240.

12 System Coordination or Selectivity

What is the importance of this section? 1. The 90 ampere breaker will unlatch (Point A) and free the
Whenever a partial or total building blackout could cause breaker mechanism to start the actual opening process.
hazard(s) to personnel or equipment, the fuses and/or circuit 2. The 400 ampere breaker will unlatch (Point B) and it, too, would
breakers must be coordinated in the short-circuit range. It is begin the opening process. Once a breaker unlatches, it will open.
acceptable for a monitoring system to be used to indicate an The process at the unlatching point is irreversible.
overload condition, if the overcurrent protective devices cannot be 3. At Point C, the contacts of the 90 ampere breaker finally open
coordinated in the overload region. However, in the vast majority and interrupt the fault current.
of cases, both circuit breakers and fuses will be able to be 4. At Point D, the contacts of the 400 ampere breaker open. . .the
coordinated in the overload range, so the monitoring systems will entire feeder is “blacked out”!
seldom be required. Typical installations where selective
coordination would be required include elevator circuits, hospitals, Example of Non-Selective System.
industrial plants, office buildings, schools, government buildings,
1,000
military installations, high-rise buildings, or any installation where 800
continuity of service is essential.* 600
400
* Footnote: See also Section 4-5.1 of NFPA 110 (Emergency and Standby Power 300
Systems) and Sections 3-3.2.1.2(4) & 3-4.1.1.1 of NFPA 99 (Health Care Facilities) for 200
additional information on selective coordination.
100
80
VIOLATION
60
40
30
1000A
Opens 20 400 AMP 400A
I.T.=10x 90 AMP
Circuit Circuit Breaker
10 Breaker I.T. = 5X
8
6
225A
TIME IN SECONDS
Opens 4
I.T.=8x 3 90A
2

20A 1
Opens .8
I.T.=8x
.6
22,000 Amp
.4 Short-
Short-Circuit
.3 Circuit
Fault exceeding the instantaneous trip setting of all 3 circuit breakers in series will .2
open all 3. This will blackout the entire system.
.1
.08
.06
.04
POINT D
COMPLIANCE .03
.02
Not
1000A Open POINT C
.01
.008
.006 POINT B
.004
.003 POINT A
.002

Not .001
225A
1,000

2,000
3,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000

20,000
30,000
30,000
100

200
300
400
600
800

Open

CURRENT IN AMPERES

Now, let’s take the case of fuse coordination. When selective

coordination of current-limiting fuses is desired, the Selectivity
Ratio Guide (next page) provides the sizing information necessary.
20A Opens In other words, it is not necessary to draw and compare curves.
Current-limiting fuses can be selectively coordinated by
22,000 Amp maintaining at least a minimum ampere rating ratio between the
Short-Circuit
19-B main fuse and feeder fuses and between the feeder fuse and
Fault opens the nearest upstream fuse, localizing the fault to the equipment branch circuit fuses.
affected. Service to the rest of the system remains energized. These ratios are based on the fact that the smaller downstream
fuses will clear the overcurrent before the larger upstream fuses
If the ampere rating of a feeder overcurrent device is larger than the melt. An example of ratios of fuse ampere ratings which provide
rating of the branch circuit device, are the two selectively coordinated? selective coordination is shown in the one-line circuit diagram.
No. A difference in rating does not in itself assure coordination. For
example, a feeder circuit breaker may have a rating of 400 2:1 (or more)
amperes and the branch breaker 90 amperes. Under overload
conditions in the branch circuit, the 90 ampere breaker will open
before, and without, the 400 ampere breaker opening. However, LPS-RK90SP
LPS-RK400SP
under short-circuit conditions, not only will the 90 ampere device
open, the 400 ampere may also open. In order to determine Short-Circuit
whether the two devices will coordinate, it is necessary to plot their
time-current curves as shown. For a short-circuit of 4000 amperes:

24
 240.12 System Coordination or Selectivity
*Selectivity Ratio Guide (Line-Side to Load-Side) for Blackout Prevention.
Circuit Load-Side Fuse
Current Rating 601-6000A 601-4000A 0-600A 601-6000A 0-600A 0-1200A 0-600A 0-60A
Type Time- Time- Dual-Element Fast-Acting Fast-Acting Time-
Delay Delay Time-Delay Delay
Trade Name & LOW-PEAK® LIMITRON® LOW-PEAK® FUSETRON® LIMITRON® LIMITRON® T-TRON® LIMITRON® SC
YELLOW™ YELLOW™
Class (L ) (L ) (RK1) (J)** (RK5) (L ) (RK1) (T) (J) (G)
Buss KRP-C–SP KLU LPN-RK–SP LPJ–SP FRN-R KTU KTN-R JJN JKS SC
Symbol LPS-RK–SP FRS-R KTS-R JJS
601 to Time- LOW-PEAK® KRP-C–SP 2:1 2.5:1 2:1 2:1 4:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 N/A
6000A Delay YELLOW™ (L)
601 to Time- LIMITRON® KLU 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 4:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 N/A
4000A Delay (L)
LOW-PEAK® LPN-RK–SP – – 2:1 2:1 8:1 – 3:1 3:1 3:1 4:1
YELLOW™ LPS-RK–SP
0 Dual (RK1)
Line-Side Fuse

to Ele- (J) LPJ–SP** – – 2:1 2:1 8:1 – 3:1 3:1 3:1 4:1
600A ment FUSETRON® FRN-R – – 1.5:1 1.5:1 2:1 – 1.5:1 1.5:1 1.5:1 1.5:1
(RK5) FRS-R
601 to LIMITRON® KTU 2:1 2.5:1 2:1 2:1 6:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1 N/A
6000A (L)
0 to Fast- LIMITRON® KTN-R – – 3:1 3:1 8:1 – 3:1 3:1 3:1 4:1
600A Acting (RK1) KTS-R
0 to T-TRON® JJN – – 3:1 3:1 8:1 – 3:1 3:1 3:1 4:1
1200A (T) JJS
0 to LIMITRON® JKS – – 2:1 2:1 8:1 – 3:1 3:1 3:1 4:1
600A (J)
0 to Time- SC SC – – 3:1 3:1 4:1 – 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:1
60A Delay (G)
* Note: At some values of fault current, specified ratios may be
®
lowered to permit closer fuse sizing. Plot fuse curves or consult with Bussmann.
General Notes: Ratios given in this table apply only to Buss fuses. When fuses are within the same case size, consult Bussmann.
** Consult Bussmann for latest LPJ—SP ratios.
.

240.13 Ground Fault Protection of Equipment on Buildings or Remote Structures

What does this section require?
High Voltage Building A
Equipment ground fault protection of the type required in 230.95 is
required for each disconnect rated 1000 amperes or more in Service
G.F.P. Not
480Y/277V solidly grounded systems that will serve as a main Required
G.F.P. Not 800A
disconnect for a separate building or structure. Refer to 215.10 480Y/277V
Required
and 230.95. Building B

Note: G.F.P. that is not current-limiting may not protect system G.F.P.
components. See 110.10 and 250.1 (FPN). Required
1000A or Greater
480Y/277V

240.21 Location Requirements for Overcurrent Devices and Tap Conductors

240.21 Location in Circuit made to a switchboard bus for an adjacent panel, such as an
Requires overcurrent protection to be provided in each emergency panel, the use of cable limiters is recommended as
ungrounded circuit conductor and be located at the point where supplementary short-circuit protection of the tapped conductor.
the conductors receive their supply except as specified in These current-limiting cable limiters are available in sizes designed
240.21(A)-(G). No conductor supplied per 240.21(A)-(G) shall for short-circuit protection of conductors from 12 AWG to 1000
supply another conductor, except through an overcurrent device kcmil. They provide current-limiting short-circuit protection but not
meeting the requirements of 240.4. In other words, “you can’t tap overload protection.
a tap!”
The most common use of tap conductors for feeders, 240(B), and
Note: Smaller conductors tapped to larger conductors can be a transformer secondary conductors, 240(C), are the 10 foot, 25 foot
serious hazard. If not adequately protected against short-circuit and outside tap conductor rules. It is important to realize that
conditions (as required in 110.10 and 240.1), these although they allow for unprotected lengths of conductors, in
underprotected conductors can vaporize or incur severe almost all cases, termination in a single or group of overcurrent
insulation damage. Molten metal and ionized gas created by a protection devices is required. In addition, it may be necessary to
vaporized conductor can envelop other conductors (such as bare meet other requirements for panelboards, 408.16, and
bus), causing equipment burn-down. Adequate short-circuit transformers, 450.3.
protection is recommended for all conductors. When a tap is

25