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BusbarWikipedia

Busbar
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Inelectricalpowerdistribution,abusbar(alsospelledbusbar,or
sometimesasbussbarorbussbar,withthetermbusbeinga
contractionoftheLatinomnibus,"forall",orbussbeingshortfor
buttress)isametallicstriporbar(typicallycopper,brassoraluminium)
thatconductselectricitywithinaswitchboard,distributionboard,
substation,batterybank,orotherelectricalapparatus.Busbarsareused
tocarrysubstantialelectriccurrentsoverrelativelyshortdistancestheir
greatersurfacearea(comparedtoawireofthesameweight)reduces
lossesduetocoronadischarge.Busbarsarenotnormallystructural
members.
Thematerialcompositionandcrosssectionalsizeofthebusbar
determinethemaximumamountofcurrentthatcanbesafelycarried.
Busbarscanhaveacrosssectionalareaofaslittleas10square
millimetres(0.016sqin),butelectricalsubstationsmayusemetaltubes
50millimetres(2.0in)indiameter(20squaremillimetres(0.031sqin))
ormoreasbusbars.Analuminiumsmelterwillhaveverylargebusbars
usedtocarrytensofthousandsofamperestotheelectrochemicalcells
thatproducealuminiumfrommoltensalts.

1500amperecopperbusbarswithina
powerdistributionrackforalarge
building

Designandplacement
Busbarsareproducedinavarietyofshapessuchasflatstrips,solidbars
androds,solidorhollowtubes,andbraidedwire.Someoftheseshapes
allowheattodissipatemoreefficientlyduetotheirhighsurfaceareato
crosssectionalarearatio.Theskineffectmakes5060HzACbusbars
morethanabout8millimetres(0.31in)thicknessinefficient,sohollow
orflatshapesareprevalentinhighercurrentapplications.Ahollow
sectionalsohashigherstiffnessthanasolidrodofequivalentcurrent
carryingcapacity,whichallowsagreaterspanbetweenbusbarsupports
inoutdoorelectricalswitchyards.

Busbarwithplasticwrappinginside
ofabusduct.

Abusbarmustbesufficientlyrigidtosupportitsownweight,andforces
imposedbymechanicalvibrationandpossiblyearthquakes,aswellasaccumulatedprecipitationinoutdoor
exposures.Inaddition,thermalexpansionfromtemperaturechangesinducedbyohmicheatingandambient
temperaturevariations,andmagneticforcesinducedbylargecurrentsmustbeconsidered.
Busbarsaretypicallycontainedinsideswitchgear,panelboards,andbuswayenclosures.Theyarealsousedto
connecthighvoltageequipmentatelectricalswitchyards.Distributionboardssplittheelectricalsupplyinto
separatecircuitsatonelocation.Busways,orbusducts,arelongbusbarswithaprotectivecover.Ratherthan
branchingfromthemainsupplyatonelocation,theyallownewcircuitstobranchoffanywherealongtheroute
ofthebusway.
Abusbarmayeitherbesupportedoninsulators,orelseinsulationmaycompletelysurroundit.Busbarsare
protectedfromaccidentalcontacteitherbyametalearthedenclosureorbyelevationoutofnormalreach.
Powerneutralbusbarsmayalsobeinsulatedbecauseit'snotguaranteedthatthepotentialbetweenpower
neutralandsafetygroundingiszero.Earthing(safetygrounding)busbarsaretypicallybareandbolteddirectly
ontoanymetalchassisoftheirenclosure.Busbarsmaybeenclosedinametalhousing,intheformofbusduct
orbusway,segregatedphasebus,orisolatedphasebus.

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BusbarWikipedia

Busbarsmaybeconnectedtoeachotherandtoelectricalapparatusby
bolted,clamped,orweldedconnections.Often,jointsbetweenhigh
currentbussectionshavepreciselymachinedmatchingsurfacesthatare
silverplatedtoreducethecontactresistance.Atextrahighvoltages
(morethan300kV)inoutdoorbuses,coronadischargearoundthe
connectionsbecomesasourceofradiofrequencyinterferenceand
powerloss,sospecialconnectionfittingsdesignedforthesevoltagesare
used.

110kVbusbars

Seealso
Bus(computing)
BusDucts

References
WalterA.Elmore.ProtectiveRelayingTheoryandApplications.MarcelDekkerInc.ISBN082479152
5.
Paschal,John(20001001)."EnsuringaGoodBusDuctInstallation".ElectricalConstruction&
Maintenance.Retrieved20090406.
AssessmentOfBusDuct(http://www.hubshouts.com/2013/07/31/assesementofbusductandtheirrele
vance/)AndTheirRelevance
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Busbar&oldid=749060681"

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