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What’s the Difference Between Switchgear and Switchboards?
Whether you use a commercial or industrial electrical system to power your facility, you’ve likely heard the terms switchgear and switchboards being mentioned. At first, these two power distribution units may sound similar, but they have several important differences.
Whether you’re working on putting together power infrastructure for an upcoming project or just trying to make sense of your building’s electrical system, learning the similarities and differences between these two can make conversations with your contractor or engineer a whole lot easier. So, we’ll spend this article outlining their similarities, differences, and how to make the right choice for your facility’s electrical needs.
What Is Switchgear?
Think of an electrical system as a road with sprawling lanes, turns, and busy intersections. Switchgear works like a traffic light that directs electricity to where it needs to be by opening and closing circuits as needed, isolating gear for maintenance, and stopping electrical faults before they can damage downstream gear.
Switchgear is built for high voltage applications and is constructed with components like circuit breakers, fuses, and switches that are housed in a metal enclosure. You’ll often find switchgear installed in places like power plants, substations, and industrial facilities that require a significant amount of electricity and comprehensive protection.
Switchboards Made Simple
Like switchgear, switchboards serve as your electrical system’s power distribution hub. It takes power from your utility line, generator, or transformer and sends it out to the machinery that needs it.
Switchboards are built to handle low voltage applications that are up to 6000A and 600V. Like switchgear, they include circuit breakers, fuses, and busbars, but the components are generally lighter duty. Since switchboards typically use molded case circuit breakers and simpler mechanisms, they’re a budget-friendly choice for projects with less complex power distribution needs.
Exploring the Similarities of Switchgear and Switchboards
At a glance, switchgear and switchboards can look almost identical, which is why people often mix them up. Both are typically freestanding metal cabinets that house electrical components such as busbars and relays, and they’re both used to manage and distribute power throughout a building.
You’ll typically find them in electrical rooms or power distribution areas, acting as an initial stop for electricity after it comes from a utility, generator, or transformer. From there, they send power to lighting panels, HVAC systems, outlets, and other equipment that keeps the facility running.
What Are the Differences Between Switchgear and Switchboards?
While switchgear and switchboards might look alike on the outside, once you take a closer look at what’s inside and the types of applications that they’re built for, their differences start to stand out.
Power Ratings: As we briefly touched on, switchboards are designed for low voltage applications, usually up to 600V and 6000A. Switchgear, on the other hand, handles much higher voltages, making it a better fit for industrial plants, substations, and utility systems where higher fault currents and voltages need to be controlled.
Compartmentalization: Switchboards have an open-chassis design, meaning there's no internal separation between components like busbars, lugs, and breakers. This setup keeps costs down and simplifies the design. Switchgear is fully compartmentalized, meaning that each component is enclosed in its own section. This boosts safety by reducing arc flash exposure and allows for live maintenance in certain situations.
Automated Load Management: Switchgear comes with advanced control and automation features. It supports remote operation and real-time monitoring of system health, loads, and faults to make automated load management and quick fault isolation possible. Switchboards, on the other hand, are typically operated manually and have fewer automation options.
Breakers: Switchboards typically use molded case circuit breakers (MCCBs) that are cost-effective and ideal for systems with lower fault levels. Switchgear uses draw-out circuit breakers that handle higher fault currents and can be serviced without shutting down the entire system.
Industry Standards: UL 891 covers switchboards and outlines requirements for things like short-circuit ratings, busbar design, insulation, and overcurrent protection. UL 1558 applies to low-voltage metal-enclosed switchgear and includes stricter requirements like metal-clad compartments, draw-out circuit breakers, and higher fault ratings.
Our team has hands-on experience supplying switchgear and switchboards for everything from major data centers to high-profile projects like the MSG Sphere. If you need help finding the right power distribution equipment for your project, we're here to help. Please call (800)-597-9311 or email PPG@ATIElectrical.com to request a free quote and consultation today.
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