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Busbar size and calculation

Busbar

A bus bar (also spelled busbar, buss bar or busbar), is a strip or bar of copper, brass or aluminum
that conducts electricity within a switchboard, distribution board, substation, battery bank or other
electrical apparatus. Its main purpose is to conduct electricity, not to function as a structural
member.
Busbars are typically either flat strips or hollow tubes as these shapes allow heat to dissipate more
efficiently due to their high surface area to cross-sectional area ratio. A hollow section has higher
stiffness than a solid rod of equivalent current-carrying capacity, which allows a greater span
between busbar supports in outdoor switch yards.
A busbar may either be supported on insulators, or else insulation may completely surround it.
Busbars are protected from accidental contact either by a metal earthed enclosure or by elevation
out of normal reach. Power Neutral busbars may also be insulated. Earth (safety grounding) busbars
are typically bare and bolted directly onto any metal chassis of their enclosure. Busbars may be
enclosed in a metal housing, in the form of bus duct or busway, segregated-phase bus, or isolated-
phase bus.
Busbars may be connected to each other and to electrical apparatus by bolted, clamp, or welded
connections. Often joints between high-current bus sections have matching surfaces that are silver- Bus bar
plated to reduce the contact resistance. At extra-high voltages (more than 300 kV) in outdoor
buses, corona around the connections becomes a source of radio-frequency interference and power loss, so connection fittings
designed for these voltages are used.
Busbars are typically contained inside switchgear, panel boards, or busway. Distribution boards split the electrical supply into separate
circuits at one location. Busways, or bus ducts, are long busbars with a protective cover. Rather than branching the main supply at one
location, they allow new circuits to branch off anywhere along the route of the busway.
Advantages
Following are some advantages of Bus bar trunking system over normal cabling system:-
On-site installation times are reduced compared to hard-wired systems, thus leading to cost savings.
It provides increased flexibility in design and versatility with regard to future modifications.
Greater safety and peace of mind for specifiers, contractors and end-users.
Because of the simplicity of busbar, it is easy to estimate costs from the design/estimating stage through to installation on site. This is
because the technical characteristics and price of each component are always known.
It is short sighted to compare the cost of busbar against that of a length of cable — and not the real cost of a cable installation to include
multiple runs of cable, tray and fixing, let alone the protracted time and effort of pulling cables.
Distribution busbar distributes power along its length through tap-off points along the busbar at typically at 0.5 or 1 m centers. Tap-off
units are plugged in along the length of the busbar to supply a load; this could be a sub distribution board or, in a factory, to individual
machines. Tap-offs can normally be added or removed with busbar live, eliminating production down time.
Installed vertically the same systems can be used for rising-mains applications, with tap-offs feeding individual floors. Certified fire
barriers are available at points where the busbar passes through a floor slab. Protection devices such as fuses, switchfuses or circuit
breakers are located along the busbar run, reducing the need for large distribution boards and the large quantities of distribution cables
running to and from installed equipment.
Very compact so provides space savings.
Where aesthetics have to be considered, busbar trunking can be installed with natural galvanized, aluminium, or painted finish. Special
colours to match switchboards or a specific colour scheme are also available on request.
10. Busbar trunking has several key advantages over conventional forms of power distribution including: -
11. (a) Reduced, onsite installation times when compared to hard-wired systems thus leading to cost savings.
a. Increased flexibility in design and versatility with regard to future modifications.
b. Increased safety features brought about by the use of high quality, manufactured components, which provide greater
safety and peace of mind for specifies, contractors and end-users.
12. Uneven distribution of current takes place where multiple runs of cables are used in parallel.
13. Busbar trunking has tap-off points at regular intervals along each length to allow power to be taken off and distributed to where it is
needed. Because it is fully self-contained it needs only to be mechanically mounted and electrically connected to be operational.
14. For higher ratings of power distribution we need to have multiple runs of cable. In such conditions unbalanced distribution of current
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 takes place and causing overheating of some cable. This is completely avoided in the BTS systems.
15. When multiple runs of cables are used it often leads to improper end connections thereby causing overheating of contacts, burning of
cables ends, and is a major cause of fire. This is completely avoided in Bus Bar Trunking systems.
Current carrying capacity
The current-carrying capacity of a busbar is usually determined by the maximum temperature at which the bar is permitted to operate, as
defined by national and international standards such as British Standard BS 159, American Standard ANSI C37.20, etc. These standards
give maximum temperature rises as well as maximum ambient temperatures.
BS 159 stipulates a maximum temperature rise of 50°C above a 24 hour mean ambient temperature of up to 35°C, and a peak ambient
temperature of 40°C.
ANSI C37.20 alternatively permits a temperature rise of 65°C above a maximum ambient of 40°C, provided that silver-plated (or
acceptable alternative) bolted terminations are used. If not, a temperature rise of 30°C is allowed.
A very approximate method of estimating the current carrying capacity of a copper busbar is to assume a current density of 2 A/mm2
(1250 A/in2) in still air. This method should only be used to estimate a likely size of busbar, the final size being chosen after
consideration has been given to the calculation methods. Refer catalogue of manufacturers.
The more popular thumb rule being followed in India is to assume current density of 1.0 Amps / Sq.mm for Aluminium and 1.6 Amps for
Copper for any standard rectangular conductor profile.
Standard size of bus bar
Sr. Application area Cable busbar
1 N u m b e r of O n e circuit per floor. Just one circuit can cover all floors.
circuits Hence for a 20-floor
building, you need 20
circuits.
2 Main Ne e d 1 outgoing for each Need only 1 outgoing for each riser. Lower
Switchboard circuit. Hence 20 nos. cost and size of main panel.
MCCB outgoings. Higher
cost and larger space
requirement in electrical
room
3 Shaft Size Us ing 4 core cables, and Typic al size of 1600A riser is 185mm x
considering 1 cable per 180mm. Leads to big savings on riser shaft
feeder, you need 20 cables size, and hence more usable floor area on
on the lowest floor. Large every floor.
space required for cables/
cable tray.
4 Fire & safety T he high concentration of T he volume of insulating materials used in
insulating materials used in trunking is reduced to a minimum so
cables and conductors combustive energy is considerably lower
involves a very high level than cables. The insulating materials used do
of combustive energy. not release corrosive or toxic gases in the
event of a fire. Once the source of the fire
is removed, these materials are extinguished
in a few seconds so that the effect of the
fire is minimised
5 Future expansion lo ad on any floor exceeds B y providing extra tap off slots on each
initial plan, owner has to run floor at the design stage, owner only has to
an additional cable from a procure a tap off box and plug it in
spare feeder on main board wherever additional load is required. As the
to that floor. plug in can be done live, there is no shut
down required for any of the existing clients
/ circuits. Future Flexibility.
6 F a u l t withstand Limited by conductor size Much higher – typically a 1600 A riser has a
levels of each circuit. fault withstand capability of 60 to 70 kA.
Safer in an electrical fault.
7 Installation time Much longer E ac h riser on a 20-floor building can be
installed in approximately 2 to 3 days.
8 Voltage drop H i g h impedance if you Much lower impedance. Hence substantially
choose cable size based lower voltage drop.
on each floor current rating.

Busbars Reduce System Costs

A laminated busbar will lower manufacturing costs by decreasing assembly time as well as internal material handling costs. Various
conductors are terminated at customer specified locations to eliminate the guesswork usually associated with assembly operating
procedures. A reduced parts count will reduce ordering, material handling and inventory costs.
Bus bars Improve Reliability
Laminated bus bars can help your organization build quality into processes. The reduction of wiring errors results in fewer reworks,
lower service costs and lower quality costs.
Bus bars Increase Capacitance
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 Increased capacitance results in decreasing characteristic impedance. This will ultimately lead to greater effective signal suppression
and noise elimination. Keeping the dielectrics thin and using dielectrics with a high relative K factor will increase capacitance.
Eliminate Wiring Errors
By replacing a standard cable harnesses with bus bars, the possibility for miss-wirings is eliminated. Wiring harnesses have high failure
rates relative to bus bars, which have virtually none. These problems are very costly to repair. Adding bus bars to your systems is
effective insurance.
Bus bars Lower Inductance
Any conductor carrying current will develop an electromagnetic field. The use of thin parallel conductors with a thin dielectric laminated
together minimizes the effect of inductance on electrical circuits. Magnetic flux cancellation is maximized when opposing potentials are
laminated together. Laminated bus bars have been designed to reduce the proximity effect in many semiconductor applications as well as
applications that involve high electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Bus bars Lower Impedance
Increasing the capacitance and reducing the inductance is a determining factor in eliminating noise. Keeping the dielectric thickness to a
minimum will accomplish the highly desired low impedance.
Bus bars Provide Denser Packaging
The use of wide, thin conductors laminated together led to decreased space requirements. Laminated bus bars have helped decrease
total system size and cost.
Bus bars Provide Wider Variety of Interconnection Methods
The flexibility of bus bars has allowed an unlimited number of interconnection styles to choose from. Bushings, embossments, and
fasten tabs are most commonly used.
Bus bars Improve Thermal Characteristics
The wide, thin conductors are favourable to allowing better airflow in systems. As package sizes decrease, the cost of removing heat
from systems has greatly increased. A bus bar cannot only reduce the overall size required, but it can also improve airflow with its sleek
design.
Material: The copper will be of ETP grade as per DIN 13601-2002 and with oxygen free copper.
Chemical composition: Purity of copper will be as per DIN EN 13601:2002. Copper + Silver 99.90% min.
Typical example
Rating Current: 3200Amp.
System:415Vac, TPN, 50Hz.
Fault Level: 50KA. For 1 Sec.
Operation Temp:40° C rise over 45 ° C ambient.

CONSIDERATION
Enclosure size: 1400 mm. wide X 400mm. height
Bus bar Size: 2:200x10 per Ph., 1:200x10 for Neutral.
Bus bar material: Electrolytic gr. Al. (IS 63401/AA6101)

Short Circuit Rating

-upto 400A rated current: 25KA for 1 sec.
-600 to 1000A rated current: 50KA for 1 sec.
-1250 to 2000A rated current: 65-100KA for 1 sec.
-2500 to 5000A rated current: 100-225KA for 1 sec.

The minimum cross section needed in sqmm for busbar in various common cases can be listed as below-

Material Fault level Withstand time

(KA)
1 sec. 200 msec. 40 ms. 10 ms.
35 443 198 89 44
Aluminium 50 633 283 127 63
65 823 368 165 82

35 285 127 57 28
Copper 50 407 182 81 41
65 528 236 106 53

Let us select a busbar with an example:

1) Aluminium busbar for 2000A, 35 kA for 1 sec withstand – From the table the minimum cross-section needed would be 443 mm2.
Thus we can select a 100mm x 5mm busbar as the minimum cross-section. Considering a current density of 1A/ mm2 by considering
temperature as well as skin effect, we shall require 4 x 100mm x 5mm busbars for this case.

2) Copper busbar for 2000A, 35 kA for 1 sec withstand – From the table the minimum cross-section needed would be 285 mm2. Thus
we can select a 60mm x 5mm busbar as the minimum cross-section. Considering a current density of 1.6A/ mm2 by considering
temperature as well as skin effect, we shall require 4 x 60mm x 5mm busbars for this case.
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Thus, by using the above formula and table, we can easily select busbars for our switchboards.
Size in Area Weight/ current carrying capacity in amp ( copper ) at 35 deg.C
mm sqmm km AC ( no. of bus) DC ( no. of bus)
I II III II II I II III II II
12X2 24 0.209 110 200 115 205
15X2 30 0.262 140 200 145 245
15X3 75 0.396 170 300 175 305
20X2 40 0.351 185 315 190 325
20X3 60 0.529 220 380 225 390
20X5 100 0.882 295 500 300 510
25X3 75 0.663 270 460 275 470
25X5 125 1.11 350 600 355 610
30X3 90 0.796 315 540 320 560
30X5 150 1.33 400 700 410 720
40X3 120 1.06 420 710 430 740
40X5 200 1.77 520 900 530 930
40X10 400 3.55 760 1350 1850 2500 770 1400 2000
50X5 250 2.22 630 1100 1650 2100 650 1150 1750
50X10 500 4.44 920 1600 2250 3000 960 1700 2500
60X5 300 2.66 760 1250 1760 2400 780 1300 1900 2500
60X10 600 5.33 1060 1900 2600 3500 1100 2000 2800 3600
80X5 400 3.55 970 1700 2300 3000 1000 1800 2500 3200
80X10 800 7.11 1380 2300 3100 4200 1450 2600 3700 4800
100X5 500 4.44 1200 2050 2850 3500 1250 2250 3150 4050
100X10 1000 8.89 1700 2800 3650 5000 1800 3200 4500 5800
120X10 1200 10.7 2000 3100 4100 5700 2150 3700 5200 6700
160X10 1600 14.2 2500 3900 5300 7300 2800 4800 6900 9000
200X10 2000 17.8 3000 4750 6350 8800 3400 6000 8500 10000

Temperature rise

During the short circuiting, the bus bar should be able to withstand the thermal as well as mechanical stress. When a sort circuiting takes
place, the temperature rise is directly proportional to the squire of the rms value of the fault current. The duration of short circuiting is
very small i.e. one second till the breakers opens and clears the fault. The heat dissipation through convection and radiation during this
short duration is negligible and all the heat is observed by the busbar itself. The temperature rise due to the fault can be calculated by
applying the formulae.

T = K (I/A) 2 (1+α θ) 10 -2
T=temperature rise per second
A= conductor cross section area
α = temperature coefficient of resistivity at 20 deg.C/deg.C
= 0 .00393 for copper
= 0 .00386 for aluminium
K = constant
=0.52 for copper
=1.166 for aluminium
θ = temperature of the conductor at the instant at which the temperature rise is being calculated.

Typical calculation

Rated current = 1000A

Fault current = 50KA for 1 sec
Permissible temperature rise= 40 deg.C
Busbar material =aluminium ally E91E
De-rating factor due to material =1
De-rating factor due to temperature rise =0.86
De-rating factor due to enclosure =0.75
Total de-rating factor = 1x0.75x0.86=0.66
Minimum cross section area required to withstand short circuit for 1 sec.
= (Ifc x√t )/0.08
Where, Ifc = fault level current in KA
t= 1 second
Area A = (50x√1 )/0.08 = 625 sqmm
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Considering all de-rating factor, A = 625/0.66 =946.97
Say, cross sectional area per phase = 1000 sqmm
For neutral, cross sectional area per phase = 500 sqmm

for more study -refer a practical guide to cable installation and tool box talk
In India -

Available with book shop and -

http://www.amazon.in
http://www.abebooks.com
www.discoverypublishinggroup.com

Price: Rs. 375/- excluding delivery charges

Bhagawan Prasad at 18:52

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24 comments:

row anco 8 March 2014 at 01:15

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is a specialist Switchboard Manuf acturing company incorporated in 1973.We have established a leading reputation f or the
design and delivery of high quality,cost ef f ective switchboard.
Reply

vijay chowdary 12 March 2014 at 02:55

I would like to recommended your blog. You can also ref er to us 11KV Busduct see this f or more inf ormation.
Reply

Bhagawan Prasad 19 April 2014 at 07:39

Reader can see more inf ormation on
http://www.sanjaytechnical.in/11kv-bus-duct/11kv-bus-duct.html

Reply

Replies

sandeep rawat 16 August 2014 at 00:35

How to select BUS BAR f or chiller control panel when chiller takes 352 AMPS,400V, 50KA

Anonymous 23 December 2017 at 01:37

40 X 6 MM COPPER BUSBAR CAN HOLD 50KA FOR 0.25 SEC WIT H RUNNING BUSBAR CAPACIT Y OF 415 AMPS

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 Reply

sagar adhau 16 December 2014 at 02:26

Under T ypical Calculation,How do you have taken 0.08 value,please conf irm?
Reply

Henry Ashilonu 28 September 2015 at 07:07

nice one. great inf o
Reply

Unknown 2 December 2015 at 23:24

How to calculate bus bar current
Reply

Replies

Anonymous 23 December 2017 at 01:31

IF BUSBAR IS OF 40X6 MM
SO 40X6=240
CONDUCT IVIT Y OF COPPER=1.6 A/MM2
CONDUCT IVIT Y OF ALUMMINIUM=0.8 A/MM2

SO IF COPPER BUSBAR = 240 X 1.6 =384 AMPERE

ALUMINIUM BUSBAR= 240 X 0.8=192 AMPERE

Reply

Mahesh Ghadge 2 December 2015 at 23:25

How to calculate bus bar current
Reply

Unknown 26 May 2016 at 23:58

I want to clearly which product make cross sectional area. Please clear me.
Reply

prabhas 27 June 2016 at 01:20

Calculate your BMI by using our Body mass index Calculator f or adults & children. Calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms
by the square of height in meters. Weight Calculator
Reply

Abhay Phadke 24 January 2017 at 20:23

which bus bar is better? Having current density 1.2 or 1.6
Reply

Replies

Anonymous 23 December 2017 at 01:33

SURELY 1.6, SO CURRENT FLOWING T HROUGH MM2 OF BUSBAR IS MORE

Reply

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Neha Sharma 8 February 2017 at 04:16
Calculate your BMI by using our Body mass index Calculator f or adults & children. Calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms
by the square of height in meters. Weight Calculator
Reply

M P Jain T ubing Solutions LLP 25 February 2017 at 03:28

nice post on welded f ittings can u write blog on shims
Reply

6‫ ﻫﻨ ﺴﺎ ﻋﺪ ك ﺗﺨ ﺲ‬May 2017 at 01:06

My understanding of doing this is that due to that BELLY FAT DOES NOT HAVE ANY VAINS IN IT - which makes it imposible f or
blood stream to reach the f atty sources there to consume them (T hats why the belly f at resists to be burned out and lasts
longer than other body f ats), when some certain demage there is made, a body needs to develop a way to reach the damaged
areas and clean that out .. when a body at a same time lacks an energy - voila - an energy source is f inally f ound ‫ ﻋ ﻤﻠﯿﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻮن اﻟ ﻤ ﻌﺪة‬.
Af ter some belly punching sessions ‫ﺑﺎﻟﻮن اﻟ ﻤ ﻌﺪة‬, body may develop a circulation system there and burn the belly f at along your
regular training. I dont have any prove f or this, it is just my theory, I just begun this prctice f ew days ago, because I remembered
when I was taking some self def ense lessons some years back, each lesson was starting with this "unplesant" excercise (in
pairs). A trainer was f ormer boxer ‫ ﻋ ﻤﻠﯿﺔ اﻟﺒﺎﻟﻮن‬, so I think this is something a boxers have some experience with. I can say just
f rom this f ew days experience I started now, Im positive about the ef f ects, I can say my belly is f or f ew days much warmer -
which I hope is due to blood circulation, bef ore that it was cold all the time even during ab trainings. Im trying to not hurt myself ,
always asking a f riend in gym, when my abs are relaxed and tensed enough in a same time to punch me all over my abs f or f ew
minutes (2-3m) with increasing intensity - until I f eel f ine with the intensity. ‫ﻋ ﻤﻠﯿﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻮن اﻟ ﻤ ﻌﺪه ﻓﻲ ﻣﺼﺮ‬
Reply

T anjir Ahmmed 19 October 2017 at 20:42

nice articale
Reply

Ankur Afre 30 October 2017 at 00:06

As per my requirement, I am searching Bus Bar Cross Section (T hickness & Width) f or 3A, 5A, 10A, 30A, 40A, 100A, 250A
Current rating.

----------------------------------------
T hanks With Best Regards,
| Ankur Af re. | Mob. No : 91 - 9421511797 | Desk No : 91-2066209365
| Mail. : ankur.af re@hindujatech.com |
Reply

Robin Jack 29 April 2018 at 13:03

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Reply

Waleed Stiha 30 May 2018 at 00:35

if i have a load 500 kva and 800 kva both have f eed f rom (f ar 50m and 150m f rom panel resp.)transf ormer panel, how can
calculate the specif ied bus duct (only one bus duct f or both),also can we devide main bus duct into two branches with two
dif f erent rates f or two loads?
Reply

Unknown 27 June 2018 at 23:03

= (If c x√t )/0.08

what is 0.08? how did u calculated it ? please explain

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 Reply

Unknown 19 October 2018 at 02:31

what is the current of 25x3mm copper bus bar
Reply

PinnacleGenerators 8 February 2019 at 01:29

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Bhagawan Prasad
Panipat, Haryana, India
Electrical Engineer having 20 years experience in Power Distribution, Electrical Maintenance, Electrical Projects, basic of
SAP, Design, estimation and costing of power distribution,EPC f or indoor substation,street lighting, Language with
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