Lecture 22

LECTURE 22
SWITCHHOUSES AND MINE POWER CENTERS II
DR. ANUP KUMAR TRIPATHI
DEPARTMENT OF MINING ENGINEERING

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KARNATAKA (NITK)
SURATHKAL – 575025, INDIA
MINE POWER CENTERS
INTRODUCTION
The power or load center is one of the most important power-
system units for underground mines and surface mines.
Its primary function is to convert the distribution voltage to

utilization voltage for operating equipment throughout the mine.
It must incorporate protective circuitry to ensure safe, efficient,

and reliable operation.
MINE POWER CENTER INTERNAL COMPONENTS
The electrical components of the power center are usually metal
clad or housed in a heavy-duty steel enclosure that may be tire
mounted, skid mounted, or track mounted.
Illustrations of typical underground coal mining units are given in

Figure 1.
Figure 1: Typical power centers used in underground coal mines.

The power center can supply only 1 motor or as many as 20 pieces
of machinery; it may be totally AC, DC, or a combination of AC and
DC.
The distribution voltage received by the power center can be 4.16,

7.2, 12.47, 13.2, or 13.8 kV. The outgoing AC utilization voltage may
be 480, 600, 995, 1,040 V, or a combination of 995 or 1,040 V with
one of the lower voltages.
DC can be at 300 or 600 V, but is almost always 300 V for face

applications.
The major electrical components of a typical mine power center

are shown in the schematic of Figure 2.
Figure 2: Schematic illustrating major components in power center.

Incoming power is usually supplied to the center from the
distribution cable through a high-voltage cable coupler (Figure 2,
No. 1).
Electrical interlock switches (Figure 2, No. 2) are presently used in

the high-voltage and transformer compartments of mine power
equipment.
Strategically located around exterior top and side protective covers,

they act to deenergize the internal power circuitry if the panels are
removed, and thus help to prevent accidents caused by a worker's
contacting energized components.
The normally open (NO) contacts of the switches are connected in
the pilot circuit of the incoming distribution cable as shown in
Figure 2.
With covers in place, the interlock switches are depressed and

their associated contacts are closed.
This provides a closed path for the pilot circuit. When a cover is
removed, the switch contacts are opened, thus causing the
upstream circuit breaker to trip because of the loss of continuity in
the pilot circuit.
An emergency-stop button (Figure 2, No. 3) should also
be provided, and its function is similar to the interlock.
It consists of a normally closed (NO set of contacts in

series with the interlock switches.
The disconnect or load-break switch (Figure 2, No. 4) is a
mechanically operated air-type switch whose primary function is to
allow a quick means of disconnecting the primary of the power-
center transformer.
A spring-loaded or torsion-bar mechanism provides the quick-make

and quick-break operation, which is independent of the speed of
the manually activated handle.
Observation windows are provided in the power-center enclosure,

and the switch can serve as a visual disconnect.
Disconnect switches have no interrupting capability, however load-
break switches do.
Load-break switches are able to interrupt currents that are not in

excess of their continuous-current rating.
If a disconnect switch is allowed and employed, a pilot-break

monitor (Figure 2, No. 5) is required to interlock the switch handle
with the pilot circuit of the incoming distribution system.
This allows the upstream circuit breaker to interrupt the circuit

prior to opening the switch contacts.
A fuse has been defined as an overcurrent protective device with a
circuit-opening fusible element that is heated and severed by the
passage of current through it.
Current-limiting fuses (Figure 2, No. 6) are the type used in mine

power centers.
Their main purpose is to protect the high-voltage section,

particularly the transformer, during short circuits.
The surge arrester (Figure 2, No. 7) is a device designed to limit
dangerous transient overvoltages to safe levels.
Lightning, switching surges, and some faults result in transient

overvoltages that can exceed the insulation levels of power-system
equipment. Consequently, over-voltages must be clamped or
suppressed to tolerable levels.
The function of an arrester is to:
 discharge the energy associated with a transient overvoltage,
 limit and interrupt the 60-Hz current that follows the

transient current through the arrester, and
 return to an insulating state without interrupting the supply

of power to the load.
The voltage rating of a surge arrester is the highest power-

frequency voltage at which the arrester is designed to operate.
Surge capacitors (Figure 2, No. 8) can be found in
numerous mine power centers.
Their intended purpose is to lessen the severity of

transient over-voltages caused by current chopping in
vacuum circuit breakers.
The power transformer (Figure 2, No. 9) is the main
component of the power center, since its primary
function is to convert the distribution voltage to
utilization.
Proper selection is imperative from the perspective of

safety, efficiency, and reliability.
A temperature-sensing device (Figure 2, No. 10) can be placed in
the transformer windings to prevent damage from overheating.
The device controls a set of contacts located in the pilot circuit of

the incoming distribution line.
If the transformer temperature exceeds the specified limit, the

contacts in the pilot circuit are opened, which results in tripping
the upstream circuit breaker.
The grounding resistor (Figure 2, No. 11) is inserted
between the neutral of the transformer and the power
center frame as a means of limiting the ground-fault
current.
The Ohmic value of the grounding resistor is based on the

maximum ground-fault current condition, which occurs
for a ground fault at the secondary terminal of the
transformer.
The power-center output requires numerous taps for feeding the
utilization circuits. A busway (or busbars) provides a convenient
and economical means of providing these taps (Figure 2, No. 12).
The busway consists of flat, bare conductors supported within the

power-center enclosure by means of insulators made of glass,
polyester, or porcelain.
Busways are available with either copper or aluminum conductors.

Molded-case circuit breakers (Figure 2, No. 13) are usually
employed to protect AC utilization equipment and associated
cables.
A main circuit breaker (Figure 2, No. 14) is often recommended if

the number of outgoing circuits exceeds three.
The breaker has the bus work as its primary protection zone,
however also serves as a backup to the outgoing breakers.
The grounding resistor is placed between the transformer neutral
and the power center frame to limit ground-fault current to not
more than 25 A.
Ground-fault relaying must be used on each outgoing AC circuit to

initiate circuit interruption during malfunctions.
The common relay schemes for AC applications in load centers are

zero-sequence, neutral current, and grounding resistor potential.
Zero-sequence relaying is the most common ground fault

protection and is utilized on practically all outgoing AC circuits.
The mine power center should include metering circuits
to monitor line voltages and currents of all three phases
(Figure 2, Nos. 15-16).
The trailing cables for utilization equipment are almost

always connected to the power center by means of low-
voltage or medium-voltage cable couplers (Figure 2, No.
17).
Three-phase capacitors are used for correction of mine
distribution system power factor (Figure 2, No. 18).
A molded-case circuit breaker affords short-circuit

protection but also acts as a switch for removing the
capacitors from the line (Figure 2, No. 19).

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SWITCHHOUSES AND MINE POWER CENTERS II

DR. ANUP KUMAR TRIPATHI

DEPARTMENT OF MINING ENGINEERING

Its primary function is to convert the distribution voltage to

It must incorporate protective circuitry to ensure safe, efficient,

Illustrations of typical underground coal mining units are given in

Figure 1: Typical power centers used in underground coal mines.

The distribution voltage received by the power center can be 4.16,

DC can be at 300 or 600 V, but is almost always 300 V for face

The major electrical components of a typical mine power center

Figure 2: Schematic illustrating major components in power center.

Electrical interlock switches (Figure 2, No. 2) are presently used in

Strategically located around exterior top and side protective covers,

With covers in place, the interlock switches are depressed and

It consists of a normally closed (NO set of contacts in

A spring-loaded or torsion-bar mechanism provides the quick-make

Observation windows are provided in the power-center enclosure,

Load-break switches are able to interrupt currents that are not in

If a disconnect switch is allowed and employed, a pilot-break

This allows the upstream circuit breaker to interrupt the circuit

Current-limiting fuses (Figure 2, No. 6) are the type used in mine

Their main purpose is to protect the high-voltage section,

Lightning, switching surges, and some faults result in transient

 limit and interrupt the 60-Hz current that follows the

 return to an insulating state without interrupting the supply

The voltage rating of a surge arrester is the highest power-

Their intended purpose is to lessen the severity of

Proper selection is imperative from the perspective of

The device controls a set of contacts located in the pilot circuit of

If the transformer temperature exceeds the specified limit, the

The Ohmic value of the grounding resistor is based on the

The busway consists of flat, bare conductors supported within the

Busways are available with either copper or aluminum conductors.

A main circuit breaker (Figure 2, No. 14) is often recommended if

Ground-fault relaying must be used on each outgoing AC circuit to

The common relay schemes for AC applications in load centers are

Zero-sequence relaying is the most common ground fault

The trailing cables for utilization equipment are almost

A molded-case circuit breaker affords short-circuit

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