Basic Electrical Engineering

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRICAL ENGNEERING ( BESCK104/204 B)

Module 5
Domestic Wiring

Syllabus Brief discussion on : Types of wiring. Two-way and three-way control.

Elementary discussion on circuit protective devices: Fuse and Miniature Circuit Breaker
(MCB’s), electric shock, precautions against shock. Earthing: Pipe and Plate earthing.
Electricity Bill two tariff .

 A network of wires drawn connecting the meter board to the various energy
consuming loads (lamps, fans, motors etc) through control and protective devices for
efficient distribution of power is known as electrical wiring.
 Electrical wiring done in residential and commercial buildings to provide power for
lights, fans, pumps and other domestic appliances is known as domestic wiring. There
are several wiring systems in practice. They can be classified into:

 Distribution system - This system is more organized in the sense that the main circuit
is drawn to several distribution centers and connected to the distribution boards.
Branches are tapped from these distribution boards. This system of wiring has an
aesthetic appeal, as they are without joints and also makes the location of the fault
point easier. All the points are maintained almost at the same potential. Each circuit is
provided with an independent fuse. Provides flexibility for repair and maintenance.
This system is widely preferred for indoor wiring though expensive.

Types of Wiring:
 Cleat wiring
 CTS wiring or TRS wiring or batten wiring
 Metal sheathed wiring or lead sheathed wiring
 Casing and capping
 Conduit wiring
1. Cleat wiring:

 In this type of wiring, insulated conductors (usually VIR, Vulcanized Indian Rubber)
are supported on porcelain or wooden cleats.
 The cleats have two halves one base and the other cap.
 The cables are placed in the grooves provided in the base and then the cap is placed.
 Both are fixed securely on the walls by 40mm long screws.
 The cleats are easy to erect and are fixed 4.5 – 15 cms apart.
 This wiring is suitable for temporary installations where cost is the main criteria but
not the appearance.

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Advantages:

1. Easy installation
2. Materials can be retrieved for reuse
3. Flexibility provided for inspection, modifications and expansion.
4. Relatively economical
5. Skilled manpower not required.

Disadvantages:

1. Appearance is not good

2. Open system of wiring requiring regular cleaning.
3. Higher risk of mechanical injury.
2. CTS (Cable Tyre Sheathed) / TRS ( Tough Rubber Sheathed ) / Batten wiring:

 In this wiring system, wires sheathed in tough rubber are used which are quite
flexible.
 They are clipped on wooden battens with brass clips (link or joint) and fixed on to the
walls or ceilings by flat head screws.
 These cables are moisture and chemical proof.
 They are suitable for damp climate but not suitable for outdoor use in sunlight.
 TRS wiring is suitable for lighting in low voltage installations

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Advantages:

1. Easy installation and is durable

2. Lower risk of short circuit.
3. Cheaper than casing and capping system of wiring
4. Gives a good appearance if properly
erected. Disadvantages:

1. Danger of mechanical injury.

2. Danger of fire hazard.
3. Should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
4. Skilled workmen are required.

3. Metal Sheathed or Lead Sheathed wiring :

 The wiring is similar to that of CTS but the conductors (two or three) are individually
insulated and covered with a common outer lead-aluminum alloy sheath.
 The sheath protects the cable against dampness, atmospheric extremities and
mechanical damages.
 The sheath is earthed at every junction to provide a path to ground for the leakage
current.
 They are fixed by means of metal clips on wooden battens. The wiring system is very
expensive. It is suitable for low voltage installations.

Precautions to be taken during installation

1. The clips used to fix the cables on battens should not react with the sheath.
2. Lead sheath should be properly earthed to prevent shocks due to leakage currents.
3. Cables should not be run in damp places and in areas where chemicals (may react
with the lead) are used.

Advantages:

1. Easy installation and is aesthetic in appearance.

2. Highly durable
3. Suitable in adverse climatic conditions provided the joints are not exposed

Disadvantages:

1. Requires skilled labor

2. Very expensive
3. Unsuitable for chemical industries

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4. Casing and Capping:

 It consists of insulated conductors laid inside rectangular, teakwood or PVC boxes

having grooves inside it.
 A rectangular strip of wood called capping having same width as that of casing is
fixed over it.
 Both the casing and the capping are screwed together at every 15 cms.
 Casing is attached to the wall.
 Two or more wires of same polarity are drawn through different grooves.
 The system is suitable for indoor and domestic installations.

Advantages:

1. Cheaper than lead sheathed and conduit wiring.

2. Provides good isolation as the conductors are placed apart reducing the risk of short
circuit.
3. Easily accessible for inspection and repairs.
4. Since the wires are not exposed to atmosphere, insulation is less affected by dust, dirt
and climatic variations.
Disadvantages:

1. Highly inflammable.
2. Usage of unseasoned wood gets damaged by termites.
3. Skilled workmanship required.

5. Conduit wiring:
 In this system PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or VIR cables are run through metallic or
PVC pipes providing good protection against mechanical injury and fire due to short
circuit.
 They are either embedded inside the walls or supported over the walls, and are
known as concealed wiring or surface conduit wiring (open conduit) respectively.
 The conduits are buried inside the walls on wooden gutties and the wires are drawn
through them with fish (steel) wires.
 The system is best suited for public buildings, industries and workshops.

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Advantages:

1. No risk of fire and good protection against mechanical injury.

2. The lead and return wires can be carried in the same tube.
3. Earthing and continuity is assured.
4. Waterproof and trouble shooting is easy.
5. Shock- proof with proper earthing and bonding
6. Durable and maintenance free
7. Aesthetic in appearance

Disadvantages:

1. Very expensive system of wiring.

2. Requires good skilled workmanship.
3. Erection is quiet complicated and is time consuming.
4. Risk of short circuit under wet conditions (due to condensation of water in tubes).
Two- way and Three- way Control of Lamps:
 The domestic lighting circuits are quite simple and they are usually controlled from
one point. But in certain cases it might be necessary to control a single lamp from
more than one point (Two or Three different points).
 For example: staircases, long corridors, large halls etc.

 Two-way Control of lamp:

 Two-way control is usually used for staircase lighting.

 The lamp can be controlled from two different points: one at the top and the other at
the bottom - using two- way switches which strap wires interconnect.
 They are also used in bedrooms, big halls and large corridors. The circuit is shown in
the following figure.

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 Switches S1 and S2 are two-way switches with a pair of terminals 1&2, and 3&4
respectively.
 When the switch S1 is in position1 and switch S2 is in position 4, the circuit does not
form a closed loop and there is no path for the current to flow and hence the lamp will
be OFF.

 Three- way Control of lamp:


In case of very long corridors it may be necessary to control the lamp from 3 different
points.
 In such cases, the circuit connection requires two; two-way switches S1and S2 and an
intermediate switch S3.

An intermediate switch is a combination of two, two way switches coupled together.
It has 4 terminals ABCD. It can be connected in two ways

a) Straight connection

b) Cross connection

 In case of straight connection, the terminals or points AB and CD are connected as

shown in figure 1(a) while in case of cross connection, the terminals AB and C D is
connected as shown in figure 1(b).
 As explained in two –way control the lamp is ON if the circuit is complete and is OFF
if the circuit does not form a closed loop.

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 When S1 is changed to position 2 the circuit gets completed and hence the lamp glows
or is ON. Now if S 2 is changed to position 3 with S 1 at position 2 the circuit continuity
is broken and the lamp is off. Thus the lamp can be controlled from two different
points.

Position of S1 Position of S2 Condition of lamp

1 3 ON

1 4 OFF

2 3 OFF

2 4 ON

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Equipment Safety measures

PROTECTIVE DEVICES
 Protection for electrical installation must be provided in the event of faults such as
short circuit, overload and earth faults.
 The protective circuit or device must be fast acting and isolate the faulty part of the
circuit immediately.
 It also helps in isolating only required part of the circuit without affecting the
remaining circuit during maintenance.
 The following devices are usually used to provide the necessary protection:

o Fuses
o Relays
o Miniature circuit breakers (MCB)
o Earth leakage circuit breakers (ELCB)

FUSE

 The electrical equipment are designed to carry a particular rated value of

current under normal circumstances.
 Under abnormal conditions such as short circuit, overload or any fault
the current raises above this value, damaging the equipment and
sometimes resulting in fire hazard.
 Fuses are pressed into operation under such situations.

 The Fuse is a protecting device of simplest form.

 It consists of a small piece of metal called ‘Fusing element’.
When excessive current flows through it, the metal element melts and
current is interrupted and circuit flows through it and circuits gets disconnected
from the supply.
The fusing element carries the normal current under normal working condition,
but melts when due to excessive current flows though it during abnormal
conditions like over load and short circuit condition.
The materials used for fusing element are aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, ,silver
etc

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Figure 5.5: Different symbols of fuse

Working Principle of Fuse
Figure 5.6(a): Working of Fuse under Figure 5.6(b): Working of Fuse under

normal condition abnormal condition

Fuse element connected between two terminals i.e. connected in series with the
circuit to be protected as shown in the figure 5.6(a).
The working principle of a fuse is based on the “Heating effect of Current” i.e.
Whenever a short circuit, over current or mismatched load connection occurs,
then the thin wire inside the fuse melts because of the heat generated by the
heavy current flowing through it. Therefore, it disconnects the power supply
from the connected system as shown in the figure 5.6(b).
In normal operation of the circuit, fuse wire is just a very low resistance
component and does not affect the normal operation of the system connected to
the power supply.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FUSE MATERIAL

The material used for fuse wires must have the following characteristics

 Low melting point

 Low ohmic losses
 High conductivity
 Lower rate of deterioration

Advantages of fuse
1)It is simplest and cheapest protecting device.
2)It requires no maintenance.
3)The Operation of fuse is automatic
4)The minimum operating time during abnormal condition.
5)With the help of fuse heavy currents can be interrupted without noise, smoke,
gas and flame.

Disadvantages of fuse
1)Fuse is required to be replaced or rewired after its operation.
2)The replacement or rewiring of fuse takes a lot of time.
3)The current-time characteristics cannot be always corelated with that of the
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protected
equipment’s.
4)It is not possible to provide secondary protection to fuses.

Miniature circuit Breaker(MCB):

• A circuit breaker is defined as a switching device which interrupts the faulty

current and performs the function of a switch thus protecting the electrical
system from damage.
• Miniature circuit breaker (MCB) is an automatic switch that opens when
excessive current flows through the circuit. It can be reclosed without any
manual replacement.
• In the case of a fuse, once a fuse has been operated, it must be replaced or
rewired. This is the main reason why MCBs are used as an alternative to the fuse
in most of the circuits. Also, whenever there is a fault in the circuit, the switches
in the MCB automatically shut down and the fault of the device can be easily
detected.
• MCB is quite safe and it quickly restores the supply.
• MCB can be reset quickly and does not demand more maintenance costs.
• MCB works on a bi-metal respective principle that protects against overload
current and solenoid short circuit current.

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The typical working real-time MCB is as shown in the Figure 5.8.

When the excessive current flows take place through MCB due to abnormal
conditions, the bimetallic strip gets heated and it deflects by bending.

The deflection of the bi-metallic strip releases a latch.

The latch causes the MCB to turn off by stopping the flow of the current in the
circuit.

This process helps to safeguard the appliances or devices from the hazards
happening due to overload or overcurrent.

To restore the power continuity in the circuit MCB must be turned ON

manually.

 In the case of short circuit conditions, the current rises suddenly in an

unpredictable way, leading to the electromechanical displacement of the plunger
associated with a solenoid.

The plunger hits the trip lever, it causes the automatic release of the latch
mechanism by opening the circuit breaker contacts.

 The trip unit is the key part of the MCB – Miniature Circuit Breaker on which
the unit operates.

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Advantages of MCB

1) MCB is An MCB is a simple, easily operable device

2) It is requires less maintenance.
3) MCB can be easily replaced.
4) The bi-metal present in the MCB circuit protects against overload current and
the electromagnet in the circuit protects against short-circuit current.

Applications of MCB

MCB is the key component for the safety and efficient functioning of the electric
machines and is used in most of the electrical appliances that are used for
industrial applications.
In domestic usage appliances like lights, heaters, and fans require MCB to
constantly check and protect the connection.

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Personal Safety Measures Electrical Shock:

A sudden agitation of the nervous system of a body, due to the passage of an

electric current is called an electric shock or A sudden discharge of electricity
through a part of the body

The factors affecting the severity of the shock are,

1. Magnitude of current passed through the body.

2. Path of the current passed through the body.
3. Time for which the current is passed through the body.
4. Frequency of the current.
5. Physical and psychological condition of the affected person.

Effects of Electrical Shock

• loss of consciousness
• Muscle spasms, numbness or tingling
• Breathing problems, irregular heartbeat.

Elementary first Aid against Shock

The first aid can save the life and reduce severity of the accidents.

The first aid against an electric shock involves following steps,

1. Do not panic.
2. Carry the affected person and lay him in a comfortable position and call the
doctor immediately.
3. Look for stoppage of breathing.
4. Start giving him artificial respiration if breathing is stopped.
5. Never give anything to the person to drink when the person is unconscious.
6. The artificial respiration should be continued for longer time.
7. The burns caused due to electric flashes should be covered with sterile
dressing and then bandaged.
8. Do not make crowd round and let patient get the fresh air.

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Electrical Safety Rules Following are few of the safety rules must be observed
while dealing with electricity.

• All the electrical supply lines shall be sufficient in power and size and of
sufficient mechanical strength for the work.
• All electric supply lines, wires, fittings and apparatus at a consumer's premises
should be in a safe condition and in all respects fit for supplying energy.
• The underground cable must be properly insulated and protected under all the
ordinary operating conditions.
• A suitable earthed terminal should be provided by supplier on the consumer's
premises.
• The bare conductors, if any are ensured that they are inaccessible.
• Proper precaution is taken about earthing of electrical equipment before
handled by the person.

 No person shall work on any live electric supply line or apparatus and no
person shall assist such person.
 Flexible cables shall not be used for portable or transportable motors,
generators, transformers, rectifiers, electric drills, welding sets etc. unless
they are heavily insulated and adequately protected from mechanical
injury.
 When a.c. and d.c. circuits are installed on the same supports they shall be
so arranged and protected that they shall not come into contact with each
other when live.
 First aid boxes must be provided and maintained at generating stations
and substations.
 Fire buckets filled with clean dry sand and ready for immediate use for
extinguishing fires.
 Instructions in English, Hindi and any local languages for the restoration
of person suffering from electric shock must be affixed in generating
station and substation at a suitable place.
 Each installation is periodically inspected and tested.
 The neutral conductor of a three phase four wire system shall be earthed
by not less than two separate and distinct connections with the earth both
at generating station and at substation.

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Earthing
Earthing : The connection of electrical machinery to the general mass of earth,
with a conducting material of very low resistance is called earthing or grounding.
The earthing of electrical equipment bring the equipment to zero potential and
avoid the shock to the operator, under any fault conditions.

NOTE: In modern three phase four wire supply system uses grounded neutral.

Necessity of Earthing:

When the insulation becomes weak or defective or if one of the windings is

touching to the frame directly due to some fault, If a person, standing on the
earth touches the machine.

The current I gets an alternative path through the body of the person to earth
from the insulation resistance.

In the above case insulation resistance is almost zero.

The resistance of body and earth are not very high and hence current increases to
such a high value that the person receives a fatal shock.

Such a current is called a leakage current.

Hence when the machine is not earthed, there is always a danger of the shock,
under certain fault conditions.

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If a person touches to the frame electrical equipment which is already connected

to earth.
If there is a leakage due to fault condition, due to earthing a leakage current
takes a low resistance path i.e. path from frame to earth, bypassing the person.

So body of the person carries very low current which is not sufficient to cause
any shock.

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Methods of Earthing

Earthing is achieved by connecting the electrical appliances or components to

earth by employing a good conductor called ‘Earth Electrode’.

This ensures very low resistance path from appliance to the earth.

The various methods of earthing are

i) Plate earthing ii) Pipe earthing iii) Earthing through water main iv)
Horizontal strip earthing v) Rod earthing

Plate Earthing:

The size or dimension of the plate used in plate earthing is 60cm(H) x 60cm(W) x
3.18mm(D) for copper plate and 60cm(H) x 60cm(W) x 6.3mm(D) for the
galvanized iron plate.
Place the earthing plate vertically at a depth of below 3 meter from the ground
level.
Use a 12.7 mm diameter pipe to lay the earthing conductors through it.
Use a 190mm diameter pipe to connect the funnel and earthing plate.
Fill the coal, sand, and salt around the earthing plate in alternate layers in the earth
pit. After that fill the earth pit with black soil.
Salt soaks the alkali of the ground and the Coal makes the soil to hold the
moisture. So, using these Salt and Coal helps to increase the overall conductivity
and efficiency of the earthing system.
Funnel arrangement is provided to pour the water periodically to the earthing to
increase the conductivity.

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Pipe Earthing:

1) In this method of earthing a G.I. pipe of 38 mm diameter and 2 meter (7 feet)

length is embedded vertically into the ground. This pipe acts as an earth electrode.
2) The depth depends on the condition of the soil. The earth wires are fastened to
the top section of the pipe above the ground level with nut and bolts.
3) The pit area around the pipe is filled with salt and coal mixture for improving
the condition of the soil and earthing efficiency. The schematic arrangement of
pipe earthing system is shown in the Fig. 6.3.2.
4) The contact surface of G.I. pipe with the soil is more as compared to the plate
due to its circular section and hence can handle heavier leakage current for the
same electrode size.
5) According to Indian standard, the pipe should be placed at a depth of 4.75 m.
The coke with salt decreases the earth resistance.
6) Generally alternate layers of salt and coke are used for best results. In summer
season, soil becomes dry, in such case salt water is poured through the funnel
connected to the main G.I. pipe through 19 mm diameter pipe. This keeps the soil
wet.

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ELECTRICITY BILL

In electrical engineering, the power rating of equipment is the highest power input
allowed to flow through particular equipment.

The term "power" may refer to electrical or mechanical power.

The power rating of an electric appliance is the electrical energy consumed per
second by the appliance when connected across the voltage of the mains.

Example: A bulb having rating of 60 W, 220 V, indicates that the bulb will
consume 60 J of energy per second when connected across the mains supply of
voltage 220 V.

To calculate power consumption of any appliance, you have to multiply it’s

wattage by the number of hours it is being used (operational hours).

For example: A 1000 watt electric iron running for one hour will consume (1000
watt X 1 hour) 1000 watt hour or 1 kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity.

Similarly to calculate the monthly power consumption multiply the daily power
consumption by 30 days and for annual power consumption multiply the daily
power consumption by 365 days.

Example 1: Power consumed by a 100-Watt LED TV running for 24 hours in a day

for the entire month.

Power rating of TV – 100 Watt Operational Hours – 24 X 30 – 720 hours in a

month

Energy consumed by the TV = 100-Watt X 720 Hours =72000 Watthours

(1 kilowatt hour (kWh) = 1000 watt hour)

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One Unit of Electrical Energy:

The power consumption of electrical appliances is measured in term of Units.

A unit (as mentioned on the electricity bills) is represented in kWH or Kilowatt

Hour. This is the actual electricity or energy used.

If we use 1000 Watts or 1 Kilowatt of power for 1 hour then you consume 1 unit or
1 Kilowatt-Hour (kWh) of electricity.

Therefore, 1 Unit = 1 kWh

1 Unit Electricity = 1 kWh = 1 kW x 1 Hour = 1000 W x 3600 seconds = 3.6×106
Joule

Electricity tariff –The methods of charging a consumer for consuming electric

power is known as an electricity tariff. The tariff covers the total cost of producing
and supplying electric energy plus a reasonable cost. Electricity tariff is the amount
your electricity provider charges you for one unit (kWh) of electricity.

The tariff rates are decided based upon the different types of consumers such as:-
1. Residential 2. Commercial 3. Industrial

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Let the initial reading of energy meter at the beginning of month = x kWh
Final reading of energy meter at the end of month = y kWh
Then, total kWh consumed for that month = (y-x)
But 1 Unit = 1 kWh
Therefore, Total Units of electrical energy consumed = (y-x) Units
The rate of electricity is given in terms of per unit cost.
If the cost of per Unit electrical energy is ₹R, then the total amount charged for the
consumption of electrical energy is given by the multiplication of ₹R and number
of Units consumed.
Therefore, the total electricity bill for one month = ₹ (y-x)R

Tariff is charged keeping the following points in forward:-

 Total running and fixed charges.
 Service given.
 Consumer paying capability
 Simple calculations of tariff.

Types of Electricity Tariff:

Some of the most important types of tariff are as follows;

1. Flat Demand Rate tariff
2. Straight-line Meter rate tariff
3. Block meter Rate tariff
4. Two-part tariff
5. Power factor tariff
6. Seasonal rate tariff
7. Peak load tariff
8. Three-part tariff

Two-part tariff –

When the rate of electrical energy is charged on the basis of maximum demand of
the consumer and the units consumed it is called two-part tariff.

In this type, the total charge to be made from the consumer is split into two
components.

 One is for the annual fixed charge (whether consumer uses the electricity or not,
the charges have to pay, these charges are based upon the total connected load) and
the other is the amount to be paid for the actual consumption of power.

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 The fixed charges depend upon the number of units consumed by the customer.
Thus the consumer is charged at a certain amount per kW of maximum demand + a
certain amount per kWh of energy consumed.

 Total charges = Rs (X*kW + Y*kWh)

Advantages of Two-part Tariff:

 It is easily understood by the consumer.
 It recovers fixed charges which depend upon the maximum demand ofthe
consumer independent of the units consumed.

Disadvantages of Two-part Tariff:

 Consumer has to pay the fixed charges irrespective of the fact whether he has
consumed or not the electrical energy.

 For Example: Mumbai Reliance energy has following tariff: First 100 units: Rs
2.96/unit & Next 200 units (from 101 to 300): Rs 5.56/unit Next 200 units (from
301 to 500): Rs 9.16/unit Any units after that (above 500): Rs 10.61/unit. So taking
the above case, if the consumption is less than 100 units, we just pay Rs 2.96 per
unit. But if the consumption increases beyond 500 units, every unit above 500 is
charged There is always error in assessing the maximum demand of the consumer.
at Rs 10.61 per unit. So if we have consumed 540 units in a month, the bill will be
calculated as:
First 100 units @ Rs 2.96 = Rs 296
Next 200 units @ Rs 5.56 = Rs 1112
Next 200 units @ Rs 9.16 = Rs 1832
Final 40 units @ Rs 10.61= Rs 424.4

So we pay higher amounts per unit as our consumption increases. The motive
behind such structure is to motivate people to consume less electricity

Problem :A consumer has a maximum demand of 200 kW at 40% load factor. If

the tariff is Rs. 100 per kW of maximum demand plus 10aise per kWh, Find the
overall cost per kWh.

Solution: Maximum Demand = 200kW , Load Factor= 40% Tariff Rate = Rs.200
per kW of maximum demand + 10 paise per kWh
Energy consumed per annum(kWh)=(200 X 0.4 X 24(hours)X365(days))=700.80
X 103 kWh
Annual fixed charge=Rs.200 per kW of maximum demand
Annual fixed charge=200 X200= Rs .40,000
Running charge = 10 paise per kWh
Running charge=0.1X700.80x103 =Rs. 70,800
Total charge of tariff = Fixed charge + Running charge = 40,000+70,800= Rs.
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1,10,800.

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