Design current of socket outlets

[WilliamAtkin]

I'm doing an design project at college and are onto my cable calcs now and I'm fine with my lighting circuits and the fridge and dishwasher supplys where the load has been stated but I'm confused as what to do about my socket outlets as in the spec there is nothing specified about the socket circuits. How do I work out the design current without knowing the load or do i just leave the box blank or N/A for my socket circuits? I don't know what will be getting plugged in to these circuits at all and there hasn't been anything specified.

 

[pc1966]

The thing with sockets is they can all be loaded up under the end user's control, not the circuit designer's control. So when you design the cable and OCPD to feed the sockets you generally have to assume the worst possible case. So whether you go for a RFC in 2.5mm, or radials in 2.5mm or 4mm, etc, you have to make sure the OCPD does not exceed the thermal limit (CCC) of the cable as installed.

However, you also have the end use problem and that is where you have to consider if the available socket are able to power all of what the user can reasonable expect to have fitted. In practice you can allow for a bit of diversity.

 

[WilliamAtkin]

The thing with sockets is they can all be loaded up under the end user's control, not the circuit designer's control. So when you design the cable and OCPD to feed the sockets you generally have to assume the worst possible case. So whether you go for a RFC in 2.5mm, or radials in 2.5mm or 4mm, etc, you have to make sure the OCPD does not exceed the thermal limit (CCC) of the cable as installed.

However, you also have the end use problem and that is where you have to consider if the available socket are able to power all of what the user can reasonable expect to have fitted. In practice you can allow for a bit of diversity.

ok thanks pal