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Introduction
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.
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:
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.
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).
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
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
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.
Operating load
The operating load is the expected load during normal operation. The operating load is calculated as follows:
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
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
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:
P (kW) Q (kW)
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.
Operating Scenarios
It may be necessary to construct load schedules for different operating scenarios. For example, in order to size an emergency diesel generator, it would be necessary to construct a load
schedule for emergency scenarios. The classification of the loads by criticality will help in constructing alternative scenarios, especially those that use alternative power sources.
Computer Software
In the past, the load schedule has typically been done manually by hand or with the help of an Excel spreadsheet. However, this type of calculation is extremely well-suited for database
driven software packages (such as Smartplant Electrical ), especially for very large projects. For smaller projects, it may be far easier to simply perform this calculation manually.
What Next?
The electrical load schedule is the basis for the sizing of most major electrical equipment, from generators to switchgear to transformers. Using the load schedule, major equipment
sizing can be started, as well as the power system studies. A preliminary load schedule will also indicate if there will be problems with available power supply / generation, and whether
alternative power sources or even process designs will need to be investigated.
Category: Calculations