Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations cowski on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Outdoor Transformer to Building Separation per FM Global Data Sheets

Status
Not open for further replies.

rockman7892

Electrical
Apr 7, 2008
1,172
I was hoping that someone could help confirm my understanding of requirements for outdoor transformer installations as it relates to required separation distances to adjacent transformers and buildings.

When looking at Table 5 in the FM Global Loss Prevention datasheets it gives the required separation between transformer (measured from containment) to buildings. For FM approved liquid transformers the table gives distances for both non-combustible and combustible buildings.

The biggest question I had in understanding separation requirements was the differentiation between combustible and non-combustible buildings. In a HV substation environment would most pre-fabricated and block buildings be considered non-combustible? In looking at a previous project I did the prefabricated building type was a Type II-B buildings which I believe is a non-combustible unprotected type building. Although this type of building in unprotected is it still considered a non-combustible building to where the lesser of the two separation distances in the tables can be used (15ft as opposed to 50ft)

Also in the tables 10,000 gallons of oil seems to be the threshold for larger separation. I know oil volume varies by transformer but would you expect for a 138kV or 230kVA 75MVA unit to have more than 10,000 gallons of oil?
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

If using a prefabricated Type II-B control building are there any potential issues with moving control building within 15ft of transformer?

Primary driver is large secondary conductors from transformer secondary to switchgear in building and trying to reduce length and cost.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor