Woldia University

Woldia Institute of Technology

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
Introduction to Electrical Systems Design

Dessalegn Endalamaw (MSc.)

1
 ❑ What is Electrical installation?

▪ It is the process of designing and implementing electrical

systems ,encompassing the planning wiring, and assembly
of electrical equipment's components.
▪ Such as wires ,socket outlets, switches, circuit breaker and
fixtures, to distribute power safely from source to consumer.
▪ Finally, it followed by testing and maintenance to ensure
the whole system in safe and functional.

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 ❑ Distribution System

▪ Which connects the distribution substations to the

consumers' service-entrance equipment.
▪ The primary distribution lines are usually in the range of
4 to 34.5kV and supply the load in a well-defined
geographical area.
▪ Some small industrial customers are served directly
by the primary feeders.

3
 Cont’d
▪ The secondary distribution network reduces
the voltage for utilization by commercial and
residential consumers.
▪ Lines and cables not exceeding a few hundred feet
in length then deliver power to the individual
consumers.
▪ The secondary distribution serves most of
the customers
▪ At levels of 220V, single-phase three-wire; and
▪ At level of 380V, three-phase, four-wire. 4
 Cont’d

▪ Distribution systems are both overhead and

underground.
▪ The growth of underground distribution has been
extremely rapid and as much as 70% of new
residential construction is served underground.

5
 Cont’d
▪ Each substation feeds its local load area by means of
primary distribution feeders, some operating at
15 kV.
▪ Ordinarily, primary feeders are one to five miles in
length; in rural sections where demands for
electricity are relatively light and scattered, they are
sometimes as long as 10 or 12 miles.

6
 Cont’d
▪ These circuits are usually carried on poles; but in the
more densely built-up sections, underground conduits
convey the cables.
▪ Distribution transformers connect to the primary
distribution lines.

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 Cont’d
▪ These transformers step down the primary voltage
from 15kV to approximately 380V or 220V for
distribution over secondary mains to the consumer’s
service.
▪ The lines which carry the energy at utilization voltage
from the transformer to consumer’s services are
called secondary distribution mains and may be found
overhead or underground.

8
 Cont’d
• In the case of transformers supplying large amounts
of electrical energy to individual consumers, no
secondary mains are required.

• Such consumers are railroads, large stores, and

factories.

• The service wires or cables are connected directly to

these transformers.

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 Cont’d

Typical distribution system showing component parts.

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 Cont’d

▪ Services and e n e r g y meters link the distribution

system and the consumer’s wiring.

▪ Energy is tapped from the secondary mains at the

nearest location and carried by the service wires to
the consumer’s building.

▪ It measured by a highly accurate device known as

the watt-hour meter.
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 1.2. Riser Diagram (Distribution Layout)

▪ A schematic diagram showing the vertical distribution of

electrical systems in a multi-level building, from the main
service entrance to the various branch circuits on each floor.

▪ It shows the interconnection among the main

components of a distribution system.
▪ A riser diagram depends on the type of a building
(residential, commercial or industrial).
▪ A riser diagram shows only the main components.
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 Cont’d

• The figure on the next slide shows a riser diagram for

a residential building.

• For a G+1 villa, the ground floor can get its power
from the MDB and the upper floor is supplied from
the SDB.

13
Cont’d

14
 Cont’d
• The service entrance cable taps power from the utility
company.

• Another service cable runs to the MDB.

• The MDB has a main switch.

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 Cont’d

• Different loads are connected to the MDB.

• The branch circuits are usually for general purpose
power circuits and lighting.

• An SDB (sub distribution board) is also connected to

the MDB through a feeder.

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 Cont’d

Multi-storey installations
• To supply each floor in a block, it is necessary to run
cables from the main intake position.

• These cables are called risers, and the distribution

cables which run from these to each individual supply
point.

17
 Cont’d

▪ The majority of rising mains are in the form of

bus-bar trunking with either rectangular or
circular conductors;
▪ This enables easy tapping-off of submain cables.

Typical riser diagram for a commercial building.

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Cont’d

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 Cont’d

• Industrial installations differ basically from

residential and commercial ones only in the size and
type of equipment used.

• The supplies are three-phase four-wire, and switchgear

is usually metal clad.

• For extremely heavy loads, switch and fuses are

replaced by circuit breakers.

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▪ Typical industrial installation riser/layout diagram

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Details of connection diagram for garage/workshop.

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 [Link] Plan Symbols

• Electrical plan symbols are extremely important,

especially to the installation team.

• The electrician or engineer must, of course, be

familiar with the symbols .

• The engineer must adhere to these symbols while

laying out the electrical symbols.

• And a legend should be presented on the electrical

plan.
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Cont’d

24
Cont’d

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 1.4 SYSTEM VOLTAGES

• Power has to be transmitted over large distances.

• This creates a problem of voltage drop.

• Thus, a high voltage is used for transmission (400,
230 or 132 kV).

• We cannot generate at such high voltages.

• Transformers are used to step up the generated
voltage to the transmission voltage.

26
 Cont’d

▪ At a substation, the transmission voltage is stepped

down via a transformer to 132kV.

▪ It is transformed again to 66kV for sub-transmission.

▪ It is further stepped down to 15kV in primary
distribution.

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Cont’d

28
 Cont’d

• In most residential houses, we use 230V, 50Hz

single phase systems.

• In commercial buildings, 3-phase, 4-wire systems are

used.

• In this case, the line-to-line voltage is 400-V with 50-

Hz frequency.

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 Cont’d
• Some loads in industries may use 15kV.

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 1.5 THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
ELECTRICAL CODES
• Every country has its own national standards though
most standards are similar.

• In the Ethiopian building code standard (EBCS) you

find the national electrical codes for your electrical
plan.

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 Cont’d

• For standards which are not available in EBCS-10,

since we have similar standards, you can refer to IEC
(International Electrotechnical Commission) or BS
(British System) standards.

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 1.6 EARTHING

▪ The electric potential of the earth is taken as zero.

▪ Neutrals should be at around 0 V and connected to the
earth.
▪ A person touching a live part could suffer a
severe electric shock.
▪ Lethal current is only 50 mA.

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 Cont’d

▪ Faulty appliance is dangerous and protection against

these effects, all metallic parts should be bonded and
connect to the earth.
▪ This ensures that all metalwork in a healthy situation at
or near 0 V.

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 Cont’d

▪ So the potential difference across a person touching

the metals will be zero, and hence no shock.
▪ Consumers can be connected to a metallic earth
return conductor which is ultimately connected to
the earthed neutral of the supply.

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 Cont’d

▪ Methods of making a connection to the earth:

✓ rods,

✓ plates and

✓ tapes.

▪ The most popular method is using rod

electrodes.
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 Cont’d

▪ The plate type needs to be buried at a sufficient

depth to be effective.

▪ The tape type is predominantly used in the earthing

of large electricity substations.

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 Cont’d

Rod electrodes
▪ These are usually of solid copper or copper-clad
carbon steel.

▪ Copper-clad carbon steel is used for the larger-

diameter rods with extension facilities.

▪ Length and diameter of a rod depends on soil conditions.

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 Cont’d
▪ Generally, a 1-2 m rod, 16 mm in diameter, will give
a relatively low resistance.

39
 Cont’d

▪ The resistance depends on the length and cross-

sectional area of the electrode and the type of soil.

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 Cont’d
▪ All metal works in a house should be connected to the
earth wiring.

▪ The resistance of the earth return path will depend

upon the earthing system.

▪ These systems have been designated in the IEE

regulations using the letters T,N,C and S.

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 Cont’d

▪ When these letters are grouped they form the

classification of a type of earthing system.

❑ A TT ear t hin g system has a direct connection of

the supply source to earth and a direct connection of
the installation metalwork to earth.

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Cont’d

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 Cont’d
❑ A TN-S earthing system has the supply source
directly connected to earth, the installation
metalwork connected to the earthed neutral of the
supply source via the metal sheath of the supply
cable, and the neutral and protective conductors
throughout the whole system performing separate
functions.

44
Cont’d

45
 Cont’d

❑ TN-C-S earthing system is as the TN-S system but

the supply cable sheath is also the neutral. The
installation earth and neutral are separate conductors.

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 See the difference

TT earthing TN-S earthing TN-C-S earthing

system system system

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 Earth fault loop impedance

▪ When earthing fault occurs the fault path

shows starting at the fault, and the path comprises:
➢ The circuit protective conductor (cpc).
➢ The consumer’s earthing terminal and earth conductor.
➢ The return path, either metallic or earth.
➢ The earthed neutral of the supply transformer.

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 Cont’d
➢ The transformer winding.
➢ The line conductor from the transformer to the fault.

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Cont’d

50
 Cont’d

Total loop impedance 𝒁𝒔

▪ The IEE Regulations require the loop impedance

𝑍𝑒 external to the installation shall be ascertained.

▪ The methods available to do this:

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 Cont’d

Use maximum likely values issued by the supply

authority as follows:

(a) TT system: 21 Ω maximum

(b) TN-S system: 0.8 Ω maximum

(c) TN-C-S system: 0.35 Ω maximum.

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Cont’d

53
Cont’d

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Example: a shower circuit run in an 18m length of 6.0
mm2 twin cable with cpc, and protected by a 30A BS
3036 semi-enclosed rewirable fuse. A 6.0mm2 twin
cable has a 2.5mm2 cpc. We will also assume that the
external loop impedance Ze is measured as 0.27 Ω. Will
there be a shock risk if a line-to-earth fault occurs?
Electrical Installation Work 331

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Solution:
The total loop impedance Zs = Ze+ R1 + R2 and we are
given, Ze =0.27Ω.
For a 6.0mm2 line conductor with a 2.5 mm2 cpc, R1+R 2 is
10.49 mΩ/m. Hence, with a multiplier of 1.2 for 70°C PVC.
The total R1+ R2 = 18 x10.49x 1.2/1000 = 0.23 Ω .
Therefore, Zs = 0.27 +0.23 =0.53 Ω.
This is less than the 1Ω maximum given in the IEE
Regulations for a 30A BS 3036 fuse. Consequently, the
protection will disconnect the circuit in less than 0.4 s.
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