I have a customer that wishes to consolidate multiple 480V Panelboard/Switchboards into a reduced number of new panelboards/switchboards for a more space efficient layout (in a new area) as well as easier for operator interface.
The current configuration has a main SE Switchboard (fused switches) that has (4) main feeders that daisy chain amongst multiple switchboards in an area of the facility. For instance one of the 1200A feeders in the main Switchboard feeds a 1200A switchboard which in turn has a sub-feed to another 600A Switchboard, which then daisy chains amongst multiple other 600A Switchboards. Each of these downstream switchboards has branch circuits to multiple process loads (motors, pumps, process equipment, etc...)
The customer wishes to consolidate these switchboards as much as possible. So for example on the feeder circuit above instead of having all the daisy chains to multiple panels they want to have a smaller number of adequately sized panels with loads consolidated.
I'm trying to determine the easy way to perform load/calcs or measurements for verifying consolidation of loads into a smaller number of adequately rated panels. The load calcs could get tedious and I'm not sure how much of that info may be available. I also don't want to have to go around metering each of these panels to see how much current load is on them.
The simplest approach would be to take each of the (4) feeders from the Main Switchboard (all rated for 1200A) and feed (4) 1200A rated Switchboards with all of the loads that were on each of those feeders consolidated in each of those Switchboards. I'm not sure how practical this would be with space of reliability with putting all the loads on one location.
Looking to hear from others how they'd approach this application.
The current configuration has a main SE Switchboard (fused switches) that has (4) main feeders that daisy chain amongst multiple switchboards in an area of the facility. For instance one of the 1200A feeders in the main Switchboard feeds a 1200A switchboard which in turn has a sub-feed to another 600A Switchboard, which then daisy chains amongst multiple other 600A Switchboards. Each of these downstream switchboards has branch circuits to multiple process loads (motors, pumps, process equipment, etc...)
The customer wishes to consolidate these switchboards as much as possible. So for example on the feeder circuit above instead of having all the daisy chains to multiple panels they want to have a smaller number of adequately sized panels with loads consolidated.
I'm trying to determine the easy way to perform load/calcs or measurements for verifying consolidation of loads into a smaller number of adequately rated panels. The load calcs could get tedious and I'm not sure how much of that info may be available. I also don't want to have to go around metering each of these panels to see how much current load is on them.
The simplest approach would be to take each of the (4) feeders from the Main Switchboard (all rated for 1200A) and feed (4) 1200A rated Switchboards with all of the loads that were on each of those feeders consolidated in each of those Switchboards. I'm not sure how practical this would be with space of reliability with putting all the loads on one location.
Looking to hear from others how they'd approach this application.
