Ectricol complies with the Short Circuit Test

We are the first in the Colombian Electrical Industry to comply with the Short Circuit test. Nowadays a system can be considered robust and reliable when it meets safety and efficiency characteristics under contingency or failure conditions, the above directly related to the electrical field, that is why the electrical sector companies at local and international level have focused their efforts on achieving new technologies that ensure the work and handling of electricity a safe task for humans and at the same time friendly with the environment.

Industrias Ectricol led by its Research and Development Department has succeeded in testing one of its products under the above-mentioned criteria, in this particular case, a column for motor control substations that can withstand short-circuit currents of up to 65kA at a voltage of 480Vac, under the international standardIEC 61439-1.

CWith the purpose of offering our customers the best quality and safety for the people who work on our switchboards, Industrias Ectricol becomes the only Colombian manufacturer that complies with the short circuit test for low voltage switchboards, through tests certified by the High Current Laboratory (LAPEM - Mexico).

The tested switchboard complies with the requirements of theIEC 60439 and 61439-1 . The short circuit test was performed under the following parameters:

• Tensión Nominal: 480Vac
• Corriente de Corto Circuito: 65kA
• Corriente Pico (Ipk): 144 kA

The results obtained meet the following acceptance criteria: There must be no deformations as regards the metal enclosure and conductive parts that could compromise the system's insulation.

The conductors' insulation and the insulating supports must not show any noticeable signs of deterioration.

There must be no loosening of the parts used to connect the conductors. After the short circuit test the switchboard must undergo the dielectric test. As far as the short circuit test is concerned, the switchboard that was tested complies with the IEC 61439-1, 1 standards, since the results found are within the acceptance criteria, such as the non-deformation of the conductive parts, the correct and timely performance of the limiting protections and finally the integrity of insulation components and safety distances. The input of connection conductors must be exact to the feeding points, since this prevents vibrations which are the product of electromagnetic forces present in these being able to cause damage to the switchboard structure or components, which would invalidate the tests due to a cause unrelated to the dynamic behavior - the essential reason for the test.

Sometimes the trigger units can operate correctly, but their insulation level deteriorates significantly all together degrading the switchboard's dielectric strength.

Therefore, if the dielectric strength test is not satisfactory at first, it must be repeated with a new circuit breaker that meets the required insulation requirements at the operational voltage level. Industrias Ectricol becomes the only Colombian manufacturer that complies with the short circuit test for low voltage switchboards through laboratory tests, which means a great honor within the national industry.