Electrical room
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An electrical room is a technical room or space in a building dedicated to electrical equipment. Its size is usually proportional to the size of the building; large buildings may have a main electrical room and subsidiary electrical rooms. Electrical equipment may be for power distribution equipment, or for communications equipment.[1]
Electrical rooms typically house the following equipment:
- Electric switchboards
- Distribution boards
- Circuit breakers and disconnects
- Motor control centers
- Transformers
- Busbars
- Electricity meters
- Backup batteries in a Battery room
- Fire alarm control panels
- Distribution frames
In large building complexes, the primary electrical room may house an indoor electrical substation.
The construction features of an electrical room vary depending on the scope of the equipment to be installed. Floors may be reinforced to support heavy transformers and switchgear. Walls and ceilings may have to support a heavy cable tray system or busbars. Additional ventilation or air conditioning may be needed, since electrical apparatus gives off heat but the temperature must not rise beyond the tolerance of equipment. Double doors may be installed to allow for maintenance of large equipment.[1] If utility service entrance equipment and metering is present in the room, special provisions may be made for access by utility personnel. Fire detection and fire suppression systems, such as carbon dioxide, may be installed.
A large electrical room may have extensive provisions for grounding (earthing) and bonding enclosures of electrical equipment to prevent stray voltage and danger of electric shock, even during faults in the electrical system. Lightning protection requires different measures than protection from power-frequency faults. Electrical rooms may have electromagnetic shielding to prevent interference to nearby sensitive audio or video equipment. In large facilities access control systems may control admission to the room.
