NXPLUS C

SF6-Insulated, Metal-Enclosed and

Metal-Clad Medium-Voltage
Switchgear

Technical Description
Degree of Protection NXPLUS C

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Contents:

1 Overview 3

2 Content of Standards 5

3 Degree of Protection NXPLUS C 8

4 Comparison of Degrees of Protection 11

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1 Overview
The degree of protection of apparatus or systems is stated by the IP-Code for:
 Protection against access to hazardous parts
 Protection against ingress of solid foreign objects
 Protection against ingress of water

The degree of protection of switchgears can be defined according the following stan-
dards:
a) according IEC 60298 „Metal-enclosed Switchgear“
the protection against access to hazardous parts and the protection against ingress
of water is given. Possible degrees of protection are IP2X, IP3X, IP4X.
Example: IP4X
Protection against no indication
ingress of water
Protection against access Protected against approach to live
to hazardous parts parts and contact with moving parts
by wires of diameter or strips of thick-
ness > 1mm.
The indication of degree of protection according IEC 60298 will be replaced by the indi-
cation according IEC 62271-200 on a medium-term basis.

b) according IEC 60529 „Degrees of protection provided by enclosures“

the protection against access to hazardous parts, protection against ingress of solid
foreign objects and the protection against ingress of water is given. The two degrees
of protection against access to hazardous parts and against ingress of solid foreign
objects can be given separately or connected together:
 connected, if protection against access to hazardous parts and protection against
ingress of solid foreign objects are of the same level.
Example: IP4X
Protection against no indication
ingress of water
Protection against ingress of Protected against solid foreign
of solid objects objects, diameter ≥ 1 mm
Protection against access Protected against access to hazard-
to hazardous parts ous parts with a wire (the access
probe of 1.0mm diameter shall not
penetrate).

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  separate, if the protection against access to hazardous parts is of higher level
than the protection against ingress of solid foreign objects.
Example: IP3XD
Protection against access Protected against access to hazard-
to hazardous parts ous parts with a wire (the access
probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm
length shall have adequate clearance
from hazardous parts).
Protection against no indication
ingress of water
Protection against ingress of Protected against solid foreign
of solid objects objects, diameter ≥ 2.5 mm

c) according IEC 62271-200 „ Metal-enclosed Switchgear “

and based on IEC 60694 the protection against access to hazardous parts will be
indicated. Simultaneously the protection against ingress of solid foreign objects is
given for the enclosure. In this case the protection against access to hazardous
parts and the protection against ingress of solid foreign objects can be of different or
same level.
Example: IP4X
Protection against no indication
ingress of water
Protection against ingress of Protected against solid foreign
of solid objects objects, diameter ≥ 1 mm
Protection against access Protected against access to hazard-
to hazardous parts ous parts with a wire (Test wire with
diameter 1.0 mm, length 100mm).
The minimum permitted degree of protection of switchgears is IP2X.

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2 Content of Standards

Standard IEC 60298

Degree of protec- Protection against approach to live parts

tion and contact with moving parts
IP2X By fingers or similar objects of diameter greater than 12mm
IP3X By tools, wires, etc. of diameter or thickness greater than 2.5mm
IP4X By wires of diameter or strips of thickness greater than 1,0mm
NOTE – The designation of the degree of protection corresponds to IEC 60529

The standard IEC 60298 was replaced by the standard IEC 62271-200.

Standard IEC 60529

add.letter
1.digit

2.digit

Protection against ingress of Protection against access to

IP solid foreign objects
0 (non-protected)
1 Protected against solid foreign objects of
50mm Ø and greater (the object probe, sphere of
50mm Ø, shall not fully penetrate)
2 Protected against solid foreign objects of
12.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe, sphere
of 12.5mm Ø, shall not fully penetrate)
3 Protected against solid foreign objects of
2.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 2.5mm
Ø, shall not fully penetrate at all)
4 Protected against solid foreign objects of
1.0mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 1.0mm
Ø, shall not fully penetrate at all)
5 Dust-protected (ingress of dust is not totally
prevented, but dust shall not penetrate in a
quantity to interfere with satisfactory operation of
the apparatus or to impair safety)
6 Dust-tight (no ingress of dust)
hazardous parts
(non-protected)
Protected against access to hazardous parts
with the back of a hand (the access probe,
sphere of 50mm Ø shall have adequate clear-
ance from hazardous parts)
Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a finger (the jointed test finger of 12mm Ø,
80mm length, shall have adequate clearance
from hazardous parts)
Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a tool (the access probe of 2.5mm Ø shall
not penetrate)
Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a wire (the access probe of 1.0mm Ø shall
not penetrate)
Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a wire (the access probe of 1.0mm Ø shall
not penetrate)
Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a wire (the access probe of 1.0mm Ø shall
not penetrate)

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 add.letter
1.digit

2.digit
Protection against ingress of Protection against access to
IP solid foreign objects hazardous parts
X No indication
0 Non-protected
1 Protected against vertically falling water drops
(vertically falling drops shall have no harmful
effects)
2 Protected against vertically falling water drops
O
when enclosure tilted up to 15 (vertically falling
drops shall have no harmful effects when the
O
enclosure is tilted at any angle up to 15 on
either side of the vertical)
3 Protected against spraying water (water sprayed
O
at an angle up to 60 on either side of the verti-
cal shall have no harmful effects)
4 Protected against splashing water (water
splashed against the enclosure from any direc-
tion shall have no harmful effects)
5 Protected against water jets (water projected in ---
jets against the enclosure from any direction
shall have no harmful effects)
6 Protected against powerful water jets (water
projected in powerful jets against the enclosure
from any direction shall have no harmful effects
7 Protected against the effects of temporary im-
mersion in water (ingress of water in quantities
causing harmful effects shall not be possible
when the enclosure is temporarily immersed in
water under standardized conditions of pressure
and time)
8 Protected against the effects of continuous
immersion in water (ingress of water in quantities
causing harmful effects shall not be possible
when the enclosure is continuously immersed in
water under conditions which shall be agreed
between manufacturer and user but which are
more severe than for numeral 7)
A Protected against access to hazardous parts
with the back of a hand (the access probe,
sphere of 50mm Ø shall have adequate clear-
ance from hazardous parts)
B Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a finger (the jointed test finger of 12mm Ø,
80mm length, shall have adequate clearance
from hazardous parts)
---
C Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a tool (the access probe of 2.5mm diameter,
100mm length shall have adequate clearance
from hazardous parts)
D Protected against access to hazardous parts
with a wire (the access probe of 1.0mm diame-
ter, 100mm length shall have adequate clear-
ance from hazardous parts)

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 Standard IEC 62271-200

With reference to IEC 60694:

Degree of Protection against ingress of Protection against access to
protection solid foreign bodies hazardous parts
IP1XB Objects of 50mm diameter and greater Access with a finger (test-finger 12mm diame-
ter, 80mm long)
IP2X Objects of 12.5mm diameter and greater Access with a finger (test-finger 12mm diame-
ter, 80mm long)
IP2XC Objects of 12.5mm diameter and greater Access with a tool (test-rod 2.5mm diameter,
100mm long)
IP2XD Objects of 12.5mm diameter and greater Access with a wire (test-wire 1.0mm diameter,
100mm long)
IP3X Objects of 2.5mm diameter and greater Access with a tool (test-rod 2.5mm diameter,
100mm long)
IP3XD Objects of 2.5mm diameter and greater Access with a wire (test-wire 1.0mm diameter,
100mm long)
IP4X Objects of 1.0mm diameter and greater Access with a wire (test-wire 1.0mm diameter,
100mm long)
IP5X Dust: Access with a wire (test-wire 1.0mm diameter,
100mm long)
The ingress of dust is not totally prevented, but
does not penetrate in a quantity or at a loca-
tion such that it can interfere with satisfactory
operation of apparatus or to impair safety)
Note 1: The designation of the degree of protection corresponds to IEC 60529
Note 2: In the case of IP5X category 2 of 13.4 of IEC 60529, is applicable
Note 3: If only the protection against access to hazardous parts is concerned, the additional letter is used and the
first numeral is replaced by an X.

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3 Degree of Protection NXPLUS C
In the standard design the switchgear NXPLUS C fulfils the requirements of the protec-
tion degree IP3XD of the enclosure:

IP 3 X D
Protection against access to hazardous Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire
parts (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm length
shall have adequate clearance from hazardous parts)
Protection against ingress of water No indication
Protection against ingress of solid foreign Protected against solid foreign objects of
objects 2.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 2.5mm Ø,
shall not fully penetrate at all)

As an option the enclosure of the switchgear can be carried out according protection de-
gree IP31D:

IP 3 1 D
Protection against access to hazardous Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire
parts (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm length
shall have adequate clearance from hazardous parts)
Protection against ingress of water Protected against vertically falling water drops (vertically
falling drops shall have no harmful effects)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign Protected against solid foreign objects of
objects 2.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 2.5mm Ø,
shall not fully penetrate at all)

As an option the enclosure of the switchgear can be carried out according protection de-
gree IP32D:

IP 3 2 D
Protection against access to hazardous Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire
parts (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm length
shall have adequate clearance from hazardous parts)
Protection against ingress of water Protected against vertically falling water drops when
O
enclosure tilted up to 15
Protection against ingress of solid foreign Protected against solid foreign objects of
objects 2.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 2.5mm Ø,
shall not fully penetrate at all)

As an option the enclosure of the switchgear can be carried out according protection de-
gree IP34D:

IP 3 4 D
Protection against access to hazardous Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire
parts (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm length
shall have adequate clearance from hazardous parts)
Protection against ingress of water Protected against splashing water (water splashed
against the enclosure from any direction shall have no
harmful effects)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign Protected against solid foreign objects of
objects 2.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 2.5mm Ø,
shall not fully penetrate at all)

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 The parts of the primary circuit, which are subjected to high-voltage, fulfil in addition to
the above mentioned degrees of protection of the switchgear enclosure the following de-
gree of protection:

IP 6 5
Protection against ingress of water Protected against water jets (water projected in jets
against the enclosure from any direction shall have no
harmful effects)
Protection against access to hazardous Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire
parts (the access probe of 1.0mm Ø shall not penetrate)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign Dust-tight (no ingress of dust)
objects

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 Furthermore following degree of protection can be achieved for NXPLUS C as customer
design (KUKO):

IP 4 X
Protection against ingress of water No indication
Protection against access to hazardous Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire
parts (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm length
shall have adequate clearance from hazardous parts)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign Protected against solid foreign objects of
objects 1mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 1mm Ø, shall
not fully penetrate at all)

IP 5 4
Protection against ingress of water Protected against splashing water (water splashed
against the enclosure from any direction shall have no
harmful effects)
Protection against access to hazardous Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire
parts (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm length
shall have adequate clearance from hazardous parts)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign Dust-protected (ingress of dust is not totally prevented,
objects but dust shall not penetrate in a quantity to interfere with
satisfactory operation of the apparatus or to impair
safety)

For those degrees of protection IP4X und IP54 a de-rating of the normal operating cur-
rent for the different typicals shall be considered:
Ambient air temperature 40°Celsius 50 Hz 60 Hz
Circuit-breaker panel 630 A No de-rating
Circuit-breaker panel 1000 A
Disconnector panel 1000 A 950 A 915 A
Bus sectionalizer 1000 A
Circuit-breaker panel 1250 A
Disconnector panel 1250 A 1200 A 1160 A
Bus sectionalizer 1250 A
Circuit-breaker panel 2000 A
Disconnector panel 2000 A 1900 A 1835 A
Bus sectionalizer 2000 A
Circuit-breaker panel 2500 A
Disconnector panel 2500 A 2400 A 2315 A
Bus sectionalizer 2500 A
Switch-disconnector panel
Ring-cable panel
No de-rating
Vacuum-contactor panel
Metering panel

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4 Comparison of Degrees of Protection

a) Indication degree of protection according IEC 60298

In the invitations of tenders for medium-voltage switchgears very often the required
degrees of protection are given without any standard to be applied. As a rule a de-
gree of protection according the old standard IEC 60298 is required. Please note
that in the standard IEC 60298 the given degree of protection is exclusively related
to the protection against access to hazardous parts. A degree of protection against
ingress of solid foreign objects is not defined.
The indication IP4X means: Protection against access to hazardous parts:
Protection against approach to live parts and contact
with moving parts by wires of diameter or strips of
thickness greater than 1,0mm
The NXPLUS C fulfils this requirement. In the indication IP3XD acc. IEC 60529 the
additional letter D for protection against access to hazardous parts is defined as fol-
lows: Protection against access to hazardous parts:
Protected against access to hazardous parts with a
wire (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm
length shall have adequate clearance from hazard-
ous parts)
Result: The requirement IP4X acc. specification will be fulfilled.

b) Indication degree of protection according IEC 62271-200

A required degree of protection according the new standard IEC 62271-200 is re-
lated to the protection against access to hazardous parts and protection against in-
gress of solid foreign objects.
The indication IP3XD means: Protection against access to hazardous parts:
Access with a wire (test-wire 1.0mm diameter,
100mm long)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign objects:
Objects of 2.5mm diameter and greater
The NXPLUS C fulfils this requirement for protection against access to hazardous
parts and for protection against ingress of solid foreign objects. The indication
IP3XD according IEC 60529 is defined as:
Protection against access to hazardous parts:
Protected against access to hazardous parts with a
wire (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm
length shall have adequate clearance from hazard-
ous parts)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign objects:
Protected against solid foreign objects of
2.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 2.5mm Ø,
shall not fully penetrate at all)

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 The indication IP4X means: Protection against access to hazardous parts:
Access with a wire (test-wire 1.0mm diameter,
100mm long)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign objects:
Objects of 1.0mm diameter and greater
The NXPLUS C does fulfil this requirement only for protection against access to hazardous
parts. The protection against ingress of solid foreign objects is given one level lower. The in-
dication IP3XD acc. IEC 60529 is defined as follows:
Protection against access to hazardous parts:
Protected against access to hazardous parts with a
wire (the access probe of 1.0mm diameter, 100mm
length shall have adequate clearance from hazard-
ous parts)
Protection against ingress of solid foreign objects:
Protected against solid foreign objects of
2.5mm Ø and greater (the object probe of 2.5mm Ø,
shall not fully penetrate at all)
But: the parts of the primary circuit of NXPLUS C, which are subjected to high-
voltage, fulfils the degree of protection against ingress of solid foreign objects IP65
(Dust-tight, no ingress of dust), i.e. a higher level of protection against ingress of
solid foreign objects as required.

c) Required degree of protection „against access to hazardous parts“ level 4

A degree of protection level 4 put out to tender contains the following requirements
according to the standards:
Standard IEC 62271-200: protection against access to hazardous parts:
Access with a wire (test-wire 1.0mm diameter,
100mm long)
: Standard IEC 60529: protection against access to hazardous parts:
Protected against access to hazardous parts with a
wire (the access probe of 1.0mm Ø shall not pene-
trate)

The following indications are valid acc. both standards:

IP4X If the protection against ingress of solid foreign objects and the pro-
tection against access to hazardous parts fulfil the same level.
IP3XD If the protection against ingress of solid foreign objects fulfils a lower
lever (degree 3) than the protection against access to hazardous
parts (degree D).

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