BBSE2001 – Utility

y Services
http://www.hku.hk/bse/bbse2001/

L.V. Electrical Installation

- Testing Procedures and Extra Low Voltage
Systems
Dr. Sam C M Hui
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Hong Kong
E-mail:
E mail: cmhui@hku.hk
cmhui@hku hk
Mar 2009
Contents

• Basic Requirements

• Testing Procedures

• Extra Low Voltage (ELV)

• Typical ELV Systems

Basic Requirements

• COP for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations

• 19: First inspection, testing and certification
• 20: Periodic inspection, testing and certification
• 21: Procedures for inspection,
inspection testing and
certification
• Useful guides:
• EMSD’s
EMSD s Checklists on Items for Inspection and
Testing of Low-voltage Electrical Installations
• HEC’s Guide
id to Connection
i off Supply,
l Chp h 6&7
Basic Requirements

• First inspection, testing and certification

• For new work, alternation or addition
• Certified by a Registered Electrical Worker (REW)
• Completion
p of an installation
• Certification on the design
• Certification on the installation
• Work completion certificate
• Before it is energised
Basic Requirements

• Periodic inspection, testing and certification

• Fixed installation requiring annual inspection
• Place of public entertainment
• Premises for manufacturing/storing of dangerous goods
• High voltage installations
• Fixed installation requiring inspection every 5 yrs.
yrs
• Factories & industrial undertakings > 200 A
• Any premises > 100 A
• Hotels, hospitals, schools/universities, etc.
Basic Requirements

• Periodic test certificates

• Form WR2 – a complete installation
• Form WR2(A) – Part of an Installation
• Work Completion Certificates
• Form WR1 – a complete installation
• Form WR1(A) – Part of an Installation
Testing Procedures

• Inspection of L.V.
L V installations, e.g.
eg
• Adequacy of working space & access
• Connection & sizes of conductors
• Fire protection
• Protection against electric shock
• Isolation & switching
• Overcurrent protective devices
• Warning notices and labels
• Diagrams, instructions & other info.
Testing Procedures

• Testingg procedures
p (in
( correct sequence)
q )
• Continuity of ring final circuit conductors
• Continuity
C ti it off protective
t ti conductors,
d t including
i l di
main and supplementary equipotential bonding
• Earth electrode resistance
• Insulation resistance
• Polarity
• Earth fault loop impedance
• Functions of all protective devices
• Functions of all items of equipment
 Continuity test of final circuit
(Source: EMSD, 2003. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations)
Continuity Testers
Digital Multimeter
 Earth electrode resistance test
(Source: EMSD, 2003. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations)
 Test of earth electrode resistance having four or more electrodes
(Source: EMSD, 2003. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations)
 Insulation resistance to earth test
(Source: EMSD, 2003. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations)
 Minimum values of insulation resistance
Circuit nominal Test voltage d.c. Minimum
g (Volts)
voltage ( ) ((Volts)) insulation
resistance
(megaohms)
Extra-low voltage * 250 0.25

Up to 500 V 500 05
0.5

Above 500 V 1,000 1.0

* When the circuit is supplied from a safety isolating transformer

or safety extra-low voltage (SELV).
(Source: EMSD, 2003. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations)
Insulation Tester (MegOhmMeter)
 Earth Bonding
Resistance Meter
 Insulation resistance test between phases
(Source: EMSD, 2003. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations)
 Polarity test
(Source: EMSD, 2003. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations)
Testing Procedures

• Earth fault loop impedance

• Measured by a phase-earth loop tester
• Functions of all protective devices
• Checked by residual current device tester (built-in)
(built in)
• Checked by hand operation (MCB, MCCB, ACB)
• Additional checks for hazardous environment
• Such
S h as DG stores & iindustrial
d i l process
Extra Low Voltage (ELV)

• Extra low voltage (ELV): (弱 電)

• < 50 volts AC or < 120 volts DC
• Low voltage: < 1000 V AC or 1500 V DC
• High voltage: anything exceeding low voltage
• Intrinsically safe circuits (BS 1259)
• Three
Th types off ELV sources:
• Safety extra low voltage (SELV)
• Protective extra low voltage (PELV)
• Functional extra low voltage (FELV)
Extra Low Voltage (ELV)

• Safetyy extra low voltage

g ((SELV)) must be
• Safely separated from other circuits that carry higher
voltages
• Isolated from earth (ground) and from the protective earth
conductors of other circuits
• The safety of an SELV circuit is provided by
• The extra low voltage
• Low risk of accidental contact with a higher
g voltage
g
• Lack of a return path through earth (ground) that a current
could
cou d ta
takee in case oof co
contact
tact with
w t a human
u a body
Extra Low Voltage (ELV)

• Protective extra low voltage

g ((PELV))
• Has a protective earth (ground) connection
• Such as a computer with a IEC Class I power supply
• Functional extra low voltage (FELV)
• Any other extra low voltage circuit that does not fulfill the
requirements for an SELV or PELV circuit
• Such as part of the circuit uses an ELV
• Protection requirements
q for the higher
g voltage
g have to be applied
pp
to the entire circuit
Typical ELV Systems

• Common ELV systems include:

• Communal aerial broadcast distribution (CABD)
• Also known as “Public TV antenna” (公共天線)
• Satellite master antenna television (SMATV)
( )
• Private branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems
• Public address (PA) systems
• Computer networking systems
• Fire alarms and security systems
Typical ELV Systems

• CABD and SMATV systems

• Known as “In-Building Coaxial Cable Distribution
S
Systems”
” (IBCCDS)
• Comprises aerial, head-end equipment (amplifier/filter)
and co-axial cable network (block wiring systems)
inside multi-storey buildings
• For reception and distribution of TV and FM radio
broadcast
• In some buildings, it is also used to distribute cable TV,
satellite TV,, closed circuit television ((CCTV)) &
Internet services
(Source: HKU Telecomm Research Project, www.trp.hku.hk)
Typical ELV Systems

• CABD and SMATV systems (cont

(cont’d)
d)
• Services include:
• Free TV Programme (TVB & ATV)
• Satellite TV
• Pay TV (CableTV, PCCW Media & TVB Pay Vision)
• Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) (from 2007)
• SMATV: receiver dishes on rooftops and signals
are fed
f d down
d through
h h IBCCDS
• Set-topp boxes (機頂盒) : access function &
security function
Typical ELV Systems

• Digital TV
• Broadcast TV services in digital format
• Clear picture & no ghosting
• Supports
pp more free-to-air TV channels,, high
g
definition TV (HDTV) & interactive TV
• Support
S t mobile
bil / portable
t bl reception
ti
• How to receive it?
• External decoder added between TV socket and
conventional TV set
• Integrated digital TV set with decoder built in
 Comparison of analogue & digital TVs

Analogue TV Digital TV
(standard definition) (high definition)
Resolution up to 575 lines Resolution up to 1080 lines
(vertical) x 720 pixels (horizontal) (vertical) x 1920 pixels
(horizontal)
Aspect ratio 4:3 Aspect ratio 16:9 (Widescreen)

Stereo sound Multi sound channels (e.g. Dolby

5.1 multi
multi-channel
channel sound)

(Source: Office of Telecomm Authority, www.ofta.gov.hk)

 Timetable for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) implementation in
Hong Kong

(* Si
Simulcast
l = simultaneous
i l analogue
l & digital
di i l broadcasts)
b d )
(Source: www.digitaltv.gov.hk)
Typical ELV Systems

• Digital
g TV pplatforms in Hong
g Kong
g
• Terrestrial radiocommunications
• Through Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio spectrum
• By TVB and ATV (launched in Dec 2007)
• Cable
C bl (e.g.
( by
b Cable
C bl TV)
• Via hybrid fibre coaxial cable (HFC) network
• Broadband network
• Byy PCCW Media & TVB Pay
y Vision ((Galaxy)
y)
• Satellite (through SMATV systems)
• Some foreign & local satellite television broadcasts are
providing HDTV programmes
 High
g definition TV (HDTV)
( ) equipment
q p setupp

(Source: Office of Telecomm Authority, www.ofta.gov.hk)

 Reception of Digital TV signals through CABD systems

(Source: www.digitaltv.gov.hk)
 Dish = satellite dish
LNB = low noise block down converter

(Source: www.asiasat.com.hk)
(Source: www.asiasat.com.hk)
Typical ELV Systems

• Satellite receivable in Hong

g Kongg
• Agila 2 (馬布海2號)
• Apstar VI (亞太衛星VI)
• AsiaSat 2 (亞洲衛星2號)
• AsiaSat 3S (亞洲衛星3S)
• Palapa C2 (印尼Palapa C2)
• PanAmSat 2, 8, 7 / 10 (美國泛美2號, 8號, 7/10號)
• Sinosat 1 (鑫諾1號)
• Telstar 10 (Apstar IIR) (亞太衛星2R)
• Th i
Thaicom 1A,
1A 2,
2 3 (泰國衛星1A,
(泰國衛星1A 2/3號)
Typical ELV Systems

• Private branch exchange (PBX) systems

• Also, private automatic branch exchange (PABX)
• A telephone exchange that is owned by a private
business,, to allow all users to share a certain
number of external phone lines
• Main purpose: to save the cost of requiring a line for
each user
• Old PBXs
PBX use analog
l ttechnology
h l
g
• New PBXs use digital technology
gy
Typical ELV Systems
• A PBX includes:
• Telephone trunk (multiple phone) lines that terminate at
the PBX
• A computert with
ith memory th
thatt manages the
th switching
it hi off
the calls within the PBX and in and out of it
• The network of lines within the PBX
• Usually a console or switchboard for a human operator
• Larger manufacturers of PBXs:
• Lucent Technologies, NORTEL, Rolm/Siemens, NEC,
GTE, Intecom, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and Mitel
• Latest trends: “IPBX” uses Internet Protocol to carry
ca s
calls
Typical ELV Systems

• PBX p
performs three main duties
• Establish connections (circuits) between the
telephone sets of two users (e.g.
(e g mapping a dialled
number to a physical phone, ensuring the phone
isn'tt already busy)
isn
• Maintain such connections as long as the users
requirei them.
th (i.e.
(i channeling
h li voicei signals
i l
between the users)
• Provide info for accounting purposes
• Other functions,
functions e.g.
e g call transfer
Typical ELV Systems

• Public address (PA) systems

• Also known as “Tannoy”
• An electronic amplification system used as a
y
communication system in public
p areas
• Amplifier, loud speaker & mixer for sound control
• Can be fixed or portable,
portable indoor or outdoor
• For general announcement, background music or
emergency messages
• Details of equipment are determined by discussion
with the manufacturers
Examples of public address (PA) systems