Product category:
Power Supplies and Uninterruptible Power Supplies
News Release from: Moeller Electric | Subject: CD busbar system
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 09 February 2001
CD busbar trunking ideal for warehouse
expansion
When building services company Rymech was called in to assist with the upgrading of one of the UK's largest bonded warehouses it turned to Moeller Electric for a power distribution system
One of the biggest problems facing businesses when retrofitting new services, is that any suspension of operations can cost thousands of pounds in lost revenue The lucrative duty free market is no exception; with its high turnover of valuable luxury items, serious sums of money are involved
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 14 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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When building services company Rymech was called in to assist with the upgrading of one of the UK's largest bonded warehouses it turned to Moeller Electric for a power distribution system that could be installed with minimal impact on operations.
All of the airports in the London area (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted) are supplied with duty free items from just one warehouse, so the value of the stock it holds is staggering.
Today, that doesn't just mean alcohol, cigarettes and perfume.
In recent years duty free shops have diversified into many new areas of luxury and gift items.
For example, in a single day the warehouse might receive more than 60,000 teddy bears.
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The space required to keep stock on this scale is colossal.
Nevertheless, the expanding duty free market meant that the warehouse recently reached the point where it was no longer able to cope with demand, despite being the size of several football pitches.
The solution was to add a mezzanine floor above the existing stores.
This floor alone was to be the size of one-and-a-half football pitches and include extra storage, a high security area for particularly valuable items and a packing area for in-flight duty-free trolleys.
The installation was expected to take several months.
If operations had to be suspended, losses could well run into millions of pounds.
Building Services If the mezzanine had been erected in one go, it would have blocked off the lighting to the floors below and would have meant suspending activities.
Instead the plan was to put the basic steel frame in place then add lights below, gradually boarding the new floor as they were in place.
Rymech was given the brief to fit the lighting.
The requirement was for a system that could be installed rapidly with minimum interference in the working of the warehouse.
It would also be very useful if it could be kept live while installation work was continuing so that the completed lighting could be turned on, and as much of the floor as possible could be boarded.
These specifications could not be met by cables, so Rymech went in search of a suitable busbar system.
They chose the CD busbar system from Moeller Electric, which has been specially designed for supplying power to luminaires and small loads, covering current ratings from 25 to 40A.
Dave Bagley, chief engineer of Rymech comments: "The power distribution market is very competitive, but Moeller was the clear winner on price.
We were also impressed by the flexibility of the CD system in general, and its ability to accommodate the long term needs of our customer." The CD busbar system consists of rectangular galvanised steel enclosures fitted with two to eight conductors.
The basic trunking units have safety tap-off points spaced 0.5m apart, which allow power to be drawn off on both sides of the busbar.
Tap-off units need only be plugged into the busbar to enable power to be utilised.
The trunking units, feeder units and flanges push-fit onto one another, enabling rapid assembly without additional tools being required.
A locking device at two points on each element snaps into place preventing unintentional disconnection.
Only one bolt needs to be tightened at each connecting point to ensure a reliable electrical joint.
This allows the system to adapt to changing requirements as the application develops.
A major advantage of busbars over cables is that power does not need to be tapped off at permanent fixed points, but can be varied as required.
The installed system still has surplus tap-off points that can be utilised if the customer's power needs increase in the future.
While assembly was in progress, additional emergency lights were attached to the busbar that could be quickly fitted and removed.
Because the busbars can be hot-wired it made them ideal for this application.
The power remained live throughout the project.
As each section of lighting was installed the wooden boards were nailed down above so that the ground floor below was always fully lit.
Moeller fixing brackets were used simultaneously to secure the lighting to the ceiling and for luminaire suspension.
Rymech was very pleased with the performance of the CD busbar system.
Said Bagley: "Even at the planning stage we saved time by engineering with standard sizes.
Despite higher material costs than cable, installation times and costs are far lower and for long-term economy the CD busbar is far superior, because it can accommodate future operational changes.
An unexpected additional advantage, was that installation was very quiet, which was an important consideration for this warehouse, because it is situated in a suburban area where residents are likely to complain if noise levels rise above acceptable limits." Even with the benefits of fast assembly the installation still took two months.
To keep a warehouse like this out of action for two months would have cost millions.
By using the CD busbar system the warehouse was able to remain fully operational throughout, and with the addition of extra warehouse storage and picking areas it is now more profitable than ever before.
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