MEBS 6001

Building Services – Electrical Installations

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Faculty of Engineering
The University of Hong Kong

MEBS 6001_1A_2021 Building Services – Electrical Installations Course Information-1

 Teaching Staff
Course Instructor: Dr. Albert T. L. LEE
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Email: tlalee@eee.hku.hk
Phone: 3917 8495
Office: Room 521, Chow Yei Ching Building

Teaching Assistant: Mr. Songtao LI (Email: stli@eee.hku.hk)

MEBS 6001_1A_2021 Building Services – Electrical Installations Course Information-2

 Course Learning Outcomes
• Be able to describe and understand the electrical installation as a system; and
the major components that build up the installations.

• Be aware of the potential hazards of electrical installations and yet be able to

prevent those hazards and override effects in unfavorable circumstances.

• Select the proper equipment and protective devices to facilitate expected

functions of electrical installations.

• Be competent in electrical safety and codes of practice.

• Demonstrate knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

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 Course Content
Week 1: Electrical Systems
• Design for safety
• Three-phase four-wire system
• Transformation between line-to-neutral and line-to-line voltages
• Types of electrical earthing systems
• Open neutral
Week 2−3: Introduction to Overcurrent Protective Devices
• Examples and characteristics of overcurrent protective devices
• Let-through energy
• Discrimination
• Circuit breaker
• Fuse
Week 4: No class on Sept. 22 (Public Holiday)
Week 5−6: Overcurrent Protective Relay (From the Device Perspective)
• Classifications of relays
• Inverse definite minimum time lag (IDMTL) relay
• Inverse-time characteristic curves and equations
• Residual current device (RCD)

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 Course Content (cont’d)
Week 7: No class on Oct. 13 (Reading Week)
Week 8−10: Overcurrent Protective Relay (From the System Perspective)
• Concept of shunt trip
• Overcurrent IDMTL relay
• IDMTL earth fault (E/F) relay
• Operating principle of E/F relay in the system
• Fault coverage of E/F relay
• Discrimination with IDMTL relays
• Restricted E/F protection
• E/F protection in electrical earthing systems
Week 11−13: Electrical Cables
• Types of electrical cables
• Selection of live conductors
• Short-circuit capacity and current-carrying capacity
• Voltage drop of cables
• Determination of the size of phase cable (conductor)

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 Schedule
• F2F lecture: 1st Semester: Sept. 1 − Nov. 24, 2021 (Wednesday)
Time: 19:00 − 20:15
20:35 − 21:50
Venue: LG1/F- LE4, Library Extension Building

• No classes on Sept. 22, 2021 and Oct. 13 2021

• Office hours:
Instructor: By appointment
TA: By appointment

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 Assessment

Continuous Assessment: In-class quizzes (15%)

Assignments (15%)

Written Examination: 1.5-hour midterm examination (20%)

3-hour final examination (50%)

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 Course and Assessment Policy
Academic conduct
The University Regulations on academic misconduct will be strictly enforced.
For details, students are strongly recommended to visit the following link:
http://www.hku.hk/student/plagiarism/
Besides, students should familiarize themselves with http://lib.hku.hk/turnitin/.

Late submission
Late submission of in-class quizzes or assignments will not be considered
under normal circumstances.

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 Guidelines on Grading and Standards of Assessment

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 Learning Resources
Required text or references
1. Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations’ 2020 ed. EMSD (H. K. GOVERNMENT)
2. Electrical Systems in Buildings, S. D. Hughes, (DELMAR)
3. Handbook of Simplified Commercial & Industrial Wiring Design, J. D. Leuk, (PRENTICE HALL)
4. Electrical Distribution in Buildings, C. D. Poole, (B.S.P.PROFESSIONAL)
5. J & P Switchgear Book, R. T. Lythall, (JOHNSON & PHILLIPS)
6. Handbook of Electrical Installation Practice, Editor E. A. Reeves, (GRANADA)
7. British Standard Specification 7671, (I.E.T. / B.S.I.)
8. Handbook on the IEE Wiring Regulations, T. E. Marks, (WILLIAM ERNEST)
9. Supply Rules and Installation Guides, (HEC & CLP)
10. Handbook on 16th /17th ed. of the IEE Wiring Regulations, (NATIONAL INSPECTION COUNCIL)

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 Learning Resources (cont’d)
Required text or references
11. Electrician’s Guide to the BS7671, J. Whitefield, (E.P.A. Press)
12. Electrical Installation Calculations, B. D. Jenkins, (I. E. E./ I. E. T.)
13. BS EN 62305, Protection against Lightning, (B. S. I.)
14. Handbook of Practical Electrical Design, J. F. McPartland, (McGraw Hill)
15. High-Tech Electrical Installation, P Rosenberg, (PRENTICE HALL)
16. Wiring Regulation in Brief: A Commentary, R. Tricker, Call no. 621.319240941T82

Course website
Selected course materials (e.g. lecture notes, homework assignments, etc.), recorded lectures as well as
important dates/deadlines will be posted on HKU Moodle. Students are advised to regularly consult the
Moodle site for this course.

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 Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations
(2020 edition)
Week 1 to 4
Code 1 Introduction
Code 2 Interpretation
Code 3 Application
Code 4 General Safety Requirements
Code 8 Isolation & Switching
Code 10 Neutral Conductor
Code 9 Overcurrent Protective Devices
Week 5 to 10
Code 11 Earth Leakage and Earth Fault Currents
Code 5 Segregation of Circuit Categories
Code 12 Earthing Arrangement
Code 6 Circuit Arrangement
Code 7 Current Demand

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 Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations
(2020 edition) (cont’d)
Week 10 to 13
Code 13 Conductors, Joints and Connections
Code 14 Wiring Installation Enclosure
Code 15 Adverse Conditions Installation
Code 17 Display of Labels and Notices
Code 25 General Workmanship
Code 26 Specific Installations
Appendices 5−8

Note:
1. The new edition of CoP for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations has been published on 31 Dec. 2020. This new
edition will be fully implemented on 31 Dec. 2021 to replace the 2015 edition.
1. The CoP can be downloaded from the following website:
https://www.emsd.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_443/COP_E_2020.pdf
3. BS7671 will enhance your understanding of the safety requirement.

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 Moodle
• Lecture notes will be uploaded to HKU Moodle (under MEBS6001_1A_2021).

• All lecture notes are password protected. To open it, enter this password:
mebs_6001

• A discussion forum is added under each lecture. Students are asked to post their
questions concerning the course materials in this forum. Either the TA or course
instructor will respond to your questions.

• Homework assignments will also be uploaded to HKU Moodle.

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