Power Design Lecture 4: Socket and Distribution

Power Design and MEP Systems

Power Design Plan

• To design a power circuit, four essential components must be selected: socket type and size, wire type and size, raceway type and size, and circuit breaker type and rating.
• Socket types are classified into several categories, including:
  • General sockets or simplex sockets
  • Italian/Egyptian/Euro/American standard
  • With or without safety shutters
  • With or without earthing (only in Italian standard)
  • Single, double, or triple
• There are various types of electrical sockets, including:
  • Single socket (2P, 2P+E)
  • Double socket (2P, 2P+E)
  • Power socket (used for heavy loads above 16A)
  • Column socket (used for heavy loads above 16A)
  • Floor box (used in areas with no walls or glass walls)

Socket Distribution and Installation

• Sockets distribution should be based on:
  • Architectural plans and furniture distribution
  • Lack of information about furniture (follow Egyptian code)
  • Usage of the area
• There are three types of loads:
  • Normal load
  • Emergency load
  • Critical load
• Egyptian code requirements for socket distribution:
  • Maximum distance between sockets and walls
  • Maximum distance between sockets and each other

Mechanical Loads

• Disconnect switch types and selection:
  • Depends on the number of poles (single phase or three phase)
  • Depends on the ampere rating (from 16A to 3600A)
  • Depends on the protection type (fused or non-fused)
  • Depends on IP protection
• Systems that require disconnecting switches:
  • Sliding door
  • Fire alarm control panel (FACP)
  • HVAC loads
  • Air curtains
• HVAC system components:
  • Fans (exhaust, fresh air, jet, smoke exhausted, wall exhaust, central exhaust, and toilet ventilation)
  • Outdoor units (compressor, chillers, AHU, and water pump)
  • Chiller types (air cooled and water cooled)
  • VRF and VRV systems
• Types of air condition systems:
  • Split unit
  • Central air conditioning
  • Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) and variable refrigerant volume (VRV)
• Chilled water system components:
  • Chiller
  • AHU for large spaces
  • FCU for small spaces
  • Water pumps
  • Cooling tower (for water-cooled systems)
• Fire fighting system components:
  • Fire pump
  • Primary pump
  • Standby pump
  • Jockey pump
• Plumbing system components:
  • Heaters
  • Central heater
  • Normal heater
  • Drainage system

Power Design and AutoCAD

• Steps to create a power system design plan:
  • Clean the architectural drawing from unnecessary details
  • Give the drawing a gray color and convert it to a block
  • Open a new AutoCAD file and create a layer for the power system design
  • Create a new layer for sockets and distribute them according to the code
  • Create a power system legend specific to the project
  • Create separate layers for normal, emergency, and critical wiring
  • Label each line and circuit breaker
  • Choose the electrical room (zoning) to avoid voltage drop
• Important steps to follow when designing a power system plan:
  • Use a specific naming convention for lines and circuits
  • Create a separate drawing for mechanical loads
  • Identify all HVAC devices and heaters that require electrical feeding
  • Place each disconnect switch on a separate line