LV and MV Switchgears

I'm sorry, but that is a really bad question.

Get the maintenance manuals.

It wouldn't hurt to do that, but maintenance manuals might not give much information about wire sizes, bend radii, bracing design, etc. Blowing out cobwebs is not the same as real design.

Just do not. It is not fun, but dangerous.

That is not your job, is it?

By the way the question was phrased, I would have to say: By hiring a contractor.

Simple. Engage a local qualified <...Low Voltage Switchgear & Medium Voltage Switchgear...> Inspector.

Ooh, I am só tempted to answer: "It depends," or "very carefully."

What type of switchgear - oil, vacuum, SF6, fixed, withdrawable, etc.

Purpose of inspection - QC at manufacturing plant, QC after repairs, RPM, condition assessment, etc.

Then we can look at manufacturer's instructions, local safety laws & regulations, plant (in-house) procedures, etc.

* Note all the "etc." - on purpose...

This sounds like Ms. Jones has been put in a situation that I experienced a number of times in my career as a manufacturing engineer. That is, being requested (ordered) by management to generate a document detailing the inspection and PM procedures for equipment that I had little or no expertise with in order to fulfill the requirements of ISO 9000 or some similar bureaucracy.

My solution was to "pass the buck", establish a service contract with the equipment manufacturer or a qualified independent contractor to perform the inspection and provide documentation of the results, and work performed.

The answer, dear, is YOU don't. You hire a licensed electrician that knows his way around all switchgear, follows to the letter NFPA 70E, and wears his arc-flash protection suit every time he enters any such cabinetry. In fact, YOU, probably, as myself, would be considered as "an unqualified personnel" that are not allowed to pass within the taped off area where such work is being undertaken.

Copper vapor from an arc flash can be hotter than the surface of the sun, or an atomic bomb. Ever heard of 4th degree burns? That is where all flesh is removed from the bone.

Quote: "Arc terminal temperature is estimated to be in excess of 35,000°F, with the plasma of vaporizing metal having a temperature of 23,000°F. An atomic bomb after 0.3 seconds reaches only 12,600°F and the surface of the sun is only 10,000°F.Vaporizing copper produces a volume increase of 67,000 to 1"

So a word of caution is always a prudent word in these circumstances.

If you are supposed to be coming up with the protocol for such inspections at a site, then please, please do the following: Contact an organization like AVO - and:

1. Get everyone trained on NFPA 70E - it is the law
2. Make sure your electricians/instrumentation techs have the correct equipment, and also the correct PPE. You can waste money on other things. Safety equipment money is always money well spent. You cannot afford the Liability to do otherwise.
3. Have that organization (AVO) contact an arc flash energy assessment for every single enclosure where any switch gear, breakers, etc. are found. The energies involved define what manner of entry is allowed, and general rules that apply to "safe" distance demarcation.

Hang on guys, from the CR4 profile this poster actually works at a switchboard manufacturing company.

http://lake-shore-electric.com/

This may be a simple case of general interest from someone who isn't actually involved in the commissioning of live switchgear.

Ok, that may change the focus. Thanks for the checking!

Sarah, maybe re-phrase your question to explain more exactly what you want to know? Then we can contribute more meaningfully?