Prefabricated Busbar Trunking for Fast Electrical Redeployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical installations in industrial or commercial sites require extensive cable replacement and lengthy downtime following incidents like fires in process control cabinets, leading to significant financial and operational disruptions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a power distribution system using prefabricated busbars connected to main low-voltage switchboards, allowing damaged busbars to be replaced instead of entire cable bundles, reducing the amount of cabling needed and facilitating quicker installation restarts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated power cables and control cables are used to connect each current consuming unit to the process cabinet, then the electrical installation can ensure centralized electrical distribution and control, but the quantity of cables becomes very large and the complexity of the installation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the electrical distribution system into modular units with local power distribution busbars at each current-consuming unit. Instead of one centralized cable harness, the system is segmented into multiple independent local distribution points, each serving a specific unit. This reduces the overall cable quantity and simplifies the installation while maintaining centralized control through the control network.
2Reliability
If dedicated cables are used for each current consuming unit, then each unit can be independently connected to the process cabinet, but in the event of a fire or disaster, several kilometers of cables and possibly process cabinets need to be replaced, causing long downtime
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the power distribution into local busbar units, the system isolates damage to specific modules. When a fire or disaster occurs, only the affected local busbar unit needs to be replaced, not the entire cable harness spanning several kilometers. This dramatically reduces replacement time and downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables rapid replacement of damaged local busbar units while preserving the rest of the system. The undamaged current-consuming units and their connected cables remain operational, allowing the installation to be restarted quickly with minimal component replacement.
3Reliability
If a large number of cables are used to connect current consuming units to the process cabinet, then centralized control can be maintained, but the operation and maintenance of the installation becomes much more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments power distribution into local units while maintaining centralized control through a control network. Each local busbar unit is independently manageable, simplifying maintenance operations. Technicians can access and service individual units without dealing with the entire complex cable harness, making operation and maintenance much easier.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control network as an intermediary between the process cabinet and local busbar units. This digital communication layer maintains centralized control capabilities while eliminating the need for extensive point-to-point control cables, thereby simplifying physical operations and maintenance.
4Power
If extensive cable harnesses are used for electrical distribution, then power can be delivered to all current consuming units, but the quantity of cables and material required becomes very large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent distributes power locally through busbars at each current-consuming unit, eliminating the need for long dedicated power cables from the central process cabinet to each unit. This segmented approach maintains full power distribution capability while dramatically reducing the total quantity of cables and materials required.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electrical installation comprising power lines (LP1, LP1') and control lines (LC1, LC1'), the lines having at least one prefabricated conduit incorporating busbars to which current-consuming units are connected. Each current-consuming unit is associated with a communication interface (504") connected to the busbars of one of the control lines, and at least one control unit (200) is connected to the busbars of the control line via a communication interface (300) to communicate via a bus with the communication interfaces associated with the current-consuming units.