GE Industrial Solutions Power Equipment Buildings - Manual

Electrical Equipment Centers
Application Considerations
Page 1
GE Electrical Distribution
and Control
General Electric Company
41 Woodford Avenue, Plainville, CT 06062
860 747-7111
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GE EQUIPMENT CENTERS
APPLICATION CONSIDERATIONS
Introduction
For many years the petro/chemical industry has utilized equipment center’s to house their electrical distribution
equipment. Many industrials and utilities are now utilizing equipment center's for their equipment. The purpose of
this paper is to define equipment center's and compare to present technology for outdoor electrical equipment.
Definition
An Equipment Center is a prefabricated, modular electrical/instrument enclosure. As a self-contained unit, it is a
completely assembled building manufactured in a factory enviornment. Typical equipment enclosed by an equipment
center is {low & medium voltage switchgear, motor controllers}, Relay Panels, RTU'S, instrument control panels,
DCS systems, Heat Trace Panels, UPS systems, Battery Systems and SCADA systems. The equipment center can also
serve as an outdoor enclosure for high voltage switchgear when Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) equipment is utilized.
An equipment center is designed and manufactured in accordance with a number of rigorous industry standards as
outlined below. Additionally, an equipment center must comply with local building codes. The most common
designs are self-framing interlocking wall and roof panels attached to structural steel base.
Table 1
ASCE 7-88 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
(ANSI A58.1)
NEC (NFPA-70) National Electric Code
AWS DI.1 American Welding Society - Structural Welding Code
ASTM A-6 General Requirements for Rolled Steel Plates, Shapes, Sheet Piling
and Bars for Structural Support
ASTM A-36 Specification for Structural Steel
AISC Manual of Steel Construction - Allowable Stress Design
UBC Uniform Building Code