Transmission

• Medium for transmitting the bulk electrical power from

Generating Stations to Load Centers through the Grid.
• Infrastructure that allow electricity to be transported over
long distances.
Transmission System
• Transmission Division manage and operates
I. 132kV transmission system - Medium transmission system
II. 275kV transmission system - Large transmission system
III. 500kV transmission system -The backbone of the transmission
system

• National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network.

Types of substation
• Switchgear is the combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses
or circuit breakers used to control, protect and isolate electrical
equipment.
• Switchgear is used both to de-energize equipment to allow work to be
done and to clear faults downstream.
• This type of equipment is directly linked to the reliability of the
electricity supply.
AIS (Air Insulated Switchgear)
• The AIS uses air as the primary dielectric from phase to phase, and phase to ground insulation.
• Advantages
I. The primary choice for areas with extensive space
II. With quality design, the system is viable due to the low construction costs and cost of switchgear
III. Less construction time, thereby more suited for expedited installations
IV. Easy maintenance as all the equipment is within view. It is easy to notice and attend to faults.
Disadvantages
I. More space is required compared to GIS
II. Vulnerable to faults since the equipment are exposed to the external elements such as human intrusion,
pollution, deposition of saline particles, lightning strikes and extreme weather conditions
III. More maintenance requirements, thus leading to high costs
IV. The poor dielectric properties of air, as well as secondary factors such as humidity, pollutants, moisture
means that more space is required for efficacy.
GIS (Gas Insulated Switchgear)
• uses sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas to cool and quench the arc on
opening a circuit.
• Advantage
I. The earthed metal enclosure makes for a safe working environment for the attending personnel
II. Compartmentalized enclosure of the live parts makes for a very reliable system due to reduced disruption of the
insulation system.
III. By reducing the distance between active and non active switchgear parts, less space is required than in the normal AIS
system: this comes in handy in densely populated areas and unfavourable terrain (minimum requirements for an AIS is
about 47,000m2, while GIS with the same power properties will require approx 523m2). For the AIS, the highest
element is approximately 28m, whereas for GIS you have 11m at the highest point for a 400kV substation.
IV. Low maintenance requirements due to expedient design and protection against external elements.
V. Under scheduled maintenance, SF6 neither ages nor depletes. There is no need to top up the gas levels throughout the
equipment lifetime (approx 40 years).
VI. Quick assembly due to extensive pre-assembly
• Disadvantage
I. High installation costs compared to AIS systems
II. Procurement and supply of SF6 gas can be a problems especially in
rough terrain and off site locations. This further increases the costs
III. High level of maintenance is required. This requires highly skilled
personnel
IV. Internal faults tend to be very costly and severe when they occur. They
often lead to long outage periods. For example, the use of impure gas, as
well as leakage due to ‘O’ ring failure, as well as presence of dust can
lead to flashovers and explosions.
V. Though the gas is quite inert, flash problems can break it down into
harmful by-products such as metal fluoride powders. This poses a health
hazard such as physical asphyxiation and other respiratory problems.
Hybrid
• is one that combines the components of traditional air-insulated
switchgear (AIS) and SF6 gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) technologies.
• It is characterized by a compact and modular design, which
encompasses several different functions in one module.
Types of the system Primary
• Types of primary distribution system configuration:
system
• Radial System
I. Typically used when serving lightly populated residential and rural areas.
II. However, because there is a single path of supply of load, a fault located on a radial feeder will cause a power outage for every customer on that feeder.
III. Loss of service can be minimized through fuses, sectionalizes and other protection schemes.
• Ring System
I. Ring distribution system is employed most frequently to bulk loads, such as small industrial plants and medium or large commercial buildings where continuity of services is
of considerable importance.
II. The ring primary feeder starts at a substation and loops through the load area before returning back to the source substation.
III. The ring system is normally operated with each half serving as radial feeder and ends at the “off point” located on the feeder.
IV. Any fault on the feeder can be isolated with two “off points” and the interrupted service can be restored by completing the loop to the unfaulty section.
V. Loop system provides greater reliability as compared to radial system.
• Mesh Network
• Interconnected Network
I. A primary network is a system with interconnection of primary feeders supplied by several bulk power substations.
II. This interconnection network provides greatest reliability to supply power to all distribution transformer even if a part of the transmission circuit feeding the network is out
of service.