LECTRICITY, is a form of energy generated by friction, induction, or chemical change, having
magnetic, chemical, and radiant effect.
Electricity is a property of the basic particles of matter which like an atom, consists of:
a. Electron
b. Proton
c. Neutron
ELECTRON is the negatively charge particle of an atom sometimes referred to as negative charge
of electricity.
PROTON is the positively charged particle of an atom which is sometimes referred to as the
positive charge of electricity.
NEUTRON is that particle of an atom which is not electrically charged.
VOLT OR VOLTAGE is the electrical pressure that causes the electrons to move through a
conductor. In other word voltage is the electromotive force.
AMPERE, is the standard unit used in measuring the strength of an electric current, named after
Andre M. Ampere.
WATT is the rate or measure of power used or consumed. The term is named after James Watt, a
Scottish inventor.
CIRCUIT refers to the wire installation that supply current to light and convenience outlets.
ELECTRIC CURRENT is the flow or rate of flow of electric force in a conductor.
Electric Current is classified as:
TRANSFORMER is a device used to change voltages.
AC GENERATORS AND MOTORS, just as changes in current flowing in a wire produces a
magnetic field, movement of a wire through a magnetic field produces current in the wire.
FREQUENCY, the number of complete cycles per second of wave.
PHASE, two currents or voltages in a circuit may have the same frequency but may pass through
zero at different times.
POWER IN AC CIRCUITS. Pure inductance or capacitance circuits store energy in either or
magnetic fields and, when the field declines to zero, this energy is restored to the electric circuit.
POWER FACTOR, it is always less than 1, it is usually expressed as a percentage.
MOTOR-GENERATOR SET another device used to convert AC to DC is~~~
RECTIFIER. This device allows current to flow in one direction but cuts off the sine wave in the
opposite direction.
SINGLE PHASE AND MULTI-PHASE SYSTEM A single-phase AC circuit requires two wires,
just like a DC Circuit. One wire is live wire and the other is the neutral, so called because it is
usually grounded.
ELECTRIC SERVICE may be provided for several different kinds of load: lighting, motors,
communication equipment.
LIGHTING LOADS, the minimum and often the maximum, watts per square foot of the floor area
to be used in design are specified by building codes for various uses of the floor area.
POWER LOADS, the process equipment is normally the largest electrical power load.
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT LOADS, the electric power from the utility company is
contaminated with electrical noise and spikes and is subject to sags, surges, and other power
line disturbances.
UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY (UPS), has a rectifier that is fed from the utility power
line and delivers DC power to a large bank of batteries, keeping them fully charged, and to
an inverter, which converts the DC back into high quality AC power.
EMERGENCY POWER Emergency system including emergency and egress (exit) lighting,
essential ventilation systems, fire detection and alarm systems, elevators, fire pump, public
safety communication system and industrial processes where interruption could cause life safety
risk.
CONDUCTOR May be solid round wire, stranded wire, or bus bars of rectangular cross section.
SAFETY REGULATIONS the safety regulations for use of wire in buildings are given in local
building codes, which are usually based on National Fire Protection Association “National
Electrical Code”.
PROTECTION OF THE BRANCH CIRCUIT the function of the over current protective devices
is to open the circuit (disconnect the line) when the current rating capacity of the equipment being
protected is exceeded.
CAUSES OF OVER CURRENT
There are two principal causes of over current.
1. Overload in the equipment or conductors
2. Short circuit or ground fault.
The over current protective device is installed in a circuit to protect the following:
1. The wiring
2. The transformer
3. The lights
4. Appliances and other equipment
CIRCUIT BREAKER
The Circuit Breaker is an over current protective device designed to function as a switch.
ADVANTAGES OF CIRCUIT BREAKER OVER THE FUSE
1. The Circuit breaker act as switch aside from its being an over current protective device
2. Unlike the fuse that must be discarded after it was busted due to an over current flow, the circuit
breaker trips automatically and after correcting, it is readily available for switch on.
3. Circuit breaker can be multiple poles installed with 1,2 or 3 poles which will simultaneously
protect and switch one to three lines. The fuse on the other hand, I a single pole installed on a single
wire that could only protect a single electric line.
4. The circuit breaker position is easier to detect. It could be closed, tripped or open right at the
handle. On the contrary, the busted fuse could not be detected easily because the melted fusible
element is inside the fuse casing.
5. The circuit breaker can be manually tripped so that in many cases, it also acts as the circuit
switch.