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Moeller Provides Power Distribution at Abbey National’s Prestigious New Offices
![[picture of Abbey National's headquarters in London]](images/abbey_national_hq.jpg)
A reliable power supply is a prerequisite for Abbey National, to ensure continuous access to their business critical financial information systems.
At its new head office located at 2 Triton Square in central London, power supply manufacturers Moeller Electric and contractors Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil have completed the installation of a total power distribution solution. The £1.7 million project involved the supply of six main switchboards, together with about 1300m of interconnecting busbar trunking.
Moeller’s project manager, John du Boulay, said: “This is an important project for us and the client. Abbey National’s requirements for an uninterruptible power supply demanded a distribution solution of the highest reliability and quality. Moeller’s comprehensive portfolio of power distribution products and experience, together with the expertise of Skanska’s mechanical and electrical specialist Rashleigh Weatherfoil, placed us in an ideal position to match Abbey National’s demands.”
The site’s control switchgear, comprises six Modan 6000 switchboards of various power ratings. Originally designed for the high specification environments of the petrochemical and oil and gas industries, Modan satisfies the World’s most stringent safety standards. Its flexible modular design integrates easily with Moeller’s busbar and a wide range of building management systems.
du Boulay added: “The complete distribution system is designed to perform continuously, even while maintenance work is carried out. To facilitate this, Modan has a functional modular design, such as circuit breaker modules for outgoing supplies, which can be easily removed without disrupting the rest of the system.”
At Triton Square, a 200,000 sq ft, six-floor office complex, power is fed from the National Grid into the 4000A rated, ‘dirty power’, switchboard 1, located in the basement. This in turn serves a roof mounted 3200A switchboard 2, which supplies the 24-hour chillers. National Grid power also feeds the 4000A switchboard 3, distributing electricity to the uninterruptible power supply (UPS), comprising a bank of six units. Switchboard 4 rated at 3200A, controls output from the UPS to the financial information systems. To enable maintenance on the UPS unit, a link bypassing the UPS directly connects switchboard 3 and switchboard 4. Back up power from the generators is controlled via the 4000A roof mounted switchboard 5, which feeds switchboards 1 and 3 in the basement. The 1600A switchboard 6 provides power for emergency lifts and fire protection services. A colour coded system enables easy tracing of the supplies throughout the building.
“A crucial element in the selection of Moeller’s power distribution equipment is its easy integration of intelligence, enabling a completely automated power distribution solution. With a wealth of experience in the field of industrial automation, we have developed this advantage to offer a very strong position in building automation,” du Boulay explained.
To guarantee continual power there is a set of three generators controlled by a Cummins DMC unit. This unit monitors and controls the power distribution system via dual serial link connections to I/O outstations located in both switchboard 1 and switchboard 3. Such a set up avoids the complexity and expense of installing numerous control cables to each of the switchboards. In the event of failure in the national grid supply, this automated power distribution system swings into action, with two out of the three generators brought on line, while instantaneously shedding load by switching off half of the building’s chiller capacity.
Forming interconnects in the building’s sophisticated power network are Moeller’s Barduct XL and PE cast resin busbar trunking. Busbar trunking was selected over a conventional cabling solution because it offered considerable savings in installation time, labour cost and space. The Barduct XL range is specifically designed for switchboard links in multi-storey commercial offices and industrial developments. Its key features include tough aluminium casing, a wide rated current range of 800 to 5000A, three phase, three, four or five wire configurations, and frequent tap off points. A system of joints such as elbows and offsets combined with bolt on assembly, is not only very flexible, but ensures easy installation. The XL range’s tap-off units include an automatic shutter actuator, ensuring maximum protection during insertion or removal, and are protected against ingress to IP54.
For external use or in installations with exceptionally difficult environments, Moeller has designed the PE cast resin busbar trunking system. The PE range covers current ratings from 800 to 6000A, with a three phase four or five wire configurations, enclosed in a polyester resin enclosure which offers maximum protection to IP66. As it is double insulated, the PE busbar trunking system requires no earth protection conductor. However, a fifth bar is available for earth protection.
At the site, the XL busbar trunking is used as vertical risers throughout the building and consists of: 455m feeder and rising main rated at 630A, 115m of generator to switchgear interconnects, 543m of 3,200A trunking linking the transformer and 111m of switchgear interconnects. A 100m of PE trunking at 2000A provides connection outside the building between switch nodes.
Summarising the project, du Boulay said: “The Triton Square project particularly matches our strengths. Moeller is able to supply a complete power distribution solution based on its comprehensive portfolio of equipment ranging from sophisticated switchboards to busbar trunking to individual circuit breakers. Through our expertise in automation, we are able to offer solutions allowing intelligent power management, which is becoming increasingly important in the market place.”
