Article 215: Feeders

Mike Holt Mike Holt, NEC Consultant Jun 01, 2007 Occupying the "between space" in powe !ist ibution "ast #onth, we looke! at b anch$ci cuit e%ui e#ents in & t' 210' (he ne)t logical step up * o# the b anch ci cuit is the *ee!e ci cuit' (hus, & t' 21+, which p o,i!es the e%ui e#ents *o si-ing an! installing *ee!e s .see /hat0s a 1ee!e 2 on page 324, *ollows & t' 210' &t *i st glance, the !i**e ence in length between & t' 21+ an! & t' 210 #ay see# pu--ling why ha,e a sepa ate & ticle 5ust *o "ast #onth, we looke! at b anch$ci cuit e%ui e#ents in & t' 210' (he ne)t logical step up * o# the b anch ci cuit is the *ee!e ci cuit' (hus, & t' 21+, which p o,i!es the e%ui e#ents *o si-ing an! installing *ee!e s .see What's a Feeder? on page 324, *ollows & t' 210' &t *i st glance, the !i**e ence in length between & t' 21+ an! & t' 210 #ay see# pu--ling 6 why ha,e a sepa ate & ticle 5ust *o *ee!e s, anyhow2 (his is an ob5ect lesson in the ,alue o* & t' 100' & %uick e,iew o* the !e*initions 7b anch ci cuit8 an! 7*ee!e 8 helps us see why a sepa ate & ticle is necessa y an! she!s light on why & t' 21+ is so #uch sho te ' (he #ain !i**e ence is that a *ee!e uns between an o,e cu ent p otection !e,ice .OC9:4 at the supply an! a !ownst ea# OC9: .typically supplying a b anch ci cuit4, while a b anch ci cuit uns between an OC9: an! an outlet .o *inal loa!4' ;n othe wo !s, a *ee!e supplies powe to a b anch$ci cuit OC9: 6 which, in tu n, powe s a b anch ci cuit' Howe,e , you si-e that b anch$ci cuit OC9: base! on b anch$ ci cuit loa! calculations .an! outlet e%ui e#ents4, not on *ee!e calculations' <ecause a *ee!e occupies this 7between space8 in powe !ist ibution, *ee!e e%ui e#ents a e si#ple an! *ewe than b anch e%ui e#ents' Conse%uently, & t' 21+ is #uch sho te than & t' 210' & ticle 210 also !e,otes e)tensi,e space to !welling$a ea b anch ci cuits' <ut because they occupy the 7between space8 in powe !ist ibution, *ee!e s ha,e #ini#al e%ui e#ents *o !wellings =21+'2.&4.>4?'

Minimum rating
:ete #ine the #ini#u# *ee!e con!ucto si-e, be*o e you apply any con!ucto a!5ust#ent an!@o co ection *acto s, by a!!ing the two *ollowing %uantitiesA 12+B o* the continuous loa! =21+'2? an! 100B o* the noncontinuous loa!' Once you ha,e the total loa!, si-e the #ini#u# con!ucto e%ui e! to ca y that loa! base! on the te #inal te#pe atu e ating a#pacities as liste! in (able >10'13 =110'1C.C4?' Di-e the OC9:s base! on this sa#e a#pacity =21+'> an! 2C0'C?'

He e0s a pop %ui- to see i* you can p ope ly si-e a *ee!e ' /hat si-e *ee!e con!ucto !o you nee! *o a 200& continuous loa!, i* the te #inals a e ate! 7+EC .Fig. 142 How !o you !ete #ine the co ect answe 2

<ecause the continuous loa! is 200&, the *ee!e con!ucto s #ust ha,e an a#pacity at least 2+0& .200& F 1'2+4' Gsing the 7+EC colu#n o* (able >10'13, you *in! that 2+0kc#il con!ucto s a e suitable because they ha,e an a#pe e ating o* 2++& at 7+EC' Howe,e , the e is an e)ception to the 12+B ule' /he e the asse#bly an! the OC9: a e both liste! *o 100B continuous loa! ope ation, you can si-e the *ee!e con!ucto s at 100B o* the continuous loa!' Note that e%uip#ent suitable *o 100B continuous loa!ing is a ely a,ailable in atings un!e C00&' (he NEC e%ui es the *ee!e g oun!e! .neut al4 con!ucto not to be s#alle than the si-e liste! in (able 2+0'122 .Table4, base! on the ating o* the *ee!e OC9:'

(est you knowle!ge, with anothe pop %ui-' /hat si-e g oun!e! .neut al4 con!ucto !o you nee! *o a *ee!e consisting o* 2+0kc#il ung oun!e! con!ucto s an! one g oun!e! .neut al4 con!ucto p otecte! by a 2+0& p otection !e,ice, whe e the unbalance! loa! is only +0&, with 7+EC te #inals . Fig. 242 (able >10'13 an! 220'31 woul! pe #it an H &/I g oun!e! .neut al4 con!ucto ate! +0& at 7+EC to ca y the +0& unbalance! loa!J howe,e , (able 2+0'122 e%ui es that the g oun!e! .neut al4 con!ucto not be s#alle than C &/I'

Kou also ha,e to consi!e the si-e o* the se ,ice con!ucto s when you si-e *ee!e con!ucto s' 1ee!e con!ucto s *o in!i,i!ual !welling units o #obile ho#es nee!n0t be la ge than se ,ice con!ucto s si-e! pe >10'1+.<4.34' 1o the sake o* e**iciency, you shoul! si-e the con!ucto s to #ini#i-e ,oltage ! op' :oing so is an enginee ing consi!e ation, not an NEC e%ui e#ent =21+'2.&4.>4 19N No' 2?'

High-leg identification
On a C$wi e, !elta$connecte!, >$phase syste# 6 whe e the #i!point o* one phase win!ing is g oun!e! 6 the con!ucto with the highest phase ,oltage$to$g oun! .20HL4 is calle! the high$leg' 9anelboa !s supplie! by a C$wi e, !elta$connecte!, >$phase syste# #ust ha,e the high$leg con!ucto .20HL4 te #inate to the 7<8 .cente 4 phase o* a panelboa ! =C0H'>.E4?' .(his has been a ule since 1M7+4'

&n e)ception to C0H'>.E4 pe #its the high$leg con!ucto to te #inate to the 7C8 phase when the #ete is locate! in the sa#e section o* a switchboa ! o panelboa !' Ensu e this high$leg con!ucto is !u ably an! pe #anently #a ke! with an o ange oute *inish .see Color System4 at each point a connection is #a!e whe e the g oun!e! .neut al4 con!ucto is p esent =110'1+?' (he NEC says you can use 7othe #eans8 but !oesn0t p o,i!e *u the !etail' Iet pe #ission * o# the &HJ to use so#e 7othe #eans'8

Ground-fault protection of equipment

& ticle 100 tells us that 7g oun!$*ault p otection o* e%uip#ent8 syste#s inte upt powe to p otect e%uip#ent, but at lowe cu ent le,els than those e%ui e! to p otect con!ucto s th ough the ope ation o* a supply ci cuit o,e cu ent !e,ice' Each soli!ly g oun!e! wye elect ical 277@CH0L *ee!e !isconnecting #eans ate! 1,000& o #o e #ust be p o,i!e! with g oun!$*ault p otection o* e%uip#ent, an! the installation #ust co#ply with 2>0'M+ o 2C0'1> =21+'10?' ;* g oun!$*ault p otection is on the supply si!e o* the *ee!e , you !on0t ha,e to also p o,i!e it on the loa! si!eJ no !o you ha,e to p o,i!e it *o e#e gency syste#s =700'23? o legally e%ui e! stan!by syste#s =701'17?' Ne,e apply g oun!$*ault p otection to *i e pu#ps =3M+'3.H4?, which #ust un no #atte what' ;t #akes no sense to sa,e the pu#p but bu n !own the buil!ing'

Identification

(he g oun!e! .neut al4 con!ucto o* a *ee!e #ust be i!enti*ie! pe 200'3 =21+'12.&4? . Fig. 34' (he e%uip#ent g oun!ing con!ucto #ust be i!enti*ie! pe the e%ui e#ents o* 20+'11M, but it0s not eally a grounding con!ucto ' ;t0s actually a bonding con!ucto ' (his con!ucto c eates a low$i#pe!ance path between #etallic ob5ects' <ecause o* the low i#pe!ance, the ,oltage !i**e ential between ob5ects is low' (he esult is an e%uipotential plane between ob5ects bon!e! by the e%uip#ent g oun!ing .bon!ing4 con!ucto s' E%uip#ent g oun!ing .bon!ing4 con!ucto sA

Can be ba e, o in!i,i!ually co,e e! o insulate!'

Di-e! 3 &/I an! s#alle that a e insulate! #ust ha,e a continuous oute *inish that is eithe g een o g een with one o #o e yellow st ipes =2+0'11M?' "a ge than 3 &/I an! insulate! can be pe #anently ei!enti*ie! with g een #a king .at the ti#e o* installation4 at e,e y point whe e the con!ucto is accessible =2+0'11M.&4?'

Ungrounded conductors
/he e the p e#ises wi ing syste# contains *ee!e s supplie! * o# #o e than one ,oltage syste#, each ung oun!e! con!ucto .whe e accessible4 #ust be i!enti*ie!' ;!enti*ication can be by colo $co!ing, #a king tape, tagging, o othe #eans app o,e! by the &HJ' Dyste# i!enti*ication #ust be pe #anently poste! at each *ee!e panelboa ! o si#ila *ee!e !ist ibution e%uip#ent' De ,ice con!ucto s supply powe to the se ,ice e%uip#ent, an! *ee!e s un * o# the se ,ice e%uip#ent to the b anch OC9:' 1ee!e s a e the 7between ci cuits8 that occupy the 7between space8 in powe !ist ibution' Neeping this in #in! will help si#pli*y *ee!e wo k on you ne)t 5ob'

ide!ar: "hat#s a Feeder$

& ticle 100 !e*ines *ee!e s asA 7&ll ci cuit con!ucto s between the se ,ice e%uip#ent, the sou ce o* a sepa ately !e i,e! syste#, o othe powe supply sou ce an! the *inal b anch$ci cuit o,e cu ent !e,ice'8 (he clu#siness o* this wo !ing #akes this !e*inition ha ! to *ollow' He e0s an easie way to look at itA 7(he ci cuit con!ucto s that supply powe to a b anch$ci cuit o,e cu ent !e,ice o to a panel that contains such !e,ices' (he powe #ay co#e * o# the se ,ice e%uip#ent, a sepa ately !e i,e! syste#, o othe powe supply sou ce'8

ide!ar: %olor &stem

Elect icians o*ten use the *ollowing colo syste# *o powe an! lighting con!ucto i!enti*icationA

120@2C0L single$phase 6 black, e!, an! white 120@20HL, >$phase 6 black, e!, blue, an! white 120@2C0L, >$phase 6 black, o ange, blue, an! white 277@CH0L, >$phase 6 b own, o ange, yellow, an! g ayJ o , b own, pu ple, yellow, an! g ay'