Custom Switchgear Design for Managing Facility Power
Designing, Building Switchgear for Power Distribution
Electrical power enters a facility through one or two connections, but it’s distributed in multiple directions once it gets inside. If one circuit supplies a transformer, another might go to a production area, and another delivers power to a separate building.
The challenge is organizing power so operators can control individual circuits and perform maintenance without shutting down the entire facility.
That’s the purpose of your custom switchgear. Instead of forcing every facility into the same standard design, your custom equipment is built around how the facility actually receives, distributes and uses electricity.
Electrical gear in projects like this (see video) includes Main-Tie-Main, Main with Feeders and Double Main with Feeders lineups. ABB VersaRupter and Powercon switches in the video below control incoming power and outgoing circuits.
What Does Custom Switchgear Do?
Your switchgear is a central control point between an incoming electrical source and the equipment that uses that power. It gives facility personnel an organized way to connect, disconnect and direct electricity through the distribution system.
A complete lineup can include incoming main sections, tie sections and multiple feeder sections. Each section has a particular job, but all of them are assembled into one coordinated system.
The result is equipment designed to:
- Receive power from one or more sources
- Distribute power to several circuits
- Separate sections for maintenance
- Adapt to changing operating conditions
- Prepare for possible future expansion
That’s why custom switchgear manufacturing begins with the customer’s power-distribution needs and not a predetermined equipment configuration.
Need a Custom Switchgear Configuration?
Why One Switchgear Design Doesn’t Fit Every Facility
Buildings and industrial facilities don’t all use power in the same way. A small facility might get power through one incoming source and distribute it to only a few circuits. A larger plant, campus or processing facility can have two sources, multiple transformers and several operating areas.
The physical location also affects the equipment design. Floor space, cable-entry direction, indoor or outdoor installation and access for maintenance all influence the switchgear lineup needed.
Custom switchgear brings requirements together. Your switchgear manufacturer can arrange the mains, ties and feeders to the facility’s power system while considering the available installation space.
Even your equipment enclosure needs to be considered. BCS incorporates custom electrical enclosures for switchgear when environmental conditions, dimensions or equipment layouts need something other than a standard cabinet.
Main with Feeders: One Source, Several Circuits
A Main with Feeders switchgear lineup is the easiest configuration to understand. Power enters through one main switch and travels along the internal bus to several feeder switches.
Each feeder controls an outgoing circuit. Those circuits serve transformers, large equipment, separate buildings or different facilities.
You can think of the main as the entrance to the system and the feeders as the individual exits. Electricity enters at one point and goes to where it’s needed.
The feeder arrangement also gives the facility more control over individual circuits. If one transformer or building needs to be disconnected, its feeder can be isolated without automatically turning off every other circuit supplied by the lineup.
A Main with Feeders meets the need when a facility has one primary source but needs to distribute power to multiple destinations.
ABB VersaRupter and Powercon switches shown in this video are electrical power switches for controlling parts of the system. Depending on the lineup, a switch may work as a main, tie or feeder.
The main switch controls incoming power. A tie switch connects or separates bus sections. Feeder switches control the outgoing circuits carrying power to downstream equipment.
Some positions use fused switches, and others use non-fusible designs with circuit breakers helping to protect the electrical system. Selection depends on the project’s power-system requirements.
See Medium-voltage load-interrupter switches explains these individual switch types.
Main-Tie-Main: Dividing Power Into Two Sections
Main-Tie-Main switchgear divides the lineup into two bus sections. Each section has its own main, and a tie switch is positioned between.
During normal operation, the two sides may operate separately. The tie provides a controlled way to connect the sections when the power-system design and approved operating procedure allow.
This arrangement gives your facility greater flexibility. One section may be isolated for maintenance while the other is available, or the system might be configured so one source can temporarily support more loads.
The operating sequence depends on the facility’s sources, equipment capacity and controls. Main-Tie-Main doesn’t automatically mean that a facility will have uninterrupted power. It provides an equipment arrangement supporting power transfers and sectionalized operation when the complete electrical system is designed for those functions.
You can learn more about the individual devices used in these lineups should review our guide to 15 kV switch types in medium-voltage switchgear.
Double Main with Feeders: Organizing Two Sources
A Double Main with Feeders switchgear lineup is designed around two incoming main switches and multiple outgoing feeder switches.
This configuration is used when your facility has two utility services, two transformers, a normal source and an alternate source, or another power design needing separate incoming connections.
The two mains create entry points for power. The feeders then distribute that power to the designated loads.
Compared with a Main-Tie-Main arrangement, a Double Main with Feeders lineup doesn’t necessarily have a tie between the two sections. Its design is developed around how the two sources and their connected loads operate.
👉 Point to Remember: custom switchgear manufacturing allows two incoming power paths and several outgoing circuits to be organized into one clearly arranged equipment lineup.
Building Around the Facility Instead of a Catalog
Standard equipment works when your building and power system match the manufacturer’s available arrangements. Existing facilities, replacement projects and expanding power systems don’t always fit standard dimensions or layouts.
A custom manufacturer can consider the entire installation, including:
- Number of incoming power sources
- Number of outgoing circuits
- Location of mains, ties and feeders
- Indoor or outdoor installation
- Cable-entry and exit locations
- Available floor space
- Access for operation and maintenance
- Provisions for future expansion
This is important when new equipment connects to existing transformers, cables or electrical infrastructure. The switchgear has to work as part of the facility’s complete power system, not as an isolated piece of equipment.
Talk with BCS about a switchgear lineup built around your facility’s sources, loads, available space and operating needs.
What You Don’t See in the Finished Lineup
Once a switchgear lineup is completed, its appearance can make the project seem straightforward. The sections are aligned, doors are installed, switches are labeled and the equipment is ready for shipment.
What you don’t immediately see is the work required to reach that point.
Before manufacturing begins, the switchgear build team understands your system including how the equipment should be arranged. Enclosures are fabricated, switching devices installed, busses assembled and control wiring completed. Components are positioned so the equipment can be installed, operated and maintained.
This planning and craftsmanship are what turn individual switches, conductors and metal compartments into a coordinated power-distribution system.
Testing the Complete Switchgear Lineup
Testing is another important part of custom manufacturing. Finished equipment is inspected to confirm that its components, wiring, switch operation and mechanical features match the intended design.
Testing identifies issues before the lineup reaches the jobsite, where corrections can be difficult and disruptive. Testing gives you confidence the assembled sections operate together as intended.
BCS provides switchgear testing services for electrical equipment used in demanding commercial and industrial power systems.
Choosing the Right Configuration
The correct arrangement starts with understanding how the facility receives and distributes power.
Main with Feeders: configuration supports one incoming source and several outgoing circuits. Main-Tie-Main: divides power into two sections and adds a tie for greater operating flexibility. Double Main with Feeders: organizes two incoming sources and multiple outgoing circuits.
No single arrangement is right for every project. The best solution is the one designed around your facility’s sources, loads, operating plans, available space and long-term needs.
That’s the real value of custom switchgear. You get an organized system for managing facility power today, providing flexibility to support how your power system needs to operate for years to come.
BCS Switchgear is an industry leader in new and obsolete electrical control and distribution equipment. Since 1997, BCS has been servicing customers to extend electrical life of low and medium voltage electrical power equipment.
Cody can be reached by email: [email protected]
