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Figure 1
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Figure 2
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Team 1

Team Members

Faculty Advisor

Michael D'Averso
Nate Carlson

Dr. Vito Moreno

Sponsor

ABB

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Design of a Plug-In Lug Adapter

The objective of this project was to design a plug-in lug adapter to be used with ABB’s ReliaGear neXT Power Panel. Currently, the power panel can be configured with a bus with lug pads or a "clean" bus without lug pads. The lug adapter will eliminate the need for ABB to offer a bus with lugs. This will allow their volume to focus on one product instead of two. The adapter allows the lug configuration to be a modular component added or removed from the bus like any other breaker. To pass UL safety certifications, the adapter must be able to withstand loads of 1,200 amps per phase with a temperature rise of less than 50 degrees Celsius. The three phases must also be properly isolated from each other with a 2" over-surface isolation distance to prevent short-circuiting. The size of the adapter is limited to the dimensions of the xT5 breaker. The adapter must also meet the IP-20 standard. Team ME 01 has created a design that meets or exceeds all requirements and has created a prototype that can properly mount to the breaker bus. The geometry was designed using CAD software and thermal simulations were performed using Ansys. ABB will review and alter the design to improve manufacturability and other aspects of the design, as well as perform physical thermal and shorting tests to meet UL standards.