day
 Cont.,
STEP III : Find Your Usage Over a Month
Now that you know the kWh used per
day, multiply that by 30 to find your
approximate usage for the month.

So, if your daily usage is 0.375 kWh,

your monthly usage would be 11.25 kWh.

375 watt-hours per day X

30 days =
11.25 kWh per month
 STEP IV : Figure Out the Cost
Cont.,
For the final step, refer to your last
electric bill to see how much you pay
per kWh, i.e. Tariff. Let’s say,
according to your bill, your electric
rate is 3 rupees per kWh.
Multiply your electric rate (Rs 3) by
your monthly usage (33.75) to find out how
much your TV is costing you in a month (Rs
33.75).

11.25 kWh per month X

Rs 3 per kWh =
Rs 33.75 per month
 What about devices that use more electricity?

• For refrigerator, for instance, runs 24 hours a day. Most

refrigerators consume any where between 300 to 780 watts of
electricity. Let’s say your model only uses 300 watts.
300 watts X 24 hours = 7,200 watt-hours per day

7,200 watt-hours per day / 1000 = 7.2 kWh per day

7.2 kWh per day X 30 days = 216 kWh per month

216 kWh per month x Rs 3 per kWh = 648 per month

In a house, there are 5 lamps 25 Watt used 14 hours per
day, a 200 Watt refrigerator used 24 hours per day, and a
125 Watt water pump used 8 hours per day. How much
electrical energy is used for a month (30 days)?
The lamp's power is 5(25) = 125 Watt,
The length of use per month is 14 hours x 30 = 420 hours.
The refrigerator's power is 200 watts
The length of use is 24 hours x 30 = 720 hours.
Water pump power = 125 watts
Use duration = 8 hours x 30 = 240 hours
Energy=Power x time=P × t
Energy (light) = (125 Watt)(420 hours) = 52,500 Watt hours =
52.5 kiloWatt hours
Energy (refrigerator) = (200 Watt)(720 hours) = 144,000
Watt hours = 144 kiloWatt hours
Energy (water pump) = (125 Watt)(240 hours) = 30,000
Watt hours = 30 kiloWatt hours
Electrical energy used in a month = 52.5 + 144 + 30 =
226.5 kiloWatt hour = 226.5 kWh

An electric bulb draws a current of 8A and works on 250

volts on an average of 8 hours a day to find the power
consumed by the bulb and find the cost of an electric
distribution company if one unit is Rs 4.
I = 8 A ,V = 250 V, t = 8 h
Power consumed = V x I = 250 V x 8 A = 2000 W
= 2000/1000 = 2 kW
Assuming the time period of calculation as one month
Electrical energy, E = P x t = 2 kW x 8 h x 30 days
= 480 kWh
Thus, the cost of electricity for 1 month = Energy Cost per
unit x 480 kWh =4x480=Rs.1928
 Cells and Batteries
• A device which is used as a source of e.m.f. and
which works on the principle of
conversion of chemical energy into electrical
energy is called a cell.
• But practically the voltage of a single cell is not
sufficient to use in any practical application.
• Hence various cells are connected in series or
parallel to obtain the required voltage level.
• The combination of various cells, to obtain the
desired voltage level is called a battery.
 Types of Cells
• There are two types of cells,
Primary Cells:
• The chemical action in these cells is not reversible and
hence the entire cell is required to be replaced by a new
one if the cell is down.
• The primary cells can produce only a limited amount of
energy.
• Mostly the non electrolytes are used for the primary cells.
• The various examples of primary cells are
i. Dry Cell (zinc-carbon)
ii. Mercury cell
iii. Zinc chloride cell
iv. Lithium cell
v. alkaline cells
 Dry Cell (zinc-carbon)

•The zinc container is lined with paper to

avoid direct reaction of zinc with carbon.
•The container is sealed with an
insulator called pitch.
•The tin plates are used at top and
bottom which are positive and negative
terminals of the cell.
•Applications are Used in torch lights,
Electronic apparatus and toys, wall
clocks etc.
 Mercury cell

Applications
These cells are preferred for
providing power to small devices
like Electronic calculators, Audio
devices, Cameras etc.,
 Types of Cells
Secondary Cells:
• The chemical action in this cells is reversible.
• Thus if cell is down, it can be charged to regain its
original state, by using one of the charging
methods.
• The electrical energy is stored in the form of chemical
energy.
• secondary cells are also called storage cells,
accumulators or rechargeable cells.
• The various types of secondary cells are
i. Lead-acid cell.
ii. Alkaline cell (Nickel-cadmium )
 Lead-acid cell

Applications
1. In emergency lighting systems
2. In automobiles for starting.
3. Uninterrupted power supply systems.
4. Railway signalling.
5.Electrical substations and the power
stations.
 Characteristics of Lead-acid cell
•During charging of the
lead acid cell, the voltage
increases from 1.8V to
2.5V-2.7V, when cell is
completely charged.

•If the discharge rate is

high, the curve is more
drooping as voltage
decreases faster.
 Alkaline cells
• The secondary cells can be alkaline cells.
These are of two types
1. Nickel – iron cell or Edison cell
2.Nickel – cadmium or Nife cell or
Junger cell
 1.Nickel – iron cell or Edison cell

Applications
1.Mine locomotives and mine
safety lamps
2. Space ship
3.In the railways for Lighting
and air conditioning purposes.
4.To supply power to tractors,
submarines, aeroplanes etc.
 Electrical Characteristics of Nickel Iron
cell
•The Characteristics will
show the variations in the
terminal voltage of cell
against the charging or
discharging hours.
•When fully charged its
voltage is about 1.4V and
during discharging it reduces
to 1.1 to 1V. During charging,
the average charging voltage
is 1.7 to 1.75 V.
 Nickel – cadmium cell

Applications
1.Millitary aero planes , helicopters
and commercial airlines for starting
engines and provide emergency
supply.
2. In Electric Shavers.
3.In the railways for Lighting and
air conditioning purposes etc.
 Battery Backup
• A backup battery provides power to a system when the primary
source of power is unavailable. Backup batteries range from small
single cells to retain clock time and date in computers, up to
large battery room facilities that power uninterruptible power
supply systems for large data centers. Small backup batteries may
be primary cells; rechargeable backup batteries are kept charged
by the prime power supply.

• A battery backup device is an electronic device that supplies secondary

power in the absence of main power, such as during a power outage.

• The battery backup will supply power when it detects an outage.

• Battery backup devices can also protect electronic hardware from

power spikes, dirty electricity and power outages.
• Battery backup devices in all sizes and power
capacities available but this will affect the size and
capacities required.
What Does a Battery Backup Do?
In addition to acting as a backup when the power goes out,
most battery backup devices also act as power
"conditioners" by ensuring that the electricity flowing to
your computer and accessories is free from drops or surges.
If a computer isn't receiving a consistent flow of electricity,
damage can and often does occur.
While a UPS system isn't required for a complete computer
system, including one is always recommended. The need for
a reliable electricity supply is often overlooked and not fully
realized until damage has occurred.
Disadvantages of Low Power Factor:
Large kVA rating of equipment.
Greater conductor size.
Large copper losses.
Poor voltage regulation.
Reduced handling capacity of system.
 CAUSES OF LOW POWER FACTOR
Low power factor is undesirable from economic point of view.
Normally, the power factor of the whole load on the supply system
in lower than 0·8.
The following are the causes of low power factor:
(i) Most of the a.c. motors are of induction type (1φ and 3φ
induction motors) which have low lagging power factor. These
motors work at a power factor which is extremely small on
light load (0·2 to 0·3) and rises to 0·8 or 0·9 at full load.
(ii) Arc lamps, electric discharge lamps and industrial heating
furnaces operate at low lagging power factor.
(iii) The load on the power system is varying ; being high during
morning and evening and low at other times. During low load
period, supply voltage is increased which increases the
magnetization current. This results in the decreased power
factor.
Power factor improvement
 METHODS TO IMPROVE POWER
FACTOR
• Normally, the power factor of the whole load on a
large generating station is in the region of 0·8 to 0·9.
• However, sometimes it is lower and in such cases it is
generally desirable to take special steps to improve
the power factor.
• This can be achieved by the following equipment:
1.Static Capacitors.
2.Synchronous Condenser
STATIC CAPACITOR
SYNCHRONOUS CONDENSOR
Contd.
END