Types of Electrical Panel

The Electrical Panel

In the modern home, the circuit breaker is an important feature. It is also one of the most important safety anticipations you can use in your home. The circuit breaker shuts off power when electrical wiring in a building has a lot of current flowing through it. It will continue shutting until the problem is solved. The absence of breakers will be impractical for domestic electricity; the potential of fires would be enormous.

All of these circuits flow into a central panel of the circuit breaker or electrical panel. Typically, this panel is located in the basement or in a non-watertight cabinet and contains an even number of circuit breakers that control various circuits in the house; These circuits can supply a large device or multiple outputs. The power is switched on and off at the electrical service panel.

The responsible of electrical panels is to maintain switches, cables, metres, MCCB, relay, and different electrical equipment, as well as to control procedures for starting and stopping a process or apparatus. Electrical panels are used in various types of industries according to their needs and preferences.LT, HT and instrument control panels are the most commonly used for industrial purposes. There are multiple combinations concerning these devices, and some of the most basic types are:

Low voltage control panels

High Voltage control panel

Generator control panels

Instrument control panels

Lighting control panels

Motor control panels

Common types of electrical panel

1. Main breaker panel

It is the main source of all electrical panels. Here you will find the main switch, which can interrupt the power supply of the whole house. This also controls the amount of electricity that comes into your home. Eventually, the circuit breaker main panel provides protection to the circuits it supplies and identifies the current rating of the circuit breaker panel.

2. Main lug panel

There is no circuit breaker in the main circuit breaker - the line wires feed through lugs.  There is a separate disconnect switch that is used outdoors when there is a fire or other emergency if a lug panel is used.

3. Fuse boxes

To avoid overloading the circuit, the fuse boxes use small fuses that are attached to a panel. If the current flow gets too high, the fuse unfolds to stop a fire. Regularly found in homes prior to 1970, fuse boxes sometimes need to be updated if the panel does not provide enough power for their devices.

4. Subpanels

The sub-panels are ideal for houses that require multiple circuits in the same place. Through a circuit, these panels receive power from the main panel. There are no dedicated separations for these panels. They enable you to modify the current distribution throughout the house.

5. Transfer switches

This is a type of subpanel suitable for circuits in which an emergency generator is used. Through the circuit breaker, panel transfers generator energy to electrical energy. You can connect a backup power supply to the circuit breaker panel in your home. This can allow a seamless transition between the utility service and the backup power supply when a power outage occurs.

Generally, houses in areas with inconstant weather conditions have emergency generators. The generators may have a transfer switch with the same rating as the main switch box. There are two types of transfer keys.

Manual: These transfer switches include, as the name implies, the manual activation of the generator and the switching of the electrical load to the backup power supply.

Automatic: These transfer switches provide automatic and uninterrupted replacement of the emergency power supply when an interruption occurs.

Electrical asbestos panels

Since the earliest days of commercial electricity, manufacturers have used asbestos in many electrical panel components. The toxic mineral additive which protects the tenants against fire, as well as electric shock, caused electricians and other workers to be also exposed to serious health risks.

The components of electrical panel manufactured using asbestos are:

Moulded asbestos cement bases

Ebonized asbestos panels 

Wire insulation

Electrical paper

Cable winding 

Sources:

https://www.asbestos.com/products/general/electrical-panel-partition/

https://www.crewelectricalservices.ca/types-of-electrical-panels

https://www.lonlockwoodelectric.com/blog/2017/july/3-main-types-of-electrical-panels/

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-types-of-control-panels-used-in-industries-and-all-electrical-purposes