What is your process for starting and finishing a new electrical design project?

The requirements of a new project may be enormous such as clients, site/geotechnical constraints, code and application standards or regulations, etc. It’s however pertinent to know the scope of the project so as to minimize scope creep. Project cost, budget, schedule, and risk managements are relevant to a project success. For any project, metrics should be set to measure performance. The team that make up a project is also needed but most importantly effective communication is key to achieving success.

Prepare a check list showing all major requirements and clarify with the customer which you are not offering, which is not good idea to restrict, which are impossible to meet etc

For mega projects, one shall be very clear and no grey area in their scope, scope demarcation, and interface with other party. I.e. consultant, contractor, 3rd party. Most of the problems will arise from poor interface and communication with 3rd party which will lead to redesign i.e. communication protocol not matching, connection not matching, type of signal not matching, nobody doing the termination.

All the above points are must for any project from the design process to execution to handover process, But the Design/execution/Commissioning team is also most important aspect of the project. Without having good team with good knowledge and dedication you cannot accomplish any achievement. Team leader has to trust and must believe in their team, results are awesome with great team efforts.

You should take in account a design that fill the request not only for now for atleast 10 years later. Try to understand what will be in a 10 years. The trends now, will be the standards on a next few years.

From the load list, one can select the different voltage level, sizing for main equipment, power generation and configuration, back-up generators, transformers, distribution and switching, earthing system, and produce a preliminary single line diagram with equipment vendor preliminary values before you are able to input into software for analysis. From the analysis, one can select the correct busbar kA rating and associated equipments, the type of motor starters, whether reactors are required, or filters are required. This will be repetitive process, where you have more details after analysis and select the right equipment and more accurate input from manufacturer for the analysis.

Scope & Analysis: Stakeholder meetings & site survey. Load calculations & system definition. Grounding strategy & code compliance. 2. Conceptual Design: System layout & power analysis. Arc flash study & lighting design. Schematics & panel schedules. 3. Detailed Design: Wiring diagrams & cable selection. Technical specifications & reviews. Construction support & shop drawing review. 4. Commissioning & Closeout: System testing & field inspections. As-built documentation & training. Project review & lessons learned.

- From the loads you can select different voltage levels - if the voltage level is fixed or you have a choice of selection, in both scenario, prepare a model in etap which will help in getting an efficient and cost effective system. - Let suppose, In ETAP, you can place the cap bank at different points which will change the entire result of power factor and harmonic value and so on for the cables, breakers and switchgears type selection.

It is related to study requirement of project related. Some document such as, Load List Study, Power Analysis, Load Flow, Short Circuit, Starting Motor, Drop voltage, Cable sizing, Equipment Sizing, Illumination Study, Lightning Protection Study, etc. All these document described in the deliverable during scope development.

Another important parameter of developing electrical design, is having a close look at earthing/grounding system, the safe passage of fault currents, earth leakage currents, zero sequence currents. This is an essential parameter of electrical protection design, e.g. if there is a delta-delta traffo in the network then where to put the isolation/earthing transformer etc. This requires the services of a highly qualified electrical engineer who has passion in electrical engineering: design & protection, research & development.

1. The first step is project definition and scope The first step is to clearly define the project and its scope. 2. Preliminary Design Once the project definition and scope are established, the next step is to develop a preliminary design. This involves creating a general layout of the electrical system. 3. Detailed Design Once the preliminary design is approved by the client, the next step is to develop a detailed design. This involves creating detailed drawings and specifications for all of the components of the electrical system. 4. Component Selection and Procurement 5. Documentation of the project 6. Implementation and testing And lastly commissioning and validation.

After finalizing the analysis, compute all the data as below: - Prepare the final load schedule - Final SLD - Layout showing lights, power, Electrical Rooms, substations and routing - Installation details drawings - Earthing drawings - Design parameters, basis, decisions, inputs from end users, stakeholders and authorities requirements

Develop design from preliminary into intermediate FEED and DED. Some documents and drawing related in the deliverable such as single line diagram, schematic, wiring, interconnection, block diagram, termination diagram, layout (cable, conduit, ladder/tray, lightings, socket outlet, grounding etc), detail (arrangement, termination, dimension, marking, labeling etc). Some document related to quality, procedure, inspection, testing, etc

Analisar a arquitetura e o mobiliário do ambiente, para definir os pontos de tomadas, ilumina??o, interruptores e quadro de medi??o; Estabelecer os requisitos do projeto, como as normas técnicas, as demandas do cliente, as cargas elétricas e os circuitos necessários; Desenhar a infraestrutura, interligando o quadro de distribui??o de energia às luminárias e tomadas, e indicando o trajeto e a bitola dos condutores e eletrodutos; Representar o projeto sobre a planta arquitet?nica, usando a simbologia adequada e o diagrama unifilar dos circuitos.

Normally after the detailed design, issued for Construction drawings will be prepared which shall be in more details, showing all the minor and major details, installation details of each equipment, duct, tray, trunking routes, conduiting, wiring, location of wiring accessories, tagging. Method of statements shall be submitted for installations, cables laying and pulling, terminations, pre-commissioning, testing & commissioning.

Once the product design is ready, we have to double check the design with respect to customer specifications, standards, regulations and other environmental conditions which may not be in specifications some times.

You need to know what international standard are applicable to your project first then only you design your electrical system according to the standards. What type of system architectual be it radial distribution system or ring main configuration, earthing system, before design.

Review and revise stage may applied after detail of vendor drawing supplied and release for construction. Some adjustment considering the field construction detail, with specific equipment size and detail, and also fab shop drawing integration. Adjustment calculation may apply after specific equipment, cable chosen and some parameter and variable number shall be applied. More details, more accurate.

Testing is the critical stage, but all these activity shall be start from beginning of project start. Quality Assurance shall be develop from beginning, and control can be start with document of Inspection Test Plan. All the test clearly stated in all process, selection of contractor, vendor and manufacturer shall be follow the qc plan. Partial test, from the manufacture, until installation shall be recorded, approved, and certified. All document test and certified will be verify by authorized party before release document of energize recommendation. Follow the local authorize government regulation.

This step is crucial, serving as the 'finishing touch,' and essentially reveals any mistakes that may have occurred in the previous stages, including design and electrical work. Therefore, it is important to commence work at the design stage and, equally importantly, at the electrical installation stage as well. This approach will help to identify potential errors in equipment manufacturing and ordering, pinpoint possible issues during electrical installation, and ultimately expedite the commissioning process. In turn, this will ensure the trouble-free operation of the facility during its long-term operation.

There is a big problem with the support after a new design: The engineer who designed and tested it is gone, and the new engineer has no background. If the documentation is not detailed, it becomes a headache when issues arise. You must document it in detail, step by step.

Starting and completing an electrical design project typically involves several key steps. Here's a general outline of the process: 1. Project Definition and Scope. 2. Preliminary Design. 3. Detailed Design. 4. Component Selection and Procurement. 5. Documentation: Throughout the design process, maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation. 6. Prototyping and Testing. 7. Implementation and Installation. 8. Commissioning and Validation: After installation, perform commissioning activities. 9. Documentation and Handover: As the project nears completion, update the documentation with as-built drawings, final specifications. The specific steps and their sequence may vary depending on the project's size.

Of course you need to understand the client's requirements, develop Master Information Delivery Plan (MIPD) that will guide the designs and documentation to produce to meet the clients requirements.

Needs Analysis and Understanding -> Scope and task breakdown -> assign resources (staffing, software, admin equipment) -> verify and baseline budget -> kickoff and sign off plan and stakeholder buy in -> weekly monitoring of progress and proactive issue management -> identify scope changes and approval -> milestone reviews -> what’s working and what’s not working -> final handover prep -> sign off final deliverable -> lessons learned