Burnell Switchgear & Control were approached by SES Limited and RFU Twickenham to produce four wall mounted switchboards to utilise and maximise pitch side power. As SES were looking for a fast turnaround our engineers carried out a site survey to establish panel locations, space constraints and power outlets to guarantee no hidden surprises during installation.

The location of the boards meant that there were a number of different factors to consider with the design. As the boards would be fitted pitch side they would be exposed to the pitch’s sprinkler system and had the potential to be struck by stray rugby balls. Burnell Control manufactured the panels from stainless steel with a IP66 rating to ensure full robust protection against dust ingress and high pressure water jets. The unit also required an entrance to access the enclosed sockets and incoming cables. The compartment’s door was fitted with a 45° cable entry hood, with a heavy duty brush bar and edging strip. This allowed for incoming cables to attach to the enclosed sockets without affecting the ingress protection.

Space was the main concern with these panels, as they needed to be wall mounted with a bottom entry to connect to the existing supply, and the height was allowed to be any higher than the perimeter wall around the pitch. Due to the limited height of the board the only pan assembly that would fit was the 6-way TP&N arrangement, and in order to achieve the correct number of outgoing ways two of these 6-way TP&N pan assemblies were required.