Busway & Busduct
Busway, or busduct, is a factory-built enclosed conductor system that replaces cable and tray for carrying large currents through building risers and long industrial runs, with tap-off points that let a load be added without pulling new cable. NLS Power sources busway built to IEC 61439-6, rated from 250A up to 6300A, for towers, data centres and plants where load will change.
Busway is a run of copper or aluminum bars inside a metal enclosure, joined in standard-length sections with plug-in or bolted joints, used instead of multi-core cable wherever the current is high, the run is long, or the load is likely to change over the building's life. Two configurations cover most of what a project needs: feeder busway, which carries current from one point to another with no tap-offs along the way, for a straight run from switchgear to a distant MDB, and plug-in (tap-off) busway, which has tap-off outlets at regular intervals along the run, typically every 0.5m to 1m, for risers and floor distribution where new loads get connected over time.
Risers in commercial towers are the clearest case for busway. A cable riser sized for day-one tenant load is close to impossible to enlarge once the building is occupied and finished; a busway riser lets a new floor's tenant fit-out tap off a spare way with a bolted connection, no cutting into finished ceilings or chasing new cable routes through occupied floors below. The same logic applies in industrial plants and data centres where equipment layouts get revised after commissioning: adding a busway tap-off box is a controlled, planned job, where pulling new cable through an operating plant often isn't.
IEC 61439-6 is the reference standard for busbar trunking systems, covering current rating, temperature rise, short circuit withstand and the ingress protection of the enclosure and its joints, and fire barriers are required wherever busway crosses a floor slab or fire compartment wall, sealed to maintain the building's fire rating at that penetration.
NLS Power sources busway from 250A through 6300A rating, sandwich or air-insulated construction depending on the current and space available, copper or aluminum conductor, with tap-off boxes sized to the connected loads a project specifies. Quoting starts from the riser or run layout, the current rating at each section, and the tap-off point count and rating; NLS Power returns pricing in USD, with delivery sequenced to match the building's floor-by-floor structural handover.
Specifications
- ✓Type tested to IEC 61439-6 (busbar trunking systems)
- ✓Current ratings from 250A to 6300A depending on conductor size and configuration
- ✓Feeder (no tap-off) and plug-in (regular tap-off) configurations for different distribution needs
- ✓Copper or aluminum conductor, sandwich or air-insulated construction
- ✓Fire barrier sealing required at floor slab and fire compartment penetrations
- ✓Tap-off boxes with integral MCCB or fuse protection sized to the connected load
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use busway instead of cable in a building riser?+
Busway lets a new floor tap off power through a bolted connection at any point along the riser, without cutting into finished ceilings or running new cable through occupied floors, which makes it the practical choice wherever future load additions are likely.
Who supplies busway systems for commercial towers in Saudi Arabia?+
NLS Power sources busway built to IEC 61439-6, from 250A to 6300A rating, sized against the riser layout and tap-off point count a project's electrical design specifies.
What fire protection does busway need where it crosses a floor slab?+
A fire barrier seals the opening around the busway at each floor penetration to maintain the building's fire rating at that point, sized and tested to match the slab's required fire resistance period.