PROTECTIVE DEVICE COORDINATION

Electrical systems use protective devices like fuses and circuit breakers to protect electrical equipment from power faults. We can analyse your electrical system and design solutions for overload protection, earth fault protection, distance protection and back-up protection.

WHAT IS A PROTECTIVE DEVICE COORDINATION STUDY?

Isolating faulty components in a power system will help prevent serious power faults. The purpose of a protective device coordination (PDC) study is to model, assess and produce recommendations that will ensure as far as possible so that in the event of a fault the protection device closest will operate first, thus limiting downtime to this part of the system.

HOW IS THIS ACHIEVED?

INFORMATION
GATHERING

PROTECTIVE DEVICE
COORDINATION CURVES

RELIABILITY

INFORMATION GATHERING

The first step in any PDC study is to gather detailed information on the electrical system. In the case of an existing site a comprehensive site survey is carried out. With a proposed system this is a documentation exercise.
Step two of the process is entered all the information gathered into a software modeling tool. This is a painstaking and critical point as any software model is only as good as the information entered into it. We use a ISO 9001 based system to ensure that all site data is valid. This exercise is extremely important as we usually identify conductors, switches and protective devices that are inadequate to the loads may be exposed to.

GRADING EXERCISE

In order to ensure these protective devices operating in the correct sequence we look at the characteristic curves of breakers and fuses and ensure that they do not overlap inappropriately. Having completed this analysis we may propose adjustments to the settings of the circuit breakers and the types of fuses. It is possible at this stage we might include an electrical safety perspective.

RELIABILITY

PDC studies are an invaluable exercise in ensuring an electrical system operates to the required standard of reliability. Any electrical system will over time face new demands and requirements. Any significant changes to a site may impact on the behavior of protection coordination and need further analysis and adjustments.

”"Premium Power's in depth knowledge of power quality is unparalleled. The implementation of an annual power quality healthcheck into our maintenance programme allows us to benchmark trends over time. This is vital as the plant expands to decipher if power quality mitigation will be required. We would have no hesitation in recommending Premium Power for all aspects of power quality."
Michael RadleyEngineer on behalf of PepsiCo

FEATURED CASE STUDY
PepsiCo - Power Reliability

As this newly opened plant holds such a critical role for the wider PepsiCo group it is important that all the process onsite have access to a pristine and reliable power supply. Due to the large amount of non-linear loads installed in modern facilities nowadays power quality can often be compromised. The client wanted to ensure that power within the plant was of the required quality to effectively run their high value processes.

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