levels of rcd protection on TT system - long post - prepare cuppa first! | on ElectriciansForums

Discuss levels of rcd protection on TT system - long post - prepare cuppa first! in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

S

suffolkspark

Hi all, need some opinions on the following please>

Origin is a three phase 60A TN-C-S supply.it goes into a changeover switch (small PTO driven generator across the yard) and then into a wylex three phase board. the incomer is 100A 4pole 100mA type S to provide discrimination to other downstream RCBO's. there are several different outgoing circuits from this board so please bear with me:

2x tp+n supplies go to chiller control panels in the same room on 32A MCB's which cool the adjoined cold store. PVC double insulated tails ref method B
1x sp inside lighting circuit on 6A 30mA RCBO PVC singles ref method B
1x sp outside lighting circuit on 6A 30mA RCBO pvc singles ref method B
1x sp single socket on 16A 30mA RCBO pvc singles ref method B
1x tp+n sub main to a control panel in an irrigation shed 20m away containing bore hole pump and various other pumps. - 32A tp mcb SWA ref metho D + additional 16mm earth
1x single phase sub main to site office container - the cpc is separated for this and linked to an earth electrode - 20A 30mA RCBO - T/E ref method C
2x single phase sub mains to camp sites - 30mA rcd protected boards on the end of these and again separated from the TN-C-S as with the site office and linked onto earth electrode. (there are also earth electrodes at the camp site end) 40A mcb SWA ref method D + additional 6mm earth
1x tp+n sub main to a dis board in an adjacent sorting/packaging warehouse (steel construction + asbestos cladding - structural steelwork is bonded) - within this is another wylex board with 30ma protection via rcbos to everything except a three phase 16A motor running a bin lift and 2x plugged in single phase conveyors linked into the same system though an emergency stop button/contactor in a clearly labelled socket. 32A mcb, 5 core YY cable

As it stands 30mA protection is installed on all single phase circuits (except the camp site sub mains). All sub mains + the irrigation panel, chiller panels, and conveyors only have the 100mA type S to back them up but all Zs values are well within what is allowed, bonding to structural steelwork is good, as is the earth electrode.

Now the spanner in the works is this - its an apple farm, obviously unless you count bees there's no livestock though. BS7671 clearly prohibits the use of TN-C-S in agricultural and horticultural installations. The camp site and office have correctly been separated from the TN-C-S side and are well labelled, infect everything is well labelled. My issue is its probably classed as a farm as it farms apples? but the electricity supplies aren't typically farmy, ie a sorting and packing warehouse and a cold store. with only a forklift running between the 2 buildings. areas with tractors etc actually don't even have power to them.
Should i be recommending the installation be put on TT in its entirety because of reg 705.411.4?

I know the 100mA type S is acceptable for the distribution circuits and it also ensures continuity of service, and discrimination from downstream rcbo's... 705.422.7. but the final circuits, ie the 2x chiller panels, conveyor setup, and irrigation panel require at least 300mA protection for protection against electric shock, does the 100mA type S comply with this? 705.411.1 (iii) I cant find in the regs a yes or a no? The 16A tp+n circuit doing the conveyors does contain a double socket outlet but it is clearly labelled it is just for use of the single phase conveyors, these are wired in SY. an adjacent 30mA protected double socket is labelled general use.

Ra was 17ohms for the earth electrode 0.2 Ze on the TN-C-S side

What are your thoughts please chaps
 
In the event of single circuit faults the rcbo will still operate before it the type S will it not? there is propper discrimination for the camp site supplies anyway, what are your thoughts on dropping it to TT with regards to the rcd protection afforded to the items mentioned?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
in a nutshell:
site is likely classed as agricultural?
should it be taken off TN-C-S?
if so is the 100mA type S adequate to protect control panels and conveyor motors?

sorry I do drool on sometimes just wanted to get all the information in there somewhere
 
An orchard would be deemed agricultural by definition. I am still totally confused, are the packing warehouse and cold store currently TT. Are these buildings at the orchard site or remote.
 
From what you describe it sounds like the installation should be TT or perhaps was TT but this is no longer the case. The submains supplying other buildings which require main protective bonding would require a cpc adequate to support PME bonding and for a swa cable it would have to be a 50.0, 4 core minimum to support 10.0 bonding. As to whether the entire site should be TT and there is a suspicion it may originally have been is not possible to say from a distance. Do you have a copy of GN7 to refer to.
 
It probably once was as the boards dont look very old so it has probably been faffed with, Would the 32A control panels be required to just have 1sec disconnection time on TT?as it would be simple enough to get 30mA protection to the conveyors circuit, but if not i guess id need to fit a30mA rcd within each control panel.
 

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