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voltage switchgear designs. For process industry applications, most frequently these assemblies are manufactured to UL1558 Standards [4]. This unit substation assembly, installed indoor or outdoors, remains the stalwart of power distribution systems of today. In some applications, the primary metal-enclosed switchgear and transformer may be mounted outdoors and a secondary air terminal chamber at the transformer will cable-feed to indoor lowvoltage switchgear. Without a doubt, the integrated design shown here has been low cost and reliable performer and in this configuration, continues to be applied in many industrial systems to this day. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS In anticipation of the upcoming project, the design team for the Greenfield site took on the task of investigating existing unit substation configurations carefully to identify where there may be some inherent hidden flaws in the design. It is important to note that prevailing codes and standards regarding installation of this equipment had an impact on the unit substation design. In the US, the prevailing installation document that applies is the National Electrical Code (NEC) [5]. Lets investigate two areas of this code that impact the design and installation of the unit substation presented here. NEC Article 240.21(C)2 Overcurrent Protection Article 240.21(C) of the NEC addresses required overcurrent protection, specifically related to transformer secondary conductors. The article states that a set of conductors feeding a single load shall be permitted to be connected to a transformer secondary, without overcurrent protection of the secondary. The article defines six conditions, specified in 240.21(C)(1) through 240.21(C)(6), under which secondary overcurrent protection is not required. Sorting through the six options for our closecoupled unit substation example, points us to the condition outlined in 240.21(C)(2) which most closely applies. This condition gets fairly involved, with four different sub-conditions, all which must apply in order to satisfy the exception of no secondary protection. Relevant language in these sub-conditions includes: 240.21(C)(2): Transformer Secondary Conductors Not over 3 m (10 ft) Long. (1) The ampacity of the secondary conductors is a). Not less than the combined calculated loads on the circuits supplied by the secondary conductors b). Not less than the rating of the device supplied by the secondary conductors or not less than the rating of the overcurrent-protective device at the termination of the secondary conductors. The first item (1) a) above requires that the engineer perform calculations to determine the total conductor load and then specify a conductor size to support the calculated load. Referring back to the Fig. 1 example, note that the secondary conductor is specified at 3200A. So, although the total connected rated load of the secondary feeder breakers is 4800A (four breakers rated at 1200A each), the NEC allows the
480Y/277V 13.8kV
3200A 125E
1200A
2000kVA
5.75%Z
1200A
1200A
1200A
Fig. 1: Typical Unit Substation today: Primary metal enclosed load interrupter switchgear, fused load-break switch. Transformer close-coupled liquid filled or dry/cast resin. Secondary switchgear metal enclosed with low-voltage power circuit breakers, shown here with four feeders and no main breaker.
designer to assume a load diversity and size the secondary bus as some lower value. The second item (1) b. in essence states that the secondary conductor ampacity be either greater than the overcurrent device at which the conductors terminate (in this configuration, there is no such device) or greater than conductor or bus rating in the equipment where the conductors terminate. From this language, it seems clear that secondary bus protection for the unit substation is not required. There is ongoing debate in some circles regarding the word device in this article, as some see the term device to mean something other then the switchgear. Interestingly, the NEC Code Making Panel supporting this Article is reviewing this language and considering future revision to clarify the meaning. This aside, note also that Article 240.21(C) includes a Fine Print Note stating For overcurrent protection requirements for transformers, see 450.3. NEC Article 450.3 Equipment Transformers Article 450.3 of the NEC addresses secondary overcurrent protection of transformers. Note 2 for Table 450.3(A) states: Where secondary overcurrent protection is required, the secondary overcurrent device shall be permitted to consist of not more then six circuit breakers or six sets of fuses grouped in one location. Traditionally referred to as the six disconnect or six handle rule, this provision allows the user to forego secondary overcurrent protection in a unit substation, provided there are no more than six feeder devices in the assembly. For the example shown in Fig. 1, this is clearly the case, so this assembly could be installed without concern that the design would violate the applicable installation code. APPLICATION WAKE-UP CALL Although the six feeders no main unit substation passes all requirements outlined in the applicable standards, the unit substation equipment manufacturer and the project team investigating design alternatives were not satisfied this was the best approach. Earlier experiences in industrial plants where arc-flash studies have been performed as outlined in NFPA-70E [6] using calculation methods in IEEE1584 [7] yielded some very revealing and disturbing results. In the event of a secondary bus fault, the NFPA-70E standard requires that the upstream overcurrent protective device be used in determining the available arcing current. In this case, the current-limiting fuse on the primary of the substation is the device used in the calculation. Specifically, Fig. 2 below shows calculations revealing arc flash energies 2 at the secondary switchgear in excess of 700 calories/cm . These levels are defined in IEEE1584 as UNAPPROACHABLE, where effectively no Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) would be adequate in safeguarding personnel should a bus fault occur while persons were working on the energized substation. In many existing facilities, unit substation feeder devices were used as a lockout/tagout point while downstream equipment was being serviced or maintained. The elevated arc flash energies effectively made it unsafe to rack-out a secondary feeder breaker while the secondary bus was energized. In process industry applications where electrical workplace safety is paramount and energized lockout/tagout is common, the six feeders no main unit substation design was simply no longer a practical option. A number of vintage unit substations that employed the configuration shown in Fig. 2, have effectively been upgraded to improve reliability and electrical safety. Although beyond the scope of this paper, one such upgrade is presented in the case study outlined in [8]. Returning to the primary current-limiting fuse in the unit substation shown in Fig. 2, selecting the rating of this fuse to account for transformer inrush results in a melting time requirement up to 12X the transformer rated primary current for 0.1 seconds. In the 2000kVA substation shown in Fig. 2, a 125E fuse is applied. A bolted secondary fault would result in a primary current of less than 1000 amps, resulting in a fuse clearing time of over 2 seconds. The example calculation assumes an arcing fault of 10,000 amperes on the secondary bus, resulting in a fuse clearing time of 160 seconds. In either the case of a bolted fault or an arcing fault, the secondary arc flash energy on the secondary bus of this unit substation design is UNAPPROACHABLE. In addition, should a bus fault occur while this assembly was energized, the likely result beyond extremely high arc flash energies would be extensive equipment damage caused by the heat energy developed before the primary fuse would clear. In a process industry environment, this translates to hours or perhaps days of downtime. In the end, the primary fuse in the 13.8kV fused loadbreak switch shown in Fig. 2, is intended to protect the transformer, not the secondary bus. Adding a secondary main circuit breaker would resolve this issue of protection in some applications. This would in
480Y/277V 13.8kV
3200A 125E
1200A
2000kVA
5.75%Z
1200A
1200A
1200A
Bus Fault at 480V Switchgear 10kA Secondary Arcing Fault At 13.8kV = 348A primary fault 125E fuse clearing time = 160 seconds
NFPA70E: Fault at 480V Switchgear Bus 31.8kA Symmetrical Fault current 1167 AF Boundary 702.4 cal/cm2 @ 18 UNAPPROACHABLE NFPA70E-2009: Category 4 is highest category @ 40 cal/cm2
Fig. 2: Limitations of existing unit substation designs have been identified for existing plants after arc-flash hazard assessments in accordance with IEEE1584 have been performed. In this example, an arcing fault at the unit 2 substation secondary bus results in a calculated incident energy of 702.4 cal/cm .
effect protect the secondary bus downstream of the main breaker. However, the bus from the transformer secondary terminals up to the main is still not adequately protected. In applications where the primary assembly and transformer are outdoors and cable connected to the secondary switchgear, the secondary bus protection issue becomes more problematic. Clearly, an opportunity existed for the project design team to consider design alternatives that would offer better performance, both in reliability and workplace safety. A PATH FORWARD VIA PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY Recognizing the limitations of the legacy unit substation design, the project team worked with the power distribution equipment supplier to review alternative designs that might offer improved performance. Because of the extreme hazard and potential for extended outage time, the group quickly dismissed the age-old approach of installing unit substations based on the six feeders - no main design. The strategy was to look at designs that included a secondary main overcurrent protective device (in this case, a lowvoltage power circuit breaker) and then investigate design alternatives that might offer advantages to this design approach. The group recognized that adding a secondary main device would add cost and was interested in alternatives that might perform as well, or better, than the secondary main design. The group considered several emerging technologies that might offer improved performance. Three technologies were considered and ultimately applied. These are discussed below: 15kV Vacuum Primary Circuit Breaker One technology that appeared promising was in the area of medium-voltage vacuum circuit breakers. The group believed that application of a low-cost circuit breaker in the primary of the unit substation, providing both primary and secondary current protection, would be a desirable alternative to the traditional fused load-break switch. Although vacuum circuit breakers have traditionally involved higher space and cost than a fused switch, some manufacturers had developed newer vacuum breakers that looked promising. Fig. 3 shows and example of one such design available. In the North American markets, vacuum circuit breakers are manufactured to ANSI Standard C37.20 [9]. Inspired in part by a trend toward global design
standards, traditional designs have given way to newer offerings that are smaller, lighter, and have improved functionality. As is shown in Fig. 3, although the newer design vacuum breakers are only available in limited ratings, most offer a smaller size with fewer parts. Notably different from traditional vacuum circuit breakers, the new design includes an integral trip unit with linear trip actuator. This actually offers improved performance with reduced clearing times, in part due to the smaller sized component. Where traditional vacuum circuit breakers require 5 cycles total clearing time, the newer vacuum breaker 15kV Vacuum Circuit Breaker 15kV Vacuum Circuit Breaker 25H X 20W X 18 D, 330 lbs can in some applications, 31H X 29.5W X 25D, 460 lbs ANSI C37.20 Rated at 25 and 40kA clear a fault within 3 ANSI C37.20 Rated at 25, 40 and 50kA 600, 1200,2000 and 2500A ratings 1200, 2000, 3000 and 5000A ratings cycles. In unit substation Integral trip unit with linear trip actuator External relay required applications where higher 2-step stored energy mechanism 2-step stored energy mechanism ratings are not as important as in mediumFig. 3: Newer design 15kV class vacuum circuit breakers are manufactured to voltage switchgear linethe same standards as previous versions, but are smaller, lighter, and have ups, the newer design increased functionality. Shown above is a comparison of the newer design at breaker offers a viable left and traditional design at right. The new design shown includes an integral multifunction trip unit. alternative.