HCAI Policy Intent Notice (PIN 70) – Electrical Coordination

HCAI, PIN, and PIN 70 Introduction

Healthcare facilities consist of many lifesaving equipment that require a continuous supply of power and are normally categorized as critical or essential loads. A power outage for an extended period can cause serious problems. To overcome this issue, proper power system studies according to the standards are performed, so that the occurrence of power loss can be minimized. One of these standards are Electrical Coordination Policy (PIN70) of HCAI. HCAI stands for Health Care Access and Information, formerly known as OSHPD (Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development) is a department of California mainly concerned with the healthcare situation within California.

OSHPD become the HCAI after the signing of 2021-22 Budget and trailer bills by Governor of California Gavin Newsom. The transition from OSHPD to HCAI included certain administrative and policy changes, reallocation of budgets, and creation of new departments. As mentioned on its website, HCAI defines its mission as, to expand equitable access to quality, affordable health care for all Californians through resilient facilities, actionable information, and the health workforce each community needs.

Policy Intent Notice (PIN) is the policy document released by the OSHPD/HACAI on topics pertinent to Occupational Health and Safety Hazards. They are listed in numeric order. The topic of the blog is related to PIN 70 – Electrical Coordination. The PIN 70 is intended to clarify how the HCAI would enforce overcurrent protective device coordination requirements for both new and existing electrical systems.

Background

Electrical coordination involves coordinating the overcurrent protective devices (OCPD) in such a way that outages caused due to the fault remain localized at the place of an overcurrent condition

Figure 1 shows the opening of only circuit breaker ‘F’ if a short circuit occurs at the branch feeding load 5, while circuit breaker A remains closed, thus showing the localization of fault and the circuit breakers being coordinated. The opposite case is illustrated in figure 2.

Figure 1 Example of Coordinated Electrical System

Figure 2 Example of Non-Coordinated Electrical System

The following areas are considered by PIN 70 to be requirements for OCPD coordination as per NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (NEC).:

• Essential Electrical Systems per 517.31(G)
• Emergency Systems per 700.32
• Legally Required Standby Systems per 701.27
• Elevators per 620.62
• Fire Pumps used in Multibuilding Campus-Style Complexes per 695.3(G)(3)

In order to coordinate the OCPDs, a coordination study is performed. Through that study, the Time-Current Curves (TCC) are achieved that graphically represent the overcurrent operational function of each OCPDs with respect to time. Figures 3 and 4 are showing the TCC curves.

Policy

Following are the points of Policy for this PIN

• As required by the California Electrical Code (CEC), all new and repurposed existing OCPDs must coordinate with the new and existing electrical system. This aligns with the electrical remodel flow chart in (Code Application Notice) 2-102.6 Remodel (Renovations, Alterations, Repairs).
• Selection of OCPDs is the responsibility of the Electrical Engineer of Records (EEOR) which should meet the requirements found in the CEC Articles 517, 620, 695, 700, and 701.
• During plan evaluation, the electrical plans must show that the electrical system will adhere to coordination standards. While the coordination study shows code compliance is required during the plan evaluation phase or construction phase as a deferred submittal.
• A preliminary coordination study or a signed letter from the EEOR must be presented during the plan review phase if the final coordination study is not available.
• The plans must be accompanied by a signed letter from the EEOR stating that the electrical system has been reviewed for coordination and that its design complies with the CEC's standards.
• The signed letter from the EEOR shall be included on the plans and state that the electrical system has been evaluated for coordination and that the electrical system design will meet the coordination requirements of the CEC.

Procedure

 The procedure and requirements to implement the PIN policy of OCPD coordination for the different categories as mentioned earlier will be evaluated by the HCAI plan reviewers to ensure a code-compliant design or installation.  However, for a detailed procedure please refer to the website of HCAI as in this blog summarized procedure is provided.

Following are the common points for all categories,

• The contract documents need to clearly identify OCPDs that require coordination through acceptable means as explained in PIN-70.
• On the project cover sheet, the coordination study must be classified as a Deferred Approval Item (DSI) when the final coordination study is to be presented during the construction phase.

Essential Electrical System

The following are some essential points that are laid by the PIN-70 for the electrical coordination of Essential Electrical Systems.

• OCPDs of hospital essential electrical systems must coordinate for the period of time that a fault’s duration extends beyond 0.1 seconds. See the following figure for additional details.
  
  
• In order to keep the optional load overcurrent interruption to the optional branch, only normal and essential electrical systems OCPDs supplying an optional load transfer switch allowed in 517.31(B)(1) shall coordinate with upstream OCPDs, while OCPDs downstream to the optional load transfer switch is not required to coordinate.
  

  Figure 6 Essential Electrical System Coordination - Optional Load Branch

• Coordination between two OCPDs connected in series is not required. Primary and secondary OCPDs of the transformer are also not required to be coordinated. For exceptions refer to the PIN-70.
• For new work to the existing essential electrical system, PIN-70 specified the scope. The following figures show the examples.
  
  
• OCPD of a temporary generator shall coordinate with the OCPD’s one-level downstream.
• For the details of Ground Fault Protection, replacement of utilization equipment (load), further information to the EEOR, and requirements of the coordination study, please refer to the PIN-70.

Emergency Systems and Legally Required Standby

The following are some essential points that are laid by the PIN-70 for the electrical coordination of Emergency Systems and Legally Required Standby.

• OCPDs of emergency systems and legally required standby systems must selectively coordinate for the full range of available fault currents
• The devices included in the above requirement are shown in the figure
• Service ground fault protection equipment must coordinate with the downstream OCPDs on the emergency system as required in 230.95 and 215.10.
• Coordination between two OCPDs connected in series is not required. For exceptions refer to the PIN-70.
• As per HCAI, coordination of the existing system will only be evaluated at the point of connection to new work.

Figure 9 Emergency System Selective Coordination

• All the new OCPDs added to an existing essential electrical system must coordinate with each other and the already existing OCPDs.
• For a temporary generator, its OCPD must coordinate with the OCPD one-level downstream.
• For the details of the replacement of utilization equipment (load), further information to the EEOR, and requirements of the coordination study, please refer to the PIN-70.

Elevators

The following are some essential points that are laid by the PIN-70 for the electrical coordination of Elevators,

• If a single feeder supplying more than one machine disconnecting means, the OCPDs of elevators must selectively coordinate. OCPDs of each disconnecting means must selectively coordinate with the upstream feeder OCPDs for the full range of overcurrent.
• This selective coordination is required to prevent a fault condition at one machine from interrupting the power to another machine(s) supplied by the same feeder.
•  Installing or replacing machine disconnecting means supplied by a single feeder system will require the disconnecting means to selectively coordinate with all common upstream feeder OCPDs. See Figure 10

Figure 10 Elevator Selective Coordination

Fire Pumps in Multibuilding Campus-Style Complexes

The following are some essential points that are laid by the PIN-70 for the electrical coordination of OCPDs of the fire pump used in multibuilding campus-style complexes,

• All fire pumps powered by the essential electrical system must meet the essential electrical system coordination requirements as mentioned in HCAI PIN-70.
• Fire pumps as described in CEC 695(C) must meet the selective coordination requirements described in the following points.
• OCPDs in each disconnecting means of fire pump systems used in multibuilding Campus-style complexes must selectively coordinate with any other supply-side OCPDs as per the CEC 695.3(C)(3) for the full range of available over currents.
• The scope of this requirement encompasses all OCPDs that supply power to the fire pump.
• Further details of the information to the EEOR, and requirements of the coordination study can be found in PIN 70.

Construction

HCAI has laid out some requirements that must be met during the construction. It provides the recommendation to the EEOR for the submission of the final coordination study. If any material changes are required because of the final coordination study, it must be documented and submitted as an Amended Construction Document (ACD) for review by the Office. Similarly, if any changes are made in the values and number of OCPDs, a revised coordination study must be submitted with the electrical plans as an ACD.

Examples

In this section, we will explore two examples to understand the application of the HCAI PIN 70 electrical coordination requirement.

Installation of New Subpanel Fed from Existing Equipment Branch Panel

Assume an existing equipment branch PANEL PNL1 is fed by 600 amp feeder circuit breaker in which a new 300 amp breaker is added as a feeder breaker to feed new subpanel PANEL PNL2 which has a 300 amp main circuit breaker, eight 10 amp circuit breakers, two 60 amp circuit breakers, and one 100 amp circuit. breaker. The coordination study would need to show coordination between:

• 600 amp feeder breaker for PANEL PNL1 and the new 300 amp circuit breaker in
• PANEL PNL1
• 600 amp feeder breaker for PANEL PNL1 and the new 300 amp main circuit breaker
• in PANEL PNL2
• New 300 amp circuit breaker in PANEL PNL1 and new circuit breakers in PANEL PNL2
• New 300 amp main circuit breaker in PANEL PNL2 and all other new circuit breakers in
• PANEL PNL2

Since the new 300 amp circuit breaker in PANEL PNL 1 and the new 300 amp main circuit breaker in PANEL PNL 2 are in series, therefore they are not required to coordinate with each other as per 517.31(G) Exception No. 2. OSHPD will not require coordination study to evaluate circuit breakers above the 600 amp circuit breaker feeding PANEL PNL 1, and it will not require coordination to be evaluated between the 600 amp circuit breaker and the existing circuit breakers in PANEL PNL1.

Installation of a New Circuit Breaker to an Existing Critical Branch Panel

Consider a situation in which a new 80 amp circuit breaker is being added to an existing critical branch PANEL CL05. PANEL CL05 is fed from a 200 amp feeder breaker. PANEL CL05 has a mix of existing branch circuit breakers ranging in value from 20 amp to 50 amp.

A coordination study is required demonstrating the new 80 amp circuit breaker will coordinate with existing upstream 200 amp feeder breaker since this is the point of connection to the existing essential electrical system. OSHPD will not require a coordination study to evaluate circuit breakers above the 200 amp circuit breaker feeding PANEL CL05, and it will not require coordination to be evaluated between the 200 amp circuit breaker and the existing circuit breakers in PANEL CL05.

Conclusion

HCAI PIN 70 provides the necessary requirements and recommendations that must be met for the achievement of successful selective coordination of OCPDs in different types of systems. PIN 70 also specified the role of EEOR and other concerned personnel in the submission of the final coordination study, and the procedure for the submission of the other documents. The purpose of this blog is to provide an overview and insight of the HCAI PIN 70, however, this blog should not be treated as an alternative to HCAI PIN 70 or material to refer to for implementing a Selective Electrical Coordination.

AllumiaX is a licensed Engineering company headquartered in Seattle, Washington USA. We work with sub-contractors to deliver various Power System Engineering studies including DC arc flash, DC short circuit, and more. Get in touch with us or Request a Quote.

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  About The Author

  Abdur Rehman is a professional electrical engineer with more than eight years of experience working with equipment from 208V to 115kV in both the Utility and Industrial & Commercial space. He has a particular focus on Power Systems Protection & Engineering Studies.