Busbars, material types and the need for busbar insulation
Busbars are metal bars that conducts a substantial current of electricity within a switchboard, distribution board, substation, battery bank or other electrical apparatus. Busbars are most commonly made of copper, aluminum or brass. The biggest disadvantages of copper over aluminum or brass are density and relative cost. For a given current and temperature rise, an aluminium conductor would be lighter and cheaper, even though its cross-section would be larger. Despite this and many attempts to replace it, copper still remains the predominant material choice for busbars.
Busbars are typically split into three families:
Low Voltage Busbars (up to 600V)
Medium Voltage Busbars (between 600V and 38,000V)
High Voltage Busbars (above 38,000V)
Low & medium voltage busbars are coated with an epoxy coating powder to provide electrical insulation and to reduce air spacing between busbars. This allows for safer, more efficient designs of switchgear equipment. CAPLINQ has partnered with SolEpoxy Inc., to develop, market and distribute epoxy coating powders for power distribution. SolEpoxy epoxy coating powders for busbars reduce the minimum busbar spacing requirement and are equally well suited for aluminum and copper busbars.
