Electrical Engineering Department

Electrical Installations and Drawings (ENEE323)

Lecture Notes-1
Introduction and Distribution Boards
Introduction:
The power is transmitted to consumers via the electricity grid, which consists of either:

1) Bare Aluminum (or Copper) Conductors in overhead transmission lines

Earth
Street Lighting
Phase A
Phase B
Phase C
Neutral

2) Aerial Bundle Conductors or Cable (ABC) for overhead transmission lines

3) Underground cables: PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC) cables or Cross Linked Poly Ethylene (XLPE) cables

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The power then is supplied to our homes via 3 or 5 core cables; the number of conductors depends on
the load type and size.

The voltage at the receiving end should be limited between 220 + 10% and 220 - 4%V. The size of the
cable is dictated by the expected load and the electricity supplier. Table # 1 shows the rated current for
various sizes of copper core cables. More detailed specifications are shown in Table # 2.

Table # 1: The rated current for copper core cables

Copper conductors cross sectional area Recommended rated current
3X6m 32A

40A
3X10m
5X16m 50A

5X25m 70A

Table # 2: Specifications of single core cables of 650V rating

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Types of Consumer Installations

A) Single Phase Installations:

For an individual house (small domestic load), a small commercial load or a small business, a single
phase source is sufficient; the feed in cable chosen is usually 3X6m ; a Phase (P), a Neutral (N) and an
Earth (E) conductors. Usually, the main cable (3X6m ) is protected by a double-pole single-throw
Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) or a fuse. The nominal current rating of the MCB or the fuse is set by
the electricity company, usually 25A. A schematic diagram of the wiring of a single phase installation is
shown in the Figure below.

Main Components in Single Phase Installation:

1) KiloWatt-Hour (kWH) meter:
It is an energy meter designed to measure the number of kiloWatt–Hours of energy consumed. It has
digital readouts or dials. The reading of the kWH is proportional to I, V, pf and time. The reading
represents the consumed energy. Connection of the kWH meter depends on the manufacturer; its
datasheet should be revised. Examples of kWH meters and their possible connections are shown in the
Figures below. However, the datasheet of each kWH meter must be studied before installation as the
connection varies from one manufacturer to another.

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2) Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB):
It disconnects the circuits if the current is greater than its nominal
current value by a Factor (called Fusing Factor). It protects the circuit
against overload and/or short circuit currents. The commonly-available
preferred values for the nominal (rated) current are: 6A, 8A, 10A, 13A,
16A, 20A, 25A, 32A, 40A, 50A, 63A, 80A, 100A…

3) Earth Leakage (EL) or Residual Current Device (RCD): E.L.

It detects any leakage current by comparing the current in the phase with that in the
neutral. It has the phase and the neutral connected directly to and out of it. Usually, it
operates when the difference between both currents exceeds 30mA. It has a test
button [T] to have the functionally of the device checked periodically.

4) Distribution Board (DB)

It is a box made of PVC or other polymers located in an accessible location
within the flat/house. It includes the Main MCB, EL or RCD, timers, and all
other MCBs. It has also three bus-bars; one for the phase, a second for the
neutral and the third for the earth. An example of a DB is shown in the next
figure. There are different sizes of Distribution Boards according to number
of MCBs they can accommodate: 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48…

5) Fuses:

A Fuse is a device which carries a metal element, usually tinned Copper, which melts and breaks the
circuit when an excessive current flows; it acts as a sacrificial device to provide over-current protection.
Thus, it forms the weakest link in a circuit and protects the circuit conductors and equipments from
damage. There are many different types, ratings and sizes of fuses.

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6) Wires
Wires of various cross sectional areas and colors are used in lighting, extra low voltage and power
circuits. Table # 3 shows the wire’s cross sectional area, the recommended protective fuse or Miniature
Circuit Breaker (MCB) nominal current ratings, and typical application circuits. More details about the
wires and cables can be obtained from standard tables; an example is shown in Table # 2 for single core
wires of 650V rating. On the other hand, Table # 4 shows the color code used generally in wiring single
phase circuits.

Table # 3: Wire’s cross sectional area, protective fuse or MCB rating, and typical applications
Nominal current of protective
Wire’s cross sectional area
fuse or Miniature Circuit Application
[mm2]
Breaker [A]
0.5 4 Extra Low Voltage circuits
1.5 10 Lighting circuits

2.5 16 Power circuits

Heavy heating and cooking
4 20
loads
Main supply for single
6 32
phase loads
10 40 In three phase circuits

Table # 4: Color code for wiring in Single Phase Installations

Wire colors Application
Brown (or Red) Phase or the Line conductor
Blue (or black) Neutral conductor
Yellow with Green stripes Earth/Ground

Violet, Green, Grey, Brown with Black stripes,

Strapper or traveler conductors
Brown with Orange stripes, or any other color

A detailed study of every single component will be presented later in this course.

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Notes:

Cables and wires should run without twist; they must be unwound in the same way as they were
wound (or wrapped) around the drum!
Special power circuits may be designed for heavy heating loads; for some boilers or heaters,
conductors of 4mm2 (or more) and an MCB rating of 20A (or more) are needed – exact
calculations will be discussed in later lectures.
Terminal blocks, proper joints, cable shoes, or lug termination should be used for proper
connection
Loose connections must be avoided, as they cause corrosion of conductors, result in bad
connections, and undesirable transients, which may be very dangerous
The joint or the cable shoe material must be of the same material as the cable conductor;
copper or Aluminum…
Special crimping tools are used to flatten (fasten) the joint or lug termination with the
conductors
Heat resistant tape (or shrinkable tape) must be used to cover the bare end of the cable next to
a cable shoe, lug termination or joint
A reasonable length of the cable insulation is removed to make any joint or connection
Cable Clamps should be used where necessary.

Terminal Blocks

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B) Three Phase Distribution Boards
For a building, a large industrial or commercial load, 3 phase supply is needed. The power is supplied
through a cable of 5 conductors, whose size depends on the load size and the estimated load.

B.1) Main Distribution Board for a Building

For a building, the Main Distribution Board has five bus bars (3 Bus Bars for phases, a Neutral Bus Bar
and an Earth Bus Bar), kWh meters (depending on the number of apartments to be fed), fuses (32A) and
MCBs (25A) for each consumer (apartment). The Figure below shows a typical three-phase Main
Distribution Board for a building that has several floors and flats.

The front view of a typical Main Distribution Board is shown in the Figure below

25A MCBs

kWH meters
kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh

32A Fuses Main Fuses or

Circuit Breaker
5 Bus Bars

B.2) Large Individual Three-Phase Load

For an individual three-phase load, such as a factory or a large commercial load, the Main Distribution
Board has five Bus Bars (3 bus bars for phases, a Neutral Bus Bar and an Earth Bus Bars), a three-phase
kWH meter, three-phase CB, three-phase RCD (not always installed in the Main Distribution Board),
fuses and any auxiliary components for measurement (current, voltage, frequency, Power Factor, and
indicator lamps for each phase).

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Main Components in Three-Phase Installations
1. Three-Phase kWH meter

It consists of 3 phase inputs for each 3 phase lines (L1, L2 and L3) and 3 outputs connected to each load
phase. It also consists of an input/output for the Neutral line and a connection for the Earth conductor.
The connection of kWH meters differs between manufacturers and the datasheet (the device manual)
should be consulted prior to installation. The Figures below show a schematic of three-phase kWH
meter and a typical three-phase kWH meter photo.

2. Three-Phase Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)

It consists of 3 inputs and 3 outputs. The three input are the 3 phase lines, whilst the three outputs are
the 3 phase feeders or load terminals. Some breakers have a common node for the neutral. It operates if
the current in one line exceeded the pre-set value by a Factor; the breaker will interrupt the current
flow and the source will be isolated from the load. MCBs differ according to their purpose, rating and
functionality. Circuit Breakers (CBs) are used for current ratings above 100A. The Figure next page shows
a typical three phase MCB.

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3. Three Phase Residual Current Device (RCD) or Earth Leakage (EL)

It consists of 4 inputs and 4 outputs. The four inputs are the 3 phase lines and the Neutral, the 4 outputs
are the 3 phase load terminals and the neutral. It operates by comparing the current sum in the three
phase lines with the current in the Neutral, via a magnetic field mechanism. If the magnetic field
produced by the sum of the current in the three phase lines is equal to the magnetic field produced by
the Neutral current, no fault is recorded. In contrast, if the difference exceeds a threshold value (30mA,
100mA or 300mA …), the RCD will trip isolating the main source from the load and so preventing more
damage to the system or shock risks. The Figure below shows a typical three phase RCD.

4. Fuses

The fuses are sacrificial devices such that if the current exceeds the operating current of the fuse, the
filament of the fuse will melt and an open circuit will occur. A fuse is usually inserted in 3 phase wiring
along each line for extra protection in case of failure of other protection devices. The Figure below
shows a typical medium voltage fuse.

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5. Three Phase Cables

As the name indicates, three phase cables are used to connect the main electricity grid lines to the
premises. They usually consist of 5 or 4 lines; 3 lines for the main 3 phases and the fourth line is for the
Neutral. If the cable has a fifth line then it is for Earth connection. The Neutral is usually of smaller cross
sectional area. The color code depends on the manufacturer of the cable but usually RED, Yellow and
Blue are the 3 phase lines, and the Neutral is the Black one. The cross sectional area of the phase
conductors in a three phase cable is 6, 10, 16, 25, 35, 50, 70, 95 and 120 mm2. These three phase
conductors are wrapped with a guided plastic cover (Black, Green or White). The cable type depends on
the insulation material; e.g. XLPE Cables: Cross linked Poly Ethylene cables, PVC Cables: Polyvinyl
Chloride cables, High Voltage Cables (oil or gas filled cables)…. To be studied in details later.

6. Other Components

In factories, it is essential to monitor and/or record the voltage, the current, the frequency, Power
Factor and the reactive power. Meters to records, these values are usually installed in the Main
Distribution Board. The method of connecting these instruments should be obvious for electrical
engineers. The ammeters rely on current transformers to measure the current. The voltmeters are
connected in parallel between any two lines to measure the line to line voltage. Power factor meters
are connected in a way to measure the current, and the voltage between the line and the neutral,
with a certain mechanism; it provides the value of the power factor.

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