Electrical

Rooms Deserve More Respect One could argue that the electrical room is the most important room in any building. It may only be electrical engineers who make this argument, but it is still a credible argument. The reasoning is obvious: without electrical power nothing is going to work. Unfortunately, not all electrical rooms get the respect they deserve. In residential and commercial buildings electrical rooms are usually located in the basement, off the parking garage, often they are without heat and may be used for storing old Christmas decorations or janitorial supplies. Concerns arise when we realize that electrical rooms can house hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment that can take months to replace if elements of the system fail. Therefore, designers should take time to match the needs of the electrical equipment with the environmental conditions inside the electrical room. Critical Parameters Obviously any kind of water ingress is strictly verboten. Light levels should be adequate (200 lux with motion sensors and timers). Ideally, bare concrete floors should be painted or sealed to reduce the build up of concrete dust on the electrical equipment and cleaning should be scheduled as part of good maintenance. Furthermore, electrical rooms are not to be used for storageit is requirement of the Electrical Code. The ventilation and cooling requirements are somewhat more subjective however. The role of the ventilation in electrical equipment rooms is to (Hagstrom et al., 2003): maintain the indoor air temperatures within acceptable ranges for the equipment and personnel using the facility remove the heat dissipated by electrical equipment keep the room clean of contaminants from the surroundings And, where batteries are used, remove potentially explosive and corrosive gases from within the building. Indoor Air Temperatures Indoor air temperature ranges are function of the equipment within the electrical room and also the expectations for the service life of the equipment. Extremely high and low temperature will shorten the service life of many different kinds of electrical components. Electrical components have upper limits and lower limits for operating temperatures but the service life can be reduced if these components operate near these temperature limits for extended periods of time. This is not an exact science,

but there are data that relates operating temperatures to median service life of electrical components. We provide a few examples in the following table. The reader should remember that this is not an exhaustive list, nor is it an exhaustive study of this topic. We have provided the numbers to draw attention to the issue so that designers can make informed decisions about how they want their systems to perform. Table 1.0- Typical Service Life vs Steady Operating Temperatures Temperature Insulation Service Battery Service Life (Years) Life (Years) 25C 30 10 32C 15 5.6 39C 7.5 3.0 46C 3.7 <2.5 Furthermore, care should be taken when applying these values. This table shows the approximate service life if the equipment is held at the temperatures indicated throughout the service period. These operating conditions would likely never occur because the temperature would vary diurnally, as well as with the electrical loads. In addition, the equipment temperature also depends on its ability to liberate this heat by conduction and convection to the electrical room surroundings. This is a function of the design of the system and room. The actual temperatures at which a fault occurs, varies with different equipment. For example semiconductor silicon components can tolerate a range of 125 to 175 C while germanium components can only tolerate 70 to 100C. The memory in a hard disk is damaged with a temperature above 70C . Table 2.0--Common Effects and Faults Associated with Extreme Temperatures High Temp Effects Low Temp Effects High Temp Faults Low Temp Faults Thermal aging, Ice formation and Insulation faults, Insulation faults, condensation of Oxidation, Structural faults, Sealing faults, water vapor on Degraded grease Cracking, Cracking, and oil lubricant Increased rate of cold surfaces, Structural faults, chemical reactions, Embrittlement and performance, Degraded grease corrosion on steel Increased wear Increased and oil lubricant mechanical surfaces, performance, Shrinking and stresses due to Increased wear differential cracking, Impairment of expansions mech. strength Humidity control is also a factor in electrical room design. Low humidity levels can create problems for electrical equipment because of static electricity and high humidity levels can cause problems because of the risk of condensation on cold

surfaces. Humidity levels above 55% should eliminate problems with static electricity almost completely. Humidity levels above 80% can cause problems with condensation, moisture absorption of materials leading to swelling, increased conductivity of the insulation and increased rates of chemical reaction. If relative humidity levels drop below 40% static charges can attract dust particles to surfaces. This can cause undue wear on contact surfaces. With sensitive equipment this can increase failure rates considerably (Hagstrom et al., 2003). Designers should also consider the location and air tightness of the electrical room. Both of these factors can have significant affect on the heating and cooling needs for an electrical room. Air tightness is important when considering issues with air quality, which are discussed in a subsequent section of this paper. Heat Generated by Electrical Equipment This again is an area where there are data available from a number of different sources that characterize the heat output from various pieces of the electrical equipment. The simple way to think of these systems to use conservation of energy: Rate of energy in (electrical and thermal) = rate of energy out (electrical and thermal including heat conduction and convection) + rate of energy storage (manifested by the battery energy increase and in the rate of temperature rise of all the room components). That said, steady state conditions in an electrical room often don't exist at any one time because the net energy input rate is not balanced by the net rate of energy output. With variations between the rates of energy dissipation of each device within the room, each device or system may operate at a particular temperature that is not equal to that for an adjacent device. Table 3.0--Common values for heat load within electrical rooms Heat load (W/sq m) Average Load (W/sq m) Electrical 100 2,000 250 - 300 equipment rooms Cable spaces 10 - 130 50 Automation 100 350 260 rooms The effect that this heat dissipation rate by each electrical device has on the temperature within the electrical device can be approximately shown graphically by a figure such as that shown below:

50 45 40 35 30 25 Time (2 hr increments) 100 W/sq m 200 W/sq m 300 W/sq m 400 W/sq m

Temperature (C)

Figure 1.0Approximate Graphical representation of temperature rise vs heat output in electrical rooms in middle-heavy mass construction electrical room with no ventilation or cooling

Typically values taken from direct measurements are given in the following table. We have found that designers should exercise some discretion when applying these figures to account for loading and the specific operating conditions (Hagstrom et al., 2003). Table 4.0Measure Heat Outputs from Common Electrical Equipment System Descriptions Approximate Heat Approximate Heat Output @ no load Output Fully or minimum load Loaded 30 kVA low voltage transformer 115C 250 W 1,70 W temperature rise 45 kVA low voltage transformer 115C 400 W 1,810 W temperature rise 75 kVA low voltage transformer 115C 600 W 2,440 W temperature rise 225 kVA low voltage transformer 1,100 W 6,370 W 115C temperature rise 1,000 kVA low voltage transformer 2,000 W 14,025 W 150C temperature rise

1,500 kVA low voltage transformer 150C temperature rise 1,200 Amp breaker 2,000 Amp breaker 3,000 Amp breaker Motor Control Center 15 kVA UPS 50 kVA UPS 150 kVA UPS Variable Frequency Drive1 kVA Variable Frequency Drive5 kVA Variable Frequency Drive10 kVA Variable Frequency Drive25 kVA Bus ductvertical section (600 Amp 72 high section, 3) Bus ducthorizontal section 1,600 Amp20 wide section, 3) 12 in cable tray (low voltage power) 30 in cable tray (medium voltage power)

2,880 420 W 845 W 1,200 W __ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 23 W/m 64 W/m

18,580 W 600 W 1,400 W 2,030 W 1.5% 2.0% of load 3,750 W 9,000 W 24,000 W 400 W 1,700 W 2,500 W 5,500 W 100 W 80 W 220 Wm (average value of 75 W/m) 70 W/m (average of 70 W/m)

Note: Designers should refer to manufacturers data for more detailed information on heat output or energy dissipation. This should be combined with the anticipated operating loads to develop an inventory of thermal loads. The values given in Table 4.0 are just a sample of the heat output of equipment commonly found in electrical rooms. These values were taken from actual measurements (White and Pahwa, 2001). We commonly find that manufacturers will over estimate the cooling needs of their equipment as a safety factor. This can be problematic because basing design decisions on high design loads of all of the equipment in an electrical room and then adding an additional safety factor can result in over sizing the cooling system for the area. Maintaining Indoor Air Quality Indoor air quality is important because there is an inverse relationship between dust build-up on electrical equipment and the service of the electrical equipment. This can be controlled through regular servicing and all electrical rooms should be cleaned and the equipment tested at least every 3 to 5 years (and, depending on the service conditions, possibly more frequently).

One of the motivations for writing this article was to bring attention to a common problem that occur when electrical rooms are placed within parking garages and the rooms use exhaust fan(s) on reverse acting thermostat for cooling. The problems are exacerbated when the electrical rooms are not very airtight or the entrance doors are poorly sealed. Where air quality is a concern, the way to mitigate the problem is to run the electrical room at a slight positive pressure (about 20 Pascals), ensure that the room will continuously leak a small rate of air through the room envelope when it is reasonably airtight. A medium-high efficiency filter should be used on the air intake. This amount of pressurization can be accomplished with 2 to 4 air changes per hour, depending on how airtight the room is. Ventilation for Battery Storage Batteries off-gas hydrogen. Hydrogen gas is extremely flammable and has large range of combustibility. Designers shall follow manufacturers instructions and the requirements of the Electrical Code for these systems. Ideally battery exhaust systems are dedicated to the specific function of removing potentially explosive and corrosive gases from within buildings. Suggested HVAC Strategies for Electrical Rooms Designers have at least five choices when is comes to the approach to cooling and ventilating electrical rooms. The following table describes these approaches and their appropriate applications: Table 5.0Basic Ventilating and Air-condition Systems for Electrical Rooms Strategy Application Natural ventilation Electrical rooms with low heat loads and in an area with clean air Forced extraction ventilation Electrical rooms with low to moderate heat loads and in an area with clean air Over-pressure ventilation Electrical rooms with low to moderate heat loads, where air quality is a concern Cooling with circulated air Electrical rooms with high heat loads, and Separate cooling unit with the room Electrical rooms with high loads and the requirement for precise control of air quality and humidity levels. Conclusions This is complex topic of discussion. We have not been able to even touch on some of the important issues that may arise in more sophisticated electrical rooms such as those housing telecommunication and computer equipment. However, all electrical rooms are important to the operation of buildings. Proper ventilation and cooling is an essential element of the operation. Designers should

take due consideration of the environment, type of construction, type of electrical equipment and the reliability requirements of the electrical systems in choosing the best strategies for ventilation and cooling. Selected References ASHRAE. 2005. ASHRAE Handbook-Fundamentals. Atlanta: American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. Hagstrom, Kim, Jorma Railio & Esko Tahti. 2003. Ventilation and Air Conditioning of Electrical Equipment Rooms. Helsinki. Handbook of Industrial Air Technology. Applications. Incropera, Fank P. and David P. De Witt. 1990. Introduction to Heat Transfer. New York. John Wiley & Sons. White, Warren, Ph.D. and Anil Pahwa, Ph.D. 2001. Heat Gain from Electrical and Control Equipment in Industrial Plants. ASHRAE Research Project 1104-TRP. Kansas City. Kansas State University.