[ Industry view: Technology ] T


he basic requirement of circuit protection used to be essentially about protecting cables and then the system, and this hasn’t changed. However, what has evolved is the demand for


personnel protection moving to additional protection, with an increase in use of integrated residual current protection with circuit breakers. For example, RCBOs combine a miniature circuit breaker (MCB) and residual current device (RCD) to provide overload, short circuit and earth leakage protection, and are used to protect individual circuits that need that extra level of safety where additional protection is required by the wiring regulations. In addition to demanding a higher level of protection,


the requirements of the building regulations – and in particular Part L2, which demands facilities to account for 90 per cent of each fuel type by end use category – along with the hike in energy prices, has meant that businesses are also becoming more concerned with measuring and monitoring their energy consumption. While the focus tends to be on passive energy measures, such as installing energy-saving lighting and other energy- effi cient equipment, the real key to achieving maximum savings and sustaining them is by adopting active energy consumption countermeasures. By being able to identify where energy is being used, when, and by how much, the business is able to make educated decisions about what energy-saving technologies to invest in, which will make a real difference. Measuring the energy performance of specifi c circuits,


such as lighting and heating, or particular areas of a building, can be achieved through specialist measurement devices, but it is also possible to find solutions that integrate this feature with the circuit protection for one compact solution. For example, the use of electronics in air circuit breakers means the same device can both protect and monitor. In addition, the circuit protection device can converse


with a building management system, which can be interrogated to identify problems before and after they happen – such as overload on the circuit, surges in power supply and insulation drops – to understand why a circuit breaker may trip. It will also allow the user to remotely switch a circuit on and off, providing fl exibility and an additional level of safety. Advancements in the use of electronics within circuit


protection has meant that features typically found on air circuit breakers have moved down the circuit protection hierarchy into sub-distribution, and can be applied at lower levels to feeder circuits. This again provides the user with more information, higher levels of protection, control over load shedding and a greater insight into energy usage. It is possible, in part, to achieve the same outcome with separate components, but the cost and size of the switchgear is likely to be higher than using compact solutions that offer reduced costs, greater effi ciency and an improved energy performing system. When it comes to surge protection, it is currently


a requirement of British Standards to have surge protection falling into two categories – protecting buildings and protecting equipment. The increased use of electronics such as computers, monitors, servers and


About the author


Tom France Tom France is marketing manager of Ready To Install products at Schneider Electric and has been involved in the electrical distribution business since the early Seventies, when he joined the company. In his role he is a member of a variety of technical working groups that infl uence regulations and directives in the electrical industry.


Schneider Electric PRF1 12.5r


Measuring the energy performance of specifi c circuits can be achieved through specialist devices


telecommunications systems within a business, along with the fact that chips used within electronic equipment are getting smaller and becoming more intelligent, makes expensive and invaluable equipment extremely sensitive to power surges. Therefore, there is a growing case for integrating surge protection devices into circuit protection as standard. At the moment, surge protection devices used within


the electrical installation protection system feature as additional components. However, in the future it might be that circuit protection also includes surge protection, providing standardised products that can be used in standard equipment such as panel boards and distribution boards, for an easy-to-install and simple-to-specify solution. The specifi cation of circuit protection has adapted in


response to both legislative requirements and trends towards greater energy efficiency within businesses. Recognising the benefi ts of specifying circuit protection technologies that integrate monitoring features, while offering superior levels of safety, is a growing requirement for contractors and can provide solutions for both retrofi t and new build applications.


March 2011 ECA Today 67


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72