Electricity Specification 349

Issue 1 February 2014

Low Voltage Capacitors

Contents

1 Introduction
2 Background
3 Scope
4 Definitions
5 General Requirements for Approvals and
Testing
6 Requirements for Type and Routine Testing
7 Conformance
8 Technical Requirements
9 Documentation, Training and Support
10 Documents Referenced
11 Keywords
Appendix A

Approved for issue by the

Technical Policy Panel
© 2014 Electricity North West Limited.

All Rights Reserved

The copyright of this document, which contains information of a

proprietary nature, is vested in Electricity North West Limited. The
contents of this document may not be used for purposes other than
that for which it has been supplied and may not be reproduced,
either wholly or in part, in any way whatsoever. It may not be used
by, or its contents divulged to, any other person whatsoever without
the prior written permission of Electricity North West Limited.

Electricity North West Limited. Registered in England & Wales. Registered No. 2366949. Registered Office: 304 Bridgewater Place, Birchwood Park, Warrington, WA3 6XG
 Issue and Amendment Summary

Amendment
No. Brief Description and Amending Action
Date
0 Issue 1

01/03/14 First Issue

Prepared by: G M Bryson

Approved by the Technical Policy Panel and signed

on its behalf by Paul Whittaker:

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 LOW VOLTAGE CAPACITORS

1. INTRODUCTION
This specification describes the general and technical requirements for the provision of
capacitors for use on the Low Voltage cable network in Electricity North West Limited,
hereinafter referred to as Electricity North West.

2. BACKGROUND
As the UK economy moves towards a low carbon future the effects on the distribution
networks will be varied. It is expected that demand for electricity will rise as
transportation is decarbonised by electric vehicles. Further demand will result from the
electrification of heating in the form of heat pumps, which are expected to replace
increasingly expensive oil-fuelled and gas-fuelled heating systems. At the same time,
rising retail prices and energy efficient behaviour and appliances, eg LED lighting may
mitigate some of the demand increase. In addition to changes in demand, government
incentives such as the feed-in-tariff will drive high penetration of various forms of
generation on LV networks. These combined changes in the requirements of connected
customers will introduce significant challenges for network operators.

In order to meet these changes network operators will need to employ different
techniques for voltage regulation. The deployment of capacitors at points along LV
feeders will provide Electricity North West with the opportunity to provide further voltage
regulation at points closer to consumers.

3. SCOPE
This specification covers the technical requirements for the design, manufacture, supply
and testing of a capacitor bank, any associated equipment and an enclosure.
The equipment offered shall be complete in every respect with all necessary facilities
and system functional requirements for reliable continuous operation.

The scope of work shall include the support and maintenance, software tools, and
configuration to enable the equipment to perform as required.

The manufacturer shall supply all necessary training and maintenance tools associated
with the equipment, together with logic and circuit diagrams to enable diagnosis of
faults or loss of functionality that may occur in the future.

Communications with the capacitor controller shall be at the discretion of Electricity

North West and dependent on geographical and network constraints. The Tenderer
shall indicate if the controller is compliant with the various communication and
telemetry protocols specified in the body of this document.

4. DEFINITIONS
Approval: Sanction by the Electricity North West Future Networks
Technical Manager that specified criteria have been
satisfied.

Capacitor Bank: The complete unit incorporating Capacitor units,

control/protection, circuit breakers, busbars and all other
ancillary equipment provided as a complete module.

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 Capacitor: The individual capacitive elements installed inside a
Capacitor Bank.

LED Light Emitting Diode.

LV Low Voltage. A voltage less than 1000V.

RTU Remote Terminal Unit.

Specification: The Specifications and schedules (if any) agreed by the

parties for the purpose of the Contract.

Sub-Contractor: Any person (other than the Contractor) named in the

Contract for any part of the Works or any person to whom
any part of the Contract has been sub-let with the consent
in writing of the Future Networks Technical Manager, and
the legal representatives, successors and assigns of such
person.

Supplier: Any person or person's firm or company who supplies

goods to Electricity North West or to its contractor.

Tender: An offer in writing to execute work or supply goods at a

fixed price.

Tenderer: The person or person's firm or company, including

personal representatives, successors and permitted
assigns, invited by Electricity North West to submit a
Tender.

5. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPROVALS AND TESTING

5.1 Product not to be Changed

No change in the product, packaging or labelling shall be made after Approval has been
granted without prior notice to the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical
Manager, and receipt of a written agreement to the proposed change from the Electricity
North West Future Networks Technical Manager.

5.2 Electricity North West Technical Approval

The Tenderer shall submit, with this Tender, proposals for testing which will demonstrate,
to the satisfaction of the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager,
compliance with this Specification. Such tests shall be carried out without expense to
Electricity North West.

Alternatively, the Tenderer may submit technical reports and other data that he considers
will demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Electricity North West Future Networks
Technical Manager, compliance with this specification. Acceptance of this evidence shall
be at the discretion of the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager but
will not be unreasonably withheld.

Approval shall be ‘factory specific’ and is not transferable to another factory without the
written approval of the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager.

The supplier and product shall comply with all the relevant requirements of Electricity
North West documents EPD311 and CP311.

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5.3 Quality Assurance
The Tenderer shall confirm whether or not approval is held in accordance with a quality
assurance scheme accredited under ISO 9000. If not, he shall submit a statement of the
quality assurance procedures employed to control the quality of the product, including the
performance of suppliers and sub-contractors.

The right is reserved for the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager
to require, from time to time, the repeat of such tests as he may deem to be reasonably
necessary to demonstrate continued compliance with the specification.

The Tenderer shall submit, with his Tender, a list of tests and inspections which are
carried out on the product prior to despatch which shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction
of the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager, fitness for installation
and service.

The Tenderer shall provide free of charge to Electricity North West such samples as
may, in the opinion of the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager, be
reasonably required for inspection and/or retention as quality control samples. The
Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager will confirm the requirement
for samples at the time of Tendering.

The right is reserved for the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager
to make, from time to time, such inspections of the Tenderer’s facilities as he may deem
to be reasonably necessary to ensure compliance with this specification and any contract
of which it forms a part.

The Tenderer shall submit, with his Tender, such details of product packaging disposal,
as will enable Electricity North West to comply with the requirements of BS EN ISO
14001: 2004 - Environmental Management Systems.

5.4 Formulation
The Tenderer shall submit, with his Tender, such details of the formulation and use of the
product and associated substances as will enable Electricity North West to comply with
the obligations of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, in the use, storage and disposal of the product.
The Tenderer may stipulate, prior to submission of such information, that he requires it to
remain confidential and the Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager
will, if requested, confirm his agreement to this prior to receipt of the information.

5.5 Identification Markings

The Tenderer shall submit, with his Tender, details of markings which it is proposed to
apply to the product or packaging to identify manufacturing batches or items. The forms
and content of such markings shall be subject to the approval of the Electricity North
West Future Networks Technical Manager, and shall in all cases include the Electricity
North West approved description and commodity code number.

The Tenderer shall submit, with his Tender, such details of marking gross weight on
components, assemblies and packages, as will enable Electricity North West to comply
with the Health and Safety Manual Handling Operation Regulations 1992, for
components, assemblies and packages supplied with a gross weight over 1kg. The
forms and content of such markings shall be subject to the approval of the Electricity
North West Future Networks Technical Manager.

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5.6 Minimum Life Expectancy
The minimum life expectancy of all products covered by this specification is 40 years.

5.7 Product Conformity

Preference will be given to those suppliers who can provide suitable product conformity
certification to a recognised or specified standard, or an equivalent certification.

6. REQUIREMENTS FOR TYPE AND ROUTINE TESTING

The Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager shall set out the
requirement of the following tests to be carried out by the supplier at the supplier’s
expense.

6.1 Requirement for Type Tests at the Supplier’s Premises

These are a series of one-off type tests, which are carried out to ensure the satisfactory
performance of the product design, under extremes of operating stresses, and of
endurance, as may be appropriate, to be determined by the Electricity North West Future
Networks Technical Manager.

These may or may not be destructive tests.

Capacitor Bank type testing shall be as those detailed in IEC 60871-1:2005.

6.2 Requirement for Routine Tests at the Supplier’s Premises

These tests may be required to be carried out on every individual unit or component, as
specified, or at some regular frequency to be determined by the Electricity North West
Future Networks Technical Manager.

The results of these tests may be required to be supplied to Electricity North West with
each unit purchased or retained for inspection, at a period to be determined by the
Electricity North West Future Networks Technical Manager.

Capacitor Bank routine testing shall be as those detailed in IEC 60871-1:2005.

7. CONFORMANCE
The Tenderer shall complete the clause conformance declaration sheets in Appendix A.
Failure to complete these declaration sheets may result in an unacceptable bid.

8. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

8.1 General
Capacitor installations shall consist of three single phase capacitors connected to a main
LV cable, associated controller and where appropriate RTU which are housed in an
enclosure installed at street level.

The capacitors shall be connected to the cable using an approved three phase service
termination with appropriate isolation facilities. The capacitors and controller shall be
fitted in a suitable weather and vandal proof enclosure rated to IP65 where appropriate.

Detailed specifications shall be provided by the Tenderer for all the equipment, including
a layout diagram for the enclosure.

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8.2 Failures
Tenderers shall provide validated meantime between failure data for the individual
modules that make up the installation.

8.3 Maintainability
A design that does not require periodic preventive maintenance and inspection is
preferred. If periodic maintenance is required, it shall be possible to perform all such
work without taking the main LV cable out of service.

8.4 Environmental Conditions

8.4.1 Enclosure

A weather-proof enclosure is required to house the capacitor and associated equipment.

The enclosure shall not require maintenance for a period of at least 30 years in a polluted
or coastal environment according to EN ISO 12944-2 Category C4.

The enclosure shall comply with BS EN 60529, Protection Class IP65 or better. The
cabinet shall be adequately ventilated to prevent damage to any component when
exposed to high ambient temperatures.

8.4.2 Controller

The controller, communications equipment and associated supporting equipment shall

be suitable for rated operation at elevations up to 1000m above sea level and shall have
been type tested for continuous operation over the following environmental conditions:

 Temperature -20C to +70C

 Temperature Gradient Up to 30C/h

 Relative Humidity Up to 95% at 40C

 Cyclic Damp Heat +40C to +25C at 95% Relative Humidity

 Absolute Humidity Up to 29g/m3

 Vibration (sinusoidal) 2g acceleration 9 to 350Hz

 Shock 15g, 11ms

All of the equipment that forms part of the complete installation shall be designed and
proven to meet the requirements of the following:

 93/68/EEC: Low Voltage Directive

 BS EN 60068: Environmental Testing

 BS EN 61000-6-2: Generic Immunity Industrial Environment

 BS EN 55022 (Class B): Radio Disturbance Conducted & Radiated (installed in

enclosure)

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8.4.3 Immunity from Electromagnetic Interference, Radiated Disturbance and
Electrostatic Discharge

The electrical and electronic components of all equipment shall satisfy the appropriate
requirements for insulation, isolation, and immunity from electromagnetic interference,
radiated disturbance and electrostatic discharge.

The controller, communications equipment and cabinet shall be designed for safe
operation in the harsh environment encountered in remote locations with high voltage
plant.

8.5 Enclosure Construction

The enclosure shall be suitable for installation in the public highway. The dimensions of
the enclosure shall be as small as possible so as to have the minimum impact on the
environment around the consumer’s premises.

The construction of the cabinet shall be in accordance with the relevant electrical
engineering standards detailed in this specification and in accordance with the latest
edition of BS 7671, Electricity at Work Act and any current legislative requirements.

All measures shall be taken to prevent the ingress of moisture and the occurrence of
corrosion on any part of the equipment located within the cabinet.

The cabinet shall be lockable and vandal-proof. Locking arrangements for the cabinets
shall be via the use of a hasp and staple to fit Electricity North West standard
distribution substation door padlocks as per ES309. The locking point shall be suitably
shrouded to prevent access to the hasp. A suitable door stay shall be fitted, with a
positive opening feature, to hold the door open at 90°.

Suitable removable lifting eyes shall be provided.

The manufacturer shall fit the Electricity North West property plate and danger of death
signs as per Electricity Specification ES356 to the door of the enclosure. Suitable
fixing points shall also be provided to allow for the fitting of a site specific nameplate by
Electricity North West.

Any ancillary items or requirement for the cabinets such as heaters, lighting, fixtures and
fittings etc. shall be included.

Facilities shall be provided to mount an external aerial for the RTU.

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8.6 Common Ratings
The Capacitor Bank and associated equipment shall have minimum nominal ratings as
indicated below:-

Rated Voltage 415V / 240V +6% -10%

Rated short circuit current 27kA

BIL 6kV

8.7 Capacitor Construction

Capacitors shall be constructed preferably from solid state materials with minimal or
preferably no maintenance requirements and shall conform to IEC 60871.

Solid state components are also desired so as to reduce any risk of contamination to the
surrounding environment and the requirement to bund the bank.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) shall not be used in any element of the banks
construction.

8.8 Capacitor Rating

The Tenderer shall provide the necessary technical and pricing details for capacitors of
rating 50kVAr, 100kVAr, 150kVAr and 200kVAr.

8.9 Isolation
A means of LV power isolation shall be provided to enable maintenance to be safely
carried out within the cabinets. Isolation shall be achieved by the removal of fuses.

8.10 Protection
In addition to the internal protection of the capacitor bank an external loss of phase relay
shall be fitted. This relay shall ensure that all three phases are disconnected in the event
of the loss of voltage on at least one phase. The protection shall not allow the capacitor
to reenergise automatically it shall only do so under instruction from the central control
system.

8.11 Controller
The controller shall sense the line voltage and switch in the capacitor unit when the
voltage drops below a preset threshold or conversely switch the capacitor out when
voltage rises above the threshold. It shall be possible to alter this threshold both locally
and remotely.

The enclosure shall include suitable space to mount a RTU to be supplied by Electricity
North West. This RTU shall be mounted on a Top Hat DIN rail TS 35. The space
required is 201 x 127 x 72 mm which includes a master control unit and power supply.
The RTU shall communicate with the capacitor controller via RS232 or RS485. In
addition, space may be required for a modem to allow the RTU to communicate with the
central control system.

The Tenderer shall state which communications protocol can be used.

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 The controller shall have the facility to report alarms, events and analogue data to the
central control system via the RTU.

8.12 Capacitor Bank Discharge

The Capacitor Bank shall be provided with a means to discharge the Capacitor Bank,
this could be by discharge reactors and/or resistors. The Tenderer shall clearly
demonstrate the safe method of Capacitor discharging with their Tender. The discharge
cycle shall commence on operation of an isolator or circuit breaker and shall not rely on
the removal of fuses.

The Tenderer shall clearly demonstrate the discharge time and the resulting temperature
of the discharging resistors. Where the temperature poses a hazard it shall be
adequately screened to remove the hazard to Maintenance Personnel.

8.13 Harmonics
The Capacitor Bank shall be capable of withstanding the maximum level of planning
harmonics as detailed in ENA Engineering Recommendation (ER) G5/4, also the
harmonic characteristics as detailed in IEC 61000-3-6:2008 without any detriment to its
operation or life span; additionally the Capacitor Bank shall not introduce any additional
harmonics or amplify those already present in the system.

8.14 Installation
The capacitor shall be capable of being installed and commissioned without the need for
a customer shutdown.

Due regard shall given to any hard wiring between the voltage termination and the
capacitor regarding the need to provide isolation and fusing.

The Tenderer shall provide details of any additional items that will need to be procured
by Electricity North West in order to fully install the capacitors.

8.15 Disposal of Capacitor Banks and/or its Components

Tenderers shall provide details on how to dispose of the capacitor bank and/or its
components to ensure compliance with the various waste management regulations
[Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Part II); Special Waste Regulations 1996; Waste
Management Licensing Regulations 1994; Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989]

8.16 Failure, Modes, Effect and Cause Analysis (FMECA)

Tenderers shall carry out a FMECA or equivalent study for each type of equipment
offered. A copy of this study shall be provided with the tender documents.

9. DOCUMENTATION, TRAINING, AND SUPPORT

General arrangement drawings shall be submitted with the tender.

The supplier shall provide any necessary training of installation and operating personnel.

A copy of the installation and configuration manual for the system shall be provided. The
supplier shall provide a copy of any configuration software required for the controller.

The supplier shall provide details of any diagnostics or maintenance requirements. If this
can be carried remotely, details shall be provided so that Electricity North West can
investigate the implementation into existing systems.

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 A copy of all installation, operation and maintenance manuals shall be submitted with the
tender. These manuals shall, preferably, be on a CD-ROM in an Adobe Acrobat and
AutoCAD 2012 DWG formats. Tenderers can submit the Manuals via internet
downloads and webstores if available.

All ancillary equipment required to maintain the bank shall be included in the tender.

10. DOCUMENTS REFERENCED

Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974

Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002

Manual Handling Operations Regulation 1992

Environmental Protection Act 1990

Special Waste Regulations 1996

Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994

Control of Pollution Act 1989

93/68/EEC Low Voltage Directive

IEC 60871-1:2005 Shunt capacitors for a.c. power systems having a rated voltage
above 1000V. General.

IEC 61000-3-6:2008 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Limits. Assessment of

emission limits for the connection of distorting installations to MV,
HV and EHV power systems.

BS EN 55022 Information Technology Equipment – Radio Disturbance

Characteristics – Limits and Methods of Measurement

BS EN 60068 Environmental Testing

BS EN 60529 Degrees of Protection provided by Enclosures (IP Code)

BS EN 61000 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

BS EN ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems

BS EN ISO 12944-2 Paints and Varnishes. Corrosion Protection of Steel Structures by

Protection Paint Systems. Classification of Environments

BS EN ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems

BS 7671 IET Wiring Regulations

ENA ER G5/4 Harmonics

EPD311 Approval of Equipment

CP311 Equipment Approval Process

ES309 Substation Locking

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 ES356 Notices and Nameplates

11. KEYWORDS
Capacitor; LV.

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 APPENDIX A

SELF CERTIFICATION CONFORMANCE DECLARATION

SECTION BY SECTION CONFORMANCE WITH SPECIFICATION

The manufacturer shall declare conformance or otherwise, section by section, using the following levels of conformance declaration codes.

Conformance Declaration Codes

N/A = Section is not applicable/appropriate to the product/service

C1 = The product/service conforms fully with the requirements of this section

C2 = The product/service conforms partially with the requirements of this section

C3 = The product/service does not conform to the requirements of this section

C4 = The product/service does not currently conform to the requirements of this section, but the manufacturer proposes to modify and test the
product in order to conform.

Manufacturer:

Product/Service Description:

Product/Service Reference:

Assessor

Name: Company: Signature: Date:

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 Section Section Topic Conformance Remarks
Code (Must be completed if Conformance Code is not C1)

3 Scope

5.1 Product not to be Changed

5.2 Electricity North West Technical Approval

5.3 Quality Assurance

5.4 Formulation

5.5 Identification Markings

5.6 Minimum Life Expectancy

5.7 Product Conformity

6.1 Requirements for Type Tests at the Supplier’s

Premises

6.2 Requirement for Routine Tests at the Supplier’s

Premises

7 Conformance

8.1 General

8.2 Failures

8.3 Maintainability

8.4.1 Environmental – Enclosure

8.4.2 Environmental – Controller

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 Section Requirement Conformance Remarks
Code (Must be completed if Conformance Code is not C1)

8.4.3 Immunity from Electromagnetic Interference,

Radiated Disturbance and Electrostatic Discharge

8.5 Enclosure Construction

8.6 Common Ratings

8.7 Capacitor Construction

8.8 Capacitor Rating

8.9 Isolation

8.10 Protection

8.11 Controller

8.12 Capacitor Bank Discharge

8.13 Harmonics

8.14 Installation

8.15 Disposal of Capacitor Banks and/or its Components

8.16 Failure, Modes, Effect and Cause Analysis (FMECA)

9 Documentation, Training and Support

Additional Notes:

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