R

Chemelex

Ground-Fault Equipment Protection Devices

Selection Guide

Overview

Raychems heating cables are reliable and easy to install and maintain. However, improper installation or significant damage to a cable that may occur after installation can create a risk of fire from sustained electrical arcing. Should this occur, the fault current may be too small to trip conventional overcurrent circuit breakers. To minimize this risk, Raychem now requires the use of GFEPDs on all heattracing system installations. This is also in compliance with the 1996 National Electrical Code requirement for ground-fault protection. For more detailed information regarding specific GFEPDs, contact Raychem at 800-545-6258 or refer to the following documents available from Raychems Fax on Demand system by dialing 800-329-4494. Fax ID # 54232 20301 Description Raychems TraceGuard 277 V Neilsen-Kuljian

Design Options

A GFEPD typically has a trip level of 30 mA. These 30-mA GFEPDs, which are intended to protect equipment from damage due to overheating or fire, are not to be confused with 5-mA ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), which provide personnel protection from electrical shock but may cause nuisance tripping of the heat-tracing circuit. Most of Raychems single-phase, self-regulating heating cables, tank heaters, and RMI heating cables use 30-mA GFEPDs. For Raychems VL heating cable, a 70-mA ground-fault device is recommended to minimize nuisance tripping due to long heating cable circuit lengths. Methods to provide ground-fault protection include: 30-mA ground-fault circuit breakers, the most common and least expensive option. Neilsen-Kuljian sensors with a shunt-trip breaker, for use when current or voltage exceeds the ratings of traditional 30-mA ground-fault trip circuit breakers. Neilsen-Kuljian sensors, to monitor and provide an alarm for a ground fault but not shut off the circuit, meeting the exception to the NEC requirement in Article 427-22.

Ground-Fault Circuit Breakers

Manufacturers of 30-mA circuit breakers include Square D, Cutler Hammer (Westinghouse), General Electric, and Siemens. The breaker that is right for your application depends on the load current expected, the equipment voltage rating, and the panelboard in which the breaker is to be installed.

Ground-Fault Circuit Breaker Selection Table

The following breakers are available immediately from your local Raychem distributor.

Bolt-On Style Manufacturer Voltage 15 amps 20 amps 30 amps 40 amps 50 amps Panelboard Plug-On Style Manufacturer Voltage 15 amps 20 amps 30 amps 40 amps 50 amps Panelboard Padlocks***

Square D 120 QOB115EPD QOB120EPD QOB130EPD Available June 1996 Available June 1996 NQOD Square D 120 QO115EPD QO120EPD QO130EPD Available June 1996 Available June 1996 QO Load Center QO1PA

208/240** QOB215EPD QOB220EPD QOB230EPD Available June 1996 Available June 1996 NQOD

Cutler Hammer (Westinghouse) 120 208/240** QBGFEP1015 QBGFEP2015 QBGFEP1020 QBGFEP2020 QBGFEP1030 QBGFEP2030 N/A QBGFEP2040 N/A QBGFEP2050 POW-R-LINE 1 POW-R-LINE 1 Cutler Hammer (Westinghouse) 120 208/240** QPGFEP1015 QPGFEP2015 QPGFEP1020 QPGFEP2020 QPGFEP1030 QPGFEP2030 N/A QPGFEP2040 N/A QPGFEP2050 POW-R-LINE 1 POW-R-LINE 1 QLPB123PL QLPB123PL

Raychem TraceGuard* 277 EHB14015EPD EHB14020EPD EHB14030EPD EHB14040EPD EHB14050EPD NEHB Raychem TraceGuard* 277 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A GFPOHPA-EH

208/240** QO215EPD QO220EPD QO230EPD Available June 1996 Available June 1996 QO Load Center GF12PA

Note: Bell alarm contacts may be ordered through your local electrical distributor by adding a 2100 suffix to the Square D part number or a W1 suffix to the Westinghouse part number (example: QOB120EPD2100 is a 20-A, 120-V breaker with bell alarm contacts). *Raychems TraceGuard 277 manufactured by Square D. ** Two-pole ground-fault breakers require 120 volts to power the internal electronics. 240-volt delta systems without a 120-volt neutral reference will require an additional transformer to provide the reference. ***Padlocks are required to comply with NEC article 427-55(a) if the circuit breaker is utilized as a disconnecting means. N/ANot Available. Neilsen-Kuljian Ground-Fault Sensors A Neilsen-Kuljian ground-fault sensor may be used for: ground-fault monitoring and alarm, per the exception to NEC Article 427-22. applications where current or voltage exceeds the ratings of available groundfault circuit breakers. applications that require a variety of ground-fault trip levels, such as 70-mA for VL heating cables. The Neilsen-Kuljian ground-fault sensor has a ground-fault trip level adjustable from 1 to 100 mA. As long as a detected fault persists, the normally open switch will stay closed. It can be connected to an alarm light or to the shunt-trip of a breaker. There is also an associated red light on the ground-fault sensor to indicate a fault. A green light is provided to indicate the presence of 120-Vac power. The sensor also has a built-in TEST function, which simulates the fault and confirms that the unit is operational.
Raychem and TraceGuard 277 are trademarks of Raychem Corporation.

Raychem Corporation 300 Constitution Drive Menlo Park, California 94025-1164 Tel (800) 545-6258 Fax (650) 361-6711 E-mail cheminfo@raychem.com Fax on Demand 800-329-4494

All information, including illustrations, is believed to be reliable. Users, however, should independently evaluate the suitability of each product for their application. Raychem makes no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the information, and disclaims any liability regarding its use. Raychems only obligations are those in the Raychem Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale for this product, and in no case will Raychem be liable for any incidental, indirect, or consequential damages arising from the sale, resale, use, or misuse of the product. Specifications are subject to change without notice. In addition, Raychem reserves the right to make changeswithout notification to Buyerto materials or processing that do not affect compliance with any applicable specification.