E - Distribution in low-voltage installations

1 LV distribution schemes

1.4 Safety or emergency-services installations and standby power supplies

The provision of safety and emergency installations is a legal obligation

Safety installations
Safety and emergency-services installations are governed by statutory regulations, for example concerning: c Public buildings c High-rise apartment blocks c Premises in which people are employed (offices, shops, factories, etc.) Such premises must be provided with a means of ensuring the safe evacuation of personnel, including: c Security and safety lighting c Alarms and warning systems c Automatic fire detection systems c Fire-extinguishing systems c Smoke evacuation systems c Air compressors for the pressure-operated fire-extinguishing system c Water pumps to refill the fire extinguishing system Apart from the general rules noted above, there are certain projects for which safety regulations are related to a particular process (e.g. petro-chemical plants, cement works, etc.) or services (e.g. tunnel lighting, airport runway lighting, etc.).

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Standby reserve-power supplies are an economic necessity in numerous circumstances where loss of supply would have far-reaching consequences

Standby reserve-power supplies

Among the many applications in which an interruption of power supply cannot be tolerated, the following may be cited (see Fig. E18 ): c Information technology installations (protection of data concerning insurance, banking, professional practices, governments) c Industrial processes (continuity of feed material for continuous processing, boiler feed-water pumps in power stations, paper production, desalination plants) c Food-processing industry (refrigeration plants, hatcheries) c Telecommunications c Scientific research c Surgical operating theatres c Ticketing, plane reservations, cash registers c Military It may be noted that where several emergency-services standby sources exist, they can also be used as reserve-power sources, on condition that any one of them is available and capable of starting and supplying all safety and emergency circuits, and that the failure of one of them does not affect the normal functioning of the others.

Choice and characteristics of reserve-power supplies

Apart from perceptible (albeit very brief) cuts in power supply, imperceptible interruptions of several milli-seconds are sufficient to interfere with the operation of certain equipment. As previously noted, UPS systems are essential in these cases, and are used together with the reserve-power source to ensure the utmost security.

Ba

ck

HV LV Diesel generator

Automatic bypass

UPS

Fig. E17 : Example of a High Quality Power installation

Fig. E18 : Examples of reserve power supplies: central storage battery (left) and dieselgenerator sets (right)

Schneider Electric - Electrical installation guide 2005

E - Distribution in low-voltage installations

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E14

Principal specifications For economic reasons, the following requirements are often mandatory: c Supply interruption is not tolerated: v In information technology (IT) systems v In continuous-process operations, except for loads of high inertia that can tolerate an interruption in the order of 1 second c Period for conserving data in information technology (IT) systems: 10 minutes c Autonomy, often expressed as a backup time, is desirable for reserve-power supplies installations; it is a function of the economics related to operation beyond the minimum requirement for the safety of personnel Specifications related to safety installations (see Fig. E19 ) National regulations covering safety installations contain a number of conditions to be respected concerning their electric-power sources: c Duration of an interruption: According to the case and the country, the following choices are generally imposed: v No break v A break of less than 1 second v A break of less than 15 seconds c Autonomy demanded for the reserve-power source: In general it corresponds to the time necessary to complete all operations governing the safety of human lives, for example, the time to evacuate a public building (1 hour minimum). In large apartment blocks, the autonomy of the source must be 36 hours, or more.

Ba

ck

Fields of application

Applications

Installation examples

Programmable controllers IT equipment Telecommunications - Data bank - Process control and monitoring - IT services - Banking, insurance - Administration - Management system of production process

Interruptible sequential process - Cold-working sequence

Continuous process - Control and monitoring of process parameters - Nuclear - Chemical - Biological - Thermal - Heavy mechanical (high inertia)

- Light machining - Packaging assembly chain

Conditions Allowable duration of break

Autonomy of source minimum and preferred

Zero i 1 second i 15 seconds i 15 minutes 1 minute 20 minutes 1 hour Permanent if economical

c c c (1) c (1) c c

c (2) c

Solutions Technique employed

UPS with or without a generator set to take over before the end of battery backup power

No-break generator or start-up and take-over of load from the UPS

Permanent generator set

(1) Depending on economic circumstances (2) Data-storage time limit

Fig. E19 : Table showing the choice of reserve-power supply types according to application requirements and acceptable supply-interruption times

Choice and characteristics of different sources

The several possible solutions are characterised by their availability, i.e. immediate or delayed load pick-up time, and their autonomy, i.e. ability to supply the load for a given period without human intervention (refilling fuel tanks for example). It is also necessary to take into account: c Constraints imposed by the installation: in particular for specialised locations, and according to the source(s) used c Complementary equipment c Operational constraints, e.g. according to manufacturer operating instructions or local statutory regulations, etc. c Routine maintenance requirements, which could impose less than ideal restrictions during periods allotted to such work

Schneider Electric - Electrical installation guide 2005

E - Distribution in low-voltage installations

1 LV distribution schemes

An overall review of the many possibilities and associated constraints often leads to an optimum solution based on a UPS scheme associated with a standby diesel generator set. Batteries provide an uninterrupted supply of power during the start-up and load pick-up time of the standby generator set (see Fig. E20 ).

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ck B a Emergency and/or

reserve power supply Battery UPS

Cold-start diesel

Load pick-up (1)

Generators in continuous operation

Time required to supply load Zero time (no break) c 1 second 1 to 10 minutes (5) Total time for a changeover operation Zero c Related to the automatic changeover scheme adopted for each source Installation constraints Special location (type of battery) Special DC network

c c c

None. Unless batteries are vented type

Special location (vibrations, noise, access required for maintenance, fire protection) Fuel tanks

Additional equipment (apart from protection and changeover devices) Charger None. Unless additional Regulator, indications batteries are required Operational mode and constraints Special network System losses Frequent checking Other parameters Maintenance

Starter, by batteries or compressed air

Inertia fly wheel and clutch

Automatic synchronising equipment

Automatic

Manual or automatic Periodic startups

Automatic Fixed maximum load

Permanent operating staff

Life expectancy (3) Necessary redundancy (4) Reliability factors (4)

Periodic shut-downs for checking and maintenance work Little upkeep required 4 to 5 years (2) x 2 if installation is permanent Constant checking is important (numerous human errors)

None Unless batteries are vented type 4 to 5 years (for sealed batteries) Typically 2 for 1 and 3 for 2 Integrated checks

Periodic checks, but minimal wear and very little upkeep required 1,000 to 10,000 hrs or 5 to 10 years Batteries x 2 Mechanical and starter batteries

Minor mechanical constraints only, except for clutch and coupling shaft 5 to 10 years x 2 where security is important Mechanical, particularly clutch assembly and coupling shaft

Periodic checks, but minimal wear and very little upkeep required 10,000 hrs (or 1 year) x 2 if the installation is permanent Mechanical and synchronisation system

(1) A motor-generator set running continuously and equipped with a heavy flywheel On the loss of normal supply, the pick-up of load generally requires less than 1 second (2) Longer if the battery is of the vented type (3) Before requiring a major overhaul (4) A study of safety requirements allows the definition of an optimal scheme (5) According to whether the set is pre-heated or not

Fig. E20 : Characteristics of different sources

The combination of a UPS and a local generating set is the optimum solution to ensure long autonomy

Local generating sets

In certain installations, a power supply independent of the normal public service is needed. In such cases, a local generator (usually driven by a diesel engine) is provided and associated with a UPS. In this case the battery backup time of the UPS must be sufficient to cover the time required to start the diesel engine and connect the generator to the load. The time required to effect a changeover from one source to the other depends on the characteristics of the particular installation, such as start-up sequence of the engine, possible shedding of inessential loads, etc. Connection is generally carried out at the main LV switchboard by means of an automatic source changeover system such as the one illustrated in Figure E21next page.

Schneider Electric - Electrical installation guide 2005

E - Distribution in low-voltage installations

1 LV distribution schemes

Ba

ck

Normal power source Protection and distribution equipment (complementary)

Diesel generator

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Possi ble transformer (1) Network 1 Network 2 Battery charger Inverter Static changeover switch

Battery protection box

Manual maintenance bypass switch Protection and distribution equipment (complementary)

(1) Necessary in some cases, e.g. for voltage matching

Fig. E21 : Example of a UPS / generating-set combination with an automatic changeover system

During UPS operation under normal conditions, AC power flows into the rectifier section and a very small portion of the DC power at the output of the rectifier is used to keep the battery fully charged. The remainder of the DC power is converted into clean AC power for the load. In the event of a changeover from normal supply to reserve-power generator supply, it is important (particularly if the load to be supplied from the generator is large compared to its rating) that damaging transient torques on the generator shaft and couplings be avoided. Such torques occur for suddenly applied loads and are due to the oscillating transient torque of the shaft and the steady load torque adding and subtracting at the natural frequency of the shaft oscillations. To avoid this phenomenon, the rectifier is controlled electronically to pass a low current initially that is then gradually increased until the load is supplied entirely by the generator. This operation lasts for 10-15 seconds. UPS shutdown is also carried out gradually by similar controls on the rectifier circuits. A gradual application of load also avoids the possibility of large transient currents and fluctuations in frequency, the latter being due to the inertia in the speedregulation governor system of the prime mover. The rectifier in the conversion system creates harmonic currents which generally means that the reserve-power generator has to be derated (i.e. an oversized generator may have to be installed). This question should be discussed with the UPS manufacturer. In the example shown in Figure E21, the output from the UPS is synchronised with the input supply to the rectifier so that, in the event of overloading or failure of the UPS inverter, instantaneous closing of the static changeover switch will maintain supply.

Schneider Electric - Electrical installation guide 2005