GE Industrial Solutions Power Equipment Buildings - Manual (Page 7)

Electrical Equipment Centers
Application Considerations
Page 7
intermediate locations and
protection during storage from
pilferage or other loss or time due
to weather.
Installation Involves minimum number of
crafts. NEMA 3R construction must be
field assembled.
Advantages
A key advantage of the equipment center is the flexibility to provide a variety of equipment (switchgear, motor
controllers, relay panels, RTU, supervisory control and battery systems, data logging, event recorders, etc.) installed
and interconnected in the same enclosure. Additionally, an equipment center provides superior weather protection and
can be insulated and air conditioned to protect sensitive electronic equipment. Sheltered aisle switchgear is limited to
the type of non-switchgear equipment that can be housed in the enclosure
.
Equipment Center and High Voltage Switchgear
Through the use of SF6 gas-insulated switchgear, equipment centers can also be used for housing high side
(Transmission and substation) switchgear up to 170kv. A double feed station, or H configuration with five circuits can
be housed in a single 40' equipment center. This configuration provides enormous space savings, higher reliability and
less maintenance than typical air insulated substation. All the advantages of an equipment center (single point
engineer, procurement, fabrications and testing) are applicable to High Voltage Switchgear. In combination with low
side switchgear equipment center, an entire substation could consist of two equipment centers and transformers.
Summary
An equipment center provides the end user with a self contained, pre engineered, prefabricated solution to housing
switchgear, auxiliary electrical equipment, instrument/control panels, DCS systems, heat trace panels, UPS, etc. Of
particular significance is ( 1) the ability to provide rugged, reliable enclosure construction in accordance with
established standards, (2) the ability to acquire the complete outdoor electric/instrument equipment package, from a
single supplier with design and engineering responsibility, and (3) the ability to provide complete pre delivery
interconnection and testing, to include switchgear control wiring, lighting transformers, power panels, lighting panels,
lighting fixtures, receptacles, exterior lighting, batteries and chargers, Modular construction from interlocking
materials contributes to flexibility as well as cost-effectiveness. The equipment center will reduce engineering,
procurement and field cost over the other switchgear enclosure technologies, without an impact on reliability,
maintainability or performance.
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