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SECTION 4 SWITCHGEAR - GENERAL

CONTENTS

Switchgear - General

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SWITCHGEAR - GENERAL
The subject of 'Switchgear' is regarded as covering all types of switching devices such as circuit-breakers, contactors and hand-operated switches, as well as fuses and protective devices like relays. Switchgear is used on both high-voltage and low-voltage systems. It is required to enable generators, feeders, transformers and motors to be connected to and disconnected from the high-voltage or low-voltage system. This switching is necessary both for normal operational purposes and for the rapid disconnection of any circuit that becomes faulty. The switchgear also allows any circuit to be isolated from the live system and for that circuit to be made safe so that work may be carried out on equipment connected to it. This section deals with switching devices as applied to high-voltage systems; low voltage is covered in another section. Two types of switchgear are considered in this section: Circuit-breakers Circuit-breakers are used to control generators, transformers, bus-sections buscouplers, interconnecting cables between switchboards and the starting and running of very large motors; they are designed to MAKE and BREAK full fault currents. A circuit-breaker may be of the oil-break, air-break, SF 6 or vacuum-break type. Because of the fire hazard only air-break and vacuum-break units tend to be used on offshore installations, but oil-break circuit-breakers are widely used onshore. They are not designed for continuously repeated operation. Contactors Contactors are used to control motor circuits and sometimes transformers. They may be of the air, SF6 or vacuum-break type; each type is used both onshore and offshore. Contactors are designed only to make and carry fault current for a short time not to break it. Where the system fault level exceeds the limited breaking capacity of the contactor, fuses are inserted in series with the contactor contacts. Contactors are designed to undergo repeated and frequent operation without undue wear. A switchboard may be made up of a mixture of circuit breaker and contactor cubicles depending on the nature of the individual loads and the distribution requirements.

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A circuit breaker or contactor has five ratings: 1. Voltage. This is the nominal system voltage at which the switch will operate without breakdown. 2. Normal Current. This is the current that the switch will carry continuously without overheating. 3. Breaking Capacity. This is the maximum fault current (expressed in kA (rms) or MVA) which the switch will interrupt on all three phases. 4. Making Current. This is the maximum peak asymmetrical current (expressed in kA) that the switch can carry in any pole during a making operation. 5. Short-time Rating. This is the maximum time (usually specified as 3 sec or 1 sec) for which the switch will carry, without damage, the full fault current before that current is broken. The theory and manner in which the various types of circuit-breaker and contactor extinguish the arc and interrupt the current is dealt with elsewhere. The descriptions that follow are concerned with the actual hardware, its operation and its assembly into switch boards. The choice of suitable switchgear depends to a larger extent on the actual duty than any other type of electrical plant. In addition switching on or off any section of an electrical installation, the switchgear generally includes the necessary protective devices that are desirable in order that the particular section may be automatically isolated under fault conditions. Originally all switchgear consisted of open knife switches mounted on a slate or composition panel and operated by hand. The protective device consisted of a fuse, which was generally mounted close to the switch. The use of high voltage a.c. and the great increase in total power in a system necessitated the use of oil-break, air-break, vacuum, SF6 or air blast switchgear. For low voltages (up to 1000V) knife-type switches may still be used, and in some instances open-type boards are being installed, but generally most switchgear is today enclosed. Metalclad switch or combined switch and fuse units are used either singly or to form a switchboard. For the smaller capacities insulated cases are obtainable in place of the metal type, these being particularly popular for domestic installations. Any knife switches are usually spring controlled, giving a quick make and break with a free handle action which makes the operation of the switch independent of the speed at which the handle is moved. In all cases it is impossible to open the cover with the switch in the 'on' position. The normal limit for this type of switch is from 300 to 400A, but larger units can be made Miniature circuit breakers are used widely as protective devices in consumer premises and for group switching and protection of fluorescent lights in commercial and industrial buildings. Moulded case circuit breakers with ratings up to 3000A and capable of interrupting currents up to 200kA (for the larger ratings) are becoming popular for control of L.V. networks.

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When any breaking capacity rating is required, together with automatic operation it is necessary to use special control devices to interrupt the fault current. Low voltage threephase systems of up to 415V are usually controlled by air circuit-breakers with or without series fuses. For higher voltage systems up to 36kV, oil, air break, vacuum and SF 6 breakers are available. For higher voltages, SF6 circuit-breakers take over and are used up to 420kV. For L.V. systems the air-break circuit-breaker is usually a moulded case unit. The air-break circuit-breaker for 3.3kV to 11kV has an arc control device that is suitable for motor switching and is used mainly in power stations. Its cost makes general use in industry and distribution systems unusual. Oil circuit-breakers, which still are popular for H.V. distribution systems despite the perceived fire risk, consist of an oil enclosure in which contacts and an arc control device are mounted. The arc is struck within the control device and the resultant gas pressure sweeps the arc through cooling vents in the side of the pot. High reliability and simple maintenance are available from these devices. Vacuum circuit-breakers were the first type of oil-less circuit breaker to be available and have been used in industrial situations since the later 1960s. Vacuum interrupters are sealed-for-life ceramic 'bottles' containing movable contacts in a high vacuum. The circuit breaking performance of this design is very high and a large number of shortcircuit operations can be achieved before any replacement is necessary. In fact, in most cases, this will never be required. SF6 circuit-breakers come in a number of forms, all utilising the good dielectric and arc extinguishing properties of this gas to provide another type of oil-less circuit breaker. While the life of the contacts is not as great as those in a vacuum, the SF 6 circuit-breaker has other advantages that make it equally as acceptable for industrial and distribution use. All new units are designed to minimise the maintenance that is required to the interrupting unit - although regular checks on the mechanical operation and the cleanliness of exposed insulation is always advisable. All circuit-breaker systems up to 36kV are three-phase units but for higher voltages up to 420kV three separate single-phase breakers are sometimes used to facilitate single-phase opening and closing for transient faults. A major part of circuit-breaker cubicle cost is the protection and instrumentation systems that are associated with the particular panel protection and its interlocking with adjacent circuits. Protection from overload is obtained by means of a device that releases the mechanism and opens the breaker. For small breakers, the protection is provided by overload coils or thermal releases inside the unit itself. For large units, which are protected by complex relay systems, the operation of one of the relays of the protection system releases the tripping mechanism in a similar manner.

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Some essential features of all switchgear are: 1. Isolation of the internal mechanism for inspection. This is important and full interlocks are always provided to prevent the opening of any part of the enclosure unless access to the higher voltage supply is prevented. 2. Insulation from breaker contacts to the side of the enclosure must be adequate for the voltage and maximum load that the breaker will be called upon to deal with. 3. Provision for manual operation in case the electrical control (if provided) fails to operate. 4. Provision for instruments which may be required. These may be in the form of either an ammeter or voltmeter on the unit itself or the necessary current and voltage transformers for connecting to the main switchboard or a separate instrument panel. For switchgear up to 11kV and most circuit breakers up to 33kV, isolation is effected in the following ways: 5. By isolating links in or near the busbar chamber. 6. Draw-out type of gear in which the whole of the circuit breaker is withdrawn vertically from the busbar chamber before it can be opened up. 7. Truck-type, in which the circuit-breaker with its connections is isolated in a horizontal manner before inspection or adjustment. It should be noted that in certain cases, double isolating devices are necessary i.e. both on the incoming and outgoing side. Isolation is, of course, always required on the incoming side, but it is always necessary on the outgoing side if that part of the network can be made alive through any other control gear or alternative supply. With conventional switchgear, isolation of both sides takes place automatically. The difference between a switch and circuit breaker is that the switch is a device for making and breaking a current not greatly in excess of its rated normal current, and the circuit-breaker is a device capable of making and breaking the circuit under both normal and fault conditions. Oil switches, however, have to be capable of making onto a shortcircuit. A breaker is usually classified according to the voltage of the circuit on which it is to be installed; the normal current which it is designed to carry continuously in order to limit the temperature rise to a safe value; the frequency of the supply; its interrupting capacity in kA; its making capacity in kA (peak), i.e. the instantaneous peak current; and the greatest r.m.s. Current, which it will carry without damage for a specified length of time, usually 1 or 3 sees.

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Rated Thermal current in Amperes

Number of Operating Cycles per hour

All Circuit Breakers

Number of operating cycles Circuit Breakers Circuit Breakers designed to be designed not to maintained be maintained

Ith 100 100 Ith 315 315 Ith 630 630 Ith 1250 1250 Ith 2500 2500 Ith

240 120 60 30 20 10

With current, Without Total Withou Total without current t Maintenance current 4000 16000 20000 4000 8000 2000 18000 20000 6000 8000 1000 9000 10000 4000 5000 500 4500 2500 3000 100 1900 2000 900 1000 Agreement between manufacturer and user

TABLE 4.1 NUMBER OF OPERATING CYCLES FOR THE MECHANICAL ENDURANCE TEST (FROM BS 4752) Ith During each operating cycle, the circuit-breaker shall remain closed for a maximum of 2 seconds The manufacturer shall supply detailed instructions on the adjustments or maintenance required to enable the circuit-breaker to perform the number of operating cycles specified. the rated thermal current of the circuit-breaker

BS4752 covers circuit breakers of rated voltage up to and including 1000V a.c. and 1200V d.c. All circuit-breakers shall be capable of carrying out a given number of mechanical and electrical operating cycles, each one consisting of a closing operation followed by an opening operation (mechanical endurance test) or a making operation followed by a breaking operation (electrical endurance test). The numbers of cycles for the mechanical endurance test are shown in the table.

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HIGH VOLTAGE SWITCHBOARDS

A number of complete housings, together with their withdraw able circuit-breakers, can be assembled into a single switchboard, as shown typically in Figure 4.1.

FIGURE 4.1 - TYPICAL HIGH VOLTAGE SWITCHBOARD The panels, whose upper parts carry the local controls, protective relays and indicating instruments, form a continuous switchboard. The circuit-breakers are at the bottom behind doors, which can be opened for mechanical control of the breaker or for withdrawing it. The switchboard acts as an electrical 'manifold', with a common set of busbars running the length of the board. In most offshore boards the busbars run along the bottom, sometimes encapsulated in epoxy resin, and tee-offs are made from them to the lower contacts of each circuit-breaker (Panels 1-8) and contactor (Panels 10-13). At a busbar transfer panel, such as Panel 9, the copper work run is changed from the bottom level (for the circuit-breakers) to two levels for the tiers of contactors. This arrangement is also shown in Figure 4.1. Sometimes (as here) use is made of the front of a narrow transfer panel to accommodate extra relays. At a bus-section panel, Panel 5, the bottom run on one side passes into the bus-section circuit-breaker, and from its top contacts back to the bottom level to feed the circuitbreakers on the other side. By studying Figure 4.1 it will be seen that, even when the busbars on one side of a section breaker have been made safe for maintenance by complete isolation and earthing down, the bus-section cubicle may still have live copper work on the other side of the circuit-breaker. Particular care is therefore necessary when working on, or near to, bus-section cubicles. Switchboards other than the one described and made by other manufacturers, will differ in the detail of their busbar arrangements. Nevertheless the principles explained above will apply in all cases.
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FIGURE 4.2 - TYPICAL VACUUM CONTACTOR SWITCHBOARD

A set of vacuum contactor panels, sometimes also with vacuum circuit-breaker panels, can be assembled to form a complete switchboard, as shown in Figure 4.2. Vacuum switch panels are very narrow compared to the equivalent air-break circuit-breaker panels and lend themselves well to very compact, space-saving switchboards.

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SWITCHBOARD DISTRIBUTION
A high-voltage switchboard is an assembly point that receives power from the HV generators or other sources, controls it and distributes it. A common busbar system runs through the board to which the power sources are connected through switchgear. The busbars act as a 'manifold', and feeders are taken from it, through circuit-breakers or contactors, to all power-consuming services such as transformers, motors or interconnectors.

FIGURE 4.3 - TYPICAL OFFSHORE HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEM

Figure 4.3 shows, in diagram form, a typical air-break HV switchboard. It is in fact the diagram of the HV switchboard shown pictorially in Figure 4.1. It shows the two generator incomer breakers (3 and 6), the bus-section breaker (5), four feeder breakers (1, 4, 7 and 8) supplying very large motors which are too big for contactors, and one interconnector breaker (2). On the right are the four-contactor panels. In Panel 9 (a bus transfer panel) the busbar splits into two - one for the high-level and one for the low-level contactors. There are three contactors (10, 12 and 13) feeding medium-sized motors and one (11) feeding a transformer; all four contactors have back-up fuses.

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LOW VOLTAGE SWITCHBOARDS

General

Figure 4.4 - Part of Typical Offshore 440v Switchboard

Part of a typical offshore 440V switchboard is shown in Figure 4.4. The part shown consists of five panels mounted side by side; the centre three panels contain cubicles for the incoming feeder, bus-section and heavy feeder circuit-breakers; the associated protective relays, control switches and indication equipment are mounted on the fronts of each panel. On each side of the circuit-breaker panels are MCC panels, one of which is shown in Figure 4.4 on each side of the centre panels. Further MCC panels are added as required. Each contains a number of motor control contactor cubicles and fuse-switch cubicles mounted one above the other to control the outgoing circuits. The fuse-switch cubicles control those circuits not associated with motors such as sub-distribution boards or welding sockets. Additional MCC panels are mounted on each side of the centre section to house the feeder cubicles necessary to meet the requirements of the system concerned. A large switchboard may include as many as 30 or more MCC panels. The arrangement of the busbars and circuit connections is shown diagrammatically in Figure 4.5; the main busbars run through busbar chambers at the top and to the rear of the panels; they are connected through the length of each section of switchboard. Power is supplied to each outgoing feeder cubicle by a set of dropping housed in a vertical enclosure at the rear of each MCC panel.

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On many switchboards each incoming switchgear panel has provision for earthing the neutral busbar through a bolted link. It is not switched with the breaker. When the incoming supply is from a transformer, this link is closed, earthing both the neutral busbar and the star-point of the transformer; this provides an earth for that particular part of the LV system. On systems where the transformer star-point is earthed direct, this feature is not provided at the switchboard. On some installations where dry-type encapsulated transformers are used, the transformers themselves form part of the LV switchboard, installed behind a panel and with their LV terminals connected directly onto the copper work of the incomer panel.

Centre (Incomer) Section

An LV switchboard is usually supplied from one or two step-down transformers fed from the HV system. LV operating voltages are normally 415V onshore and 440V offshore.

FIGURE 4.5 - TYPICAL ONSHORE 415V SYSTEM

Figure 4.5 shows a typical onshore LV system with two transformer incomers, a bussection breaker, a heavy feeder and two grouped distributing sections, left and right, also called Motor Control Centres (MCCs). (Note: This is a somewhat misleading term, as by no means all the feeder circuits supply power to motors.) The circuit breakers usually form the centre section, with power being passed to left and right by the busbars. Heavy-current feeders and the larger interconnectors feeding power to or from other LV switchboards sometimes require circuit-breaker protection and are then brought into the centre section.

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MCC Section
A feeder cubicle controls each outgoing circuit (other than interconnectors) on one of the MCC 'wings' of the switchboard. These cubicles are of different types, depending on the manufacturer. The following description is typical and is widely used in both onshore and offshore installations.

FIGURE 4.6 - TYPICAL MCC CUBICLES

The MCC feeder cubicles occupy the full width of an MCC panel, but their vertical height depends upon the rating and function of the unit. The smallest unit occupies one module of height - a 'one-tier' cubicle - and there is space for ten of them. The largest is seven tiers high. In practice a panel usually contains a mixture of cubicles of different heights to suit the particular distribution requirement. In the smallest (one-tier) feeder cubicles the HRC fuse bases are permanently fixed to the busbar droppers and, although they are shrouded, care is needed when withdrawing or replacing them. Such feeder cubicles have a simple rotary isolating switch on the hinged panel-front door, as shown in Figure 4.6(a). Larger sizes of switch panel are provided with a fuse-switch for isolation. An isolating handle on the door of the unit operates this with a mechanical drive to the fixed fuseswitch through a dog-clutch which is engaged only when the door is closed. The fuses are dead when the fuse-switch is off. This is shown in Figure 4.6(b). Both isolating switches and fuse-switches are interlocked with the doors of their associated switch unit so that the door cannot be opened unless the switch is off. All MCC feeder cubicles used for motor control have a contactor in the circuit following the isolator switch or fuse-switch; the two types are shown in Figures 4.6(c) and (d).

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It is possible to test the contactors without actually starting the motor. When the cubicle door is opened, the isolator having first been opened, a switch inside can be closed to provide an alternative supply to the contactor coil. The contactor can then be operated while its main contacts are isolated from the mains. A small cubicle at the top of the MCC panel provides the test supply through small distribution fuses; it is labelled 'TEST' or 'CONTROL'. Motors are normally started and stopped by remote control from the control room or the motor site. Starting pushbuttons or switches at those points cause the contactor at the MCC to close. It is very rare for provision to be made to start a motor at the MCC cubicle itself (some ventilation fans are exceptions). However each motor cubicle at the MCC has an emergency stop pushbutton.

FUSES
Fuses are used with low-voltage switchgear: 8. as back-up for distribution contactors or 9. for various control and instrumentation circuits. In all cases they are of the HRC type. When used as back-up the fuses are inside the individual distribution cubicles on the MCC section of the switchboard. In one design they are either direct on the busbars (for one-tier units) or embodied in the isolating switch as a 'fuse-switch' in larger units - see Figure 4.6. In this case protection against accidental contact is afforded by the cubicle enclosure itself. Access to a fuse-switch is only possible after the fuse-carrying blades of the switch have been put in the isolated (open) position and the door opened. Great care is needed with the busbar fuses in one-tier cubicles. Although the door cannot be opened until the isolating switch has been opened, the fuses themselves are still connected to the live busbar, though not carrying current - see Figure 4.6(a) and (c). Although the fuse links are well shrouded, caution should be shown when removing or replacing them. Low-voltage control and instrument fuses are usually panel-mounted in their own carriers. Their physical size is determined by their normal current rating. The fault level current of the circuit in which they are connected determines their breaking capacity.

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FIGURE 4.7 - COMPLETE LV FUSE UNIT (TYPICAL)

A typical low-voltage fuse assembly is shown in Figure 4.7. The replaceable ceramic cartridge with its metal terminal caps is known as the 'fuse link'. It is held in an insulated 'fuse carrier' which completely shrouds all live metal. The carrier is supported on an insulated 'fuse base', where it is firmly fixed by various mechanical means, among them tongue contacts, butt contacts held by insulated screw pressure, or wedge contacts pressed in by insulated screws. A tongue-contact type is shown in Figure 4.7.

PANEL HEATERS
Each switchboard panel is fitted with an anti-condensation heater; this is usually energised at 240V or 250V a.c. and controlled either by a hand switch or by an auxiliary switch that connects the heater when the circuit-breaker is open. Care should be taken when working inside a switch cubicle as the panel heaters are usually supplied from a separate source and are not isolated when the cubicle doors are opened.

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