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ElectricalsubstationWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Electricalsubstation
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Asubstationisapartofanelectricalgeneration,
transmission,anddistributionsystem.Substations
transformvoltagefromhightolow,orthereverse,or
performanyofseveralotherimportantfunctions.
Betweenthegeneratingstationandconsumer,electric
powermayflowthroughseveralsubstationsatdifferent
voltagelevels.
Substationsmaybeownedandoperatedbyanelectrical
utility,ormaybeownedbyalargeindustrialor
commercialcustomer.Generallysubstationsare
unattended,relyingonSCADAforremotesupervision
andcontrol.
Asubstationmayincludetransformerstochange
voltagelevelsbetweenhightransmissionvoltagesand
lowerdistributionvoltages,orattheinterconnectionof
twodifferenttransmissionvoltages.Theword
substationcomesfromthedaysbeforethedistribution
systembecameagrid.Ascentralgenerationstations
becamelarger,smallergeneratingplantswere
convertedtodistributionstations,receivingtheirenergy
supplyfromalargerplantinsteadofusingtheirown
generators.Thefirstsubstationswereconnectedtoonly
onepowerstation,wherethegeneratorswerehoused,
andweresubsidiariesofthatpowerstation.

A50HzelectricalsubstationinMelbourne.Thisis
showingthreeofthefive220kV/66kV
transformers,eachwithacapacityof150MVA.
Thissubstationisconstructedusingsteellattice
structurestosupportstrainbuswiresandapparatus.
[1]

Contents
1Elementsofasubstation
2Types
2.1Transmissionsubstation
2.2Distributionsubstation
2.3Collectorsubstation
2.4Convertersubstations
2.5Switchingsubstation
2.6Classificationbyinsulation
2.7Classificationbystructure
3Design
4Switchingfunction
5Automation
6Railways
7Lists
8Seealso

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_substation

A115kVto41.6/12.47kV5MVA60Hz
substationwithcircuitswitcher,regulators,
reclosersandcontrolbuildingatWarren,
Minnesota.Thissubstationshowselementsoflow
profileconstructionapparatusismountedon
individualcolumns.

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8Seealso
9Referencesandfurtherreading

Elementsofasubstation
Substationsgenerallyhaveswitching,protectionand
controlequipment,andtransformers.Inalarge
substation,circuitbreakersareusedtointerruptany
shortcircuitsoroverloadcurrentsthatmayoccuronthe
network.Smallerdistributionstationsmayuserecloser
circuitbreakersorfusesforprotectionofdistribution
circuits.Substationsthemselvesdonotusuallyhave
generators,althoughapowerplantmayhavea
substationnearby.Otherdevicessuchascapacitorsand
voltageregulatorsmayalsobelocatedatasubstation.

Elementsofasubstation
A:Primarypowerlines'sideB:Secondarypower
lines'side
1.Primarypowerlines2.Groundwire3.Overhead
lines4.Transformerformeasurementofelectric
voltage5.Disconnectswitch6.Circuitbreaker
7.Currenttransformer8.Lightningarrester9.Main
transformer10.Controlbuilding11.Securityfence
12.Secondarypowerlines

Substationsmaybeonthesurfaceinfencedenclosures,
underground,orlocatedinspecialpurposebuildings.
Highrisebuildingsmayhaveseveralindoor
substations.Indoorsubstationsareusuallyfoundin
urbanareastoreducethenoisefromthetransformers,forreasonsof
appearance,ortoprotectswitchgearfromextremeclimateor
pollutionconditions.

Whereasubstationhasametallicfence,itmustbeproperly
groundedtoprotectpeoplefromhighvoltagesthatmayoccur
duringafaultinthenetwork.Earthfaultsatasubstationcancausea
groundpotentialrise.CurrentsflowingintheEarth'ssurfaceduring
afaultcancausemetalobjectstohaveasignificantlydifferent
voltagethanthegroundunderaperson'sfeetthistouchpotential
presentsahazardofelectrocution.

SF6110kVinstrumentcurrent
transformerTGFMseries,Russia

Types
Substationsmaybedescribedbytheirvoltageclass,theirapplicationswithinthepowersystem,themethod
usedtoinsulatemostconnections,andbythestyleandmaterialsofthestructuresused.Thesecategoriesare
notdisjointedtosolveaparticularproblem,atransmissionsubstationmayincludesignificantdistribution
functions,forexample.

Transmissionsubstation
Atransmissionsubstationconnectstwoormoretransmissionlines.[2]Thesimplestcaseiswhereall
transmissionlineshavethesamevoltage.Insuchcases,substationcontainshighvoltageswitchesthat
allowlinestobeconnectedorisolatedforfaultclearanceormaintenance.Atransmissionstationmayhave

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transformerstoconvertbetweentwotransmissionvoltages,voltagecontrol/powerfactorcorrectiondevices
suchascapacitors,reactorsorstaticVARcompensatorsandequipmentsuchasphaseshiftingtransformers
tocontrolpowerflowbetweentwoadjacentpowersystems.
Transmissionsubstationscanrangefromsimpletocomplex.Asmall"switchingstation"maybelittlemore
thanabusplussomecircuitbreakers.Thelargesttransmissionsubstationscancoveralargearea(several
acres/hectares)withmultiplevoltagelevels,manycircuitbreakersandalargeamountofprotectionand
controlequipment(voltageandcurrenttransformers,relaysandSCADAsystems).Modernsubstationsmay
beimplementedusinginternationalstandardssuchasIECStandard61850.

Distributionsubstation
Adistributionsubstationtransferspowerfromthetransmission
systemtothedistributionsystemofanarea.[2]Itisuneconomicalto
directlyconnectelectricityconsumerstothemaintransmission
network,unlesstheyuselargeamountsofpower,sothedistribution
stationreducesvoltagetoalevelsuitableforlocaldistribution.
Theinputforadistributionsubstationistypicallyatleasttwo
transmissionorsubtransmissionlines.Inputvoltagemaybe,for
example,115kV,orwhateveriscommoninthearea.Theoutputis
anumberoffeeders.Distributionvoltagesaretypicallymedium
voltage,between2.4kVand33kVdependingonthesizeofthe
areaservedandthepracticesofthelocalutility.Thefeedersrun
alongstreetsoverhead(orunderground,insomecases)andpower
thedistributiontransformersatornearthecustomerpremises.
Inadditiontotransformingvoltage,distributionsubstationsalso
isolatefaultsineitherthetransmissionordistributionsystems.
Distributionsubstationsaretypicallythepointsofvoltage
regulation,althoughonlongdistributioncircuits(ofseveral
miles/kilometers),voltageregulationequipmentmayalsobe
installedalongtheline.

Adistributionsubstationin
Scarborough,Ontariodisguisedasa
house,completewithadriveway,
frontwalkandamownlawnand
shrubsinthefrontyard.Awarning
noticecanbeclearlyseenonthe
"frontdoor".Disguisesfor
substationsarecommoninmany
cities. [3]

Thedowntownareasoflargecitiesfeaturecomplicateddistributionsubstations,withhighvoltage
switching,andswitchingandbackupsystemsonthelowvoltageside.Moretypicaldistributionsubstations
haveaswitch,onetransformer,andminimalfacilitiesonthelowvoltageside.

Collectorsubstation
Indistributedgenerationprojectssuchasawindfarm,acollectorsubstationmayberequired.Itresemblesa
distributionsubstationalthoughpowerflowisintheoppositedirection,frommanywindturbinesupinto
thetransmissiongrid.Usuallyforeconomyofconstructionthecollectorsystemoperatesaround35kV,and
thecollectorsubstationstepsupvoltagetoatransmissionvoltageforthegrid.Thecollectorsubstationcan
alsoprovidepowerfactorcorrectionifitisneeded,meteringandcontrolofthewindfarm.Insomespecial
casesacollectorsubstationcanalsocontainanHVDCconverterstation.

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Collectorsubstationsalsoexistwheremultiplethermalorhydroelectricpowerplantsofcomparableoutput
powerareinproximity.ExamplesforsuchsubstationsareBrauweilerinGermanyandHradecintheCzech
Republic,wherepoweriscollectedfromnearbylignitefiredpowerplants.Ifnotransformersarerequired
forincreaseofvoltagetotransmissionlevel,thesubstationisaswitchingstation.

Convertersubstations
SubstationsmaybeassociatedwithHVDCconverterplants,tractioncurrent,orinterconnectednon
synchronousnetworks.Thesestationscontainpowerelectronicdevicestochangethefrequencyofcurrent,
orelseconvertfromalternatingtodirectcurrentorthereverse.Formerlyrotaryconverterschanged
frequencytointerconnecttwosystemssuchsubstationstodayarerare.

Switchingsubstation
Aswitchingsubstationisasubstationwithout
transformersandoperatingonlyatasingle
voltagelevel.Switchingsubstationsare
sometimesusedascollectoranddistribution
stations.Sometimestheyareusedforswitching
thecurrenttobackuplinesorforparallelizing
circuitsincaseoffailure.Anexampleisthe
switchingstationsfortheHVDCIngaShaba
transmissionline.
SwitchyardatGrandCouleeDam,USA,2006

Aswitchingsubstationmayalsobeknownasa
switchyard,andthesearecommonlylocated
directlyadjacenttoornearbyapowerstation.Inthiscasethegeneratorsfromthepowerstationsupplytheir
powerintotheyardontotheGeneratorBusononesideoftheyard,andthetransmissionlinestaketheir
powerfromaFeederBusontheothersideoftheyard.

Classificationbyinsulation
Switches,circuitbreakers,transformersandotherapparatusmaybeinterconnectedbyairinsulatedbare
conductorsstrungonsupportstructures.Theairspacerequiredincreaseswithsystemvoltageandwiththe
lightningsurgevoltagerating.Formediumvoltagedistributionsubstations,metalenclosedswitchgear
maybeusedandnoliveconductorsexposedatall.Forhighervoltages,gasinsulatedswitchgearreduces
thespacerequiredaroundlivebus.Insteadofbareconductors,busandapparatusarebuiltintopressurized
tubularcontainersfilledwithsulfurhexafluoride(SF6)gas.Thisgashasahigherinsulatingvaluethanair,
allowingthedimensionsoftheapparatustobereduced.InadditiontoairorSF6gas,apparatuswilluse
otherinsulationmaterialssuchastransformeroil,paper,porcelain,andpolymerinsulators.

Classificationbystructure
Outdoor,abovegroundsubstationstructuresincludewoodpole,latticemetaltower,andtubularmetal
structures,althoughothervariantsareavailable.Wherespaceisplentifulandappearanceofthestationis
notafactor,steellatticetowersprovidelowcostsupportsfortransmissionlinesandapparatus.Lowprofile
substationsmaybespecifiedinsuburbanareaswhereappearanceismorecritical.Indoorsubstationsmay
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begasinsulatedswitchgear(athighvoltages),ormetalenclosedormetalcladswitchgearatlower
voltages.Urbanandsuburbanindoorsubstationsmaybefinishedontheoutsidesoastoblendinwithother
buildingsinthearea.
Acompactsubstationisgenerallyanunmannedoutdoorsubstationbeingputinasmallenclosedmetal
containerinwhicheachoftheelectricalequipmentislocatedveryneartoeachothertocreatearelatively
smallerfootprintsizeofthesubstation.

Design
Themainissuesfacingapowerengineerarereliabilityandcost.A
gooddesignattemptstostrikeabalancebetweenthesetwo,to
achievereliabilitywithoutexcessivecost.Thedesignshouldalso
allowexpansionofthestation,whenrequired.[4]
Selectionofthelocationofasubstationmustconsidermanyfactors.
Sufficientlandareaisrequiredforinstallationofequipmentwith
necessaryclearancesforelectricalsafety,andforaccesstomaintain
largeapparatussuchastransformers.Wherelandiscostly,suchas
inurbanareas,gasinsulatedswitchgearmaysavemoneyoverall.
AsubstationinMacau,China
Thesitemusthaveroomforexpansionduetoloadgrowthor
plannedtransmissionadditions.Environmentaleffectsofthe
substationmustbeconsidered,suchasdrainage,noiseandroadtrafficeffects.Agrounding(earthing)
systemmustbedesigned.Thetotalgroundpotentialrise,andthegradientsinpotentialduringafault(called
"touch"and"step"potentials),mustbecalculatedtoprotectpassersbyduringashortcircuitinthe
transmissionsystem.Thesubstationsitemustbereasonablycentraltothedistributionareatobeserved.
Thesitemustbesecurefromintrusionbypassersby,bothtoprotectpeoplefrominjurybyelectricshockor
arcs,andtoprotecttheelectricalsystemfrommisoperationduetovandalism.
Thefirststepinplanningasubstationlayoutisthepreparationofa
onelinediagram,whichshowsinsimplifiedformtheswitchingand
protectionarrangementrequired,aswellastheincomingsupply
linesandoutgoingfeedersortransmissionlines.Itisausual
practicebymanyelectricalutilitiestoprepareonelinediagrams
withprincipalelements(lines,switches,circuitbreakers,
transformers)arrangedonthepagesimilarlytothewaythe
apparatuswouldbelaidoutintheactualstation.[2]
Inacommondesign,incominglineshaveadisconnectswitchanda
TottenhamSubstation,setinwild
circuitbreaker.Insomecases,thelineswillnothaveboth,with
parklandinNorthLondon.
eitheraswitchoracircuitbreakerbeingallthatisconsidered
necessary.Adisconnectswitchisusedtoprovideisolation,sinceit
cannotinterruptloadcurrent.Acircuitbreakerisusedasaprotectiondevicetointerruptfaultcurrents
automatically,andmaybeusedtoswitchloadsonandoff,ortocutoffalinewhenpowerisflowinginthe
'wrong'direction.Whenalargefaultcurrentflowsthroughthecircuitbreaker,thisisdetectedthroughthe
useofcurrenttransformers.Themagnitudeofthecurrenttransformeroutputsmaybeusedtotripthecircuit
breakerresultinginadisconnectionoftheloadsuppliedbythecircuitbreakfromthefeedingpoint.This
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seekstoisolatethefaultpointfromtherestofthesystem,andallowtherestofthesystemtocontinue
operatingwithminimalimpact.Bothswitchesandcircuitbreakersmaybeoperatedlocally(withinthe
substation)orremotelyfromasupervisorycontrolcenter.
Oncepasttheswitchingcomponents,thelinesofagivenvoltageconnecttooneormorebuses.Theseare
setsofbusbars,usuallyinmultiplesofthree,sincethreephaseelectricalpowerdistributionislargely
universalaroundtheworld.
Thearrangementofswitches,circuitbreakersandbusesusedaffectsthecostandreliabilityofthe
substation.Forimportantsubstationsaringbus,doublebus,orsocalled"breakerandahalf"setupcanbe
used,sothatthefailureofanyonecircuitbreakerdoesnotinterruptpowertoothercircuits,andsothat
partsofthesubstationmaybedeenergizedformaintenanceandrepairs.Substationsfeedingonlyasingle
industrialloadmayhaveminimalswitchingprovisions,especiallyforsmallinstallations.[4]
Oncehavingestablishedbusesforthevariousvoltagelevels,
transformersmaybeconnectedbetweenthevoltagelevels.These
willagainhaveacircuitbreaker,muchliketransmissionlines,in
caseatransformerhasafault(commonlycalleda"shortcircuit").
Alongwiththis,asubstationalwayshascontrolcircuitryneededto
commandthevariouscircuitbreakerstoopenincaseofthefailure
ofsomecomponent.

Switchingfunction
Animportantfunctionperformedbyasubstationisswitching,
whichistheconnectinganddisconnectingoftransmissionlinesor
othercomponentstoandfromthesystem.Switchingeventsmaybe
Thissinglelinediagramillustrates
"planned"or"unplanned".Atransmissionlineorothercomponent
thebreakerandahalfconceptoften
mayneedtobedeenergizedformaintenanceorfornew
usedinswitchyards.
construction,forexample,addingorremovingatransmissionlineor
atransformer.Tomaintainreliabilityofsupply,nocompanyever
bringsdownitswholesystemformaintenance.Allworktobeperformed,fromroutinetestingtoadding
entirelynewsubstations,mustbedonewhilekeepingthewholesystemrunning.
Perhapsmoreimportant,afaultmaydevelopinatransmissionlineoranyothercomponent.Some
examplesofthis:alineishitbylightninganddevelopsanarc,oratowerisblowndownbyhighwind.The
functionofthesubstationistoisolatethefaultedportionofthesystemintheshortestpossibletime.De
energizingfaultedequipmentprotectsitfromfurtherdamage,andisolatingafaulthelpskeeptherestofthe
electricalgridoperatingwithstability.[5]

Automation
Earlyelectricalsubstationsrequiredmanualswitchingoradjustmentofequipment,andmanualcollection
ofdataforload,energyconsumption,andabnormalevents.Asthecomplexityofdistributionnetworks
grew,itbecameeconomicallynecessarytoautomatesupervisionandcontrolofsubstationsfromacentrally
attendedpoint,toallowoverallcoordinationincaseofemergenciesandtoreduceoperatingcosts.Early
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effortstoremotecontrolsubstationsuseddedicatedcommunicationwires,oftenrunalongsidepower
circuits.Powerlinecarrier,microwaveradio,fiberopticcablesaswellasdedicatedwiredremotecontrol
circuitshaveallbeenappliedtoSupervisoryControlandDataAcquisition(SCADA)forsubstations.The
developmentofthemicroprocessormadeforanexponentialincreaseinthenumberofpointsthatcouldbe
economicallycontrolledandmonitored.Today,standardizedcommunicationprotocolssuchasDNP3,IEC
61850andModbus,tolistafew,areusedtoallowmultipleintelligentelectronicdevicestocommunicate
witheachotherandsupervisorycontrolcenters.Distributedautomaticcontrolatsubstationsisoneelement
ofthesocalledsmartgrid.

Railways
Electrifiedrailwaysalsousesubstations,oftendistributionsubstations.Insomecasesaconversionofthe
currenttypetakesplace,commonlywithrectifiersfordirectcurrent(DC)trains,orrotaryconvertersfor
trainsusingalternatingcurrent(AC)atfrequenciesotherthanthatofthepublicgrid.Sometimestheyare
alsotransmissionsubstationsorcollectorsubstationsiftherailwaynetworkalsooperatesitsowngridand
generators.

Lists
ListofEHVsubstationsinAustria
ListofEHVsubstationsinGermany
ListofEHVsubstationsinSwitzerland

Seealso
Powerlinecarriercommunication
HVDCconverterstation
Tractionsubstation

Referencesandfurtherreading
1. JointConsultationPaper:WesternMetropolitanMelbourneTransmissionConnectionandSubtransmission
Capacity(http://jemena.com.au/Assets/WhatWeDo/Assets/JemenaElectricity
Network/Planning/Western%20metropolitan%20Melbourne%20transmission%20connection%20and%20subtrans
mission%20capacity.pdf#page=11),accessedandarchived(http://www.webcitation.org/6DQTNt5E7)4January
2013.
2. UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,DesignGuideforRuralSubstations,USDAbulletinnumber1724E
300,2001pp.3839
3. Steinberg,Neil."LightsOnbutNobodyHome:BehindtheFakeBuildingsthatPowerChicago"
(http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/12/13/lightsonbutnobodyhomebehindthefakebuildingsthatpower
chicago/).Retrieved14December2013.
4. DonaldG.Fink,H.WayneBeattyStandardHandbookforElectricalEngineersEleventhEdition,McGrawHill
1978ISBN007020974XChapter17SubstationDesign
5. TransformerfireVideo(http://www.metacafe.com/watch/39058/transformer_fire_video/)

Overviewofsubstationdesignandlayout

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_substation

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoElectrical
substation.
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(http://www.eng.uwi.tt/depts/elec/staff/alvin/ee35t/notes/SubstationDesign.html)
USDepartmentofAgricultureengineeringdesignmanualforruralsubstations
(http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/pubs/1724e300/1724e300.pdf)
IEEEStandard80GuideforSafetyinACSubstationGrounding
(http://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/802000.html)
IEEEGreenBookRecommendedPracticeforGroundingofIndustrialandCommercialPower
Systems(http://standards.ieee.org/colorbooks/sampler/greenbook.html)
EliminatingHurricaneInducedStormSurgeDamagetoElectricUtilities
(http://www.distransubstations.com/images/uploads/resources/eliminating_hurrican
induced_storm_surge_damage_to_electric_utilities_via_in
place_elevation_of_substation_structures_and_equipment.pdf)
R.M.S.deOliveiraandC.L.S.S.Sobrinho(2009)."ComputationalEnvironmentforSimulating
LightningStrokesinaPowerSubstationbyFiniteDifferenceTimeDomainMethod".IEEE
TransactionsonElectromagneticCompatibility51(4):9951000.doi:10.1109/TEMC.2009.2028879
(https://dx.doi.org/10.1109%2FTEMC.2009.2028879).

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