ELECTRICAL POWER

T&D SYSTEM
M O D U L E I I I - S U B S TAT I O N

SUBSTATION
Substations are the points in the power network where
transmission lines and distribution feeders are connected
together through circuit breakers or switches via busbars and
transformers. This allows for the control of power flows in the
network and general switching operations for maintenance
purposes.

SUBSTATION CONSTRUCTION
Air-insulated switchgear (AIS ) used to be
the most common design, but this
requires a lot of space and for higher
voltages is only feasible outdoors. Even
then, AIS may be unsuitable or
undesirable in certain locations, such as
residential areas.
Gas-insulated switchgear (GIS ) may be
more expensive if only the unit cost is
compared, but is safer and needs less
maintenance. The fact that GIS units are
five times smaller than AIS means cost
savings and smaller, less intrusive
buildings.

AIR INSULATED SWITCHGEAR

GAS INSULATED
SWITCHGEAR

SUBSTATION CONFIGURATION

Single Busbar

Transfer Busbar

SUBSTATION CONFIGURATION

Double Busbar
Double Breaker

Double Busbar
Single Breaker

SUBSTATION CONFIGURATION

Ring Busbar

1 Breaker Busbar

COMPARISON OF BUSBAR
CONFIGURATION

DISCONNECTING SWITCH
Disconnect switches (when open) are used to
electrically isolate a transmission line, a
circuit breaker, or other electrical eq. (e.g., a
transformer)
Disconnect switches are designed for no-load
switching, opening or closing circuit where
negligible currents are made or interrupted,
or when there is no significant voltage across
the open terminals of the switch.
Relatively slow speed operating device and
therefore are not designed for arc
interruption
Operated manually or motorized

DISCONNECTING SWITCH
Disconnect switch operation can be
designed for vertical or horizontal
operating for the switch blades
Several configuration are frequently used:
Vertical break
Double break switches
V-switches
Center break switches
Hook stick switches
Grounding switches

DS - VERTICAL SWITCH

DS DOUBLE BREAK SWITCH

DS CENTER BREAK SWITCH

DS VEE SWITCH

DS HOOKED SWITCH

GROUND SWITCH

WHAT HAPPEN?

It was a 115 kV quick break disconnect that had exceeded it's switching capability while attempting to de-energize a 24 mile section of
transmission line at a BPA facility near Tillamook, Oregon. One phase successfully disconnected, but the other two phases did not.
Luckily the operator was able to reclose the disconnect before it relayed out.
It was 500 kV Eldorado Substation near Boulder City, Nevada. It shows a three-phase motorized air break disconnector attempting to
open a high voltage source from a large three-phase shunt line reactor. Internally, this line reactor has three coils, one for each phase in
the three-phase system. Each coil within the reactor can provide 33.3 MVAR at 290 kV between each phase to ground (normal load
1,000MW). Since the power company had previously encountered difficulty interrupting one of the three phases when trying to
disconnect this line reactor, the substation maintenance crew set up a special test so that they could videotape the switching event, and
they also made arrangements to "kill" the experiment, if necessary, by manually tripping upstream CB.

CIRCUIT BREAKER
Defined as a mechanical switching
device capable of making, carrying
and breaking current under normal
circuit conditions and also making,
carrying and breaking for a
specified time and breaking
currents under specified abnormal
conditions such as a short circuit
(IEEE Std. C37.100-1992)

CIRCUIT BREAKER
Classified according to the interrupting
medium used to cool and elongate the
electrical arc permitting interruption
The types are:
Oil
Air blast
Vacuum
SF6 gas

CIRCUIT BREAKER- OIL

CIRCUIT BREAKER- AIR BLAST

CIRCUIT BREAKER- VACUUM

CIRCUIT BREAKER- SF6

WHAT HAPPEN ?
COAL MINE FATALITY - On Sunday April 7, 1996, a mine superintendent and a
miner were located inside of a surface HV substation. The HV mine power had
developed a fault in the cable which supplied power underground. This caused
the oil circuit breaker to trip inside the substation. The superintendent closed the
7200 VAC oil circuit breaker several times, but it continued to trip. During his
final attempt at closing the circuit breaker, it exploded. The superintendent and
the miner were seriously burned. On April 18, (11 days later), the superintendent
died as a result of those burns.
This is the 14th coal mine fatality in
1996. As of April 7 last year, there had
been 8 fatalities. This death is the first
classified as ELECTRICAL in 1996.
Mine Safety and Health Administration - MSHA
FAB96C1 April 7, 1996

WHAT HAPPEN ?
NEWBERG - The oil-based CB apparently
blew after an explosion with dense black
smoke and fire erupted at the PG&E
115,000 volt distribution site next to
Friends Church. Portland General Electric
crews restored power about 10:15 am to
nearly 10,000 customers. The massive
explosion and fire occurred around 6:30
AM in the 300 block of Howard St.
According to PG&E crews, was probably
caused by the sudden demand of power
from another location outside Newberg.
The local breaker grew extremely hot,
surpassing its thermal ignition point. It
then popped, cracked, and suddenly blew
to pieces with a tremendous explosion
heard by thousands of early morning
residents.
The Oregon Herald Feb 19, 2011

CURRENT & VOLTAGE

TRANSFORMER
A current transformer is used to transform a
primary current quantity in terms of its
magnitude and phase to a secondary value
such that in normal conditions the secondary
value is substantially proportional to the
primary value.
IEC 60044 (instrument transformers) covers CTs
and VTs, superseding IEC 60185 (current
transformers for measuring and protective
applications) and its predecessor IEC 185.
IEC 60044 applies to both electromagnetic
(inductive) and capacitor type voltage
transformers, superseding IEC 60186 and its
predecessor IEC186.

Current & Voltage Transformer

CURRENT
TRANSFORMER

POTENTIAL
TRANSFORMER

SUBSTATION INSULATOR
Suspension (pin type) insulator
Post Insulator
Bushing insulator

SUBSTATION INSULATORS

ARRESTER
Arresters, when placed in substations or
on transmission or distribution lines,
protect connected equipment against
all types of voltage surges.
Appearing as a very high impedance at
normal operating voltages, the
arrester rapidly transitions to a very
low impedance on the arrival of a high
voltage surge resulting from lightning
or switching activity.

ARRESTER

ARRESTER

GAS INSULATED
SWITCHGEAR
GIS up to 550kV, 63kA, 5000A Type 8DQ1

POWER TRANSFORMER
A transformer is a static electrical device
that transfers energy by inductive
coupling between its winding circuits. A
varying current in the primary winding
creates a varying magnetic flux in the
transformer's core and thus a varying
magnetic flux through the secondary
winding. This varying magnetic flux
induces a varying electromotive force
(EMF), or "voltage", in the secondary
winding.

POWER TRANSFORMER

POWER TRANSFORMER

POWER TRANSFORMER

POWER TRANSFORMER

POWER TRANSFORMER

POWER TRANSFORMER

WHAT HAPPEN ?
John Higgins was using a transformer tap
changer to manually adjust voltage
ratios at an electrical substation in
Chelmsford when the incident
happened on 7 May 2008. The device
exploded, causing a fire.
The electrical engineer died at the scene.
A large part of the area, including a
local hospital, was blacked out.
Investigators found that UK Power
Networks had failed to properly assess
work with tap changers and to devise

procedures for the work. It had also failed to adequately train employees for carrying out
this task.
After pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act for
failing to protect its employees, UK Power Networks (Operations) was fined 275,000 plus
145,000 in prosecution costs.
http://www.healthandsafetyatwork.com/hsw/john-higgins

PROTECTION RELAY &

CONTROL
Switchgear, cable, power transformers, overhead lines
and other electrical equipments require protection
devices in order to safeguard them during fault
conditions. In addition, the rapid clearance of faults
prevents touch and step potentials on equipment
from reach levels which could endanger life.
The function of protection in not to prevent the fault
itself, but to take immediate action upon fault
recognition.
Protection devices detect, locate and initiate the
removal of the faulted equipment from the power
network in the minimum desirable time

PROTECTION RELAY

PROTECTION RELAY CONSTRUCTION

Numerical

Digital
Solid State
Electromechanical

PROTECTION RELAY FUNCTION

(ANSI STANDARD DEVICE NUMBER C37.2-1991)

PROTECTION RELAY &

CONTROL PANEL

AUXILIARY POWER SUPPLY

All but the smallest substations include auxiliary

power supplies.
AC power is required for substation building
small power, lighting, heating and ventilation,
some communications equipment, switchgear
operating mechanisms, anti-condensation
heaters and motors.
DC power is used to feed essential services such
as circuit breaker trip coils and associated
relays, supervisory control and data acquisition
(SCADA) and communications equipment.

AUX. P/S AC SUPPLY

Simple AC Supply

Tertiary wininds on substation main

transformer (s) or from earthing transformer
(zigzag star-star) windings

AUX. P/S AC SUPPLY

Dedicated Auxiliary Transformer

Aux. P/S DC Supply

Single Configuration

Aux. P/S DC Supply

Semi-Redundant Configuration

Aux. P/S DC Supply

Full-Redundant Configuration

Aux. P/S DC Supply

AUXILIARY POWER SYSTEM

GROUNDING SYSTEM
The purpose of a substation earthing system is to
ensure safe condition for personnel and plant in
around the site during normal and earth fault
conditions. To achieve this, it needs to perform the
following functions:
Provide equi-potential grading by electrodes or similar, to
control touch and step potentials
Enable connection (bonding) of necessary exposed
extraneous conductive parts to earth
Provide a route for the passage of fault current which
does not result in any thermal or mechanical damage to
connected plant and allows protective equipment to
operate
Provide an earth connection for transformer neutrals,
sometimes via an impedance to restrict the fault
current magnitude.
Minimise electromagnetic interference between power

GROUNDING SYSTEM

GROUNDING SYSTEM