PROTECTION COORDINATION STUDY
The purpose of the protection coordination study is to verify that the various protection devices in your system, relays, breakers, fuses, etc. are coordinated correctly and are sized appropriately for the equipment that they are protecting.
Protection coordination is the process of choosing and arranging overcurrent protective devices to lessen the probability of a short circuit to a small area. This study is used to determine relay and circuit breaker settings, fuse sizes, or to select new equipment that fits into the design.
The primary purpose of this study is to determine the proper settings for OCPDs in the system. It ensures that only the smallest affected portion of the electrical power system will be isolated and controlled, while also protecting the other equipment to prevent the fault from causing more damage.
Initially, a protection coordination study is conducted when the electrical power system is first developed. It is recommended to be done regularly, or 5-6 years if the situation is static. When making any modification or renovation to the system, it often necessitates a protection coordination study to be able to integrate new equipment and protective devices reliably.
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Benefits of Protection Coordination Studies
- Reduce system downtime and avoid interruption of service
- Prevent damage to equipment or the occurrence of any failure
- Identify weak points in the system and correct any under-protected segments
- Isolate faulty circuits and ensure that no loss of power to the rest of the system happens
- Reinforce the safety of the personnel
Selective coordination
The NEC requires careful coordination, which is the isolation of an overcurrent incident by activating the nearest upstream OCPD in the distribution system. It is done to restrict outages to the equipment or circuit affected. It is achieved by selecting and installing OCPD to handle a wide range of overcurrent, from maximum fault current to overload.
Selective coordination is necessary for systems where reliability is essential. Some examples include emergency systems, multiple elevator circuits, critical-operation power systems, legally sanctioned standby systems, data systems, and more.
Conducting a coordination study necessitates various pieces of information to ensure the output will be as reliable as possible. These data include a one-line diagram of the electrical power system or the affected portion. A short-circuit study should also be completed and time-current curves.
Not sure if you need a protection coordination study? Schedule an appointment with us
Does Your Electrical System Need Protection Coordination?
Maintaining the reliability of the electrical power system is crucial to ensure that the service is uninterrupted and accidents are avoided, especially in large-scale industries. At Team Electrical Services LLC, our experts conduct reliable protection coordination studies to mitigate the devastating effects of a short circuit. Contact us today to know more.