8/7/2017 Characteristics of the Neutral Conductor

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NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE > CODE BASICS

Characteristics of the Neutral Conductor

Characteristics of the Neutral Conductor In any electrical system, the neutral is a grounded conductor that you
must size and treat di erently from ungrounded phase conductors. Do you know how to properly size a neutral
conductor? Do you know the rules surrounding its proper application? If not, read on. This article discusses how
to calculate the neutral current for various circuit con gurations

James Stallcup Sr. | Sep 01, 2000

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Characteristics of the Neutral Conductor

In any electrical system, the neutral is a grounded conductor that you must size and treat differently from ungrounded
phase conductors.

Do you know how to properly size a neutral conductor? Do you know the rules surrounding its proper application? If not,
read on. This article discusses how to calculate the neutral current for various circuit configurations to meet the
requirements set forth in the Code.

Sizing the neutral: Sec. 220-22. You must size the neutral conductor to carry the maximum unbalanced current in the
circuit (i.e. the largest load between the neutral and any one ungrounded phase conductor). You calculate the first 200A of
neutral current at 100%. For all resistive loads on the neutral exceeding 200A, you must apply a demand factor of 70%.
Then, you add this value to the first 200A, which we calculated at 100%.

You calculate all inductive neutral current at 100% with no demand factor applied. When working with cooking
equipment or a dryer load, the feeder neutral load shall also be 70% of the demand load. You must use a multiplier of
140% when calculating the neutral current for a 3-wire, 2-phase or 5-wire, 2-phase system. The neutral conductors do not
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140% when calculating the neutral current for a 3-wire, 2-phase or 5-wire, 2-phase system. The neutral conductors do not
become overloaded because 120V loads switch in and out on the circuits at different intervals of time.

Using the neutral: Sec. 310-15(b)(4). This section has three subdivisions explaining the loading conditions and use of the
neutral conductor. Let's take a closer look at each of these sections to help you fully understand their application.

Part (a). The Code considers the neutral conductor a current-carrying conductor only when it carries the unbalanced
current from other ungrounded phase conductors. When circuits are properly balanced, the neutral carries very little
current. When sizing the load for a 2-wire circuit, the grounded neutral conductor carries the same amount of current as
the ungrounded phase conductor. This type of installation has no unbalanced load; therefore, the neutral conductor
carries full current.

Example: What is the neutral load for a single-phase, 120V, 2-wire circuit supplying a load of 14A?

Step 1: Find amperage per Sec. 220-22 and Sec. 310-15(b)(4)(a).

Ungrounded conductor = 14A

Grounded neutral conductor = 14A

Solution: Size the neutral conductor to carry a load of 14A.

When sizing the load for a 3-wire circuit, the grounded neutral conductor must carry the unbalanced load of the two
ungrounded phase conductors. This type of installation has an unbalanced load - unless both ungrounded conductors pull
the same amount of current on each ungrounded phase conductor.

Example: What is the unbalanced neutral load for a 3-wire circuit carrying 64A and 52A on the ungrounded phase
conductors?

Step 1: Find amperage per Sec. 220-22 and Sec. 310-15(b)(4)(a).

Ungrounded phase conductor: Phase A = 64A

Ungrounded phase conductor: Phase B = 52A

Unbalanced load = 12A

Solution: The grounded neutral conductor load is 12A for the unbalanced condition.

You must use a specific formula to calculate the neutral current for 3-phase feeder-circuits. Where currents on Phases A,
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You must use a specific formula to calculate the neutral current for 3-phase feeder-circuits. Where currents on Phases A,
B, and C are of different values, you can compute the neutral current

Part (b). The Code requires the grounded neutral conductor of a 3-wire, 120/208V feeder-circuit to be the same size as the
ungrounded phase conductors for a feeder-circuit derived from a 4-wire, 120/208V system.

This is because the grounded neutral of a 3-wire circuit (consisting of 2-phase conductors) carries approximately the same
amount of current as the ungrounded phase conductor. Therefore, the Code does not allow a reduction in ampacity.

Example: What is the grounded neutral conductor load for a 120/208V, single-phase circuit taken from a 4-wire wye, 3-
phase system with 190A on phase A, 170A on phase B, and 90A for the neutral?

Solution: You must size the grounded (neutral) conductor based on the largest ungrounded phase conductor. Therefore,
you must size the grounded conductor to carry 190A.

Part (c). The grounded neutral conductor of a 4-wire, 3-phase system supplying nonlinear loads must be the same size as
the ungrounded phase conductors. The Code considers the grounded neutral conductor a current-carrying conductor due
to the harmonic currents generated by these loads.

A demand factor of 70% applies to neutral loads exceeding 200A for nonlinear loads. You shall calculate nonlinear related
loads at 100%.

Example: What is the load for the neutral if it exceeds 200A and has more than 50% of its load affected by harmonics? The
ungrounded phase conductors carry a total neutral load of 275A respectively.

Step 1: Find amperage per Sec. 310-15(b)(4)(c). Phases4275A

Step 2: Calculate amperage per Sec. 220-22.

First, 200A x 100% = 200A

Next, 75A x 100% = 75A

Therefore, the total = 275A

Solution: You must size the neutral conductor to carry 275A.

The Code considers the grounded neutral conductor a current-carrying conductor because of the harmonic currents
generated by these loads. You must apply Sec. 310-15(b)(2)(a) for four or more current-carrying conductors in a conduit,
cable, etc.
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Example: What is the neutral load for 120V loads having harmonic currents of 400A per phase?

Step 1: Find amperage per Sec. 310-15(b)(4)(c). Ungrounded conductors = 400A

Step 2: Calculate amperage per Sec. 220-22. 400A2 x 100% = 400A

Solution: The neutral load is 400A.

Note: The Code does not permit reduction of ampacity due to harmonic currents.

You must determine the size of the neutral conductor (based on its use with ungrounded circuit conductors) carefully. For
example, the manner in which it shares loads between the other conductors determines if you can reduce its ampacity
rating. Likewise, you must consider the number of current-carrying conductors to see if you must derate the neutral's
ampacity. The neutral conductor is special; therefore, you must size it accordingly.

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BASICS > BONDING & GROUNDING

New Application Guide for Isolated Ground Wiring Devices Covers 2017 NEC Compliance

Aug 04, 2017

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The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently published NEMA WD-AG 1-2017 Application Guide
for Isolated Ground Wiring Devices to include new requirements under the 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC). This
revision also covers wiring devices and accessories intended to help protect sensitive equipment from malfunction due to
electrical noise on the equipment grounding path.

According to David Lutz, chairman of the Wiring Devices Technical Committee, “Isolated ground devices have been
around for many years, but their use and installation continue to be misunderstood. This guide is a resource for the
correct and safe use and installation of these devices, and has been updated to reflect the current NEC requirements.”

Related: ANSI C137.3 Installation Standard Unveiled

NEMA WD-AG 1 also covers applications, troubleshooting, and maintenance of isolated ground circuits. Canadian
requirements were removed from the current edition and will be addressed separately in a Canadian document.

NEMA WD-AG 1-2017 is available as an electronic download at no cost on the NEMA website.

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CONSTRUCTION

Times & Trends: The New America

All business is local, but some mega-trends fuel much of the new construction now underway.

Aug 03, 2017

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As EW’s editors looked over the fastest-growing markets in the United States for this month’s cover story, “It’s Market
Planning Time” (page 12), we were struck not only by how many billion-dollar mega-projects are changing the landscape
of many cities, but how three key trends are driving much of this construction. Here’s a look at them.

Gateway projects that redefine how visitors and residents “see” a city. Two of the biggest examples are in the
Big Apple — the $8 billion demolition and reconstruction of LaGuardia Airport and the $5 billion redevelopment of the
midtown U.S. Post Office into the entry hall for Penn Station, one of the busiest mass transit hubs in the United States.

LaGuardia Airport handled 29.8 million passengers in 2016, and when they arrive many of them may have agreed with
former Vice President Joe Biden that some of the terminals look like they are part of the airport of a third-world country.
The project is well underway and if completed as planned by 2021, will redefine the experience business travelers and
tourist have when they enter New York.

About 10 miles away, construction is starting on what may be the most innovative mass transit project in the nation — the
conversion of the James A. Farley Post Office into the Moynihan Train Hall. It will reconfigure much of today’s dingy
Amtrak-Long Island Railroad station beneath Madison Square Garden at 34th St. and move it one block over into the post
office building to create the new Moynihan Train Hall, giving new life to one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts
architecture in the Big Apple.

Visitors will enter a soaring atrium with sweeping views of the New York City skyline, a far cry from their first view of New
York when they step off of trains in Penn Station today, where they see a dirty cavern caked with grime, dim lighting,
cheezy tourist stands, fast-food restaurants and overflowing trash cans.

Repurposing underutilized areas of cities. Urban redevelopment projects have been going on forever, but few can
compare in scope to the revitalization of Boston’s Seaport district, where acres of parking lots and abandoned warehouses
are being transformed into billions of dollars in new office, retail and residential construction projects. These projects
include a new global headquarters for Vertex Pharmaceuticals that’s been open since 2014; an office tower for

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PricewaterhouseCoopers; a new corporate headquarters for GE still in the planning stages; and a new 1,000-room Omni
hotel project that in total will bring $550 million in construction to the area.

Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development transformed similarly underutilized real estate, as has Washington, D.C.’s
Capitol Riverfront project, where over the past years tenants including CBS Radio, the National Association of
Broadcasters and Lockheed Martin have moved to the area near the Washington Nationals’ major league baseball
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BICSI Revises, Updates Telecommunication Project Management Program

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To become a successful telecommunications project manager, individuals need a thorough understanding of information
and communication technologies (ICT), personnel management, and project management. BICSI, the Tampa, Fla.-based
association that helps advance the ICT community, has announced a newly revised Registered Telecommunications
Project Management (RTPM) Program that addresses this need through courses, a manual, and a certification.

The program consists of three courses:

Related: Are You Aware of all the Changes in the ANSI/TIA/EIA Telecommunications Building Wiring Standards?

• PM101: Introduction to Project Management

This online course is targeted at ICT professionals who are considering transitioning into a project management role.
PM101 begins with a basic overview of the project management process from project selection to closeout, including
information about risk management, quality control, and procurement planning. The course also offers up-to-date
principles and strategies that can be used to make project teams successful.

• PM102: Applied Telecommunications Project Management

This course is designed to provide ICT professionals an opportunity to build on their existing project management skills
while also exploring the steps and thought processes behind the basic principles and information necessary for managing
a successful telecommunications project. This 5-day instructor-led course provides a hands-on approach to managing
real-world ICT design and installation projects and covers key steps required during the project initiation,
implementation, execution, and closing phases.

• PM103: Advanced Tools for ICT Project Management

This online course is designed to teach key project management concepts such as the role of the project manager. PM103
then delves into techniques and strategies for managing a project’s scope, schedule, and budget. With this information in
place, the course will then explore how Microsoft Project 2013 can be used to set up, manage, track, and analyze your
projects.

Note: PM102 is an instructor-led course that is currently available around the United States, including Oregon, Maryland,
Nevada, Texas, and at BICSI's world headquarters in Florida. New locations are constantly being scheduled. Both PM101
and PM103 are available online via BICSI CONNECT, BICSI’s interactive learning network.

Complete information about the Registered Telecommunications Project Management Program can be found at
bicsi.org/rtpm.

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NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE

Code Quiz: Ceiling Outlet Boxes for Lighting

Steven Owen | Aug 02, 2017

Fill in the blank. When installing a luminaire that weighs more than _____, the luminaire shall be supported
independently of the outlet box, unless the outlet box is _____ for not less than the weight to be supported.

A) 40 lbs / approved
B) 50 lbs / listed
C) 70 lbs / identified
D) 100 lbs / secured

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