Iee Ring Final Circuit Meeting

754 Words4 Pages
12 RING FINAL CIRCUIT IEE Ring final circuit meeting On Wednesday 31st October 2007, a public meeting was held in the Council Chamber at Savoy Place, London - home of the IET, to discuss the perceived merits and shortcomings of ring final circuits. The meeting was well attended with an audience of approximately 100 people. The programme for the meeting was as follows: Introduction by Chairman Mr N C Friswell The History of the Ring Circuit by Mr D W M Latimer 2.40pm Disadvantages of the Ring Circuit by Mr H R Lovegrove 3.10pm Advantages of the Ring Circuit by Mr M White 3.40pm Comfort Break (10 mins) 3.50pm General Discussion & Comments 4.40pm Chairman’s Summary All three papers were well received. Some of the main points that came out of the meeting were as follows: 1. Earth Continuity – advantage of the ring circuit? The presentation by Mr White claimed that if one cpc was to become disconnected at a point around the ring, there would still be earth continuity (albeit of higher resistance) via the remaining cpc at each socket-outlet within the circuit. To this extent, the ring circuit is safer than the radial circuit. It is acknowledged that loss of the earth conductor on a radial circuit may not be noticed until a shock is received. 2. Ring circuits – less protective devices needed? Another positive attribute by Jon Elliott claimed for ring circuits was reduction in the number of protective devices needed at distribution boards when compared to radial circuits. 3. Amount of copper used in an installation? The presentation by Mr Lovegrove claimed that radial circuits offer greater flexibility, require the use of less cable, shorter installation time, lower installation cost and a smaller drain on the world’s resources of copper. Conversely, the presentation by Mr White claimed one of the primary aims when ring circuits were developed after the

More about Iee Ring Final Circuit Meeting

Open Document