The Importance of Preventative Maintenance of Bus Duct

Having an uninterrupted supply of electricity for customers is the main goal of a power generation industry to allow them to meet their demands. It can be very costly for a company to have any unplanned downtime due to any equipment failures. This is a fact when looking at bus duct systems since they effectively transfer power to switchgear and other loads. To prevent avoidable downtimes from occurring it is imperative to have preventative bus duct maintenance in place.

Neglect on Systems

Too often, critical systems like bus duct that transmit power at industrial buildings go neglected. The reason behind this is because people are under the wrong concept that since bus duct systems do not consist of moving internal parts that they do not need regular maintenance or service. Over time, carbon and other foreign debris can build up and contaminate the bus systems that will, in turn, cause cataclysmic arcs and damage the equipment. Without proper inspection and preventative maintenance performed regularly, the equipment will have without a doubt have unexpected failures that will cause outages, can further damage equipment and increase safety risks for personnel as well.

Preventing Failures

It is very important to have regular and systematic inspections of the bus duct systems performed. If the installation is done in unfavorable conditions, for example, high temperature/ humidity or environments with a lot of dust it is recommended these inspections are performed at a more frequent interval in these instances. The most common failures that are observed during bus duct failures can range from damaged gaskets/ bellows, grounding issues, cracked weld joints, conductor connection integrity, and even improper termination design or installation.

Installing New Bus Duct

One factor to consider when installing a new or replacing bus duct system is to consider the ampacity requirement for your actual operating environment as opposed to just choosing one based on a standard chart’s temperature assumption. The most bus generally occupies at high-temperature areas since they are installed near the ceiling. Temperatures will continue to fluctuate while under load or no load as well, so it is important to do the research and know the limits of the equipment. Another good piece of advice is to install extra protection with service conductor bus duct to protect the bus duct zone from fault. It may be an extra up-front cost but the savings from downtime in the future will be well worth it.

J & P Electrical Company is a full-service electrical company that supplies contractors, end users, and supply houses with new surplus, quality reconditioned, and obsolete electrical equipment. We offer a wide range of electrical equipment such as bus plugs, bus duct, panels switches, and transformers. Services include asset management, product reconditioning, and electrical products.