Industrial Electrical Project Design and E-PLAN Drafting

On an electrical project, most of the problems met in the field originate at the drawing stage rather than during installation. A cable chosen without a cross-section calculation, protective devices with no coordination, or a schematic without terminal numbers all stretch manufacturing and commissioning unnecessarily. Contech prepares electrical projects for industrial facilities in E-PLAN. From concept development through to detailed implementation plans, the guiding principle at every stage is that the design must be buildable in the field.

A project starts with drawing up the plant’s load list. The power of every motor, heater, lighting group and socket outlet is totalled, and with diversity taken into account the incoming capacity and transformer requirement are determined. The distribution architecture follows: which load is fed from which board, where sub-boards sit and how main routes run. Cable cross-sections are calculated against three criteria together — current carrying capacity, voltage drop and short-circuit withstand; a cable chosen on current alone causes trouble on long runs because of voltage drop. Discrimination is established between protective devices so that a fault on one outgoing way trips only that stage rather than the incomer. Control schematics are drawn in E-PLAN with every cable and terminal numbered, and PLC I/O addresses appear on the drawings, which keeps the software and the installation in exact agreement. In facilities containing Ex-proof areas, zone classification is recorded in the project and equipment selection follows from it. Where official approval is required, submitting documents to the relevant authority and following the process are also handled by us. When the project is complete, the plant holds a full file of schematics, cable schedules, load calculations and layout plans — the starting point for every future capacity increase and revision.