Life Cycle Management of

Power Distribution Equipment

April 2016

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Agenda

Maximizing equipment life cycles and

• Overview 3
improving reliability with preventive and
predictive maintenance of power • Preventive Maintenance 6
distribution equipment • Infrared Surveys 8
• Circuit Breakers 9
• Equipment Modernization 11
• NFPA70E Compliance 12
• Power System Studies 13
• Predictive Maintenance 14

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Overview

Electrical switchgear is composed of

passive and active components.

Passive components:
• Horizontal and vertical bus structures.

Active components:
• Power Circuit Breakers
• Fusible Switches
• Protective Relays
• Motor Control

Their role is to protect the electrical

assets downstream, disconnect the
circuit, and protect personnel in
case of an arc flash event.
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Preventative Maintenance

• Once installed, all electrical

equipment begins deteriorating
due to normal wear and tear

• Maintenance ensures equipment

integrity and proper mechanical
and electrical functionality, as
well as optimizes the
equipment’s useful life.

• A regularly scheduled electrical

system preventive maintenance
program is intended to detect,
repair, or replace affected
electrical equipment

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4
Preventative Maintenance

Published failure rates do not account for the varying degrees of

maintenance between installations.
• Industry groups set Electrical PM Standards
• NFPA70B
• ANSI/NETA
• Manufacturers Recommendations

• Even the best maintained equipment ultimately degrades and reaches the end
of its useful life, albeit a longer life than if not maintained.
• Average useful life for well maintained equipment is 35 years vs 17 years left
unmaintained.

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Perform Preventive Maintenance

► Inspection
Switchgear should be cleaned, inspected, tightened,
► Cleaning and
lubricated, and exercised on a regular basis. lubricating
► Primary &
secondary
Maintenance frequency depends on the environment, the condition disconnects

of the equipment, and its criticality. ► Racking

mechanism
► Cell interlocks

• Environmental and equipment conditions should be considered ► Adjustments

when determining preventive maintenance schedule. ► Overcurrent
protective device
• An expert in switchgear maintenance should help prepare this testing
plan. ► Insulation testing
► Charge/close/
trip circuit testing
Thorough on-site maintenance of electrical switchgear ► Bus structure
testing &
includes a comprehensive scope of work. tightening

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Key EPM Elements

• Responsible and qualified technicians

• Regularly scheduled inspection, testing and
servicing of equipment
• Survey and analysis of equipment to determine PM
requirements and priorities
• Comprehensive and accurate test and inspections
reports
• Accurate analysis of reporting so that corrective
action can be recommended and implemented
• Comprehensive electrical safety plan

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Infrared Surveys

Infrared inspections can prevent

equipment outages.
• Excess heat in electrical equipment
• Indicates poor connection or excess
load
• Can dramatically reduce the useful
lifecycle
• Can also indicate impending equipment
failure (consider downtime costs)
• Poses a potential safety risk to
maintenance staff

• Does not require outage time

• Creates a baseline and trending data

• Useful prior to PM to identify areas of

concern
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Circuit Breaker Recondition and Refurbishment

In-shop reconditioning offers a more

complete maintenance option.
• The circuit breaker is initially tested
against industry standards.

• The circuit breaker is disassembled,

cleaned, and inspected.

• Damaged parts are refurbished or

replaced

• Mechanisms are lubricated before the

circuit breaker is reassembled

• The reconditioned circuit breaker

including retested
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Circuit Breaker Recondition and Refurbishment
cont’d

In-shop reconditioning offers a more

intensive maintenance option.
• Reconditioning should be performed when
the on-site maintenance work scope cannot
bring the circuit breaker within tolerances
defined in current industry standards.
• The use of new or refurbished parts or
subassemblies may be required to return a
circuit breaker to a reliable operating
condition.

►Applicable for LV and MV

Circuit Breakers.

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Equipment Modernization

• Choice between Account for initial capital • ETU upgrades

maintaining and cost, business disruption, • Protective relay
replacing aging/obsolete and workflow when upgrades,
equipment. considering equipment • Inclusion of EPMS
• Even with annual maintenance or • Replacing fusible
maintenance, equipment replacement. switches
may need additional • MCC bucket retrofits
upkeep or upgrades.
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NFPA 70E Compliance

Arc Flash Consultation Arc Flash Study

• Outcomes & KPIs • Power systems study
• Training paths to • Resource gap analysis
secure tenant safety • Arc Flash
& system efficiency recommendations

Measure results Arc Flash Mitigation

• Performance & • Program setup
execution • Arc Flash Mitigation
reporting Solutions & Service
• Quality • Modernizations
assurance
• Upgrades
meetings
• NFPA 70E compliant
• One-time services
Preventative Maintenance
• Arc Flash Protection Based
Maintenance Agreement

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Predictive Maintenance Techniques

• Power System Assessments

• Infrared Inspections
• Remote Monitoring
• Intelligent Protective Devices
• Partial Discharge Monitoring Systems
• EPMS Systems

Diagnose potential problems and

safety concerns while minimizing
equipment and facility downtime.

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Power System Studies

• Short Circuit
• Protective Device Coordination
• Arch Risk Assessment
• Harmonics Analysis
• Power Quality Assessment
• Voltage Inbalance
• Load Flow
• Transient Stability
• Grounding

PSS provide multiple benefits including: retention of protective device

settings, proper sizing of electrical equipment, protecting employees
and equipment and compliance with industry standards and codes.

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 Conclusion

Electrical equipment and power

distribution systems have never
been designed to be or intended
to remain perpetually energized
without interaction by the owner.

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Questions / Contact

James Trautt
Construction Sales
Saint Louis
Mobile: 314-691-8501
E-mail:
[email protected]

usa.siemens.com/electricalservices

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 Surge Protection ‐ Overview
• UL1449 E4 Revised in 2014

• Standardization ‐ influencing the surge protection 
industry. 
• Stronger, consistent, and more stringent testing and 
certification
• RESULT – Safer & Better Products!
A voltage surge (transient) is a voltage level that is short in
duration and can be several times greater than the
system’s normal operating AC RMS or DC voltage level.
UL1449 Main Points of Interest / How To Select A Device?

Type 1, 2, 3, 4 and Category Ratings

In rating (Nominal Discharge Current)

Limited to 10 or 20KA

VPR – a Cat B 6kV/3kA “Residual”

Voltage Test

Surge Capacity (Imax) & (SSCR) Short-Circuit Current Ratings

UL1449 E4 addresses testing on Recognized Components

Type 1: Permanently connected, intended for Category C: outside overhead lines and service
installation between the secondary of the service entrance (outdoor)
transformer and the line side of the service • Service drops from pole to building
disconnect overcurrent device (service equipment). • Runs between meter and panel
Their main purpose is to protect insulation levels of
• Overhead lines to detached building
the electrical system against external surges caused
by lightning or utility capacitor bank switching. • Underground lines to well pump

Type 2: Permanently connected, intended Category B: feeders, short branch circuits and
for installation on the load side of the service service panels (indoor)
disconnect overcurrent device (service equipment), • Distribution panel devices
including branch panel locations. Their main • Bus and feeder distribution
purpose is to protect the sensitive electronics • Heavy appliance outlets with “short”
and microprocessor based loads against residual connections to service entrance
lightning energy, motor generated surges and other
• Lighting systems in large buildings
internally generated surge events.

Category A: outlets/receptacles and long branch

Type 3: Point-of-utilization SPDs installed at a
circuits (indoor) (least severe)
minimum conductor length of 10 meters (30 feet)
from the electrical service panel to the point-of-utilization. • All outlets at more than 10m (30 ft) from
Examples include cord connected, direct Category B
plug-in and receptacle type SPDs • All outlets at more than 20m (60 ft) from
Category C
SPD Type Designations & Location Categories
 Applying SPD’s ‐ Multistage Protection! 

• Power Protection at the Point of Entry, (1st Level of Defense.) There will be a Let 

Through Voltage, amplified by inductance of the wires!
• Secondary Protection on the Branch Circuits that feed more sensitive equipment 
should be utilized.  This should be installed as close to the equipment as 
possible.
• 80% of damaging transients occur inside your facility