SPLICING PARALLEL 3/0 TO SINGLE 500 MCM

[Ragin Cajun]

Working on the design for an existing facility. Need to splice existing parallel 3/0 per phase to existing single 500 MCM per phase.


Any suggestions?

Thanks,

RC

 

[JFletcher]

A Polaris connector is what you want, available at a supply house or Big Box store for about $40 a piece

 

[texie]

As mentioned, any decent supply house will stock the most common ones. I think stock at a big box store would be iffy though. Take a look here: https://polarisconnectors.com/index.html

 

[Ragin Cajun]

Thanks. I will use the 3 port with the 500 MCM in the middle port and the 3/0's on either side.

RC

 

[junkhound]

Yep, simpler than cadweld for your application if normal power.

Last time I spliced a few 4/0 to bigger stuff ended up doing cadweld, but was dealing with 250kA pulse tester at military site discharging a semitruck load of HV capacitors into service (poco disconnected obviously) to test a power system for EMP.

Any connectors tried would arc and the cables would pull out of connectors due to magnetic forces.

 

[Cow]

Insulated taps or distribution blocks are our usual methods.

 

[ramsy]

..dealing with 250kA pulse tester.. Any connectors tried would arc and the cables would pull out of connectors due to magnetic forces.

Similar amperage to lighting strikes.
The peak temperatures within a lightning channel are known to exceed 30,000 K, with sufficient pressure to produce planar deformation features, PDFs are only produced by extreme shock compressions on the scale of meteor impacts.

See Fulgurites https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgurite

 

[JFletcher]

Yep, simpler than cadweld for your application if normal power.

Last time I spliced a few 4/0 to bigger stuff ended up doing cadweld, but was dealing with 250kA pulse tester at military site discharging a semitruck load of HV capacitors into service (poco disconnected obviously) to test a power system for EMP.

Any connectors tried would arc and the cables would pull out of connectors due to magnetic forces.

I've seen YouTube videos of Manufacturers testing fault currents in that range for cable clamping systems. it was pretty scary to see those cables come out of insufficient clamps and whip around with enough Force to easily kill somebody, just from the impact, no electrocution involved.