Load Schedule

http://www.openelectrical.org/wiki/index.php?title=Load_Schedule

Introduction

Figure 1. Example of an electrical load schedule

The electrical load schedule is an estimate of the instantaneous electrical loads operating
in a facility, in terms of active, reactive and apparent power (measured in kW, kVAR
and kVA respectively). The load schedule is usually categorised by switchboard or
occasionally by sub-facility / area.

Why do the calculation?

Preparing the load schedule is one of the earliest tasks that needs to be done as it is
essentially a pre-requisite for some of the key electrical design activities (such as
equipment sizing and power system studies).

When to do the calculation?

The electrical load schedule can typically be started with a preliminary key single line
diagram (or at least an idea of the main voltage levels in the system) and any
preliminary details of process / building / facility loads. It is recommended that the load
schedule is started as soon as practically possible.

Calculation Methodology
There are no standards governing load schedules and therefore this calculation is based
on generally accepted industry practice. The following methodology assumes that the
load schedule is being created for the first time and is also biased towards industrial
plants. The basic steps for creating a load schedule are:

Step 1: Collect a list of the expected electrical loads in the facility

Step 2: For each load, collect the electrical parameters, e.g. nominal /
absorbed ratings, power factor, efficiency, etc

Step 3: Classify each of the loads in terms of switchboard location, load

duty and load criticality

Step 4: For each load, calculate the expected consumed load

Step 5: For each switchboard and the overall system, calculate operating,
peak and design load

Step 1: Collect list of loads

The first step is to gather a list of all the electrical loads that will be supplied by the
power system affected by the load schedule. There are generally two types of loads that
need to be collected:

Process loads - are the loads that are directly relevant to the facility. In
factories and industrial plants, process loads are the motors, heaters,
compressors, conveyors, etc that form the main business of the plant.
Process loads can normally be found on either Mechanical Equipment
Lists or Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID's).

Non-process loads - are the auxiliary loads that are necessary to run the
facility, e.g. lighting, HVAC, utility systems (power and water),
DCS/PLC control systems, fire safety systems, etc. These loads are
usually taken from a number of sources, for example HVAC engineers,
instruments, telecoms and control systems engineers, safety engineers,
etc. Some loads such as lighting, UPS, power generation auxiliaries, etc
need to be estimated by the electrical engineer.

Step 2: Collect electrical load parameters

A number of electrical load parameters are necessary to construct the load schedule:

Rated power is the full load or nameplate rating of the load and
represents the maximum continuous power output of the load. For motor
loads, the rated power corresponds to the standard motor size (e.g. 11kW,
37kW, 75kW, etc). For load items that contain sub-loads (e.g. distribution
boards, package equipment, etc), the rated power is typically the
maximum power output of the item (i.e. with all its sub-loads in service).

Absorbed power is the expected power that will be drawn by the load.
Most loads will not operate at its rated capacity, but at a lower point. For
example, absorbed motor loads are based on the mechanical power input
to the shaft of the driven equipment at its duty point. The motor is
typically sized so that the rated capacity of the motor exceeds the
expected absorbed load by some conservative design margin. Where
information regarding the absorbed loads is not available, then a load
factor of between 0.8 and 0.9 is normally applied.

Power factor of the load is necessary to determine the reactive

components of the load schedule. Normally the load power factor at full

load is used, but the power factor at the duty point can also be used for
increased accuracy. Where power factors are not readily available, then
estimates can be used (typically 0.85 for motor loads >7.5kW, 1.0 for
heater loads and 0.8 for all other loads).

Efficiency accounts for the losses incurred when converting electrical

energy to mechanical energy (or whatever type of energy the load
outputs). Some of the electrical power drawn by the load is lost, usually
in the form of heat to the ambient environment. Where information
regarding efficiencies is not available, then estimates of between 0.8 and
1 can be used (typically 0.85 or 0.9 is used when efficiencies are
unknown).

Step 3: Classify the loads

Once the loads have been identified, they need to be classified accordingly:
Voltage Level
What voltage level and which switchboard should the load be located? Large loads may
need to be on MV or HV switchboards depending on the size of the load and how many
voltage levels are available. Typically, loads <150kW tend to be on the LV system
(400V - 690V), loads between 150kW and 10MW tend to be on an intermediate MV
system (3.3kV - 6.6kV) where available and loads >10MW are usually on the HV
distribution system (11kV - 33kV). Some consideration should also be made for
grouping the loads on a switchboard in terms of sub-facilities, areas or sub-systems (e.g.
a switchboard for the compression train sub-system or the drying area).
Load duty
Loads are classified according to their duty as either continuous, intermittent and
standby loads:
1) Continuous loads are those that normally operate continuously over a 24
hour period, e.g. process loads, control systems, lighting and small power
distribution boards, UPS systems, etc
2) Intermittent loads that only operate a fraction of a 24 hour period, e.g.
intermittent pumps and process loads, automatic doors and gates, etc
3) Standby loads are those that are on standby or rarely operate under normal
conditions, e.g. standby loads, emergency systems, etc
Note that for redundant loads (e.g. 2 x 100% duty / standby motors), one is usually
classified as continuous and the other classified as standby. This if purely for the
purposes of the load schedule and does not reflect the actual operating conditions of the
loads, i.e. both redundant loads will be equally used even though one is classified as a
standby load.
Load criticality
Loads are typically classified as either normal, essential and critical:

1) Normal loads are those that run under normal operating conditions, e.g. main
process loads, normal lighting and small power, ordinary office and workshop
loads, etc
2) Essential loads are those necessary under emergency conditions, when the
main power supply is disconnected and the system is being supported by an
emergency generator, e.g. emergency lighting, key process loads that operate
during emergency conditions, fire and safety systems, etc
3) Critical are those critical for the operation of safety systems and for
facilitating or assisting evacuation from the plant, and would normally be
supplied from a UPS or battery system, e.g. safety-critical shutdown systems,
escape lighting, etc

Step 4: Calculate consumed load

The consumed load is the quantity of electrical power that the load is expected to
consume. For each load, calculate the consumed active and reactive loading, derived as
follows:

Where

is the consumed active load (kW)

is the consumed reactive load (kVAr)
is the absorbed load (kW)
is the load efficiency (pu)
is the load power factor (pu)

Notice that the loads have been categorised into three columns depending on their load
duty (continuous, intermittent or standby). This is done in order to make it visually
easier to see the load duty and more importantly, to make it easier to sum the loads
according to their duty (e.g. sum of all continuous loads), which is necessary to
calculate the operating, peak and design loads.

Step 5: Calculate operating, peak and design loads

Many organisations / clients have their own distinct method for calculating operating,
peak and design loads, but a generic method is presented as follows:
Operating load
The operating load is the expected load during normal operation. The operating load is
calculated as follows:

Where

is the operating load (kW or kVAr)

is the sum of all continuous loads (kW or kVAr)
is the sum of all intermittent loads (kW or kVAr)

Peak load
The peak load is the expected maximum load during normal operation. Peak loading is
typically infrequent and of short duration, occurring when standby loads are operated
(e.g. for changeover of redundant machines, testing of safety equipment, etc). The peak
load is calculated as the larger of either:

or

Where

is the peak load (kW or kVAr)

is the sum of all continuous loads (kW or kVAr)
is the sum of all intermittent loads (kW or kVAr)
is the sum of all standby loads (kW or kVAr)
is the largest standby load (kW or kVAr)

Design load
The design load is the load to be used for the design for equipment sizing, electrical
studies, etc. The design load is generically calculated as the larger of either:

or

Where

is the design load (kW or kVAr)

is the operating load (kW or kVAr)

is the sum of all standby loads (kW or kVAr)

is the largest standby load (kW or kVAr)
The design load includes a margin for any errors in load estimation, load growth or the
addition of unforeseen loads that may appear after the design phase. The load schedule
is thus more conservative and robust to errors. On the other hand however, equipment is
often over-sized as a result. Sometimes the design load is not calculated and the peak
load is used for design purposes.

Worked Example
Step 1: Collect list of loads
Consider a small facility with the following loads identified:

2 x 100% vapour recovery compressors (process)

2 x 100% recirculation pumps (process)

1 x 100% sump pump (process)

2 x 50% firewater pumps (safety)

1 x 100% HVAC unit (HVAC)

1 x 100% AC UPS system (electrical)

1 x Normal lighting distribution board (electrical)

1 x Essential lighting distribution board (electrical)

Step 2: Collect electrical load parameters

The following electrical load parameters were collected for the loads identified in Step
1:
Load Description

Abs. Load Rated Load PF

Eff.

Vapour recovery compressor A

750kW

800kW

0.87 0.95

Vapour recovery compressor B

750kW

800kW

0.87 0.95

Recirculation pump A

31kW

37kW

0.83 0.86

Recirculation pump B

31kW

37kW

0.83 0.86

Sump pump

9kW

11kW

0.81 0.83

Firewater pump A

65kW

75kW

0.88 0.88

Firewater pump B

65kW

75kW

0.88 0.88

HVAC unit

80kW

90kW

0.85 0.9

AC UPS System

9kW

12kW

0.85 0.9

Normal lighting distribution board

7kW

10kW

0.8

0.9

Essential lighting distribution board

4kW

5kW

0.8

0.9

Step 3: Classify the loads

Suppose we have two voltage levels, 6.6kV and 415V. The loads can be classified as
follows:
Load Description

Rated Load Voltage

Duty

Criticality

Vapour recovery compressor A

800kW

6.6kV

Continuous

Normal

Vapour recovery compressor B

800kW

6.6kV

Standby

Normal

Recirculation pump A

37kW

415V

Continuous

Normal

Recirculation pump B

37kW

415V

Standby

Normal

Sump pump

11kW

415V

Intermittent

Normal

Firewater pump A

75kW

415V

Standby

Essential

Firewater pump B

75kW

415V

Standby

Essential

HVAC unit

90kW

415V

Continuous

Normal

AC UPS System

12kW

415V

Continuous

Critical

Normal lighting distribution board

10kW

415V

Continuous

Normal

Essential lighting distribution board

5kW

415V

Continuous

Essential

Step 4: Calculate consumed load

Calculating the consumed loads for each of the loads in this example gives:
Continuous

Intermittent

Standby

P
Q
(kW) (kVAr)

P
Q
(kW) (kVAr)

P
Q
(kW) (kVAr)

Load
Description

Abs
Load

Vapour
recovery
compressor A

750kW 0.87 0.95 789.5

Vapour

PF

Eff.

750kW 0.87 0.95

447.4

789.5

447.4

recovery
compressor B
Recirculation
pump A

31kW

0.83 0.86 36.0

Recirculation
pump B

31kW

0.83 0.86

Sump pump

9kW

Firewater
pump A

24.2

36.0

24.2

0.81 0.83

10.8

7.9

65kW

0.88 0.88

73.9

39.9

Firewater
pump B

65kW

0.88 0.88

73.9

39.9

HVAC unit

80kW

0.85 0.9

88.9

55.1

AC UPS
System

9kW

0.85 0.9

10.0

6.2

Normal
lighting
distribution
board

7kW

0.8

0.9

7.8

5.8

Essential
lighting
distribution
board

4kW

0.8

0.9

4.4

3.3

936.6

542.0

10.8

7.9

973.3

551.4

SUM TOTAL

Step 5: Calculate operating, peak and design loads

The operating, peak and design loads are calculated as follows:
P (kW) Q (kW)
Sum of continuous loads

936.6

542.0

50% x Sum of intermittent loads

5.4

4.0

10% x Sum of standby loads

97.3

55.1

Largest standby load

789.5

447.4

Operating load

942

546.0

Peak load

1,731.5

993.4

Design load

1,825.7 1,047.9

Normally you would separate the loads by switchboard and calculate operating, peak
and design loads for each switchboard and one for the overall system. However for the
sake of simplicity, the loads in this example are all lumped together and only one set of
operating, peak and design loads are calculated.