{"id":2148,"date":"2021-09-28T06:55:45","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T06:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sifcoasc.com\/?p=2148"},"modified":"2023-01-25T10:15:34","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T10:15:34","slug":"bus-connections-why-localized-silver-plated-deposits-make-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sifcoasc.com\/enuk\/blog\/bus-connections-why-localized-silver-plated-deposits-make-sense","title":{"rendered":"Bus Connections: Why localized silver plated deposits make sense"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the electric industry, optimizing power flow is a primary concern for the generation, transmission and distribution processes. The key is providing and maintaining low resistance conductive joints through silver plated deposits.<\/p>\n

Field experience and laboratory studies have shown that this is especially true in the case of bus bars and bolted high current connections. Specifically, silver plated bus bars outperform unplated bus bars by providing stable contact resistance and a low maximum operating temperature that increase the service life of the bus joint. More importantly, stable contact resistance joints will reduce the need for frequent maintenance, decrease overall downtime of equipment, and greatly reduce the risk of catastrophic failures.<\/p>\n

Good industry practices recommend that all bus contacts be silver plated. Most government, IEEE and insurance provider specifications require that all bolted bus connections be plated in accordance with applicable specifications.<\/p>\n

One of the key elements to effective bus bar contact plating is applying a uniform deposit of sufficient thickness to provide corrosion protection and a \u201cleveling effect\u201d to increase the surface area of the bus joint.<\/p>\n

Brush plating, using pure silver, provides a simple, cost effective solution for in-place plating of bus systems during routine maintenance and can also be of value in upgrading bus, rather than replacing existing bus, when generator or system capacity increases are desired.<\/p>\n

The Early Years<\/strong><\/p>\n

In older power plants, the aluminum or copper bus bars were installed. While the performance of an uncoated bus joint may have been sufficient years ago, today\u2019s increasing demands for power, given the limited capacity and economies of the marketplace, are forcing the producers to improve the efficiency and performance of the entire system.<\/p>\n

Many early bus connections have not been unbolted since first being installed as far back as 1910. Bus connections have several factors that limit their lifetime performance, including:<\/p>\n