[BC] KOMO Fire

[PeterH]

On Jul 9, 2009, at 9:44 PM, Dave Dunsmoor wrote:

>> It is bus duct, and is a sandwich of copper bus-bar and insulation,
> encased in steel. The joints are held together by compression from  
> a few
> bolts, and the failure was at one of the corner joints.

"Busway" is a high-capacity wiring method which is approved for both  
services and for feeders.

Some large manufacturing facilities are wired almost exclusively with  
busway as it gives them maximum flexibility.

This is probably the most expensive way to wire a facility, but it is  
also the most reliable and the most flexible.

If I was designing a new plant for, say, a Class A AM or a TV  
transmitter site, I would specify busway as my first choice.

If bought new, its price is truly through the roof.

Good busway is often available from demolition companies for very  
reasonable prices as they are unaware of the replacement costs of  
these materials.

As expected, every busway manufacturer has their own proprietary  
configuration.

It makes the most sense to buy the service busway, the metal-clad  
switchgear and the feeder busway from the same manufacturer.

In a manufacturing premises, you can easily, and often within  
minutes, add a new branch circuit from an overhead busway.

As usual for any wiring method, busway or any of its components must  
be installed as recommended by the manufacturer.

There is an section on busway in the NEC.