Learning Guide 5 M2 BEI III
Learning Guide 5 M2 BEI III
COLLEGE
BUILDING ELECTRICAL
INSTALLATION LEVEL III
This learning guide is developed to provide you the necessary information regarding the
following content coverage and topics;
This guide will also assist you to attain the learning outcome stated in the cover page.
Specifically, upon completion of this Learning Guide, you will be able to –
Learning Activities
4. Submit your accomplished Self-check. This will form part of your training portfolio.
5. You are provided with a CD containing lessons on how to prepare reports. Before
you open the CD read the information written in the “Information Sheets 1” on page
3. You will be also provided with additional reference reading materials.
6. Request access to the materials described in the CD. Practice the steps or
procedures as illustrated in your CD. Go to your teacher if you need clarification or
you want answers to your questions or you need assistance in understanding a
particular step or procedure.
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Electrical control panels are available in all shapes and sizes to suit the particular
requirements of the situation. These panels may be small as shown in Figure 1 or very
large as required to house the necessary components. They must of course provide the
required level of protection from the prevailing conditions in the location.
The control equipment may be mounted in the panel in a number of ways as follows:
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2. Mounting Rails
Mounting rails are made up of cold rolled steel. After being rolled, they are
treated to prevent corrosion. Mounting rails are used for snap-on mounting of
electrical equipment. A selection of mounting rails is illustrated in Figure 4.
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Slotted Top
Hat
Slotted G. Rail
Plain G. Rail
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The following cable colors are available: Brown; blue; green/yellow; black; green; grey;
orange; pink; red; yellow; violet and white.
4. Crimp Connectors
A wide range of crimp connectors is readily available in both insulated and non-
insulated types to suit any particular electrical application. Figure 5 shows some of
the crimp connectors in common use.
Figure 6 shows a typical ratchet type crimping tool used for the termination of insulated
crimp connectors to cables. It is color coded to indicate the size of crimp connector and
matching conductor. Red for 1.52 mm, blue for 2.52 mm and yellow for 42 mm and 62
mm. Some of these tools require that the connector be inserted the correct way round.
If this is not done, a poor joint between cable and connector will be the result.
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Figure 7 shows a multipurpose tool. It features a cable cutter, sections for insulated and
non insulated crimp connectors as in figure 6. It has a cutter for the common size
machine thread brass screws ( 2.6 mm to 5 mm ) which allows screws to be cut clean
avoiding damage to the start of the thread. It also has a wire stripper for cable sizes
0.752. to 62. The jaws must be fully closed to ensure correct pressure is applied to
connector etc.
5. Panel Trunking
Figure 8 illustrates a section of PVC slotted trunking used inside electrical control
panels to accommodate cable runs. It is available in 2 metre lengths and various
widths and heights – for example it is available in sizes from 15mm wide x 17mm
high to 100mm x 100mm. Divider walls can be inserted for segregated
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6. Cable Lacing
Figure 9 illustrates a section of cable loom
formed using the cable lacing method. Cable
lacing allows looms to be made up prior to
assembly. This wiring method is very fast and
cheap for high volume work. Cable ties or spiral
cable wrapping may also be used.
Note: The door of a steel enclosure can be regarded as an exposed conductive part
and therefore is required to be earthed. The metal hinge is not sufficient to meet this
requirement.
Identification Tags
Cable markers are used to identify cables, wiring systems etc. It is desirable that wiring
shall be arranged or marked so that it can be identified for inspection, testing, repairs or
alterations of the installation. One practical way of quickly and easily identifying panel
wires (when trouble shooting etc), is by using cable marking tape. This marking tape,
which is purchased in rolls with various legends, is simply placed in a dispenser, which
cuts the tape to any length required.
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Flexible Conduit
Flexible conduit is made of interlinked metal spirals often covered with a PVC sleeving.
The tubing must not be relied upon to provide a continuous earth path and,
consequently, a separate protective conductor must be run inside the flexible tube.
Flexible conduit is used for the final connection to motors so that the vibrations of the
motor /machine are not transmitted throughout the electrical installation. It also allows
adjustments to be made to the final motor position for drive belt tension etc.
Terminal Blocks
Figure 13 shows a simple terminal block arrangement. Individual terminals are designed
to clip onto a variety of mounting rails. They are manufactured in a variety of sizes to
accommodate any cable CSA. Green / Yellow earth terminals are designed to make
good contact with the mounting rail on tightening of the centre screw. Other colours are
available but are not essential.
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The terminals must be installed the correct way round as each one is generally
insulated on one side only. An end insulator must be installed to insulate the last
terminal. An end clamp must be used to prevent the terminals from spreading apart. An
earth terminal doubles as an end clamp. Terminals with solid links or fuse holders are
also available.
Pushbutton, switch and indicator units are manufactured in various styles. While they
maydiffer in appearance, they operate basically the same way. They are available in
different IP ratings to suit the environment in which they are to be installed. Pushbuttons
with ‘built in’ indicator lamps are also available. All these devices are generally known
as control and signalling units. The more commonly used units are 22 mm in
diameter. They are manufactured in metal for mounting on metallic doors of control
panels. These doors must be earthed. Plastic versions are also available and are
generally used to provide double insulated control stations etc. Pushbuttons are color
coded as follows:
Start Button Green
Stop Button Red
Inch Button Black ( Optional exercise for faster apprentices ).
Indicator Units may be color coded as follows:
Run Indicator Green
Fault Indicator Red
Power “ON” White
Start Button
A start button consists of a green colored actuator, which when pressed operates a
normally open contact. On pressing the green actuator the normally open contact will
close. These are fitted on the panel door via a mounting collar. The actuator is fitted
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Figure 14 –
Start Button
through a suitable hole in the panel door. A rubber washer is used on the outside to
provide ingress protection. The actuator is locked into the collar. The collar is secured to
the panel door by a screw. This action compresses the rubber seal on the actuator.
Finally the contact block is simply clipped on to the collar. See Figure 14.
Stop Button
A stop button consists of a red colored actuator, which when pressed operates a
normally closed contact. On pressing the red actuator the normally closed contact will
open.
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A signal lamp unit consists of an appropriately colored lens, lamp holder and mounting
arrangement similar to a push button unit. A 230 V “small centre contact” (SCC) lamp is
used in the holder shown in Figure 18. An incandescent lamp or a neon lamp may be
used. The phase conductor must be connected to the terminal marked X1.
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Figure 19 in the next page shows a control panel which consists of a number of the
control and signaling devices.
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Relays
Operation of a Relay
A relay is an electro-magnetically operated switch. It consists of an operating coil wound
around an electromagnet pole piece, a moving armature and one or more sets of
contacts. When a voltage of the correct value is applied across the coil terminals, the
resulting current flow through the coil produces a magnetic field similar to a bar magnet.
The armature is attracted by the magnetic field and so moves a small distance. This
movement operates the contact(s). The pole piece is magnetically soft. When current
flow through the coil ceases, the pole piece loses its magnetism and the armature
returns to its de-energized position. This allows the contact(s) return to the de-energized
or normal state.
Fixed Contact
Movable Contact
Contactor Connections
Insulator
Iron Armature
Relay Coil
Coil Connections
Figure 20 - Relay
A relay is a device in which a low value of current and / or voltage operates an
electromagnetic coil. This coil in turn operates a contact or contacts, which control or
switch a high or relatively high value of current and / or voltage.
motors. Some relays are designed for this purpose. Figure 21 shows two 4 pole ( 4
sets of contacts ) relays. They look identical, but on closer examination they are not.
The manufacturer has identified them with type numbers, CA2-DN 40 and CA2-DN 31.
The 40 section of the number on the first relay signifies that it has 4 normally open
contacts and 0 normally closed contacts. The 31 section of the number on the second
relay signifies that it has 3 normally open contacts and 1 normally closed contact.
Figure 21 – Contactor
Figure 22 shows CA2-DN 22 Relay, each contact is identified by a two digit number.
The first digit signifies the position of the contact on the relay 1 to 4 in this case. The
second digit signifies the type of contact. A contact marked 1-2 is a normally closed
contact. A contact marked 3-4 is a normally open contact. The coil terminals are marked
A1 and A2. Relay coils are usually identified by the letter K, followed by a digit up to the
total number involved in the circuitry, e.g. K1 to K5.
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Contactors
Contactors are very similar to relays. They are specifically designed for switching load
currents. They are used to supply electric motors, heaters, lamps etc. Contactors are
designed for high switching frequency, long life and short switching times. The making /
breaking capacity of the main contacts is matched to the possible motor starting current.
High value overload currents or short circuit currents can damage the main contacts,
therefore protection must be provided by fuses or MCB’s. Generally contactors have
three main contacts plus one auxiliary contact. The current rating of the main contacts
will depend on the load to be switched and may be as low as 10 Amps or as high as
2000 Amps. The current rating of the auxiliary contact(s) is generally around 10 Amps.
Figure 26 shows a 65 Amp contactor. The 3 Phase supply is connected to the three
main terminals on the top of the contactor. The load is connected from the three main
terminals on the bottom. On the right hand side of figure 26, the cover has been
removed to show the three main contacts and one of the auxiliary contacts.
Note the difference in the physical size of the main ( 65 Amp ) contacts and the auxiliary
( 10 Amp ) contact.
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Figure 24 shows a 9 Amp contactor which is suitable for any motor up to 4 kW. On this
size of contactor the auxiliary contact appears to be the same as the main contacts. The
difference is only visible on dismantling the contactor and examining the contacts. The
auxiliary contact is not designed to switch power to or from a load such as a motor. If
used for such a purpose it would quickly fail. The coil terminals are located towards the
base of the contactor. A1 is top left and A2 is available both top right and bottom right.
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Figure 25 shows the contact arrangement inside the contactor. The difference between
the three main contacts and the auxiliary contact is visible.
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MAIN AUXILIARY
CONTACT CONTACT
Each main contact is identified by a single digit number. The coil terminals are marked
A1 and A2. The coil, of a contactor used to switch supply to a motor is usually identified
by the letters KM, followed by a digit up to the total number involved in the system, e.g.
KM1 to KM5.
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Figure 27 shows a more modern 9 Amp contactor. The most noticeable differences are;
The inclusion of a normally closed
auxiliary contact
The position of the auxiliary
contacts
The position of the coil
terminals
Insulated Base
Laminated
Magnetic Core
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Operating Coil
Main Spring
Iron Armature
Contact Housing
Contactor Coils
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The coils of most modern contactors can be quickly changed without the use of any
special tools. These contactor coils may be AC or DC operated. AC standard coil
voltages are 24, 110, 230, 400 Volts 50 Hz. DC standard coil voltages are 12, 24, 48,
230 Volts DC. Other non-standard voltage ratings are available on request. It is most
important that the coil voltage, type and value are matched to the supply available. A
230 Volt supply will not energise a 400 Volt coil. A 400 Volt supply will operate a 230
Volt coil, however the coil will quickly overheat and burn-out.
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Overload Protection
Overload Relay
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Figure 31 shows a popular type of thermal overload relay. It is suitable for the protection
of a motor with a Full Load Current of any value from 1.6 Amps to 2.5 Amps. This value
can be set using the current range adjustment. It also features a stop button, a hand /
auto – reset button and a test button. It has one N/O and one N/C auxiliary contact.
When installed and properly adjusted it may be sealed to prevent / monitor any
unauthorized interference with the settings.
The three pins protruding from the top are connected directly into the outgoing terminals
of a contactor. Two of these pins are adjustable so that they can be matched up to a
number of different size contactors. See underneath pins for this information. The
overload relay may also be installed using a terminal block for separate mounting. Again
the pins are adjusted to suit the terminal block. See Figure 32.
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A thermal overload relay works on the principle that, current flowing through a conductor
produces heat. If the current is doubled in value the amount of heat produced will be
quadrupled. The current taken by a three phase motor is passed through a set of three
small heater elements. One heater is wrapped around each of the three bi-metal strips
as shown in Figure 34.
Under normal conditions the heat produced by the heater elements is just balanced by
the heat lost from them to the surroundings and consequently there is no effect on the
bi-metal strips. When an overload current flows, more heat will be produced by the
heater elements, resulting in further heating of the bi-metal strips, thus causing them to
bend more. This bending of the bimetal strips changes the position of the trip lever,
which causes the auxiliary contacts to change over. The N/C contact opens and is used
to disconnect supply from the contactor coil, thereby disconnecting the supply from the
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motor. The N/O contact closes and is generally used to supply a signal lamp to indicate
that the overload relay has tripped.
Supply Terminals
Trip Levers
Bi-Metal Strip
Insulation
Heater Element
Load
Terminal
As stated earlier, excess current flowing through a motor winding will cause
overheating. This in turn will result in damage to the winding insulation. If this occurs the
motor is described as being “burned out” and must be rewound or replaced. Here are
some of the reasons why motors burn out:
No overload protection
Incorrect overload relay fitted
Incorrect overload relay setting
The main functions of thermal type overload relays are to prevent burn out of windings
due to overloading or single phasing. Overloading applies to all motors, while single
phasing only applies to three phase motors. See below.
Overloading
When the load is increased on an induction motor the rotor speed reduces and the
current taken by the motor increases. When this current rises above the motor Full Load
Current, the motor is considered to be overloaded. Generally speaking, motors can
cater for a 110 - 120% overload. Consequently overload devices are calibrated to allow
for this. An overload relay set at 10 Amps will trip after a time delay, on a load current of
10 + 15% = 11.5 Amps. A thermal overload relay will allow for the starting current of an
induction motor. It takes time to heat the bi-metal strips. This provides a time lag to
allow the starting current flow for a sufficient period of time to get the motor up to full
speed. Low value overloads will be detected and acted upon after a period of time.
Higher value overloads will be detected and acted upon in a shorter time.
Single Phasing
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If a break occurs in any one phase of the supply to a three-phase induction motor, the
motor will continue to run on two phases depending on the load. If fully loaded it will
probably stall and must be quickly disconnected from the supply as the load current will
rise sharply. If it is not fully loaded it will continue to operate the load. In order to do so it
will slow down and draw more current from the remaining two phases. This condition is
called “single phasing”. A bad connection, a blown fuse or a faulty contactor main
contact will produce this effect. A motor will generally not start on two phases; if it does
start it will do so very slowly. This is undesirable and will cause damage to the motor
winding(s). Most thermal overload relays are equipped with a differential device. This
simply means that they can differentiate between all three bi-metals being heated and
only two being heated. If only two bi-metals are heated the relay will operate at a lower
load current. In this way it provides protection against damage due to single phasing.
Note This is the reason why all three heater elements must be used on a single phase
motor circuit.
Motor Starter
The term motor starter is used to describe a device which is used to:
Safely apply power to an electric motor to cause it to start up and run
Protect a motor from the effects of overloading or single phasing
Safely disconnect a motor from the supply to stop it
Prevent the motor re-starting after a supply failure ( only where danger
may exist )
This is referred to as No Volt Protection.
The simplest form of motor starter for the induction motor is the Direct On Line starter.
The DOL starter comprises a contactor and an overload protection relay. The contactor
switches the supply to the motor. It is controlled by a start button and a stop button. The
stop button is an integral part of the overload relay. An auxiliary contact on the contactor
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is used to maintain the supply to the contactor coil after the start button is released. If
the supply to the contactor coil fails, the contactor is de-energized and the motor stops.
The start button must be pressed to energize the contactor again. The overload relay
monitors the current being taken by the motor. Figure 39 shows an enclosed starter.
Power Circuit
The power circuit shows all the components or parts of components required to handle
the load current of the motor. Remember that the motor in question may be a small 1.5
kW ( 2 HP ) or a large 225 kW ( 300 HP ). As the motor power rating increases so too
must the current rating of the contactor, overload relay and supply cables. N.B. When
wiring circuits, the supply should be fed in on the low number terminal and out on the
high number terminal. See figure 40.
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STOP COIL
1 2 3 4 96 95
A1 A2
OL
13 14
HC
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L1
95
Reset Button Auxiliary Contact of
Blue Overload Relay
96
1
Stop Button S1
Red
2
3 13
Start Button S2 KM1 Hold On Contact
Green
4 14
A1
A2
N
Circuit Description
Refer to the circuit illustrated in Figure 41.
The motor being controlled by KM1 will START if:
Supply voltage is present between L1 and N
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Instruction: Read carefully the statement and select the bet answer from the given
alternatives. Write only the corresponding letter on your answer on the
separate answer sheet.
Question 1
A starter with two sets of contacts would be called
a. Single Pole Contactor
b. Double Pole Contactor
c. Magnetic Starter
d. Overload Relay
Question 2
A device used to disconnect power from the motor when incoming power
drops or is interrupted.
a. Circuit Breaker
b. Power Switch
c. Magnetic Starter
d. Overload Relay
Question 3
When a contactor is combined with an overload relay, itis called a
a. Single Pole Contactor
b. Double Pole Contactor
c. Magnetic Starter
d. Overload Relay
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Question 4
An electrical device that automatically opens the circuit when there is over
current on the motor.
a. Overload relay
b. Circuit Breaker
c. Fuse
d. Magnetic Contactor
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Question 8
a. Magnetic Starter
b. Solenoid Switch
c. Magnetic Relay
d. Magnetic Contactor
Question 9
a. Under-voltage protection
b. Overload protection
c. Automatic cutoff in the event of a power failure
d. .All of the Above
Question 10
a. Electromagnet
b. Magnetism
c. Electromagnetic Force
d. Magnetic Line of Force
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