ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2

PROTECTION AND CONTOL

ACCIDENTS ARE ALWAYS SOMEONE'S FAULT.
DON'T LET THEM BE YOURS

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA

CHAPTER)
 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
• Circuit protection devices and systems are an essential part of the electrical
installation in all buildings.
• Their purpose is to detect and isolate faults as soon as they occur. In so
doing, they significantly reduce the risk of damage to the installation and
harm to the buildings occupants.
• There are three basic types of electrical faults that can occur:
1. Overcurrent
2. Short-circuit
3. Earth fault

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)

 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Overcurrent fault
• An overcurrent fault occurs when the current in a circuit exceeds the
maximum level it can safely deliver.
• This can result from the connection of unsuitable or excessive equipment to
the circuit, or the occurrence of a partial short-circuit.
Short-circuit fault
• A short-circuit fault occurs when a phase conductor becomes connected to
another phase or neutral, and the resistance of the connection is negligible.
• The resulting current flow can be very high, leading to overheating of the
associated cables. The potential exists for a fire to start if the circuit is not
isolated
ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)
 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Earth fault
• An earth fault occurs when a live conductor makes contact with metalwork
that is earthed.
• This could be the exposed conductive parts or extraneous conductive parts
such as pipework and structural steelwork not directly associated with the
electrical installation.
• Earth faults can cause fatal electrical faults and as such deserve special
consideration.

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)

 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Fuses
• Fuses can provide circuit protection against over-current and short circuit
faults.
• The most common type is the cartridge fuse, which consists of a short length
of tinned copper or silver wire (the element), typically mounted within a
ceramic tube with brass end-caps.
• The cartridge fuse (rewirable) is widely used in both domestic and
commercial buildings. A good example is the fuse fitted in a 13 A plug

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)

 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Circuit breakers
• A circuit breaker is a mechanical switch that can be used to manually
interrupt a circuit under normal operating loads and is also capable of
detecting an abnormally high current and automatically breaking the circuit.
• The selection of circuit breakers is by their nominal rating and their fault
current withstand capability.
• There are many different types of circuit breaker, ranging from miniature
circuit breakers, moulded case circuit breakers to high voltage units rated at
up to 100 kA.
• Whatever the type, it must be capable of extinguishing the high temperature
arc that forms between the contacts as they start to open.
ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)
 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Miniature circuit breakers (MCB)
• MCBs are widely used in low voltage domestic and commercial installations
of up to 100A. They are the protection unit of choice in all modern
distribution boards.
• They have largely superseded the use of fuses in the supply to final circuits
with the operational benefits include the ability to manually switch circuits,
the ability to check they operated correctly, and avoidance of the danger
associated with replacing a blown fuse with another of the wrong type or
rating.

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)

 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Moulded Case circuit breakers (MCCB)
• MCCBs are widely used in low voltage domestic and commercial
installations of up to 1000A. They are the protection unit of choice in LV
panels.
• Some have the operational benefit of the trip current being adjustable in
addition to the ability to manually switch circuits, detect over current and
short circuit faults.

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)

 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Residual Current circuit breakers (RCCB)
• It trips the circuit when there is earth fault current.
• It detects any mismatch between two currents
flowing through phase and neutral and trip the
circuit within 30milliseconds
• RCDs are an extremely effective form of protection
against electric shock
• There are different sensitivities to select from
depending on whether the application is residential,
commercial and industrial. The sensitivities are
30mA, 100mA and 300mA respectively
ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)
 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
LV Panels
• The low voltage panel protect LV outgoing
feeders to distribution boards, gear switches,
other panels etc.
• It consists of circuit breakers, bus-bars and a
metal enclosure that is grounded and
electrically isolated from live parts.
• It greatly improves the reliability of
electricity supply in a system.

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)

 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2
Extra Low voltage
systems
• ELV stands for Extra
Low Voltage systems.
This includes all the
systems in building
which operate on low
voltages.
• The most notable are
telephone, data
transmission, LAN,
CCTV, fire alarm and
public address systems.
ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)
 ELECTRICAL POWER DESIGN - SESSION 2

QUESTIONS?

ELECTRICAL SERVICES DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS/ESTATES (NIEEE ABUJA CHAPTER)