UNIT 2

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
EQUIPMENTS

Ar . Gandharva Swami

ASSISTANT PROFESOR. DTC , Gr . Noida

Distribution Equipment
Sub-transmission Line:
The line (conductor) which feds power to the primary of transformer at
substations.
Primary Distribution (Feeder):
The line (conductor) which feds power at to the primary of service transformer.
Substation( Area Substation):
Meeting point between transmission & distribution the primary distribution
lines receives power at this juncture.
Service Area:
Service area of a particular substation or feeder is the area served by that
particular substation or feeder.
Service Wire (Secondary Distribution):
The conductor which route power at utilization voltage within very close
proximity to customers.
Service Transformer (Distribution Transformer Also Called Distribution Substation):
The transformer which lowers the voltage at utilization voltage level.
Load Center:
Area served by a particular service transformer.
DISTRIBUTION LINES
• The lines 33kV and below (some country up to 132 kV) is categorized as distribution which includes
utilization voltage and sources (their source including transformer).

• In distribution line, sending end power and receiving end power is not same.

• It goes on decreasing due to consumption at each load center.

• The voltage at each node (load centre point) is different and also power flow in each branches
between two nodes is different and hence power loss is different in different branches.

UNDERGROUND AND OVERHEAD LINE SYSTEMS

• An overhead lines are the structure of distribution system that transmits the electrical energy over
a large distances which consists of one or more conductors suspended by towers or poles.

• The overhead (OH) lines are mainly bare conductors.

• The distribution system that transmits electrical energy through cables buried in ground is called
underground distribution system.

• The underground (UG) systems mainly uses power cables to transmit electrical energy.
The UG lines are used due to following reasons:
• Extreme weather condition (snow, wind) in distribution areas.
• Densely populated urban areas having right of way problem.
• Can be used near submarine crossings.
Elements of Distribution S/S

 Electrical Power Transformers

 Instrument Transformers
 Conductors and Insulators
 Isolators
 Bus bars
 Lightning Arresters
 Circuit Breakers
 Relays
 Capacitor Banks and Miscellaneous Equipments
 TRANSFORMER
• Transformers are devices that change (transform) the voltage of power supplied to
meet the individuals needs of power consumers.

• It uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to change the voltage (alternating

difference) from one value to another whether smaller or greater.

• A transformer is made of a soft iron coil with two other coils wound around it, but not
connected with one another.

• The iron coils can either be arranged on top of another or be wound on separate limps
of the iron core.

• The coil to which the alternating voltage is supplied is known as primary winding or
primary coil while.

• The alternating current in the primary winding produces a changing magnetic field
around it whenever an alternating potential is supplied.
• An alternating current is in turn produced by the changing field in the secondary coil and
the amount of current produced depends on the number of windings in the secondary
coil.

• There are two types of transformers, namely: Step down and Step up transformers.

• Generally, the difference between them is the amount of voltage produced, depending on
the number of secondary coils.

There are two types of transformers

• Step down.

• Step up transformers.
• Generally, the difference between them is the amount of voltage
produced, depending on the number of secondary coils. STEP DOWN
TRANSFORMER.
• In a step-down transformer is one who secondary windings are fewer
than the primary windings.

• In other words, the transformer’s secondary voltage is less than the

primary voltage.

• So, the transformer is designed to convert high-voltage, low-current

power into a low-voltage, high current power and it is mainly used in
domestic consumption.

• A common case of step-down application is in the case of door bells.

Normally, door bells use 16 volts, but most household power circuits
carry 110-120 volts.

• Therefore, the doorbell’s step-down transformer receives the 110 volts

and reduces it to lower voltage before supplying it to the doorbell.

• Step-down transformers are mostly used to convert the 220 volts

electricity to the 110 volts required in most domestic equipment.
• A step-up transformer is the direct opposite of a step-down transformer.
STEP UP
• There are many turns on the secondary winding than in the primary TRANSFORMER.
winding in the step-up transformers.

• Thus, the voltage supplied in the secondary transformer is greater than the
one supplied across the primary winding. Because of the principle of
conservation of energy, the transformer converts low voltage, high-current
to high voltage-low current.

• In other words, the voltage has been stepped up.

• You can find step-up transformers located near power plants that are
designed to operate megawatts of power.

• Apart from the power plants, step-up transformers can also be used for
local and smaller applications such as x-ray machine which requires about
50,000 volts to work.

• Even a micro-wave oven requires a small step-up transformer to operate.

• Tip: The type of metal winding used is one of the considerations used in
determining the efficiency of transformers.
CONDUCTORS
 It allows the flow of electric charge.
 It permits the free movement of the flow of electrons through them.

Conductor
INSULATORS
 Metals which do not allow the free movement of
electrons or electric charge.
 They resist electricity with their high resisting property.

Insulator
Isolators
 It is a manually operated mechanical swithched that isolate the faulty
section or the section of a conductor or a part of a circuit of substation
meant for repair from a healthy section.

Bus Bars
 They are the conductors which carry current and having
multiple numbers of incoming and outgoing line connections.
CIRCUIT BREAKER
• A circuit breaker is a switching device that interrupts the abnormal or fault current.

• It is a mechanical device that disturbs the flow of high magnitude (fault) current and in
additions performs the function of a switch.

• The circuit breaker is mainly designed for closing or opening of an electrical circuit, thus
protects the electrical system from damage.

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF CIRCUIT BREAKER

• Circuit breaker essentially consists of fixed and moving contacts.

• These contacts are touching each other and carrying the current under normal conditions when
the circuit is closed. When the circuit breaker is closed, the current carrying contacts, called the
electrodes, engaged each other under the pressure of a spring.

• During the normal operating condition, the arms of the circuit breaker can be opened or closed
for a switching and maintenance of the system.

• To open the circuit breaker, only a pressure is required to be applied to a trigger.

 Whenever a fault occurs on any part of the system,
the trip coil of the breaker gets energized and the
moving contacts are getting apart from each other by
some mechanism, thus opening the circuit.

TYPES OF CIRCUIT BREAKER

Circuit breakers are mainly classified on the basis of rated voltages.

Circuit breakers below rated voltage of 1000V are known as the low voltage circuit breakers and
above 1000V are called the high voltage circuit breakers.

The most general way of the classification of the circuit breaker is on the basis of the medium
of arc extinction.
Such types of circuit breakers are as follow:-
• Oil Circuit Breaker

Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker

Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker

• Minimum Circuit Breaker

• Air Blast Circuit Breaker

• Sulphur Hexafluoride Circuit Breaker

• Vacuum Circuit Breaker

• Air Break Circuit Breaker

All high-voltage circuit breakers may be classified under two main categories i.e oil circuit breakers and
oil-less circuit breaker.
Lightning Arrester
• The device which is used for the protection of the equipment at the substations against
travelling waves, such type of device is called lightning arrester or surge diverter.

• In other words, lightning arrester diverts the ab normals high voltage to the ground
without affecting the continuity of supply.

• It is connected between the line and earth, i.e., in parallel with the equipment to be
protected at the substation.
The following are the damages that are caused by the travelling wave on the
substation equipment.
• The high peak or crest voltage of the surge may cause flash-over in the internal winding thereby spoil the
winding insulation.

• The steep wave fronts of the surges may cause external flashover between the terminal of the
transformer.

• The highest peak voltage of the surge may cause external flashover, between the terminal of the
electrical equipment which may result in damage to the insulator.
• When a travelling wave reaches the arrestor, its sparks
over at a certain prefixed voltage as shown in the figure
below.

• The arrestor provides a conducting path to the waves of

relatively low impedance between the line and the
ground.

• The surge impedance of the line restricts the amplitude

of current flowing to ground.
An ideal lightning arrester should have the following
characteristics:-

• It should not draw any current during normal operating condition, i.e., it sparks-over
voltage must be above the normal or abnormal power frequency that may occur in the
system.

• Any transient abnormal voltage above the breakdown value must cause it to break
down as quickly as possible so that it may provide a conducting path to ground.

• When the breakdown has taken place, it should be capable of carrying the resulting
discharge current without getting damaged itself and without the voltage across it
exceeding the breakdown value.

• The power frequency current following the breakdown must be interrupted as soon as
the transient voltage has fallen below the breakdown value.
Location of Lightning Arrester

• The lightning arrester is located close to the equipment that is to be protected.

• They are usually connected between phase and ground in an AC system and pole and
ground in case of the DC system.

• In an AC system, separate arrester is provided for each phase.

• In an extra-high voltage AC system the surge diverter is used to protect the generators,
transformers, bus bars, lines, circuit breakers, etc.

• In HVDC system the arrester is used to protect the buses, valves converter units reactors,
filter, etc.
Relays
• These are used for disconnection of the circuits by
manual or automatic operation.

• It consists of coil which is excited or energized to

break or make a circuit connection.

Capacitor bank
It is a set of many identical capacitors connected in series or
parallel within an enclosure and is used for power factor
correction and basic protection of the substation.
TYPICAL LAYOUT OF SUBSTATION
Attributes for Performance Assessment
 Capacity
 Safety
 Power Quality
 Reliability
 System Loss
 Electrification
 Customer Service