NUMBER E25-S01

REV. NO. 2
ENGINEERING STANDARD DATE MAR 2004
PAGE 1 OF 8

Bus Bars and Bus Ducts

This document is issued by Engineering Standards Section, SABIC Engineering and Project Management, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The information contained in this document is the confidential property of SABIC. It can not be disclosed, copied or used for any purpose
without prior approval from SABIC. If you are not authorized to possess this document, please destroy it immediately.
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DATE MAR 2004
ENGINEERING STANDARD PAGE 2 OF 8

CONTENTS

1. SCOPE................................................................................................. 3
2. REFERENCES 3
3. DEFINITIONS 3
4. GENERAL ............................................................................................ 3
5. ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS 4
5.1 Site Conditions 4
5.2 Service Conditions .......................................................................... 4
6. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS 4
6.1 General 4
6.2 Ratings and Performance ............................................................... 4
6.3 Enclosure 5
6.4 Bus Bars 5
6.5 Bus Bar Supports ............................................................................ 6
6.6 Building Penetrations 6
6.7 Hardware 6
6.8 Space Heaters................................................................................. 6
6.9 Connectors 6
7. NAMEPLATES 6
8. TEST AND INSPECTION..................................................................... 7
9. FINISH 7
10. DOCUMENTATION 7
10.1 Drawings ......................................................................................... 7
10.2 Installation and Maintenance Manual 7
11. PREPARATION FOR SHIPMENT 8
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1. Scope
This specification is for manufacturing, testing and shipping of non-segregated phase bus duct rated
600 V to 35 kV.

2. References
Reference is made in this specification to the following documents. The latest issues, amendments, and
supplements to these documents shall apply unless otherwise indicated.
SABIC Engineering Standards (SES)
E25-X01 Bus Bars and Bus Ducts - Data Sheets
Q01-G02 General Surface Preparation and External Painting of Equipment
Z01-G04 Measurement Units for Use in SABIC Projects
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
C37.23 Standard for Metal-Enclosed Bus and Calculating Losses in Isolated-Phase Bus
C37.100 IEEE Standard Definitions for Power Switchgear
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
70 National Electrical Code (NEC)

3. Definitions
See ANSI C37.23 and C37.100 for definitions of terms specific to bus ducts.

4. General
4.1 This specification prescribes the general requirements for all bus duct. See the individual data sheets
SES E25-X01 for specific requirements.
4.2 SABIC may choose to accept bus duct manufactured to other standards when it can be shown that
they meet or exceed the requirements of the referenced standards. Vendor shall provide with proposal a
detailed listing of the applicable standards, and a chart comparing requirements of the proposed standard
with those of the referenced USA standards.
4.3 Bus duct is usually purchased with switchgear, to simplify coordination. SABIC will establish a
communication procedure for the vendor to obtain required information on transformers to which the bus
duct will connect. Vendor shall be responsible for coordination of the complete bus duct installation.
4.4 Documents shall be provided in units conforming to SES Z01-G04, and shall be written in English
language.
4.5 Any conflict(s) between this specification, SES and industry standards, engineering drawings, and
contract documents shall be resolved at the discretion of SABIC.

5. Environmental Requirements
5.1 Site Conditions
5.1.1 Indoor conditions
a. Temperature range: air-conditioned 0 to 40 °C
b. Relative humidity: 10 to 100 percent
5.1.2 Outdoor conditions
a. Ambient temperature range: 1 to 50 °C
b. Metallic surface temperatures reaching 75 °C due to solar radiation
c. Corrosive desert atmosphere with blowing sand and dust
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DATE MAR 2004
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5.1.3 Storage/transport conditions

a. Ambient temperature: 2 to 70 °C
b. Relative humidity range: 1 to 95 percent, non-condensing
5.2 Service Conditions
Bus duct will normally be installed partially outdoors (transformer end) and partially indoors in an
air-conditioned space. It shall be capable of operating continuously in a 50 °C ambient with the outdoor
section exposed to direct solar radiation.

6. Design Requirements
6.1 General
6.1.1 The bus duct shall be furnished as a complete system to include all necessary straight sections,
bends, wall frames, vapor barriers, expansion joints, splice plates, and termination materials. The system
shall include all hardware and materials for connection to drilled pads on the bus of the supply and
utilization equipment, and for joining the bus enclosure to the equipment enclosures.
6.1.2 Bus duct components and materials shall be of the latest field proven design, and in current
production. Obsolete components or components scheduled for discontinuation shall not be used.
6.1.3 Sandwich type constructed bus duct assemblies shall not be acceptable.
6.1.2 The bus duct shall conform to ANSI C37.23 and this specification.
6.2 Ratings and Performance
6.2.1 Bus duct ratings shall meet or exceed the values shown in this sub-section, but in no case shall the
bus duct ratings be less than specified in SES E25-X01.
6.2.2 Voltage ratings shall comply with the following:

SYSTEM MAXIMUM 1 min. 60 Hz IMPULSE DC (DRY)

VOLTAGE VOLTAGE WITHSTAND WITHSTAND WITHSTAND

480 V 635 V 2.2 kV NA 3.1 kV

4.16 kV 4.76 kV 19 kV 60 kV 27 kV
13.8 kV 15 kV 35 kV 110 kV 50 kV
34.5 kV 38 kV 80 kV 150 kV NA
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DATE MAR 2004
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6.2.3 Continuous self cooled current and short circuit withstand ratings shall comply with the following:

480 V 4.16 kV 13.8 kV 34.5 kV

SHORT CIRCUIT(1) (kA) (3 seconds) 75, 100, 150 39, 58, 78 37, 58, 77 32, 56, 64

CONTINUOUS CURRENT (A) 600 NA NA NA

1200 1200 1200 1200
1600 NA NA NA
2000 2000 2000 2000
NA NA NA 2500
3000 3000 3000 3000
4000 4000 4000 NA

(1) Short circuit withstand values are asymmetrical.

6.2.4 The hottest-spot total temperatures of the various components of the bus duct shall not exceed the
values in ANSI C37.23 under actual site conditions (50 °C ambient with direct solar radiation). Forced
cooling shall not be used for any rating without specific approval from SABIC.
6.3 Enclosure
6.3.1 The bus duct shall be a totally enclosed non-ventilated construction.
6.3.2 The enclosures for bus shall be NEMA 12 gasketed for indoor sections, and NEMA 4X (water-tight,
dust-tight and corrosion resistant) for outdoor sections.
6.3.3 Outdoor enclosures shall have a sloped top that prevents collection of water. Joints shall be water
tight by design and not dependent on the gasketing material for water tightness.
6.3.4 Enclosures shall have removable covers for access to bus bar joints and other internal devices.
Access openings in horizontal sections shall be located on the bottom of the enclosure. Covers for access
openings shall have neoprene gaskets and captive fasteners.
6.3.5 Enclosure for bus assemblies with a current rating less than 2000 A shall be made from No.11 gage
steel as a minimum. For bus duct with a current rating of 2000 A or greater, all or part of the enclosure
shall be made from non-magnetic metal, to limit induced current losses and circulating currents by
breaking the magnetic path.
6.3.6 The bus duct enclosure shall be electrically continuous. Suitable connectors shall be furnished to
bond the enclosure (or ground bus) of the bus duct to the ground bus or ground terminal of the equipment
to ensure continuity of the equipment grounding circuit between the connected equipment.
6.4 Bus Bars
6.4.1 The bus bars shall be fabricated of 99 percent pure copper. The contact surfaces at joints shall be
silver plated.
6.4.2 Bolted bus bar connections shall be made with the bolts passing through the bus bars in a way that
they can be properly torqued and locked in place to maintain full and uniform pressure under all operating
conditions. Torque requirements in N.m shall be furnished by vendor.
6.4.3 Temperature rise of bus bar joint shall not exceed bus bar rise by more than 5 °C; and in no case
shall such bus bar joint temperature rise exceed 55 °C above ambient of 50 °C (105 °C total temperature).
6.4.4 Bus bar and joints shall be manufactured to remove sharp edges, and to minimize corona. Joints
shall be covered with formed insulating boots.
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6.4.5 Bus bars shall be insulated with flame-retardant, non-hygroscopic insulating material rated for
continuous operation at 120 °C.
6.4.6 Suitable connectors shall be furnished to bond the enclosure (or ground bus) of the bus duct to the
ground bus or ground terminal of the equipment, to ensure continuity of the equipment grounding circuit
between the connected equipment.
6.4.7 The design shall accommodate expansion/contraction of the bus bars and housing due to
temperature changes.
6.5 Bus Bar Supports
6.5.1 The bus bars shall be supported to withstand the rated short circuit current.
6.5.2 The bus supports shall be a flame-retardant, track-resistant and non-hygroscopic material. Supports
shall be manufactured from the materials listed below:

480 V and 4.16 kV Polymer or glass polyester

13.8 kV Cycloaliphatic epoxy or high alumina ceramic
34.5 kV Porcelain

6.6 Building Penetrations

6.6.1 Flame-retardant and vapor-resistant barriers shall be furnished for all penetrations of interior and
exterior walls and floors. The barrier shall have a flame rating of 1 hour minimum.
6.6.2 A metal flange shall be provided for each penetration, to ensure a secure connection between the
outside of the bus duct enclosure and the wall or floor.
6.7 Hardware
All external fasteners on enclosures located outdoors shall be made from series 300 stainless steel.
6.8 Space Heaters
6.8.1 For bus duct rated 600 V and above, both indoor and outdoor bus sections shall be equipped with
space heaters. Screened breather-drains shall be provided in the bottom of the enclosures.
6.8.2 Space heaters shall be rated 230 V but shall be operated at 115 V. The heaters shall be
thermostatically controlled, with the supply connections in a junction box at the switchgear end of the bus
duct.
6.9 Connectors
6.9.1 The bus duct shall be provided with flanges for securing the housing to the transformer on one end,
and to the switchgear or motor control equipment on the opposite end.
6.9.2 Flexible connectors shall be included for connection of the bus bars to the equipment terminals. The
connections shall be inline and in the same plane with the terminals. Twists or offsets not acceptable in the
flexible connectors.
6.93 All material for the connections (for both terminations and bus section splices), including splice plates,
bolts, washers, nuts and insulating materials, shall be furnished and shipped with the bus duct.

7. Nameplates
7.1 Nameplates shall be made of stainless steel with engraved letters filled with black paint to make them
more legible. Nameplates shall be permanently affixed with stainless steel hardware.
7.2 One nameplate shall be provided for each bus to show SABIC’s equipment number.
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DATE MAR 2004
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7.3 An equipment nameplate shall be provided for each bus duct in accordance with NFPA 70 articles
364-15 and 364-21.

8. Test and Inspection

8.1 All equipment and components shall subject to inspection by SABIC. Any work or materials rejected
by SABIC shall be repaired or replaced. Repair procedures shall be subject to SABIC’s approval.
8.2 All bus duct shall receive the vendor’s routine tests. Vendor’s proposal shall provide a complete listing
of all routine production tests. As a minimum the production tests listed in ANSI C37.23, paragraph 6.3
shall be performed. Tests shall be adequate to determine that the bus duct is free of defects, and meets
the requirements of this specification.
8.3 All type tests for design verification listed in ANSI C37.23, paragraph 6.2 shall be performed unless
certified test reports can be furnished for essentially identical bus duct previously manufactured.
8.4 Any additional tests shown in SES E25-X01 shall also be performed.
8.5 The vendor shall notify SABIC 2 weeks prior to when the final tests are to be performed. SABIC
reserves the right to be witness all tests.
8.6 Certified test reports shall be furnished for all tests in accordance with the purchase order.
8.7 The bus duct shall be completely assembled at the factory for SABIC to inspect and confirm fit up.

9. Finish
9.1 External and internal surfaces shall be cleaned properly, and primed with a rust inhibiting paint.
9.2 A finish coat of abrasion resistant, light reflective high quality enamel shall be applied.

10. Documentation
10.1 Drawings
10.1.1 Drawing and data shall be provided at the proposal and during the design and manufacturing
stage. SABIC will review and comment on all drawings and data submitted for design review until such
time as the final documents are reviewed without comment.
10.1.2 The following drawings and data shall be submitted for evaluation at the proposal stage:
a. Descriptive bulletins of equipment offered in proposal
b. Preliminary dimensional outlines, plans and elevations with weights
c. Certified test reports for design type tests
10.1.3 The follow drawings and data shall be submitted for approval:
a. Re-submittal of all drawings and data listed in 10.1.2
b. Complete nameplate data
c. Assembly diagrams with details of connections
10.1.4 The following documents shall be submitted with the shipment:
a. Complete parts list or equipment summary
b. Price list of recommended spare parts
c. Certified test reports
10.2 Installation and Maintenance Manual
10.2.1 Vendor shall produce a manual which will become an integral part of SABIC’s operation and
maintenance manual for the project.
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10.2.2 The manual shall include the following information:

a. Procedures for unloading and storage. Storage may be outdoor or indoor for extended periods.
b. Installation instructions including commissioning inspections and tests
c. Maintenance recommendations

11. Preparation for Shipment

11.1 Each bus section and all loose components shall be adequately marked to facilitate field installation.
Protective enclosures, including boxes and crates, shall be marked with the project number and item
number, or as required by the procurement documents, and shall have a packing list enclosed showing the
parts therein.
11.2 The bus duct shall be crated or otherwise packaged to protect it from physical damage during
transport and handling. The packaging shall also protect the bus duct form damage by dust, dirt, dampness
and corrosion during transit and in storage at the plant site.