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TECHNICAL BROCHURE
300
WG
Guidelines to an optimised approach B3.03
to the renewal of existing air
insulated substations

G . A D A M C Z E W S K I * , A . - M . S A H A Z I Z I A N , U . S C H W I N G A N D K . K AWA K I TA

Introduction Changes in power system and reliability requirements

There is a clear and growing need for network own-
ers, asset managers and network engineers to provide an
optimized approach to the renewal of substations in
order to satisfy the competing drivers of cost control and
changing system and environmental demands. A special
demand arises with respect to existing air insulated sub-
stations (AIS) on the basis that:
• Many substations have common characteristics that
reflect the needs of network and substation design appli-
cable some fifty years ago.
• The lifetime expectancy of AIS components is not
uniform (for civil components it is typically 40 to 80
years; major electrical equipment about 30 to 40 years;
secondary circuitry about 20 years).
CIGRE Working Group B3.03 “Air Insulated Substa-
tions” considered these needs with respect to the follow-
ing areas of concern:
• The requirements for renewal
• Methods of condition assessment
• Possible options
• Optimized approach to renewal of AIS
Requirement for renewal
Requirements for renewal vary both in their cause and
in their impact, may be controlled either by the utility or
external sources, and may have either a narrow or a wide
impact. They can result from new regulations, customer
requirements, changes in power system requirements, and
Operation and maintenance (O&M) requirements. These
requirements are characterised in Figure 1 below.
may necessitate separation of the grid and installation of
current limiting devices or capacitor banks, replacement
and refurbishment of equipment, and redundant pro-
tective schemes.
Customer requirements may lead to early replace-
ment or refurbishment of equipment or the reorganis-
ing of grid connections, which can involve the electri-
cal utilities as well as generation connection companies.
However, in the event that such early replacement is
required, it will provide an opportunity for the equip-
ment to be redeployed to other sites.
In general, while meeting renewal requirements,
consideration may also be given to adoption of ratio-
nalised and optimum operation and maintenance
methodologies.
Condition assessment
Condition assessment should incorporate a compre-
hensive fit-for-purpose review of design deficiencies and
outdated policies, as well as the state of deterioration
or wear of the equipment. A detailed assessment docu-
ment should be prepared for each substation that reviews
quantitative data, rationalises the condition of that

New regulations are being imposed in many coun-

tries for environmental and safety reasons and these often
impact on substations that were once remotely located
but have become surrounded by urban development.
Such situations can require extensive remedial work to
address EMF, aesthetics, noise, and oil spills. Figure 1 – Requirements for renewal of equipment

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type of equipment, and classifies the degree of urgency
and action to be taken.
Table 1 identifies assets that should be considered in
a complete assessment of a substation.
Possible solutions
The approach adopted to renew a substation is deter-
mined by many factors, including budgets, voltage level,
company strategy, new technologies, equipment condi-
tion, and work methodology. Alternatives include:
• Do nothing, at least for the moment – usually used
only for lower voltage systems
• Perform planned maintenance on existing equip-
ment – preventative maintenance
• Replace equipment wise – when the problem is lim-
ited to a single piece of equipment
• Partial renewal of the substation – eg renewal of
secondary systems, migration to digital control, or
renewal of auxiliary systems
• Total renewal of the substation – two basic options;
remove and replace everything; or progressive replace-
ment, one or more bays at a time
An optimised approach
The path to an optimized solution to network
upgrading requirements needs to take into account more
than asset condition related factors. Essentially the opti-
Assets Requiring Condition Assessment
Transformers - standards, diagnostic techniques,
on-load tap changers, practical experiences.
Instrument Transformers - Coupling Capacitor
Voltage Transformers, Potential Devices (PT’s)
Circuit Breakers – oil, air blast, vacuum, SF6
Other Switching Devices (Disconnectors, Switches)
Insulators and Bushings – porcelain, glass, composite
Reactors and Reactor Banks
Capacitors
Arresters
Grounding Resistors
Power Cables and Joints – oil filled, XLPE
Table 1 – Substation Assets Requiring Condition Assessment
TECHNICAL BROCHURE
300
mization process follows the principle depicted qualita-
WG
tively in Figure 2. B3.03
The minimum-cost optimized solution can be iden-
tified by taking into account all effort necessary for
upgrading as well as all risk related cost. Evaluating the
asset related cost is a routine task in asset planning,
whereas taking into account social and legal factors is
greatly dependent on situational judgement.
The issues that need to be considered in arriving at
an optimised approach include:
• Qualitative evaluation of safety, environment, com-
munity acceptance, customer satisfaction, brand name
and regulations
Evaluating the optimum approach requires consid-
eration of both economic and non-economic factors,
taking into account life cycle phases as described in IEC
documentation. Whilst economic factors are relatively
straightforward to address, evaluating the cost of non-
economic factors such as safety, environment, commu-
nity acceptance, and company brand name, is largely sub-
jective and therefore more difficult.
Figure 2. Simplified optimization principle
Station Services Equipment – AC and DC
Protection and control systems – CTs, VTs, batteries,
DC supply, CBs, and software
Earthing Grid
Substation Fence
Site Issues – access, ownership, security, etc
Buildings
Fire Protection Systems
Structures and foundations
Documentation
Structuring of component condition information
– hierarchy
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• Risk evaluation, definition of risk, risk assessment,
and the information required for the risk assessment
Because of the complexity of the relations involved
it is usually not possible to find a single common opti-
mum during a risk evaluation. If such an evaluation is
applied it is assumed that it is only necessary to consider
system questions relating to the system development.
For the purposes of evaluating an optimum
approach, risk is defined as the product of two param-
eters; probability and consequence. Evaluation of the
risk assessment requires both the outage and mainte-
nance costs to be compared.
TECHNICAL BROCHURE
300
The competition between the multitude of possi-
WG
ble renewal approaches and limiting finances, regula- B3.03
tions, social, and legal factors means it is not practical to
offer a flowchart-like solution. However, guidance is
offered regarding the relevant factors and their inter-
dependence allowing individual evaluation leading
towards a comprehensive solution.
The new technical brochure expands on, and pro-
vides guidance regarding the outline presented in this
paper and includes seven case studies from four coun-
tries.

Reference
[1]CIGRÉ Brochure No 300 “Guidelines to an Opti-
mised Approach to the Renewal of Existing Air Insulated
Substations” ■

Figure 3. Risk map with tolerance lines or areas

• Economic evaluation using quantitative criteria

Once the need for renewal has been established the
asset owner usually can select the appropriate solution
from several options, which can be evaluated with respect
to the cost and the effect on the quality of network per-
formance. In order to arrive at a sustainable solution the
total cost of ownership, ie Life Cycle Cost, should be con-
BROCHURE N° 300
sidered in accordance with IEC 60300.

Summary
Cigré Brochure 300 has been produced by WG B3.03
in recognition of the fact that, in order to maintain a con-
sistent supply quality, air insulated substations require
€
appropriate renewal that meets the drivers of a liberalised
market.
The document is based on a systematic approach. It
includes information that addresses important equip- €
ment related issues from an international and regional
perspective to allow readers to develop their own check-
list. Emphasis is placed on the importance of well-struc-
tured substation documentation.

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