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Neutral-Earth switching in transformerless UPS's

Former Community Member
Former Community Member

This question likes to rear its head within my company (consulting) every now and then and has come up a handful of times recently. The query is in regard to neutral-earth switching with transformerless UPS's and how to maintain the neutral link in place to prevent the UPS from floating during changeover.

When there are two different sources (i.e. mains as TN-S and generator standby as essential backup), regulation 444.4.6 requires the system to be ‘earthed at one point’ and clause 444.4.7 requires ‘a multipole switching device which switches the line conductors and the neutral conductor’. So the way to achieve both requirements  would be to have a N-E link within the main LV switchboard and another within the essential board, and complete the changeover using a 4 pole device to ensure the neutral is switched. 

The problem then comes of how to switch the UPS between the two sources of supply (and their neutral-earth links) and maintain a NE link in place during the changeover period. The other problem comes downstream  when the UPS is transformerless and cannot derive its own neutral for its outgoing connections, so during changeover none of the circuits downstream of the UPS have an NE link in place. 

There are a few solutions that can be implemented, but most of them contravene BS7671 is some way. 

So the question is, what is the best way to do this?

 

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  • 0

    Because it's a not public LV supply (you own and operate the transformer), there's no need to “transfer” the Neutral. This is discussed in Regulation 551.6.2.

     

    If you were taking the supply from the DNO at LV, it would be recommended to switch the neutral, and you would also need an independent means of earthing. In this case, transfer to generator with its own earth …  but then there is a period when the UPS is floating and perhaps not safe. In that case, a transformer would be required immediately upstream of the UPS to establish a new neutral, or use a UPS with integral transformer.

    The transfer switch does need all of the line conductors to be switched, however, to prevent the generator operating in parallel with the public supply through the transformer.

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  • 0

    Because it's a not public LV supply (you own and operate the transformer), there's no need to “transfer” the Neutral. This is discussed in Regulation 551.6.2.

     

    If you were taking the supply from the DNO at LV, it would be recommended to switch the neutral, and you would also need an independent means of earthing. In this case, transfer to generator with its own earth …  but then there is a period when the UPS is floating and perhaps not safe. In that case, a transformer would be required immediately upstream of the UPS to establish a new neutral, or use a UPS with integral transformer.

    The transfer switch does need all of the line conductors to be switched, however, to prevent the generator operating in parallel with the public supply through the transformer.

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