Bulldog XL "Bustribution" Busduct System (Catalogue No. XL 308)

[misharado]

Hi There,

We have a old bus duct system (which is way passed it's useful life) where I work that was constructed back in the mid-late 60s.

It's a Bulldog XL "Bustribution" 800A, 600V, 3P, 3W (Catalogue No. XL 308).

https://imgur.com/a/GUfjmsD

We are trying to determine the AIC rating of the bus duct to assess the equipment with the latest short circuit/arc flash study. This information is not on the nameplate.

I was reading another forum thread that mentioned that AIC ratings were enforced to place on nameplates until around the 1980s, however, I wonder whether this information would be available on the cutsheet / catalogue of this equipment, and whether someone on this forum would have a copy of said cutsheet / catalogue?

Let me know!

 

[jim dungar]

I just checked my old catalogs. The ITE 1982 Speedfax does not mention fault current ratings anywhere in the XL bus duct information.

 

[norcal]

ITE Circuit Breaker Company is at least of 1960's vintage, read they became ITE Imperial in 1968 when they merged with Imperial Brass, & became Gould/ITE in 1976.

 

[jim dungar]

ITE Circuit Breaker Company is at least of 1960's vintage, read they became ITE Imperial in 1968 when they merged with Imperial Brass, & became Gould/ITE in 1976.

ITE might have invented the first commercial feasible molded case circuit breaker as far back as the 1930's. Their product remained consistent even through corporate name changes as they acquired new companies, most noticeably Bulldog, and were bought by companies like Gould and finally Siemens.

 

[ron]

I have been in your situation before, and have had to rate unlabeled old stuff as SCCR=5kA

 

[augie47]

I have been in your situation before, and have had to rate unlabeled old stuff as SCCR=5kA

Bet that stung !!!

 

[misharado]

I just checked my old catalogs. The ITE 1982 Speedfax does not mention fault current ratings anywhere in the XL bus duct information.

Thanks Jim for confirming, if they didn't have the AIC ratings in 1982, then they definitely wouldn't have that rating in the 1960 product lineups.

 

[misharado]

I have been in your situation before, and have had to rate unlabeled old stuff as SCCR=5kA

Might be a silly ask, but are there any methods to have the product tested and recertified to determine kA ratings? I am assuming this is a destructive test where we would have to sacrifice a piece of bus duct.

let me know!

 

[ron]

Might be a silly ask, but are there any methods to have the product tested and recertified to determine kA ratings? I am assuming this is a destructive test where we would have to sacrifice a piece of bus duct.

let me know!

That was my experience, that the testing was destructive and cost a lot.

 

[jim dungar]

I found this old chart which showed NEMA ratings for busway, in 1976.

 

[Jraef]

Just a point of clarity:
Bus DUCT would not have an "AIC" rating. AIC stands for Amps Interrupting Capacity, bus duct does not interrupt anything. Breakers or fused switches that plug INTO the bus duct would have an AIC rating, but the duct itself would only have a WITHSTAND or BRACING rating, similar to a switchboard or MCC. We would now use the term SCCR (Short Circuit Current Rating), but that term is only a few years old.

Assuming you meant the withstand rating, Siemens bought ITE/Bulldog and when I worked there in the 2000s, XL Busway was still being sold under the Siemens name. I doubt they have spent $1 on changing the product beyond printing a new nameplates, so Siemens may have that withstand/bracing data for you.

 

[misharado]

Just a point of clarity:
Bus DUCT would not have an "AIC" rating. AIC stands for Amps Interrupting Capacity, bus duct does not interrupt anything. Breakers or fused switches that plug INTO the bus duct would have an AIC rating, but the duct itself would only have a WITHSTAND or BRACING rating, similar to a switchboard or MCC. We would now use the term SCCR (Short Circuit Current Rating), but that term is only a few years old.

Assuming you meant the withstand rating, Siemens bought ITE/Bulldog and when I worked there in the 2000s, XL Busway was still being sold under the Siemens name. I doubt they have spent $1 on changing the product beyond printing a new nameplates, so Siemens may have that withstand/bracing data for you.

Hi Jraef, my apologies, you are correct.

Short Circuit Current Rating is what I am looking for.

I will try my luck with Siemens then.

Thank you!