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LoadScheduleOpenElectrical

LoadSchedule
FromOpenElectrical

Contents
1Introduction
1.1Whydothecalculation?
1.2Whentodothecalculation?
2CalculationMethodology
2.1Step1:Collectlistofloads
2.2Step2:Collectelectricalloadparameters
2.3Step3:Classifytheloads
2.3.1VoltageLevel
2.3.2Loadduty
2.3.3Loadcriticality
2.4Step4:Calculateconsumedload
2.5Step5:Calculateoperating,peakanddesignloads
2.5.1Operatingload
2.5.2Peakload
2.5.3Designload
3WorkedExample
3.1Step1:Collectlistofloads
3.2Step2:Collectelectricalloadparameters
3.3Step3:Classifytheloads
3.4Step4:Calculateconsumedload
3.5Step5:Calculateoperating,peakanddesignloads
4OperatingScenarios
5ComputerSoftware
6WhatNext?

Introduction
Theelectricalloadscheduleisanestimateoftheinstantaneouselectricalloads
operatinginafacility,intermsofactive,reactiveandapparentpower(measuredin
kW,kVARandkVArespectively).Theloadscheduleisusuallycategorisedby
switchboardoroccasionallybysubfacility/area.

Whydothecalculation?
Preparingtheloadscheduleisoneoftheearliesttasksthatneedstobedoneasitis
essentiallyaprerequisiteforsomeofthekeyelectricaldesignactivities(suchas
equipmentsizingandpowersystemstudies).

Whentodothecalculation?

Figure1.Exampleofanelectricalloadschedule

Theelectricalloadschedulecantypicallybestartedwithapreliminarykeysingle
linediagram(oratleastanideaofthemainvoltagelevelsinthesystem)andanypreliminarydetailsofprocess/building/facilityloads.Itis
recommendedthattheloadscheduleisstartedassoonaspracticallypossible.

CalculationMethodology
Therearenostandardsgoverningloadschedulesandthereforethiscalculationisbasedongenerallyacceptedindustrypractice.Thefollowing
methodologyassumesthattheloadscheduleisbeingcreatedforthefirsttimeandisalsobiasedtowardsindustrialplants.Thebasicstepsforcreatinga
loadscheduleare:
Step1:Collectalistoftheexpectedelectricalloadsinthefacility
Step2:Foreachload,collecttheelectricalparameters,e.g.nominal/absorbedratings,powerfactor,efficiency,etc
Step3:Classifyeachoftheloadsintermsofswitchboardlocation,loaddutyandloadcriticality
Step4:Foreachload,calculatetheexpectedconsumedload
Step5:Foreachswitchboardandtheoverallsystem,calculateoperating,peakanddesignload

Step1:Collectlistofloads
Thefirststepistogatheralistofalltheelectricalloadsthatwillbesuppliedbythepowersystemaffectedbytheloadschedule.Therearegenerallytwo
typesofloadsthatneedtobecollected:
Processloadsaretheloadsthataredirectlyrelevanttothefacility.Infactoriesandindustrialplants,processloadsarethemotors,heaters,
compressors,conveyors,etcthatformthemainbusinessoftheplant.ProcessloadscannormallybefoundoneitherMechanicalEquipment
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ListsorProcessandInstrumentationDiagrams(P&ID's).
Nonprocessloadsaretheauxiliaryloadsthatarenecessarytorunthefacility,e.g.lighting,HVAC,utilitysystems(powerandwater),
DCS/PLCcontrolsystems,firesafetysystems,etc.Theseloadsareusuallytakenfromanumberofsources,forexampleHVACengineers,
instruments,telecomsandcontrolsystemsengineers,safetyengineers,etc.Someloadssuchaslighting,UPS,powergenerationauxiliaries,
etcneedtobeestimatedbytheelectricalengineer.

Step2:Collectelectricalloadparameters
Anumberofelectricalloadparametersarenecessarytoconstructtheloadschedule:
Ratedpoweristhefullloadornameplateratingoftheloadandrepresentsthemaximumcontinuouspoweroutputoftheload.Formotor
loads,theratedpowercorrespondstothestandardmotorsize(e.g.11kW,37kW,75kW,etc).Forloaditemsthatcontainsubloads(e.g.
distributionboards,packageequipment,etc),theratedpoweristypicallythemaximumpoweroutputoftheitem(i.e.withallitssubloads
inservice).
Absorbedpoweristheexpectedpowerthatwillbedrawnbytheload.Mostloadswillnotoperateatitsratedcapacity,butatalowerpoint.
Forexample,absorbedmotorloadsarebasedonthemechanicalpowerinputtotheshaftofthedrivenequipmentatitsdutypoint.The
motoristypicallysizedsothattheratedcapacityofthemotorexceedstheexpectedabsorbedloadbysomeconservativedesignmargin.
Whereinformationregardingtheabsorbedloadsisnotavailable,thenaloadfactorofbetween0.8and0.9isnormallyapplied.
Powerfactoroftheloadisnecessarytodeterminethereactivecomponentsoftheloadschedule.Normallytheloadpowerfactoratfullload
isused,butthepowerfactoratthedutypointcanalsobeusedforincreasedaccuracy.Wherepowerfactorsarenotreadilyavailable,then
estimatescanbeused(typically0.85formotorloads>7.5kW,1.0forheaterloadsand0.8forallotherloads).
Efficiencyaccountsforthelossesincurredwhenconvertingelectricalenergytomechanicalenergy(orwhatevertypeofenergytheload
outputs).Someoftheelectricalpowerdrawnbytheloadislost,usuallyintheformofheattotheambientenvironment.Whereinformation
regardingefficienciesisnotavailable,thenestimatesofbetween0.8and1canbeused(typically0.85or0.9isusedwhenefficienciesare
unknown).

Step3:Classifytheloads
Oncetheloadshavebeenidentified,theyneedtobeclassifiedaccordingly:
VoltageLevel
Whatvoltagelevelandwhichswitchboardshouldtheloadbelocated?LargeloadsmayneedtobeonMVorHVswitchboardsdependingonthesizeof
theloadandhowmanyvoltagelevelsareavailable.Typically,loads<150kWtendtobeontheLVsystem(400V690V),loadsbetween150kWand
10MWtendtobeonanintermediateMVsystem(3.3kV6.6kV)whereavailableandloads>10MWareusuallyontheHVdistributionsystem(11kV
33kV).Someconsiderationshouldalsobemadeforgroupingtheloadsonaswitchboardintermsofsubfacilities,areasorsubsystems(e.g.a
switchboardforthecompressiontrainsubsystemorthedryingarea).
Loadduty
Loadsareclassifiedaccordingtotheirdutyaseithercontinuous,intermittentandstandbyloads:
1)Continuousloadsarethosethatnormallyoperatecontinuouslyovera24hourperiod,e.g.processloads,controlsystems,lightingandsmall
powerdistributionboards,UPSsystems,etc
2)Intermittentloadsthatonlyoperateafractionofa24hourperiod,e.g.intermittentpumpsandprocessloads,automaticdoorsandgates,etc
3)Standbyloadsarethosethatareonstandbyorrarelyoperateundernormalconditions,e.g.standbyloads,emergencysystems,etc
Notethatforredundantloads(e.g.2x100%duty/standbymotors),oneisusuallyclassifiedascontinuousandtheotherclassifiedasstandby.Thisif
purelyforthepurposesoftheloadscheduleanddoesnotreflecttheactualoperatingconditionsoftheloads,i.e.bothredundantloadswillbeequally
usedeventhoughoneisclassifiedasastandbyload.
Loadcriticality
Loadsaretypicallyclassifiedaseithernormal,essentialandcritical:
1)Normalloadsarethosethatrunundernormaloperatingconditions,e.g.mainprocessloads,normallightingandsmallpower,ordinaryoffice
andworkshoploads,etc
2)Essentialloadsarethosenecessaryunderemergencyconditions,whenthemainpowersupplyisdisconnectedandthesystemisbeing
supportedbyanemergencygenerator,e.g.emergencylighting,keyprocessloadsthatoperateduringemergencyconditions,fireandsafety
systems,etc
3)Criticalarethosecriticalfortheoperationofsafetysystemsandforfacilitatingorassistingevacuationfromtheplant,andwouldnormallybe
suppliedfromaUPSorbatterysystem,e.g.safetycriticalshutdownsystems,escapelighting,etc

Step4:Calculateconsumedload
Theconsumedloadisthequantityofelectricalpowerthattheloadisexpectedtoconsume.Foreachload,calculatetheconsumedactiveandreactive
loading,derivedasfollows:

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Where

LoadScheduleOpenElectrical

istheconsumedactiveload(kW)
istheconsumedreactiveload(kVAr)
istheabsorbedload(kW)
istheloadefficiency(pu)
istheloadpowerfactor(pu)

Noticethattheloadshavebeencategorisedintothreecolumnsdependingontheirloadduty(continuous,intermittentorstandby).Thisisdoneinorder
tomakeitvisuallyeasiertoseetheloaddutyandmoreimportantly,tomakeiteasiertosumtheloadsaccordingtotheirduty(e.g.sumofallcontinuous
loads),whichisnecessarytocalculatetheoperating,peakanddesignloads.

Step5:Calculateoperating,peakanddesignloads
Manyorganisations/clientshavetheirowndistinctmethodforcalculatingoperating,peakanddesignloads,butagenericmethodispresentedas
follows:
Operatingload
Theoperatingloadistheexpectedloadduringnormaloperation.Theoperatingloadiscalculatedasfollows:

Where

istheoperatingload(kWorkVAr)
isthesumofallcontinuousloads(kWorkVAr)
isthesumofallintermittentloads(kWorkVAr)

Peakload
Thepeakloadistheexpectedmaximumloadduringnormaloperation.Peakloadingistypicallyinfrequentandofshortduration,occurringwhen
standbyloadsareoperated(e.g.forchangeoverofredundantmachines,testingofsafetyequipment,etc).Thepeakloadiscalculatedasthelargerof
either:

or

Where

isthepeakload(kWorkVAr)
isthesumofallcontinuousloads(kWorkVAr)
isthesumofallintermittentloads(kWorkVAr)
isthesumofallstandbyloads(kWorkVAr)
isthelargeststandbyload(kWorkVAr)

Designload
Thedesignloadistheloadtobeusedforthedesignforequipmentsizing,electricalstudies,etc.Thedesignloadisgenericallycalculatedasthelargerof
either:

or

Where

isthedesignload(kWorkVAr)
istheoperatingload(kWorkVAr)
isthesumofallstandbyloads(kWorkVAr)
isthelargeststandbyload(kWorkVAr)

Thedesignloadincludesamarginforanyerrorsinloadestimation,loadgrowthortheadditionofunforeseenloadsthatmayappearafterthedesign
phase.Theloadscheduleisthusmoreconservativeandrobusttoerrors.Ontheotherhandhowever,equipmentisoftenoversizedasaresult.
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Sometimesthedesignloadisnotcalculatedandthepeakloadisusedfordesignpurposes.

WorkedExample
Step1:Collectlistofloads
Considerasmallfacilitywiththefollowingloadsidentified:
2x100%vapourrecoverycompressors(process)
2x100%recirculationpumps(process)
1x100%sumppump(process)
2x50%firewaterpumps(safety)
1x100%HVACunit(HVAC)
1x100%ACUPSsystem(electrical)
1xNormallightingdistributionboard(electrical)
1xEssentiallightingdistributionboard(electrical)

Step2:Collectelectricalloadparameters
ThefollowingelectricalloadparameterswerecollectedfortheloadsidentifiedinStep1:
LoadDescription

Abs.Load

Rated
Load

PF

Eff.

VapourrecoverycompressorA

750kW

800kW

0.87

0.95

VapourrecoverycompressorB

750kW

800kW

0.87

0.95

RecirculationpumpA

31kW

37kW

0.83

0.86

RecirculationpumpB

31kW

37kW

0.83

0.86

Sumppump

9kW

11kW

0.81

0.83

FirewaterpumpA

65kW

75kW

0.88

0.88

FirewaterpumpB

65kW

75kW

0.88

0.88

HVACunit

80kW

90kW

0.85

0.9

ACUPSSystem

9kW

12kW

0.85

0.9

Normallightingdistributionboard

7kW

10kW

0.8

0.9

Essentiallightingdistributionboard

4kW

5kW

0.8

0.9

Step3:Classifytheloads
Supposewehavetwovoltagelevels,6.6kVand415V.Theloadscanbeclassifiedasfollows:
LoadDescription

Rated
Load

Voltage

Duty

Criticality

VapourrecoverycompressorA

800kW

6.6kV

Continuous

Normal

VapourrecoverycompressorB

800kW

6.6kV

Standby

Normal

RecirculationpumpA

37kW

415V

Continuous

Normal

RecirculationpumpB

37kW

415V

Standby

Normal

Sumppump

11kW

415V

Intermittent

Normal

FirewaterpumpA

75kW

415V

Standby

Essential

FirewaterpumpB

75kW

415V

Standby

Essential

HVACunit

90kW

415V

Continuous

Normal

ACUPSSystem

12kW

415V

Continuous

Critical

Normallightingdistributionboard

10kW

415V

Continuous

Normal

Essentiallightingdistributionboard

5kW

415V

Continuous

Essential

Step4:Calculateconsumedload
Calculatingtheconsumedloadsforeachoftheloadsinthisexamplegives:
LoadDescription

AbsLoad

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PF

Eff.

Continuous
P(kW)

Q(kVAr)

Intermittent
P(kW)

Q(kVAr)

Standby
P(kW)

Q(kVAr)
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VapourrecoverycompressorA

750kW

0.87

0.95

789.5

447.4

VapourrecoverycompressorB

750kW

0.87

0.95

789.5

447.4

RecirculationpumpA

31kW

0.83

0.86

36.0

24.2

RecirculationpumpB

31kW

0.83

0.86

36.0

24.2

Sumppump

9kW

0.81

0.83

10.8

7.9

FirewaterpumpA

65kW

0.88

0.88

73.9

39.9

FirewaterpumpB

65kW

0.88

0.88

73.9

39.9

HVACunit

80kW

0.85

0.9

88.9

55.1

ACUPSSystem

9kW

0.85

0.9

10.0

6.2

Normallightingdistribution
board

7kW

0.8

0.9

7.8

5.8

Essentiallightingdistribution
board

4kW

0.8

0.9

4.4

3.3

936.6

542.0

10.8

7.9

973.3

551.4

SUMTOTAL

Step5:Calculateoperating,peakanddesignloads
Theoperating,peakanddesignloadsarecalculatedasfollows:
P(kW)

Q(kW)

Sumofcontinuousloads

936.6

542.0

50%xSumofintermittentloads

5.4

4.0

10%xSumofstandbyloads

97.3

55.1

Largeststandbyload

789.5

447.4

Operatingload

942

546.0

Peakload

1,731.5

993.4

Designload

1,825.7

1,047.9

Normallyyouwouldseparatetheloadsbyswitchboardandcalculateoperating,peakanddesignloadsforeachswitchboardandonefortheoverall
system.Howeverforthesakeofsimplicity,theloadsinthisexamplearealllumpedtogetherandonlyonesetofoperating,peakanddesignloadsare
calculated.

OperatingScenarios
Itmaybenecessarytoconstructloadschedulesfordifferentoperatingscenarios.Forexample,inordertosizeanemergencydieselgenerator,itwould
benecessarytoconstructaloadscheduleforemergencyscenarios.Theclassificationoftheloadsbycriticalitywillhelpinconstructingalternative
scenarios,especiallythosethatusealternativepowersources.

ComputerSoftware
Inthepast,theloadschedulehastypicallybeendonemanuallybyhandorwiththehelpofanExcelspreadsheet.However,thistypeofcalculationis
extremelywellsuitedfordatabasedrivensoftwarepackages(suchasSmartplantElectrical
(http://www.intergraph.com/products/ppm/smartplant/electrical/default.aspx)),especiallyforverylargeprojects.Forsmallerprojects,itmaybefar
easiertosimplyperformthiscalculationmanually.

WhatNext?
Theelectricalloadscheduleisthebasisforthesizingofmostmajorelectricalequipment,fromgeneratorstoswitchgeartotransformers.Usingtheload
schedule,majorequipmentsizingcanbestarted,aswellasthepowersystemstudies.Apreliminaryloadschedulewillalsoindicateiftherewillbe
problemswithavailablepowersupply/generation,andwhetheralternativepowersourcesorevenprocessdesignswillneedtobeinvestigated.
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