anan016 100% vs 80%: Choosing the right OCPD solution «IAF! Magazine \AE| ABOUTUS = MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT = EVENTS.» COMMUNITIES = SHOP HOME — CURRENT ISSUE FOCUS ONTHECODE — INDUSTRY NEWS. by THOMAS A. DOMITROVICH We make decisions every day, both personally and professionally, with our checkbook in mind, When decisions are made to “value engineer” or cost out a design to save money on a project, attention is needed on the details; dot your i's and cross your t's. Sometimes you think you are saving money or time but in reality, the bottom line tells you different. We're going to explore the topic of 100% versus 80% rated overcurrent protection and build a foundation for the next project you design, install or inspect. Remember the devil just could be in the details, but attention to the details will help ensure a safe, economica installation. OVERVIEW The basic process to select the right overcurrent protective device (OCPD) for this discussion of 80% rated versus 100% rated, begins with a calculation of the load, includes a journey through conductor selection based on the calculated load current, and ends with the right OCPD to protect the conductor. As well see, when selecting an OCPD to be used at 100% of its current rating, consideration must be given to the enclosure / distribution equipment in which the breaker or fused switch is installed, as well as all associated listings. In general, for all but motor overload protection, when an overcurrent device such as a molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) or fuse is applied in an assembly, it must be sized at 125% of the continuous load. This results in an overcurrent device being applied at 80% of its nameplate rating. Let’s do some math. hipsisimagazine orgmagazin2016)07/191100-vs-80-choosing he-rgh-ocpd-soluion To pl shar} 2014 veanan016 100% vs 80%; Choosing the right OCPD solution «IAEI Magazine If the load on a branch circuit is a continuous load and calculated to be 100 A, NEC 210.20(A) requires the OCPD rating to be 125% of the calculated continuous load current. “Where a branch circuit supplies continuous loads or any combination of continuous and noncontinuous loads, the rating of the overcurrent device shall not be less than the noncontinuous load plus 125 percent of the continuous load.” The OCPD device ampere rating for this example is calculated as follows: OCPD Amp Rating = 1.25 x Continuous Load Amps = 1.25 *100A =125 A ‘The 80% number is the percentage of the OCPD amp rating that is the continuous load amps, in this case, 100 Amps. 100 Amps is 80% of the 125 A rating of the OCPD as per the following equation: % of OCPD Rating = (Load Amps)/(OCPD Rating)» 100% = (100 A)(125 A) «100% =80% Applying an OCPD at 80% of its rating for continuous loads accounts for the resulting higher ambient temperatures found when an overcurrent device is contained within an enclosure. This also aligns with how an OCPD is tested by the standards which govern their performance. For this above example, a 100% rated solution would have a 100 A breaker feeding this 100 A calculated continuous load. Let's explore this further. The Load Calculation The load calculation is where it all begins and where the decision is made as to how the system will be designed with regard to selecting equipment rated at 80% or 100%. In addition to the important contents of Article 220, Branch-Circuit, Feeder, and Service Calculations, which will be left to another article due to the simple fact that load calculations can be a book unto themselves, we need to understand some basic terminology. Step back and think about what a continuous and non-continuous load is. Determining the difference between a continuous load and a non-continuous load is not as simple as it sounds. To begin this discussion, open your Code book to Article 100 and review the definition of "Continuous Load.” NEC 2014 tells us that a "Continuous Load" is “a load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.” For many loads, this will be a very subjective effort of load analysis but for some the NEC is specific with this regard. Here are a few examples of continuous loads specified in NEC 2014: hipsisimagazine orgmagazin2016)07/191100-vs-80-choosing he-rgh-ocpd-soluion Code ques exact Codeaano16 100% vs 80%: Choosing the ight OCPD solution « AEI Magazine 422.13 Storage-Type Water Heaters. A fixed storage-type water heater that has a capacity of 450 L (120 gals) or less shall be considered a continuous load for the purposes of sizing branch circuits. Select M 424.3 Branch Circuits. (B) Branch-Circuit Sizing. Fixed electric space-heating equipment and motors shall be considered continuous load. 426.4 Continuous Load. Fixed outdoor electric deicing and snow-melting equipment shall be considered as a continuous load. 427.4 Continuous Load. Fixed electric heating equipment for pipelines and vessels shall be considered continuous load. 600.5 Branch Circuits.(B) Rating. Branch circuits that supply signs shall be rated in accordance with 600.5(B)(1) or (B)(2) and shall be considered to be continuous loads for the purposes of calculations. 625.41 Rating. Electric vehicle supply equipment shall have sufficient rating to supply the load served. Electric vehicle charging loads shall be considered to be continuous loads for the purposes of this article. Where an automatic load management system is used, the maximum electric vehicle supply equipment load on a service and feeder shall be the maximum load permitted by the automatic load management system, Now that a continuous load and non-continuous load are crystal clear, we take our Journey to other appropriate Sections of the NEC for this discussion. The sections include: Article 210, Branch Circuits Section 210.19, Minimum Ampacity and Size Section 210.20, Overcurrent Protection Article 215, Feeders Section 215.2, Minimum Rating and Size Section 215.3, Overcurrent Protection Article 230, Services Section 230.42, Minimum Size and Rating VII. Service Equipment - Overcurrent Protection AS you can see, common to Services, Feeders and Branch Circuits is a section (Sections 210.19, 215.2 and 230.42) that focuses on sizing and rating of the portion of the circuit for which each article is responsible. Article 210 is a good representative; the rest have similar language, and so we'll begin here. Section 210.20(A) states the following: 210.20 Overcurrent Protection. (A) Continuous and Noncontinuous Loads. Where a branch circuit supplies continuous loads or any combination of continuous and noncontinuous loads, the rating of the overcurrent device shall not be less than the noncontinuous load plus 125 percent of the continuous load. The first step in our journey for a load calculation, per this requirement, must be to examine each load in the system and determine if each is continuous (three hours or more) or non-continuous. From 210.20(A), we understand that the 125% factor applies only to continuous loads. The equation for calculating load current, which will drive the hipsisimagazine orgmagazin2016)07/191100-vs-80-choosing he-rgh-ocpd-soluion 38