What is Substation in Power systems?

 

What is Electrical Power Substation?

Substation is the place where set of electrical equipment are installed in order to reduce and Increase Voltage levels in Generation transmission, Distribution.

Substation is a part of the Generation, Transmission and Distribution. Substation plays a important role in managing the power transmission and Distribution.

The main part of the substation are  transformers to change voltage levels from high transmission voltages to lower distribution voltages, also at the interconnection of two different transmission voltages.

 

What does substation contains?

Main Equipment

•  CircuitBreaker
• Instrument Transformer (CT/CVT
• Surge Arrest
•  Isolator
• Transformers
•  Reactor
• Bus Support Insulator
• Line Traps
•  Control & Protection system
•  Power Line Carrier Communication system 

Further Substation requires the auxiliary equipment to maintain the substation.

The following are the auxiliary equipment used in substation

• LTAC Switchgear panel
• AC Distribution board
•   Battery & Battery Charger
•   DC Distribution board
•   Auxiliary LT transformer
•  Lighting Transformer
• Main Lighting Distribution board
• Emergency Lighting Distribution board
•  Diesel Generator
•  UPS
•   Illumination System: Indoor(control Building, DG, etc)
• Outdoor Switchyard
•   Fire Fighting and fire detection system
• Air conditioning and Ventilation system

In designing of Substation along with the Main equipments and Auxiliary equipments, substation also requires substation Engineering items.Following are the Engineering items which are required in Substation building

• Busbar materials
• ACSR –Bus conductor
• AL tubes- Rigid Bus conductor
• Clamps & Connector
• String Insulator & Hardware
• Earthing Materials
• Earth Pits
• Main Earthing Material (Rod or Flat)
•  LT power & Control Cable
•  HT Power & control Cable
•  Cable & accessories
• Cable Terminations, Glands, lugs, ties, markers etc
• Cable supporting materials
• Lighting Transformer
• Main Lighting Distribution board
• Emergency Lighting Distribution board
•  Diesel Generator
• UPS

Which this list of equipment the substation is build as per the needs of the customer demand and supply. The substation typical consists of Power network and control circuit network.

There are various types of substation in power system. The main types of substations are Transmission Substation, and Distribution substation.