AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
PLANNING THE FARMSTEAD DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Agricultural Buildings
- are defined as structures used for housing farm implements,
hay, grain, animals, or other agricultural produce
- buildings used as residences or for processing and packaging
of agricultural products do not generally fall within this
classification for purposes of electrical code stipulations and
wiring procedures
Types of Agricultural Buildings:
1. Dry Agricultural Building (machine storage buildings, shops,
and garages)
2. Damp Agricultural Buildings
Wiring Agricultural Buildings
1. Dry Agricultural Buildings
- must be wired with quality materials
- the same as that used for residential wiring
- structures that houses methane or alcohol production or where
explosive gas may be produced requires the use of explosion
proof materials
2. Damp Agricultural Buildings
- requires special materials
- all wiring should be surface mounted, not concealed within
walls, ceilings, ceiling cavities or attic spaces
- surface mounting reduces the risk of rodent damage, facilitates
inspection and repair, and helps maintain the integrity of the
building insulation and vapor barriers
- appropriate cable, conduit, and flexible cords are important to
proper installation of the wiring
- the most common conduit used in damp agricultural buildings is
schedule 40 PVC
- schedule 80 PVC may be needed for additional physical
strength and protection in some locations
- wire types of THW, THWN, RHW, RUW, and XHHW are used
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
- all junction boxes, convenience outlet boxes, switch boxes,
lighting fixture boxes, etc., are to be noncorrosive and dust- and
moisture-tight
- receptacles are also to be gasketed and have springloaded
covers
- switch boxes can have springloaded covers, moisture-tight
switch levers, or moisture-tight covers over the surface
- light fixtures should have gasketed, nonmetallic enclosures
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
Characteristics of a well-planned farmstead distribution system:
a. Safe
– grounding, proper size of conductors and rating of circuit
breakers
b. Reliable
– a standby generator increases reliability of the system
c. Expandable
– design ready for future expansion
d. Efficient
– one that fulfils its needs at the least expense over the lifetime
of the system
Major steps in planning a farmstead distribution system:
1. Determine the demand load for each building or service area
2. Locate the facility’s main service
3. Size the facility’s main service
4. Selection of size and type of conductors from the central
distribution point to the buildings
Demand Load for Farm Buildings
1. Large or permanently connected appliances.
- the full load ratings of all equipment of 1500 W, or 1 hp, or
greater are generally included in this category
- the full-load current of the largest motor should be multiplied by
125% to allow for a 25% overload of the motor
2. Convenience outlets (receptacles).
- a load of 180 VA should be allotted for each convenience outlet
- this accounts for portable tools and appliances not listed in (1)
above
3. Lighting outlets.
- a load of 180 VA should also be allotted for each lighting outlet
- under certain circumstances, such as in poultry laying houses,
this figure may be modified to reflect known values either larger
or smaller
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
Farm building demand load procedure.
• if the load consists of a single item such as an irrigation pump or
crop dryer, the demand system would not be applicable
• to apply the system, the load without diversity must be determined
• the largest combinations of loads which are likely to operate at the
same time make up the load without diversity
• determining load without diversity requires both knowledge of the
farm operation and judgment
• when selecting service entrance equipment there are limited
number of standard packages from which to select
• the most common sizes are 30, 60, 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400 A
• the ampacity selected must be equal to or larger than the
calculated demand load
• the 60 A service is the smallest to be used for a building,
however, a 30 A service may be used for small or single load
items such as well
• each building should have only one service entrance panel
• this prevents confusion and hazards which may occur from live
circuits not deactivated when only one of multiple services is
disconnected
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
Example: Application of Farm Building Demand Load Procedure
Calculate the demand load for a beef barn with a total load of 185 A
at 240 V. The largest motor is 3 hp (240 V, single phase). Load
without diversity is 65 A.
Solution:
From the table of full-load currents for single-phase motors, a 3 hp
motor has a rating of 17 A at 240 V.
Applying the demand system:
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
Central Metering and Distribution
• the most common type of distribution system on a farmstead has
a centrally located distribution center
• generally, the power supplier’s meter will be located at this central
or main service entrance location
• a service drop or feeder will run from this central point to each
building or service area
Central metering and distribution for a farmstead.
Advantages of central distribution center approach:
1. Safety
2. Expandability
3. Minimizes main service size
4. Least investment in wire
5. Convenience
1. Safety
- loss of one building will not destroy the system
- service can be maintained to the other buildings
2. Expandability
- when the loads within a building change or a new building is
added, feeders to the other buildings are unaffected
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
3. Minimizes main service size
- diversity
iversity of load between buildings can be accounted for,
thereby minimizing the capacity of the main
ma service needed
4. Least investment in wire
- because
ecause wires are used very efficiently, this technique
minimizes the cost of wire for the system
5. Convenience
he meter can be located so that entrance to a building is not
- the
required to read the meter
- components of the system areare easily accessed and serviced
• the optimum location for central distribution point and main
service equipment is at the load center
• the load center is the geographic center of the loads
• a first step in locating the load center is to draw a scaled map of
the farmstead and the location and demand load for each building
should be noted
• two perpendicular baselines, designated X and Y, should be
located along two sides of the farmstead
• the X and Y position for the load center can then be determined
determin
by finding the weighted mean X and Y distances for all of the
loads
• the demand loads are used as weighting factors for the distances
Equation form of the load center distances:
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
Example: Locate the load center for the farmstead mapped below.
Solution:
Considerations for locating the load center:
1. topography of the farmstead
2. location of driveways, trees, and other buildings and other
obstacles
3. consultation to power supplier
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
Capacity of Main Service
• it is not unlikely that all buildings will operate at their full demand
load at the same time
• a demand method can be used to calculate the necessary
capacity of the main service equipment for the farmstead
• the minimum capacity for the main service is the sum of the loads
times their appropriate demand factors
Capacity of main farmstead service.
Example: Calculate the main service demand load for the farmstead
shown.
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
Solution:
Selecting Service Conductors
• service conductors from the farmstead main service to each
service can be run either overhead, called service drops, or
underground, called laterals
Major factors to consider when selecting conductors:
1. Type of wire and insulation needed to meet requirements of its
surroundings (Refer to Table A.7)
2. Size of wire and insulation type necessary to safely carry the
current (Refer to Table A.6, Part 1 and Part 2)
3. Size of wire necessary to prevent excessive voltage drops in the
lines (Refer to Table A.2)
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
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AENG 70 Farm Electrification Design
Asst. Prof. Mark Keylord S. Onal
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