EU, UK Distribution Systems TT or TN 1

[amptramp]

Cheers All,

Please forgive my lack of world travel!

Is 230V 1[Φ] the most common distribution system for commercial/residential applications within the EU and UK?

What is the prevalence of type TN and TT distribution systems in the EU and UK with respect to industrial, commercial, and residential installations?

Are 230V 1[Φ] systems for commercial/residential installation derived from 3[Φ], i.e., Phase and Neutral or, as in the US, are they derived from transformer secondary, i.e., split phase 240/120V?

Thanks All,

amp

 

[Skogsgurra]

The dominating system is TN-C with 230 V and 50 Hz. That is valid for EU and UK, which actually now is part of EU.

(Historical not: Not long ago, EU had 220 V and UK had 240 V. The 230 V is a compromise to facilitate trade within EU.

The 230 V is mostly (very often, almost always) taken from the secondary of a three phase transformer with a delta primary and a star secondary with Neutral connected to ground. Homes either have one phase or three phases. Single phase is usual in apartments and three phase in houses. Fuses are often 16 A, but 20 and 25 A also exist. For apartments, there are also 10 A fuses.

Dominating does not mean that no other systems exist. They do. In Norway, for example, the system usually is IT and the 220/230 is taken from the corners of the three-phase secondary. There are also 'islands' in a few places scattered over Europe, where DC is still distributed.

Industry is quite different. 400 V TN-C and TN-S are common. Steel works and paper mills also use 500 and 690 V IT systems. The 500 is often 525 and the 690 V usually stays at 690 - 700 V.

Googling 'industrial power systems' and variations thereof will produce lots of details that I haven't covered.

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

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100 % recycled posting: Electrons, ideas, finger-tips have been used over and over again...

 

[amptramp]

Thanks Gunnar! I appreciate the detail.

amp