Unless you’re part of a small sub-set of the population, you’ve probably never heard of medium-voltage design. Yet this component of electrical distribution plays a significant part in making sure that large buildings and campuses operate smoothly.

To illustrate the part that medium-voltage cabling plays, imagine two scenarios:

Scenario 1: A facility distribution center sends 12,000 volts across a campus to light university classrooms, cool data centers, and power hospital wings. No one thinks about it because it was properly installed, is well-maintained, and is functioning properly.

Scenario 2: The same facility experiences an electrical failure, and power to the entire campus is lost. Confusion ensues before a backup generator kicks in, and now the facility must scramble with unscheduled and costly emergency repairs. Employees must be coordinated during campus-wide shutdowns; there is a loss of production and, most likely, significant damage to the electrical backbone of the campus.

Naturally, most institutions prefer the first scenario over the second one, but if medium-voltage equipment is not tested and maintained regularly, the second scenario becomes far more likely. 

Want to learn more?

Assessing existing systems, implementing testing and maintenance programs, and designing repairs/replacement of MV infrastructure are all tasks that Salas O’Brien has years of experience with. In fact, one of our professional engineers, Hugh King, recently wrote a white paper about medium-voltage design, which you are welcome to download below.