An E-House is a compact power distribution solution manufactured, tested and approved in the factory. It houses medium voltage switchgear, motor control centres, transformers, HVAC, UPS and building management and control systems within a single structure. It is built for hazardous area conditions, particularly for oil and gas applications.
These prefabricated or fixed electrical rooms are created by installing all the systems a distribution room requires inside containers or prefabricated structures. The certified equipment they contain is commissioned in the factory beforehand and testing is completed before the unit reaches site. After the cable connections are made, the unit is commissioned quickly on site, saving both time and cost during initial investment and operation.
E-House solutions are used in oil and gas, mining, transport, off-shore, utilities, energy-intensive industries and railways. Supplied as plug-and-play units, they operate reliably in demanding conditions from −40 to +50 °C.
Typical situations where they are chosen: when emergency power is required, as a standby unit in natural disasters, where service continuity is needed during planned construction and maintenance programmes, for demand beyond existing capacity, and for new plant installations. They are completed faster than conventional solutions, shorten the engineering and design phase, save floor space compared with buildings, reduce cabling costs between integrated equipment, and can be relocated once the facility's life ends.
Structural features include internal arc classification to IAC A and B, protection classes from IP23D to IP54, insulation material suited to ambient conditions, hot-dip galvanised NPU or NPI base profiles for corrosion resistance, doors designed for 20 J mechanical impact opening outwards through 120°, and rubber floor covering rated to 50 kV with A1 fire classification. HVAC, fire detection and suppression are available as options, and the design accepts every type of LV and MV board.
Mobile substations provide flexible, efficient solutions up to 245 kV. Depending on the application they can be mounted on a trailer, platform, railway wagon or vessel, and the HV and MV switching equipment can be specified as gas insulated (GIS) or air insulated (AIS). The complete substation can be equipped with remote control systems and is produced faster and at lower cost than a fixed installation.
Dozens of mobile substations have been built and commissioned at ratings and characteristics such as 230 kV 65 MVA, 220/33 kV, 170/36 kV, 132/33 kV, 132/11 kV (16–45 MVA) and 33/11 kV (5–16 MVA). Applications include temporary power demand, emergency power, additional capacity, mining, military camps and industrial facilities.
