Manufacturing of Electric Panels
An in-depth report on the summer internship experience at TEJAS INDUSTRIES.
Presented by: SINGH RAJESH VIRENDRA KUSHWAHA
College: Government Engineering College, Bharuch
Department: Electrical Engineering
Session: JULY 2025
GTU Ahmedabad
About Tejas Industries
Tejas Industries, based in Anj, is a prominent name in the electrical equipment manufacturing sector. With a strong commitment to quality and innovation, the
company specializes in producing a diverse range of electrical distribution and control solutions for various industries. Their product portfolio is designed to meet
stringent industrial standards, ensuring reliability, efficiency, and safety in power management.
Electric Panels Cable Trays Bus Ducts
Manufacturing of both Medium Voltage (MV) Production of high-quality cable trays that Fabrication of robust bus ducts, a modern and
and Low Voltage (LV) electric panels, catering provide efficient and organized cable space-saving alternative to traditional cabling.
to diverse power distribution needs across management solutions. Available in various These systems are crucial for power
industrial and commercial applications. These materials and finishes, these trays support transmission in large industrial facilities,
panels are engineered for optimal and protect electrical cables, ensuring secure offering high current carrying capacity, low
performance, safety, and durability, handling routing and easy maintenance in complex voltage drop, and enhanced safety features.
various power capacities and environmental installations.
conditions.
The Electric Panel Manufacturing Process
The manufacturing of electric panels at Tejas Industries follows a rigorous multi-stage process, ensuring precision, quality, and adherence to design
specifications. Each step is critical in producing reliable and efficient electrical distribution systems.
1. Planning & Design
Utilizing AutoCAD for detailed electrical and mechanical design. This stage involves creating schematics, panel layouts, and wiring diagrams that comply
with international standards and client specifications.
2. Component Selection
Careful selection of high-quality electrical components such as MCBs (Miniature Circuit Breakers), MCCBs (Moulded Case Circuit Breakers), relays,
contactors, and meters, ensuring optimal performance and safety.
3. Panel Fabrication
Metal sheet cutting, bending, and welding to create the enclosure of the panel. This includes preparing mounting plates, bus bar supports, and
ensuring precise dimensions and structural integrity.
4. Component Assembly
Mounting selected electrical components onto the fabricated panel structure. This involves precise positioning and secure fastening of circuit
breakers, control devices, and other accessories according to the design layout.
5. Wiring & Connection
Interconnecting all components with appropriate gauges of wires and cables. This stage requires meticulous attention to wiring diagrams, ensuring
correct polarity, secure terminations, and proper insulation for safety and functionality.
6. Quality Check & Testing
Comprehensive testing, including insulation resistance, continuity, and functional tests, to verify the panel's performance and safety. This stage identifies
and rectifies any deviations from design or quality standards.
7. Labeling
Clear and durable labeling of all components, terminals, and connections for easy identification, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Labels comply with
industry standards for readability and longevity.
8. Dispatching
Final packaging and preparation for shipment, ensuring panels are protected during transit and arrive at the client's site in perfect condition, ready for
installation.
Understanding Electric Panels
Electric panels are fundamental components of any electrical distribution system, acting as the central nervous system that manages and distributes electrical
energy efficiently and safely. They are designed to house and protect various electrical devices, allowing for organized control, monitoring, and protection of
circuits within industrial, commercial, and residential settings. Their robust construction ensures durability and longevity, even in demanding environments.
Main Components
A typical electric panel comprises several key components that work
synergistically to ensure optimal operation:
Circuit Breakers: Essential safety devices that automatically trip to
interrupt the flow of current during an overload or short circuit,
protecting equipment and preventing hazards.
Wiring: The intricate network of conductors that connects all
components, facilitating the flow of electricity to various loads.
Relays: Electrically operated switches that control one electrical circuit
by opening and closing contacts in another circuit, often used for
automation and protection.
Indicators: Lights or displays that provide visual feedback on the status
of the panel, such as power on/off, fault conditions, or operational
modes.
Main Breaker
The main breaker is the primary circuit breaker in the panel, responsible for
controlling the entire incoming power supply from the grid. It serves as the
master disconnect for all circuits within the panel, allowing for complete
power cutoff during maintenance or emergencies.
Switchgear
Switchgear refers to the combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses,
or circuit breakers used to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment.
In electric panels, switchgear components provide critical overcurrent and
short-circuit protection, safeguarding the downstream equipment from
damage and ensuring operational continuity.
Diverse Applications: Types of Electric Panels
Electric panels are highly specialized, with various types designed for specific functions within an electrical system. Each panel serves a unique role in controlling,
distributing, or enhancing power quality, catering to the distinct needs of different industrial and commercial applications.
APFC (Automatic Power Factor Control)
Designed to improve power factor in electrical systems, reducing reactive power and enhancing overall energy efficiency.
PCC (Power Control Center)
The central hub for controlling and distributing power to various load centers and motor control centers within a facility.
MCC (Motor Control Center)
Houses motor starters, protection devices, and control circuits for multiple motors, simplifying motor management in industrial plants.
IC/OG (Incoming/Outgoing)
Panels that manage the main power incoming from the utility grid and distribute it to various outgoing feeders within the facility.
PDB (Power Distribution Board)
Distributes electrical power from a main source to various smaller circuits, often found in commercial and residential buildings.
LDB (Lighting Distribution Board)
Specifically designed to control and distribute power to lighting circuits, ensuring efficient management of illumination systems.
CSS (Compact Secondary Substation)
Integrated substations that combine transformers, switchgear, and control equipment into a compact, pre-fabricated unit, ideal for urban areas.
APFC Panel: Optimizing Power Factor
Automatic Power Factor Control (APFC) panels are crucial for maintaining and improving power factor in electrical systems. A low power factor leads to inefficient
energy use, higher electricity bills, and increased strain on electrical infrastructure. APFC panels automatically detect and correct the power factor by switching
capacitor banks in or out of the circuit, thereby ensuring optimal power utilization and system stability.
Purpose
The primary purpose of an APFC panel is to improve the power factor of an
electrical load, bringing it closer to unity (1.0). This correction reduces the
amount of reactive power drawn from the grid, which in turn minimizes
energy losses, improves voltage regulation, and enhances the overall
efficiency and capacity of the power system.
Types of APFC Panels
With Reactor: These panels incorporate harmonic filters (reactors) in
series with capacitors. They are used in environments where there is a
significant presence of harmonic distortions, which can negatively affect
electrical equipment and power quality. The reactors help to mitigate
these harmonics, protecting the capacitors and the system.
Without Reactor: These are standard APFC panels used in systems with
negligible or acceptable levels of harmonic distortion. They focus solely
on power factor correction by adding or removing capacitive reactive
power.
Advantages of APFC Panels
Energy Savings Reduced Electricity Bills
By reducing reactive power, APFC panels minimize line losses in Utilities often penalize consumers for low power factors. APFC panels
transmission and distribution, leading to significant energy savings and eliminate these penalties by maintaining a high power factor, resulting in
a lower carbon footprint. substantial reductions in monthly electricity costs.
Improved System Capacity Enhanced Equipment Lifespan
A better power factor frees up capacity in transformers and cables, Reduced current loads and stable voltage levels protect electrical
allowing the existing electrical infrastructure to carry more active power equipment from overheating and stress, prolonging their operational
without needing expensive upgrades. lifespan and reducing maintenance costs.
Key Components of an APFC Panel
An Automatic Power Factor Control (APFC) panel is an intricate system comprising several specialized components that work in harmony to achieve optimal
power factor correction. Each component plays a vital role in sensing system requirements, switching capacitor banks, and protecting the overall electrical
network.
Bus Bar ACB (Air Circuit Breaker) MCCB (Moulded Case Circuit Breaker)
Heavy conductors, typically copper or aluminum, A large, robust circuit breaker used for main Provides overcurrent and short-circuit protection
that serve as the main connection point for all incoming power protection in high current for individual circuits and capacitor banks, housed
incoming and outgoing power within the panel, applications, capable of interrupting large fault within a molded insulating case.
distributing current efficiently. currents in the air.
Capacitors Harmonic Filters APFC Relay
The core components of the APFC panel, storing Inductors (reactors) used in series with capacitors The intelligent controller of the APFC panel. It
electrical energy and supplying reactive power to to block or attenuate harmonic currents, protecting continuously monitors the power factor and
the system to improve the power factor. These are the capacitors and preventing harmonic resonance automatically switches capacitor banks on or off as
typically arranged in banks. in the system. needed to maintain the target power factor.
Contactors
Electrically controlled switches used by the APFC
relay to connect or disconnect the capacitor banks
from the main power supply, enabling dynamic
power factor correction.
PCC Panel: The Heart of Power Distribution
The Power Control Center (PCC) panel serves as the central point for receiving main power from the utility or a generator and distributing it across various feeders
within an industrial or commercial facility. It is a critical component for managing the entire electrical supply, ensuring reliable and protected distribution to
various downstream systems such as motor control centers (MCCs) and other load points.
Purpose
The primary function of a PCC panel is to provide centralized control and
distribution of electrical power. It safely routes high-capacity power from the
main incoming supply to different sections of the plant or building. This
centralization simplifies power management, enhances safety during
maintenance, and allows for efficient load balancing.
Applications
PCC panels are indispensable in a wide array of high-power applications:
HT Panels (High Tension Panels): Often serve as an interface with the
PCC, managing power at higher voltage levels before it's stepped down
for distribution.
MCC Panels (Motor Control Center Panels): The PCC feeds power to
MCCs, which then control individual motors or groups of motors.
Transformers: PCCs are crucial in managing the power flow to and from
transformers, ensuring proper voltage conversion and distribution to
different voltage levels within the facility.
Large Industrial Facilities: Factories, manufacturing plants, and heavy
industries rely on PCCs for robust and reliable power distribution to their
machinery and operations.
Commercial Complexes: Large office buildings, shopping malls, and
data centers utilize PCCs to manage the substantial power requirements
of their diverse systems.
Key Features
Monitoring: Equipped with meters and indicators to continuously
monitor critical electrical parameters such as voltage, current, frequency,
and power factor at various points within the system.
Protection: Incorporates a comprehensive suite of protective devices,
including circuit breakers (ACBs, MCCBs, MCBs), relays, and fuses, to
safeguard against overloads, short circuits, earth faults, and voltage
fluctuations, thereby protecting equipment and personnel.
Essential Components of a PCC Panel
A Power Control Center (PCC) panel is a sophisticated assembly of electrical components, each contributing to the safe and efficient distribution of power within
a facility. Understanding these key components is essential to grasping the panel's functionality and its role in an electrical infrastructure.
Air Circuit Breaker (ACB) MCCB (Moulded Case Circuit Breaker)
Often the main incoming breaker, ACBs are used for high-current Used for branch circuit protection and as feeders for smaller loads
applications (typically 800A to 6300A). They provide robust protection (typically up to 1600A). MCCBs offer thermal-magnetic or electronic trip
against overload, short-circuit, and earth faults, and are capable of units for precise overcurrent and short-circuit protection, housed within a
interrupting fault currents in the air. ACBs also provide isolation for compact, insulated case.
maintenance.
Multifunction Meter (MFM) Current Transformer (CT)
An advanced digital meter that provides real-time measurement of Used in conjunction with meters and relays to measure high AC currents
various electrical parameters such as voltage, current, frequency, power by stepping them down to a safely measurable level. CTs provide isolation
(active, reactive, apparent), power factor, and energy consumption. MFMs between the primary high current circuit and the metering/protection
aid in monitoring system performance and troubleshooting. circuit.
MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker) Single Phase Preventer
Designed for low-current applications (typically up to 63A), MCBs protect A crucial protective device that continuously monitors the three-phase
individual circuits within the panel or smaller loads from overloads and supply. It automatically trips the main circuit breaker or contactor if one
short circuits. They are commonly used for control circuits and lighting. of the phases is lost, preventing damage to three-phase motors and other
sensitive equipment.
Rigorous Testing Procedures for Electric Panels
Ensuring the reliability and safety of electric panels is paramount. Tejas Industries employs stringent testing procedures to verify that each panel meets the
highest quality and safety standards before dispatch. These tests are critical for evaluating the panel's structural integrity, insulation, and ability to withstand
operational stresses.
High Voltage (HV) Testing Megger Testing (Insulation Resistance Test)
HV testing, also known as dielectric strength testing or hipot testing, is a non- Megger testing is performed using an insulation resistance tester (Megger) to
destructive test performed to ensure the adequacy of electrical insulation of measure the resistance of the insulation between conductors and between
the panel and its components. This test applies a voltage higher than the conductors and ground. This test helps identify potential insulation
panel's nominal operating voltage to check for insulation breakdown or deterioration, moisture ingress, or contamination that could lead to electrical
excessive leakage currents. faults.
Insulation and Leakage Current Test (2.5 kV): During this test, a high AC Checks Insulation Resistance: A DC voltage (e.g., 500V, 1000V) is applied,
or DC voltage (typically 2.5 kV for LV panels) is applied between current- and the resulting current is used to calculate the insulation resistance in
carrying conductors and the panel's metallic body, as well as between megohms (M«). A higher resistance indicates better insulation quality.
different phases. The test measures the leakage current, which should Acceptable if IR > 1200 M«: For the panels to be deemed safe and
remain below a specified threshold. A low leakage current indicates reliable, the insulation resistance (IR) value must exceed a predetermined
strong insulation and minimizes the risk of short circuits or electrical minimum, typically 1200 M«. Values below this threshold suggest
shocks. insulation degradation that could compromise safety and lead to
Evaluates Panel¾s Load Capacity: While primarily an insulation test, a equipment failure. This test ensures that the panel will not suffer from
successful HV test indirectly confirms the panel's ability to safely handle flashovers or short circuits under normal operating conditions.
its rated voltage without insulation failure, which is essential for its long-
term operational integrity under various load conditions.
