MeteorCalc SL

MeteorCalc SL is a CAD plugin for designing street lighting networks.

The MeteorCalc SL software implements a full cycle of design works in the electrical

networks of street lighting from determining the optimal configuration of street lighting

networks to drawing schemes of street lighting feeders and obtaining specifications of

equipment.

The MeteorCalc SL performs all required electrical calculations for designing street

lighting installations.

Website: meteorcalc.com

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MeteorCalc SL provides the following main features:

• Calculation of short-circuit currents. The minimum and maximum short-circuit currents

are calculated according to IEC60909 (last edition 2016);

• Calculation of voltage losses in street lighting feeders with an unbalanced load;

• Calculation of power sum and load currents in street lighting feeders with an

unbalanced load;

• Specifications and explications of equipment (poles, luminaries, cables etc.);

• Schemes of street lighting feeders. Automated drawing of detailed single-line

schemes of street lighting feeders;

• Descriptions of street lighting units. Obtaining data tables with descriptions of all used

street lighting units in the drawing;

• Multi language output into the drawing.

MeteorCalc SL main features

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Short-circuit current calculations according to IEC 60909

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The minimum and maximum short-circuit currents are calculated according to IEC 60909

(last edition 2016) for all end points in the street lighting feeders and at the main bus of a

distribution panel boards.

Short-circuit currents are calculated by application of symmetrical components for

balanced and unbalanced circuits according to the IEC 60909.

The symmetrical components method allows to calculate all types of short-circuit currents

at any point in a street lighting feeder with a high degree of accuracy.

Voltage loss calculations at selected end points

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A street lighting feeder is a three-phase electric circuit with unbalanced, distributed loads.

Voltage losses in street lighting feeders with an unbalanced load are calculated for each

phase individually taking into account a voltage loss in the neutral conductor.

The estimated point is located at the end terminals of the feeder cable. Results of

calculations are output in a drawing in the form of result block.

Calculations of power sum and load currents in a street

lighting feeder

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Results of calculations are output in a

drawing in the form of result block. The

calculated load currents in each phase

determine the current capacity of cables and

the nominal current of protective devices.

Load currents in street lighting feeders with an

unbalanced load are calculated for each phase

individually. A current in the neutral conductor is

calculated as the geometric sum of the phase

currents.

The program has calculation process, which is open to

monitoring

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The program has ample opportunities to

control the electrical calculations. Before

starting calculations the user can view and

check initial data of all elements of the

calculation circuit.

Every step of all the electrical calculations

(including interim and auxiliary results) can

be thoroughly checked on the user request .

The user can save a detailed report of the

calculations in an external file. All methods

of electrical calculations are fully described

in the software Help System.

Street lighting units Data Library

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The MeteorCalc SL has fully edited Data

Library. The user edits the street lighting units

Data Library to create equipment and material

types necessary for work, accounting for

regional and national standards and specifics

of the task to solve.

The number of categories is fixed. Within each

category, the user can define any number of

street lighting unit descriptions according to the

needs and tasks to be solved by the user.

The Data Library has the built-in ILCOS

categorizer. The MeteorCalc SL provides total

support of LED luminaires.

Simulation of street lighting units

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A street lighting unit is a block inserted within the

work layer of the program to simulate an

electrical consumer in street lighting networks

(for example, it may be a street lighting pole with

several luminaires or a single pendant luminaire,

etc.).

Certain data from Data Library can be assigned

to a block to define a street lighting unit.

The user can redefine any street lighting unit

blocks from program’s template according to the

regional standards and can add new blocks

according to specifics of the project.

Built-in database of electrical power cables

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The MeteorCalc SL has the fixed database

of electrical power cables.

The cables database is destined to support

actually any electrical power cable types

used in street lighting networks.

The values of cable resistance (up to 1 kV)

at the temperature 20°C are specified

according to either standard IEC 60228 or

manufactures’ data. The reactance values

at frequency 50Hz are specified according

to the standard IEC 60909-2 and

manufactures’ data.

Simulation of street lighting cables

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Street lighting cable spans are simulated with

lightweight polylines. Certain data from Data

Library can be assigned to polylines to define

cables.

The length of each cable span is calculated as

the length of a polyline in a drawing plus the

amount of additional length as input by the user.

For underground cables the "Additional length"

property allows to simulate vertical spans of a

cable. For overhead lines this property allows to

simulate an increase in a cable length because of

a cable sag.

Model of street lighting network

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The street lighting model is a plurality of MeteorCalc SL

objects (blocks and polylines) relating to a street lighting

network. The street lighting model can be located in a

separate dwg-file or can be situated directly in the street

lighting project file as the part of street lighting project.

The MeteorCalc SL enables to create street lighting models

of any level of complexity. There are no restrictions in

quantity of branches in street lighting feeders.

The MeteorCalc SL allows to simulate existing or designed

networks.

A single file may contain several models. The user can

make copies of them for the comparative analysis of

different variants and then choose the optimal solution.

The example, where a street lighting model is located directly in the project file, is shown further.

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Step 1. Creating of the street lighting preliminary project

The user selects luminaires and the

parameters of their installation,

performs the lighting calculations

and defines the distances between

poles.

Special blocks with information

labels are used to simulate street

lighting units on the plan.

If street lighting model is located

directly in a project file, blocks of

street lighting units are the part of a

street lighting plan and, at the same

time, the part of a street lighting

model.

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Step 2. Street lighting model creation

Street lighting cable spans are

simulated with lightweight

polylines. Street lighting units,

transformers and distribution

panel boards are simulated with

blocks.

The MeteorCalc SL has many

commands for a quick insert of

model blocks and for drawing

polylines of street lighting model.

According to model design rules,

a street lighting feeder should

have a correct tree-shaped

structure.

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Step 3. Assigning data to objects. Performing of calculations

The MeteorCalc SL provides

many possibilities for quick data

assignment to objects of a street

lighting model. Data can be

assigned to a single object or to

multiple objects in a feeder.

The MeteorCalc SL performs an

automated numbering of street

lighting units and an automated

distribution by phases.

An analysis of the network

structure and comparison of

different feeder’s configurations

are performed at this stage.

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Step 5. Drawing of single-line schemes

Drawing of accurate and detailed

schemes of street lighting feeders

is very simple with the MeteorCalc

SL. Single-line schemes are

drawn automatically from a feeder

start point to each selected

endpoint.

The calculations of short circuit

currents and voltage losses are

performed at the selected

endpoint while drawing the

diagrams.

Based on the results of the

calculations the user selects the

protective device of a street

lighting feeder.

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Step 6. Specifications, explications and descriptions of units

The MeteorCalc SL allows to

obtain the following specifications

and explications of SL-objects:

street lighting poles, pole

supports, pole foundations,

luminaries, cables, earthing

devices and electrical equipment.

The MeteorCalc SL also allows

creating an external report file

with calculation results. An

external report can be created as

text file or exported to an external

spreadsheet application.

Choice of protective devices

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The main feature of street lighting networks is that street lighting feeders usually have a

considerable length (up to 1000m). That is the reason why the accurate calculations of short-

circuit currents at endpoints of feeders are very important for a verification of the protection of

people against indirect contact.

The calculated short-circuit currents allow to choose the

setting of thresholds for overcurrent protective devices

and fuses and allow to verify disconnection time of

protective devices.

According to the IEC 60364-4-41, the maximum

disconnection time for TN and IT systems with the

nominal voltage 230/400V is 0,2 sec (if a nominal current

not exceeding 32A).

The procedure of choosing a protective device is completely described in the MeteorCalc SL

Help System.

Results

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The final result of the program work - a set of drawings, including a plan of street lighting

installation, a plan-scheme, single-line feeder diagrams, specifications and tables with

information sheets for ordering equipment.

Changing the project is no longer a problem for the user now. The user does the necessary

changes in the street lighting model, and prints the new specifications and updates the

calculations and schemes.

The MeteorCalc SL have more than 35 commands. Convenient program interface is built

according to all stages of the design process of the electric part of street lighting networks.

For this reason the software is very easy to learn.

More information about the MeteorCalc SL (including video tutorials and examples) you may

find on the website meteorcalc.com

Used standards

• IEC 60909-0 (2016): Calculation of short-circuit currents.

• IEC/TR 60909-2 (2008): Data of electrical equipment for short-circuit current calculations.

• IEC 60909-4 (2000): Examples for the calculation of short-circuit currents.

• IEC 60228 Conductors of insulated cables.

• IEC 60287-1-1 (2014): Electric cables - Calculation of the current rating - Part 1-1: Current rating equations (100 % load factor) and calculation of losses - General.

• IEC 60364-4-41 (2007) Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 4-41: Protection for safety - Protection against electric shock.

• IEC 60076-1 (2012) Power transformers - Part 1: General.

• IEC 60947-2 (2006) Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear - Part 2: Circuit-breakers.

• IEC TS 61231 International lamp coding system;

• CEN/TR 13201 Road lighting;

• IEC 60038 IEC standard voltages;

• IEC 60076 – Power transformers;

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Thank You!

Copyright © MeteorOwl Ltd. All rights reserved.

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