ID-Spec software for Design of Electrical Distribution Architecture


I provide an Electrical Distribution Architecture Design Process Checklist and solved example in the previous topics: 




Today, I will explain the software program ID-Spec for design of Electrical Distribution Architecture as follows.

For good following, you can review the previous topics:



ID-Spec Software



This software is issued by Schneider electric company to help for:

  1. Increasing your efficiency in architecture design and equipment selection, 
  2. Generating automatically the pre-design specification, 
  3. Providing you with argument about your architecture design and equipment selection intended for your customer. 



How to use ID-Spec in the Pre-Design phase?


To do this, you need to:

  • Collect the customer needs (rough information available at Pre-design stage). 

  • Compute Pre-design with ID-Spec and this include:
  1. Describe the need by answering general questions, 
  2. Choose the electrical distribution architecture and the equipment, among those ID-Spec has selected on the basis of your need description, 
  3. Generate the Pre-design specification automatically. 
  • Complete the Pre-design specification by and this include: 
  1. Add a general single line diagram, 
  2. Calculate a rough budget. 



How to design Electrical Distribution Architecture with ID-Spec?


ID-Spec allows you to design Electrical Distribution Architecture in (5) steps, each step corresponding to one of the (5) thumbs displayed by the tool (see fig.1)



fig (1): ID-Spec main window


The (5) thumbs or (5) steps are:


  • Thumb (Home): step# 1: Create a new file or Open an existing file 

  • Thumb (Project), step# 2: Define the project characteristics 
  • Thumb (Main Distribution), step# 3: Select the Main Distribution architecture 
  • Thumb (Sub Distribution), step# 4: Select the Sub Distribution architecture and equipment 
  • Thumb (Synthesis), step# 5: Select the Main Distribution equipment, View the sub distribution summary and generate the pre design specification 


The rules:
  • It is mandatory to confirm the selection done in a thumb before being able to reach the next thumbs on the right. 
  • At any time you can come back to a previous thumb (on the left) and modify your selections, by clicking on the relevant thumb and resuming the process 



First: Home Thumb



fig (2): ID-Spec Home Thumb


in the Home Thumb you must Choose one of the four possibilities (see fig.2):

  1. Create a new file, 
  2. Open an existing file, 
  3. See examples 
  4. Exit 



Second: Project Thumb


fig (3): ID-Spec Project Thumb


In the “Project” thumb (see fig.3), you have to define the project characteristics as follows:

  1. Select the kind of site associated to the Electrical Distribution under design, 
  2. Select the activity sector, 
  3. Select the activity: The activity description is then displayed on the right part of the screen, 
  4. Confirm the selections: The selected characteristics are then listed in the tree view on the left part of the screen and the next thumb is displayed. 



Third: Main Distribution Thumb


In the main distribution thumb, you have:

  • To define the parameters which impact the main distribution architecture selection, 
  • To select one of the proposed main architecture distribution, 



fig (4): ID-Spec Main Distribution Thumb


this is done by following  process (see fig.4):


  1. Define the Upstream connection parameters 
  2. Define the Site parameters: The relevant main distribution architecture are then displayed below the green arrow. 
  3. View the proposed architecture and select one of them: By selecting one of the proposed architectures, display associated description and recommendations on the right part of the screen. After viewing all, select the most relevant, from your point of view. 
  4. Confirm the selections. 



Forth: Sub-distribution Thumb



In the sub distribution thumb, you have:

  • to complete the circuit list, 
  • to define the circuit characteristics which impact the circuit one line diagram design, and the circuit equipment requirements, 
  • to select among the equipment proposed for the circuit. Proposed equipment are Schneider Electric equipment which meets the requirements coming from the information you gave to ID-Spec. 

and note that ID-Spec proposes:

  • A predefined list of circuits, 
  • Predefined settings for the characteristics of these circuits, according to the activity selected. 


and To design sub-distribution, please do the following process 
(see fig.5) : 

1- If necessary, modify the circuit list by (bottom buttons):

  • Selecting the circuit and deleting or renaming it,
  • Adding new circuit.



fig (5): ID-Spec Sub-distribution Thumb


2- For each circuit :

  • 2a- Click on the circuit thumb.
  • 2b- Check and if necessary modify circuit characteristics relevant architecture proposals are then listed below green arrow.
  • 2c- View the proposals for the circuit architecture.
  • 2d- Move to circuit technology selection 



please, now continue with fig.6 as follows:



fig (6): ID-Spec Sub-distribution Thumb


  • 2e- Check and if necessary modify additional circuit characteristics (The relevant requirements on equipment are then displayed below the green arrow).
  • 2f- Select the offer you want to specify for this circuit: 

  1. It is possible to select several offers. 
  2. It is possible to have more information about one offer, by clicking on the zoom in the right bottom corner of the offer label.
  3. Then click on the next circuit thumb. 

3- Confirm the selections done for all the circuits




Fifth: “Synthesis” Thumb


In the synthesis thumb, you have:

  • To select among the equipment proposed for the main distribution. Proposed equipment is Schneider Electric equipment which meets the requirements coming from the information you gave to ID-Spec,
  • View the sub-distribution summary, 
  • Generate the pre-design specification. 
and to complete the synthesis thumb, please do the following process : 


- In the Main Distribution sub-thumb (see fig.7):


fig (7): ID-Spec Synthesis Thumb
1-Select the offer you want to specify for each equipment of the single line diagram:
  • It is possible to select several offers for one equipment. 
  • It is possible to have more information about one offer, by clicking on the zoom in the right bottom corner of the offer label.

2-Click on the Sub Distribution sub thumb



- In the Sub Distribution sub-thumb(see fig.8):


fig (8): ID-Spec Synthesis Thumb


1-View the sub distribution summary;
  • It summarizes for each circuit the one line diagram recommended, the equipment requirements, and the proposed offer. 
  • You can select the column and rank the lines. 

2-Click on the Report sub thumb



- In the Report sub-thumb (see fig.9):

fig (9): ID-Spec Synthesis Thumb

1. Define the content of the pre-design specification: By selecting the proposed specification chapter.

2. Edit report: a new window will open for the report as in fig.10 , so you can print or save the report.


fig (10): Pre Design Specification Report

3. End the solution:

  • You will be asked about the name 
  • You want to give to the solution 



Free Downloads:



  • To download your free copy of software program ID-Spec, please click Here

  • To download a report example designed by ID-Specs software, please click Here
  • To download the Check list for electrical distribution architecture design, please click Here



In the next topic, I will explain the preliminary load calculations (Load Estimation). So, please keep following.




4 comments:

  1. بسم الله ما شاء الله عليك
    جعل تعبك هذا فى ميزان حسناتك يوم القيامة
    واعلم انه لديك قراء تسعد بما تكتبه وهو ما لم اره فى حياتى فى اى منتدى ونرجو منك الاستمرار

    ReplyDelete
  2. بس عايز اعرف صحيح فى مصر استخدمه اى نسخة ال
    INTERNATIONAL ولا SAUDIA

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks medo88 for you nice words, if there is no version for your country (Egypt), you can use the international version.
    but before issuing the pre design specification report, you will need to check the availability of the specified products by program in your country.

    ReplyDelete
  4. no eng. thank you for helping others , waiting your next lessn in load calulation

    ReplyDelete