SUB-STATIONS

Definition of Sub Station

The assembly of apparatus used to change

characteristics Such as Voltage, a.c to d.c,
frequency, power factor of electric supply is
called a sub-station.
 SITE SELECTION …..

 It should be located at a proper site nearer to load

centers.

 It should be easily operated and maintained

 It should provide safe and reliable arrangement

 It should involve minimum capital cost

CLASSIFICATION OF SUB-STATIONS

Sub-stations

Service Constructional
Requirement features

Insulation Provided
 ACCORDING TO SERVICE REQUIREMENT
 Transformer sub stations :

These are used to change the voltage levels of supply

 Switching Sub Stations:

They simply performswitching operations of power lines

 Power Factor Correction Sub Stations:

They improve the power factor of the system. by

using synchronous condensers and Capacitor banks
 ACCORDING TO SERVICE REQUIREMENT (Contd….)

Frequency Sub Stations:

These sub stations which change supply frequency

 Converting Sub Stations:

These sub stations which change a.c. power to d.c. power

 Industrial Sub Stations:

These sub stations supply power to industries

TRANSFORMER SUB-STATIONS
 Switching Sub Station

 A switching station is a substation without

transformers and operating only at a single voltage level.

 No Electrical Characteristics are changed.

 A Switching Substation is also called as a Switchyard.

 The Function of Switching station is to isolate the faulted

portion of the system in shortest possible time.
 Power Factor Sub Stations

 The substations which improve the power factor of the system are
called power factor sub station.

 Because of the impedance of the transmission line the Power Factor

is decreased.

These sub stations are generally employed at receiving end of

Transmission Lines.

 They improve the power factor of the system by using synchronous

condensers and Capacitor banks
 Frequency Changing Sub Stations

 In Some Industries, the frequency other than normal

frequency(50Hz) is required.

 The Power electronic circuit called as

CYCLOCONVERTERS are used in this substations to
obtain the desired frequency which is greater or lesser than
normal system frequency.
 Converting Sub Stations

 These sub stations change a.c. power to d.c. power.

 This Converted DC Power is Supplied to applications like

Traction.

 The Power Electronic Circuit Called as RECTIFIERS

are used to convert the AC Power into DC Power.
 ACCORDING TO CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES

 Indoor sub station:

For voltages upto 11 kV, the equipment of the sub-station is
installed indoor.
 ACCORDING TO CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES
(Contd….)

Outdoor sub station:

These Sub stations are installed Outdoor for voltages beyond 11 KV
 ACCORDING TO CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES
(Contd….)
Underground sub stations:

 In thickly populated areas, the space available for equipment

and building is limited and the cost of land is high.

 Under such situations, the sub-station is created underground.

ACCORDING TO CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES
(Contd….)
 Pole mounted substations:
This is an outdoor substation with equipment installed overhead on h-pole or 4
pole structure.

It is the cheapest form of sub-station for voltages not exceeding 11kV (or 33 kV in
some cases).

Electric power is almost distributed in localities through such substations.

Comparison between Outdoor and Indoor Sub-
Stations
 Based on the Insulation Provided to the
equipment
• Air Insulated Sub station - Outdoor and Pole Mounted

• Gas Insulated Sub station – SF6 Gas - Indoor and Under Ground
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS

Bus-Bars :
When a number of lines operating at the same voltage have to be
directly connected electrically, bus-bars are used as the common
electrical component.
Bus-bars are copper or aluminium bars (generally of rectangular x-
section) and operate at constant voltage.
The incoming and outgoing lines in a sub-station are connected to the
bus-bars.
The most commonly used bus-bar arrangements in sub-stations are :
 Single bus-bar arrangement
 Single bus-bar system with sectionalisation
 Double bus-bar arrangement
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS

• The insulators serve two purposes.

• They support the conductors (or bus-bars) and confine the
current to the conductors.
• The most commonly used material for the manufacture of
insulators is porcelain.
• There are several types of insulators (e.g. pin type,
suspension type, post insulator etc.) and their use in the sub-
station will depend upon the service requirement.
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS
Isolating switches:
In sub-stations, it is often desired to disconnect a part of the system for
general maintenance and repairs.

An isolator is essentially a knife switch and is designed to open a circuit

under no load.

In other words, isolator switches are operated only when the lines in
which they are connected carry no current.
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS

Circuit breaker :
A circuit breaker is an equipment which can open or close a circuit
under normal as well as fault conditions.
It is so designed that it can be operated manually (or by remote control)
under normal conditions and automatically under fault conditions. For
the latter operation, a relay circuit is used with a circuit breaker.
 Generally, bulk oil circuit breakers are used for voltages upto 66kV
while for high (>66 kV) voltages, low oil circuit breakers are used. For
still higher voltages, air-blast, vacuum or SF6 circuit breakers are used.
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS
Power Transformers:
A power transformer is used in a sub-station to step-up or step-down the
voltage.
Except at the power station, all the subsequent sub-stations use step-down
transformers to gradually reduce the voltage of electric supply and finally
deliver it at utilisation voltage.
For ratings upto 10 MVA, naturally cooled, oil immersed transformers are
used.
For higher ratings, the transformers are generally air blast cooled.
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS
Instrument transformers.
The lines in sub-stations operate at high voltages and carry current of
thousands of amperes.
The measuring instruments and protective devices are designed for low
voltages (generally 110 V) and currents (about 5 A).
Therefore, they will not work satisfactorily if mounted directly on the
power lines.
This difficulty is overcome by installing instrument transformers on the
power lines. There are two types of instrument transformers viz.
 Current transformer (C.T.) –Step- Up Transformer
 Potential transformer (P.T.)- Step-Down Transformer
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS
Metering and Indicating Instruments:
 There are several metering and indicating instruments
(e.g. ammeters, voltmeters, energy meters etc.) installed in a
sub-station to maintain watch over the circuit quantities.

In addition to these there may be following equipment in a

substation.
 Fuses
 Carrier current equipment
 Sub Station auxiliary supplies
SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS
Typical Sub- Station
Schematic Connection of pole-mounted
sub-station
 SYMBOLS FOR EQUIPMENT IN SUB STATIONS

Bus-Bars :
When a number of lines operating at the same voltage have to be
directly connected electrically, bus-bars are used as the common
electrical component.
Bus-bars are copper or aluminium bars (generally of rectangular x-
section) and operate at constant voltage.
The incoming and outgoing lines in a sub-station are connected to the
bus-bars.
The most commonly used bus-bar arrangements in sub-stations are :
 Single bus-bar arrangement
 Single bus-bar system with sectionalisation
 Double bus-bar arrangement
 Single bus-bar system
• As the name suggests, it consists of a single bus-bar and all the
incoming and outgoing lines are connected to it.
• The chief advantages of this type of arrangement are low initial cost,
less maintenance and simple operation.
• However, the principal disadvantage of single bus-bar system is that if
repair is to be done on the bus-bar or a fault occurs on the bus, there is a
complete interruption of the supply.
• This arrangement is not used for voltages exceeding 33kV.
• The indoor 11kV sub-stations often use single bus-bar arrangement.
 There are two 11 kV incoming lines connected to the bus-bar through circuit breakers
and isolators.
 The two 400V outgoing lines are connected to the bus bars through transformers
(11kV/400 V) and circuit breakers.
 Single bus-bar system with sectionalisation

• In this arrangement, the single bus-bar is divided into

sections and load is equally distributed on all the sections.
• Any two sections of the busbar are connected by a circuit
breaker and isolators. Two principal advantages are claimed
for this arrangement.
• Firstly, if a fault occurs on any section of the bus, that
section can be isolated without affecting the supply from
other sections.
• Secondly, repairs and maintenance of any section of the
busbar can be carried out by de-energising that section only,
eliminating the possibility of complete shut down.
• This arrangement is used for voltages upto 33 kV.
 Single bus-bar system with sectionalisation

 Fig. shows bus-bar with sectionalisation where the bus has been divided into two sections.
 There are two 33 kV incoming lines connected to sections I and II as shown through
circuit breaker and isolators.
 Each 11 kV outgoing line is connected to one section through transformer (33/11 kV)
and circuit breaker.
 It is easy to see that each bus-section behaves as a separate bus-bar.
 Duplicate bus-bar system

This system consists of two bus-bars, a “main” bus-bar and

a “spare” bus-bar.
Each bus-bar has the capacity to take up the entire sub-
station load.
The incoming and outgoing lines can be connected to either
bus-bar with the help of a bus-bar coupler which consists of
a circuit breaker and isolators.
Ordinarily, the incoming and outgoing lines remain
connected to the main bus-bar.
However, in case of repair of main bus-bar or fault
occurring on it, the continuity of supply to the circuit can
be maintained by transferring it to the spare bus-bar.
For voltages exceeding 33kV, duplicate bus-bar system is
frequently used.
 Duplicate bus-bar system

• Fig. shows the arrangement of duplicate bus-bar system in a typical

sub-station.
• The two 66kV incoming lines can be connected to either bus-bar by a
bus-bar coupler.
• The two 11 kV outgoing lines are connected to the bus-bars through
transformers (66/11 kV) and circuit breakers.
 Terminal and Through Sub-Stations
All the transformer sub-stations in the line of power
system handle incoming and outgoing lines.
Depending upon the manner of incoming lines, the sub-
stations are classified as :
 Terminal sub-station
 Through sub-station
 Terminal sub-station
A terminal sub-station is one in which the line supplying to the
substation terminates or ends.
It may be located at the end of the main line or it may be situated at a
point away from main line route.
In the latter case, a tapping is taken from the main line to supply to the
sub-station.
Fig. shows the schematic connections of a terminal sub-station.
It is clear that incoming 11 kV main line terminates at the sub-station.
Most of the distribution sub-stations are of this type.
 Through sub-station
A through sub-station is one in which the incoming line passes
‘through’ at the same voltage.
A tapping is generally taken from the line to feed to the
transformer to reduce the voltage to the desired level.
Fig. shows the schematic connections of a through substation.
The incoming 66 kV line passes through the sub-station as 66kV
outgoing line.
At the same time, the incoming line is tapped in the sub-station
to reduce the voltage to 11 kV for secondary distribution.
Through sub-station
GAS INSULATED SUBSTATION
INTRODUCTION…

Gas Insulated substations use sulphur hexa

fluoride(SF6) gas which has superior
dielectric properties. Gas insulated
substations are used where there is space
for providing the substation is expensive in
large cities and towns
 TYPES OF GAS INSULATED SUBSTATIONS
Gas insulated substations are classified according to the type of
configurations as………..

 isolated phase module

 3-phase common modules

 hybrid modules

Compact modules

Highly integrated systems

 Isolated-phase module
The individual circuit elements such as a pole of a circuit breaker, a single pole isolator,
one phase assembly of a current transformer etc..are connected together forms an
isolated phase GIS module.
 THREE PHASE COMMON MODULE
In this type of module a three phase bay is assembled using the desired number of three
phase elements. This reduces the total number of enclosures to one third.
HYBRID MODULES
It is the combination of isolated phase and three phase common elements is used to
achieve an optimal solution. Hybrid GIS technology has gained popularity, specially in
the medium and low voltage range
COMPACT MODULE
Compact GIS systems are essentially three phase common systems in which the
elements such as three phase circuit breaker, current transformer etc…. Are
placed
 HIGHLY INTEGRATED SYSTEM
These are used in outdoor substations .highly integrated substations are ready to
install substations.
SINGLE LINE DIAGRAM
 BUS BARS
The high voltage conductor made up of copper or
aluminum is centrally placed in a tabular metal
enclosure. In isolated phase GIS ,coaxial bus bar are
common
 Constructional aspects of GIS……..
The main parts of GIS are…….

 gascircuit
 seals and gaskets
 disconnectors
 earth switch
Circuit breaker
Current transformer
Plug in joints
Enclosure
Expansion joints
Gas circuit : gas circuit has to maintain the dual purpose (i.e. arc
interruption and insulation). Gas circuit should maintain the
pressure throughout its life period so there should be no leakages

SEALS AND GASKETS : seals and gaskets are used to capture the
SF6 gas lekages.these are manufactured with nitrile rubber and
viton. These serves sealing purpose
Disconnectors…..
Disconnectors or isolators are used for electrical isolation
of circuit parts.
They are slow acting and operating at off load.
Disconnectors must be carefully designed and tested to be
able to break small charging current without generating too
higher over voltage.
Circuit Breakers…….
Circuit breaker is a metal clad and uses SF6 gas for the purpose of
insulation and fault interruption. The circuit breaker is directly connected
to either current transformers or isolators
Earthing switch……

fast earth switch: these are used to protect the

circuit connected current transformer, voltage
transformer

Maintenance earth switch: these are used for

grounding the high voltage conductors during
maintenance
PLUG IN JOINTS: these are designed in such a way that they can
carry rated full load current uninterruptedly and can carry heavy
transient currents types of plug in joints are
Static joints
Quasi static joints
MAINTENANCE AND INSTALLATION

S.NO 145KV 170KV 245KV

1 Bay width (m) 1.5 2.0 2.0

2 Bay depth 3.3 3.35 3.4

3 Bay height 3.2 3.4 3.4

4 Floor area 4.95 6.7 6.8

(sq.m)
5 Volume 15.84 22.78 23.12

6 Weight 3800 5000 5700

Advantages of GIS….
GIS have no risk for fire and explosion due to
leakage of oil.
They generate no noise and have no radio
interference.
The maintenance of GIS is free.
It offers solutions,
-Industrial areas where space and
pollution problems .
-Mountain areas where ice and snow are major
problems.
Disadvantages of GIS…….
Gas insulations tend to be much more expensive
than air insulated installations with the same
ratings.
Care should be taken that no dust particles enter
into the live compartments which results in flash
over.
When fault occurs internally the diagnosis of the
fault and rectifying takes very long time.
COMPARISON OF AIR INSULATED SUBSTATIONS AND
GAS INSULATED SUBSTATIONS