July-September 2004
Issued by : EBG - Electrical Systems & Equipment, LARSEN & TOUBRO LIMITED, Powai Works, Mumbai 400 072
Safety - Our prime concern
Safety in a power distribution
system is a very important factor
particularly in case of modern
process industries wherein the
cost of interruption is very high.
This is more important in the
severe operating conditions
(similar to tropical conditions
prevailing in India) where heat,
dust, humidity and vermin are
prevalent. This increases the
responsibility of the designers and
manufacturers of such systems in
delivering products, which are
totally safe to work on, which also
have the right control and
protection devices/schemes.
Low Voltage switchboards form an
important link in the power
distribution system of a plant
which mainly consists of drives/
motors operating at low voltage.
Hence, it becomes essential to
Prospect / Retrospect
build highest safety in LV
switchboards.
National and international
standards define basic minimum
qualifications for switchboards for
safe and reliable performance.
However, they lay down norms
only for the essential part. Based
on the learnings from the past
experience, safety and reliability
enhancing features get
incorporated in the products as
additional design criteria. As time
passes, end users start
demanding such features as a part
of the system. Finally, these get
incorporated as a part of the
standards themselves. Such
additions to the standards
enhance reliability and safety of the
equipment.
L&T is the trend setter in terms of
Visit us at www.LNTEBG.com
technology and innovations in the
field of LV switchboards. It has
always used its vast experience
of over four decades in
incorporating features which
enhance :
l safety
l reliability
l maintainability
l user friendliness
of the low voltage switchboards it
offers.
In this issue of L&T Current
Trends, we bring about an
overview of various safety features
in LV switchboards. The users
should start demanding these in
their specifications so as to get
safety and reliability incorporated
in the basic product design.

Safety in LV Switchboard
Safety
Safety can be defined as “freedom from
the risk of Hazard” or in other words
“an equipment meets the requirement
so that it does not become a source
of hazard”. Safety is always
complemented by Protection.
Protection helps in avoiding hazard and
minimizing the damages in case of a
hazard. When we talk about safety, it
must cover safety of :
l Personnel
l Equipment
l Environment
Completely shrouded busbar system
FEATURE
- Ms. Neelam Kotnis
Electrical Systems & Equipment
In this article, we will
look at some of the
aspects that ensure
/ enhance safety in
a Low Voltage
Switchboard.
Busbar clearances
and shrouding
Busbar zone is very
critical in a Click-fit busbar joint shrouds
switchboard. The
standard also specifies a minimum of sharp edges of the busbars. This
19mm clearance between busbars of probable arc travel can be restricted
two phases. In tropical, humid and by giving rounded edged cross section
dusty environment as prevailing in for busbars. This also enhances the
India, this clearance may not be life of sleeve since stresses at the
sufficient. Experience has proved that sharp edges are eliminated.
it is required to increase the clearance
to around 25mm. Bare busbars can Busbar supports
get shorted by vermin creeping in this
zone. Hence, to enhance safety Busbar supports are considered to
further, secondary insulation in the form have a dual role :
of halogen free heat shrunk sleeve is
l providing insulated support during
provided. This secondary insulation
normal operating conditions
eliminates any probability of accidental
contact or shorting. For use in l withstanding very high electro-
specific areas, the heat-shrunk sleeves dynamic forces during fault
are replaced by epoxy coating on conditions.
busbars. Still the busbar joints remain
either open or they are covered with Fibre-glass reinforced thermoset
tape. Taping of joints makes plastic supports comply with both the
maintenance very clumsy. Thus, this requirements. However, there is one
area can be covered with easily more aspect that needs attention :
removable shrouds that offer ease of “creepage of arc”. The basic design of
maintenance together with safety. In the supports should provide necessary
very critical applications, where anti-creepage barriers.
interruption is totally unacceptable, in
addition to the secondary insulation, The insulating materials have a
inter-phase barriers of fire retardant tendency to allow creepage of arc
material are essential. across phases due to aging. This is
aggravated due to various factors like
Busbar cross section hygroscopic nature of the material,
ingress of dust etc. Hence, the basic
Rectangular cross section is common material and the moulding process
for busbars. It has many advantages. should ensure minimum porosity so
However, study of arc travel on the as to achieve very high Comparative
conductors establishes that the arc Tracking Index (CTI). Such supports
has a tendency to travel along the offer a reliable solution specially for

Busbar supports with anti-tracking barriers
humid and saline environment. It is
also necessary to verify the CTI of the
material used for busbar support as
creepage in this zone can lead to
severe faults. Creepage value selection
for the material is based on the level
of pollution in the surrounding area and
the type of material.
Insulating materials are classified as :
Group I 600 < CTI
Group II 400 < CTI < 600
Group III 175 < CTI < 400
Group IV 100 < CTI < 175
Insulating materials used in
switchboards have to withstand
different temperatures depending on
their vicinity to the current carrying
parts. Such materials are classified
for temperature withstand between
560°C and 950°C using a glow wire
test. This test simulates the fire hazard
and ensures that the material does
not ignite or help spread the fire at the
specified temperature. Application of
insulating material with suitable
temperature withstand capability
ensures improved safety against fire
hazard in switchboard.
Feeders
In the new designs and ranges of
products, emphasis is on reducing
variety of frames/sizes for multiple
ratings. This leads to different rated
feeders/ACBs being available in the
same size. During maintenance
shutdowns, most of the times, such
drawout feeders/ACBs are taken out
of the switchboard for complete
maintenance. After the maintenance
is over, there is a l FRHR : These have both the
possibility of the properties of HRPVC as well as
feeders/ACBs of the FR.
same size getting
interchanged. This can l FRLS : Fire Retardant Low
pose danger when the Smoke insulating materials. Since
loads are switched on. the smoke generated in the event
In order to avoid the risk of fire is less, it is less hazardous.
of under-rating due to
such accidental change, l FRZH : Fire Retardant Zero
rating error prevention Halogen. Zero halogen type is a
interlock is necessary better insulation because presence
on all feeders/ACBs. of Halogen gas is hazardous in the
event of fire.
When any drawout
feeder/ACB is withdrawn for Hence, it is extremely essential to
maintenance purpose, either at the select the best possible type of wire
switchboard end or at the load end, to ensure trouble free and safe
and the maintenance is half way performance of a switchboard. FRHR
through, it is risky to put it back in type wire should be the minimum
service even accidentally. Hence, acceptable level.
locking facility for the feeder/ACB in
ON as well as OFF position is a Earthing
welcome feature which can prevent
accidental switching ON or switching In order to ensure the highest level of
OFF that may lead to disruption. safety for the operating personnel, the
first and foremost precaution is proper
It is also essential to keep all live parts
inside the switchboard covered by an
insulating shield to avoid any
accidental touch by the operating
personnel or falling tools which can
result in electrocution/fault. Hence, it
is necessary to keep all incoming and
outgoing terminals of the feeder/ACB
fully covered. Wherever drawout
mechanism is operating, spring loaded,
self-activated shutters are necessary
to cover the live terminals as soon as
they get exposed.
Wiring
This is the most crucial part of an
electrical circuit and the most
vulnerable too. Any compromise in the
quality of wire can lead to disasters in
a switchboard. With advancements in
types of materials available for forming
the insulation of the wire, the following
types of wires are available in the
market :
l HRPVC insulated : These are
heat resistant.
l FR : These are fire retardant wires.
In the event of fire, the fire will not
spread fast. This type of PVC has
high glow wire value. Outgoing terminal shrouding in cabling
zone
 earthing. In case of a
drawout trolley, earth
continuity is achieved
through a sliding
contact. Hence, it is
necessary for the
contact material to have
high abrasion resistance
in addition to high
conductivity. Since
Form 1 silver offers very good
abrasion resistance
along with very low
contact resistance, a
silver-plated sliding
contact arrangement as
scraping earth facility is
the most reliable
earthing system. This
contact should be first-
to-make and last-to-
Form 2 break type giving
maximum protection to
the operating personnel.
Internal Segregation
For operational safety
and also to restrict the
damage in the event of
a fault to the zone of
initiation, internal
segregation is specified.
Form 3 There are different forms
of internal segregation
viz. Form-1, Form-2,
Form-3 and Form-4.
Each form has multiple
variants. The basic
differences in each form
are highlighted in the
sketches here.
Form-4 types 1 to 7
Form 4 have the highest level of
internal segregation.
Many international
specifications are
demanding Form-4 type
switchboards. There is
also a trend of using
combination of different forms of
switchboards.
Type Testing
Conventionally, various type tests are
carried out on separate specimen of
the switchboard. However, in practical
situation it is the same switchboard,
which undergoes all normal and
abnormal operating conditions. Hence,
it is required that the same switchboard
undergoes all type tests sequentially.
The latest standards provide two
fundamental approaches for checking
the performance – Type Tested
Assembly (TTA) and Partially Type
Tested Assembly (PTTA). The
sequence of type tests as defined for
a TTA includes temperature rise,
dielectric properties, short-circuit
withstand strength, clearance &
creepage distances, degree of
protection and mechanical operations.
For certifying a switchboard as Type
Tested Assembly, it is mandatory that
all the requirements for all the type
tests and routine tests are carried out
on the same switchboard. A Partially
Type Tested Assembly undergoes
specific tests and it can be derived
through Type Tested Assembly. Very
few manufacturers worldwide have TTA
certified switchboards.
Conclusion
Safety is a very important aspect in
an electrical power distribution
network, mainly the LV switchboard
which is an important link in the entire
network. Hence, no compromise can
be acceptable as safety of man &
machine in any industry is given
topmost priority.
This needs to be recognised at an
early stage, specially when the LV
Switchgear is being ordered, so that
"safety" can come bundled with the
main power distribution system.

For further details on this subject, please contact:

EBG - Electrical Systems & Equipment, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Saki-Vihar Road, P.O. Box 8901, Powai, Mumbai 400 072
Fax: 022-2858 1024 * E-mail: kotnisnd@Intebg.com

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management of Larsen & Toubro Limited. The contents of this magazine should not be reproduced without the written
ABCI
permission of the Editor. Not for sale-only for circulation among the customers. Editorial Coordinators : R. S. Mahajan,
Member Neelam D. Kotnis, EBG-ESE, Powai .