Construction Site Electrical System Design

This first lecture introduces all of the key subjects covered in this course

Site electrical systems raise some unique problems for engineers due to the hazardous environments involved, specialized designs required and control measures that are necessary to keep personnel safe.

This initial lecture introduces the site electrical systems that you are likely to come across and looks at what procedures you need to set up to control the site electrical system before looking at how to install a generator with its associated compound. We then look at good and bad installation practices on site before finishing the lecture by looking at how we deal with live overhead lines on site.

By the end of this lecture you will understand all of the key elements of how to run and operate an electrical system on site and set up some basic procedures to keep everyone safe.

The grounding system is a safety key element in any electrical network and is especially important with site systems due to the additional dangers involved,

This lecture will compare the differences between grounded and ungrounded systems and show why we always use a grounded system on site. You will then learn the various ways in which the ground system can be designed before looking at some examples where a ground system has not been installed correctly.

By the end of this lecture you will know why we have a grounding system and how to install and design a safe ground system.

Site electrical systems can be hazardous places and require specialized equipment to protect personnel. Residual Current Devices are used to protect people from harm when things go wrong with the system.

This lecture explains how residual current devices operate, how they can be identified and where in the system they need to be positioned to provide the most effective protection for the site personnel.

By the end of the lecture you will be familiar with residual current devices and be confident in their use on any site electrical system

Construction sites have a unique electrical system which needs to be designed properly to make it safe for all workers using the system.

This lecture outlines all of the key elements of site electrical system before looking in detail how we connected generators, main distribution boards and sub-distribution systems.

By the end of this lecture you will know how to connect an electrical system on site and be able to safety check electrical systems done by others.

All electrical systems are designed to operate correctly but sometimes things go wrong and it is important to understand what happens when these events occur.

This lecture will identify how the electrical systems operate during a normal condition, before analyzing how things change when things go wrong and a fault occurs. We then look at the impact of faults on personnel to understand the importance of protecting the workers on site.

By the end of this lecture you will understand what and electrical fault is and its impact on the electrical system and personnel when they occur.

All electrical equipment used on site needs to be sized correctly so that it can operate throughout the life of the site without being damaged or impaired.

This lecture will start by looking at how we size circuit breakers for a typical site electrical system, to do this the principles of electrical diversity will be introduced. We then go onto sizing generators for use on site taking into account the present and future loads involved.

By the end of the lecture you will be able to size all of the basic components of a site electrical system and understand how electrical diversity can be used in a practical application. 

Electrical cabling is used throughout construction sites to carry power from the source to the load. Their installation can be particularly challenging on site due to the work processed involved.

This lecture will show how electrical are sized based on the current and volt drop, before looking at how cables can be installed correctly and safely across the site.

By the end of this lecture you will know how to size electrical cables and how to install them safely on site.

Lock and tag systems are a key tool that we use to control access to the electrical network and define how it is used throughout the site electrical system.

This lecture starts by introducing the basic principles and elements of lock and tag systems before seeing how a lock and tag system is used to control access on site. We then see how we can safely energize an electrical system for the first time without putting personnel or equipment's in danger.

By the end of this lecture you will understand why we need lock and tag systems on site and be confident on how you can use them to keep a site electrical system safe for all personnel.