EE8236 – ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN BUILDINGS

[2.9] Circuits

Basic requirement for circuits

1. to prevent danger in the event of a fault by ensuring that the fault current is no greater than necessary to
operate the protective system.
2. to enable part of an installation to be switched off for maintenance or for testing without affecting the rest
of the system.
3. to prevent a fault on one circuit from resulting in the loss of the complete installation

The number of final circuits will depend on the types of load supplied, and must be designed to comply with the
requirements for overcurrent protection, switching and the current-carrying capacity of conductors. Every circuit
must be separate from others and must be connected to its own overcurrent protective fuse or circuit breaker in a
switch fuse, distribution board, consumer's unit.

Fig 2.9.1:
Typical arrangement for feeding
final circuits in a domestic
installation

A durable notice giving details of all the circuits fed is required to be posted in or near each distribution board. The
data required is the equipment served by each circuit, its rating, its design current and its breaking capacity. When
the occupancy of the premises changes, the new occupier must be provided with full details of the installation. This
data must always be kept up to date.

Maximum Demand
Maximum demand (often referred to as MD) is the largest current normally carried by circuits, switches and
protective devices; it does not include the levels of current flowing under overload or short circuit conditions,
Assessment of maximum demand is sometimes straightforward. For example, the maximum demand of a 230 V
single-phase 8 kW shower heater can be calculated by dividing the power (8 kW) by the voltage (230 V) to give a
current of 34.78 A. This calculation assumes a power factor of unity, which is a reasonable assumption for such a
purely resistive load.

There are times, however, when assessment of maximum demand is less obvious. For example, if a ring circuit feeds
fifteen 13 A sockets, the maximum demand clearly should not be 15 x 13 = 195 A, if only because the circuit
protection will not be rated at more than 32 A. Some 13 A sockets may feed table lamps with 60 W lamps fitted,
whilst others may feed 3 kW washing machines; others again may not be loaded at all.

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Fig 2.9.2:
An arrangement for main and final circuits in
a large installation

Lighting circuits pose a special problem

when determining MD. Each lamp-holder
must be assumed to carry the current
required by the connected load, subject to a
minimum loading of 100 W per lamp holder
(a demand of 0.44 A per lampholder at 230
V). Discharge lamps are particularly difficult
to assess, and current cannot be calculated
simply by dividing lamp power by supply
voltage. The reasons for this are:

1. - control gear losses result in additional

current,
2.-the power factor is usually less than unity
so current is greater, and
3. - chokes and other control gear usually
distort the waveform of the current so that it
contains harmonics which are additional to
the fundamental supply current.

So long as the power factor of a discharge

lighting circuit is not less than 0.85, the
current demand for the circuit can be
calculated from:

current (A) = lamp power (W) x 1.8

supply voltage (V)

For example, the steady state current demand of a 230 V circuit supplying ten 65 W fluorescent lamps would be:

I= 10 x 65 x 1.8 A = 5.09A
230
Switches for circuits feeding discharge lamps must be rated at twice the current they are required to carry, unless
they have been specially constructed to withstand the severe arcing resulting from the switching of such inductive
and capacitive loads.

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EE8236 – ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN BUILDINGS

Table 2.9.1 - Current demand of outlets

Type of outlet Assumed current demand

2 A socket outlet At least 0.5A
Other socket outlets Rated current
Connected load, with minimum of
Lighting point
100 W
Shaver outlet, bell transformer or
May be neglected
any equipment of 5 W or less
10A + 30% of remainder + 5A for
Household cooker
socket in cooker unit

When assessing maximum demand, account must be taken of the possible growth in demand during the life of the
installation. Apart from indicating that maximum demand must be assessed, the Regulations themselves give little
help. Suggestions for the assumed current demand of various types of outlet are shown in {Table 2.9.1}.

Diversity

A domestic ring circuit typically feeds a large number of 13 A sockets hut is usually protected by a fuse or circuit
breaker rated at 30 A or 32 A. This means that if sockets were feeding 13 A loads, more than two of them in use at
the same time would overload the circuit and it would be disconnected by its protective device.

In practice, the chances of all domestic ring sockets feeding loads taking 13 A are small. Whilst there maybe a 3 kW
washing machine in the kitchen, a 3 kW heater in the living room and another in the bedroom, the chance of all three
being in use at the same time is remote. If they are all connected at the same time, this could be seen as a failure of
the designer when assessing the installation requirements; the installation should have two ring circuits to feed the
parts of the house in question.

Most sockets, then, will feed smaller loads such as table lamps, vacuum cleaner, television or audio machines and so
on. The chances of all the sockets being used simultaneously is remote in the extreme provided that the number of
sockets (and ring circuits) installed is large enough. The condition that only a few sockets will be in use at the same
time, and that the loads they feed will be small is called diversity.

By making allowance for reasonable diversity, the number of circuits and their rating can be reduced, with a
consequent financial saving, but without reducing the effectiveness of the installation. However, if diversity is over-
estimated, the normal current demands will exceed the ratings of the protective devices, which will disconnect the
circuits - not a welcome prospect for the user of the installation! Overheating may also result from overloading
which exceeds the rating of the protective device, but does not reach its operating current in a reasonably short time.
The Regulations require that circuit design should prevent the occurrence of small overloads of long duration.

The sensible application of diversity to the design of an installation calls for experience and a detailed knowledge of
the intended use of the installation. Future possible increase in load should also be taken into account. Diversity
relies on a number of factors which can only be properly assessed in the light of detailed knowledge of the type of
installation, the industrial process concerned where this applies, and the habits and practices of the users, Perhaps a
glimpse into a crystal ball to foresee the future could also be useful!

Applied Diversity
Apart from indicating that diversity and maximum demand must be assessed, the Regulations themselves give little
help. Suggestions of values for the allowances for diversity are given in {Table 2.9.2}.

Distribution boards must not have diversity applied so that they can carry the total load connected to them.

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Table 2.9.2: - Allowance for diversity

Note the following abbreviations :
X is the full load current of the largest appliance or circuit
Y is the full load current of the second largest appliance or circuit
Z is the full load current of the remaining appliances or circuits
Type of final circuit Type of premises
Small shops, stores,
Households Hotels, guest houses
offices
Lighting 66% total demand 90% total demand 75% total demand
100% up to 10 A + 50% 100%X + 100%X + 80%Y +
Heating and power
balance 75%(Y+Z) 60%Z
10 A + 30% balance + 5 A 100%X + 80%Y + 100%X + 80%Y +
Cookers
for socket 60%Z 60%Z
100%X + 80%Y + 100%X +
Motors (but not lifts)
60%Z 50%(Y+Z)
Instantaneous water 100%X + 100%Y + 100%X + 100%Y +
100%X + 100%Y + 25%Z
heaters 25%Z 25%Z
Thermostatic water
100% 100% 100%
heaters
Floor warming
100% 100% 100%
installations
Thermal storage
100% 100% 100%
heating
100%X + 100%X +
Standard circuits 100%X + 40%(Y+Z)
50%(Y+Z) 50%(Y+Z)
Sockets and stationary 100%X + 100%X + 75%Y +
100%X + 40%(Y+Z)
equip. 75%(Y+Z) 40%Z

Example
A shop has the following single-phase loads, which are balanced as evenly as possible across the 415 V three-phase
supply.

2 x 6 kW and 7 x 3kw thermostatically controlled water heaters

2 x 3 kW instantaneous water heaters
2 x 6 kW and 1 x 4 kW cookers
12 kW of discharge lighting (Sum of tube ratings)
8 x 30 A ring circuits feeding 13 A sockets.

Calculate the total demand of the system, assuming that diversity can be applied. Calculations will be based on
{Table 2.9.2}. The single-phase voltage for a 400V three-phase system is 230 V. All loads with the exception of the
discharge lighting can be assumed to be at unity power factor, so current may be calculated from

1) Water heaters (thermostatic)

No diversity is allowable, so the total load will be:
(2 x 6) + (7 x 3) kW = 12 + 21kw = 33kw

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This gives a total single-phase current of I = 33 x 1000/230 = 143.5 A

2) Water heaters (instantaneous)

100% of largest plus 100% of next means that in effect there is no allowable diversity.

Single-phase current thus = 2 x 3 x 1000/230 = 26.09 A

3) Cookers
100% of largest = 6 x 1000/230A = 26.09A
80% of second = (80/100) x 6 x 1000/230 A = 20.87 A
60% of remainder = (60/100) x 4 x 1000/230 A = 10.43 A
Total for cookers = 57.39 A

4) Discharge lighting
90% of total which must be increased to allow for power factor and control gear losses.

Lighting current = 12 x (1000/230) x 1.8 x 0.9 = 84.52 A

5) Ring circuits

First circuit 100%, current is 30 A

75% of remainder = 7 x 30 x 0.75 = 157.5A
Total current demand for ring circuits =187.5A

Total single phase current demand = 499.0A

Since a perfect balance is assumed, three phase line current = (499/3) = 166.33A

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