A busbar is a metallic strip or bar used for local high current power distribution in electric power distribution systems. They are typically housed inside switchgear, panel boards, and busway enclosures. Busbars are produced in a variety of shapes, including flat strips, solid bars and rods, and are typically composed of copper, brass or aluminium as solid or hollow tubes. Some of these shapes allow heat to dissipate more efficiently due to their high surface area to cross-sectional area ratio. Busbars may be either supported on insulators or wrapped in insulation, and they are protected from accidental contact either by a metal earthed enclosure or by elevation out of normal reach.
Busbars are critical elements for conducting significant current levels between functions within an assembly, and they may be used in any number of configurations, ranging from vertical risers to bars within a distribution panel, or part of an industrial process. They are often used in industrial applications, where they are installed in electrical panels or switchgear panels. Busbars can either be fully enclosed or designed with a continuous access open-channel, and they provide a common electrical junction for different types of electrical equipment.
The different types of busbar arrangements include single bus-bar arrangement, double bus-bar arrangement, main and transfer bus-bar arrangement, and ring bus-bar arrangement. Busbars are designed to handle high currents with minimal losses, and they are often used in power-intensive electrical applications.
