Today, we’re going to talk about electrical panels—what an electrical panel is and how many types there are. What do we mean by LT panel? What do we mean by HT panel? If you go to any industry, how many types of panels will you see? What exactly are they doing? What devices are we using inside them? We’re going to understand all of this in a very simple way. After watching this video, you’ll have a clear understanding of how power is distributed in any industry. If you want to know all these things, keep watching this video—you’re going to learn not just something new, but a lot.
What is an Electrical Panel? A Simple Explanation of Circuit Breakers and TNC Switches
Let’s understand what panels are. In simple terms, if I explain it to you, these are large metal boxes inside which we use various equipment. In any faulty condition, it breaks the circuit and stops the current flow. Now, it’s not only in faulty conditions that it trips; sometimes, it has to be manually tripped. You need to break the circuit, and for that, there’s something called a TNC switch, which stands for Trip Neutral Close switch. As the name suggests, with its help, you can trip the circuit breaker, meaning break the circuit, and you can also close it, meaning turn it on.
Relays and Monitoring Devices: Ensuring Safety and Performance in Electrical Panels
Different types of relays are also used here, which sense various conditions like overcurrent, earth faults, or voltage issues, and they trip the circuit breaker accordingly. There are also various monitoring devices like digital voltmeters, digital ammeters, multifunction meters where you can monitor voltage, current, the system’s power factor, kWh reading, etc. And there are indicators providing a lot of information, such as whether the circuit is healthy or not, or if the tripping circuit is in a healthy or unhealthy condition. Almost every electrical panel will have these components, along with many others depending on the type of electrical panel you are talking about.
The Role of Electrical Panels: Monitoring and Protecting Industrial Power Systems
So, if you’ve understood what an electrical panel is, let me explain simply: the electricity in an industry doesn’t go directly to the load. It goes through the electrical panel. What is it doing? It’s monitoring the electricity. We can see what the voltage is, what the current is, how much kWh is being consumed, what the power factor is. At the same time, it’s providing protection. If there’s any kind of fault—overcurrent, for example—the circuit will trip and stop the electricity from passing through.
Types of Industrial Panels: Understanding HT and LT Panels and Power Distribution
Now, if we talk about the types of panels used in industries, they can be classified in two ways: one is HT panel (High Tension panel), and the other is LT panel (Low Tension panel). From the name, you can understand that an HT panel operates at voltages above 1000V, such as 6.6 kV, 33 kV, 11 kV, or 66 kV. These are HT panels. Panels operating below 1000V, like 430V, 450V, or 220V, are LT panels.
Now, how is the power distributed? Let’s understand it better. First, the supply comes to the HT panel. As I mentioned, circuit breakers are used in these panels. Typically, in HT panels, VCB (Vacuum Circuit Breakers) and SF6 circuit breakers are used. Earlier, OCB (Oil Circuit Breakers) were also used, but nowadays SF6 breakers are more common. Up to 33 kV, you’ll see VCB breakers, and for systems operating above that, we use SF6 breakers. From the HT panel, the supply is sent to the loads operating at high voltages, and it’s also sent to transformers, where the voltage level is reduced—for example, to 415V.
The Main LT Panel (PCC): Key Units and the Role of APFC Panels in Power Factor Correction
This main LT panel is also called the PCC (Power Control Center) panel, and it’s a very important panel from which all other LT panels or distribution points in the industry receive their supply. In this panel, you’ll find various units. Each outgoing feeder, also known as the outgoing filter, has different units. For example, there’s an APFC panel (Automatic Power Factor Correction panel), which helps improve the power factor. In industries where large motors and inductive loads are used, the power factor tends to drop, so this panel automatically improves it.
Key Components of APFC, MCC, VFD, and Lighting Panels in Industrial Power Distribution
Capacitor banks of different combinations are used inside the APFC panel to improve the power factor. Next, you’ll see the MCC panel (Motor Control Center), where relays, MCBs, CTs, and other equipment are installed. Additionally, there’s a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) panel, which is typically kept in an AC room because it generates a lot of heat, and cooling it is essential to avoid tripping. There is also the lighting panel. Which is distributes power to the lighting systems across the area. It is call the MLDB (Main Lighting Distribution Board).
Apart from these, there are various other LT panels, but these are the main ones you should know about. As I mentioned earlier, HT panels typically use VCB or SF6 breakers, while LT panels mostly use ACBs (Air Circuit Breakers), which are found in PCC and MCC panels.
So, whether you’re setting up a factory in Kolkata or anywhere else, understanding the role of an electrical control panel in Kolkata is crucial to ensure smooth and efficient industrial operations.