Medium Voltage Switchear Shipping Sections 1

[CuriousElectron]

Hi Guys,
Are Medium Voltage switchgears typically "modular" in nature? Meaning that if I had an 11 section switchgear, each section could be transported individually and all the sections would be assembled and installed on site.

Thanks,
EE

 

[davidbeach]

Could, but generally several sections will form a shipping split. Something that needs to worked out in advance and be part of the order. I once did a job that had three 7 section pieces of gear. Normally that would have been 6 splits, 3 and 4 sections per split. Because of the way that gear had to go into its final location it turned into 21 shipping splits, every section by itself.

 

[CuriousElectron]

Sounds like the dimensions of the building doors had not been coordinated with Structural ahead of time

 

[davidbeach]

It was a retrofit into an existing space. Lots of constraints; the gear went into a room on the lower parking level (3 floors below grade) and there were obstructions (aka sprinkler pipes) at less than 8 feet above the floor on any possible path in. Then there was the 102-103 inch clear space floor to structure where the gear was to be installed, not much room above 96 inch tall gear.

Gear came in on its side, one section at a time in the back of a pickup, was stood up in a hole in the floor (over a grade beam about 3 feet below the floor), jacked back up to floor level and then slid on rollers in to the final position.