Transmission and Distribution Systems
This course provides real-life scenarios for the operation and design of power transmission and distribution systems. Review distribution lines and hardware applications, then create plans to serve a new residential development that doubles customer load and extends the distribution line for two miles. Review a transmission system, then create plans to add a new, high capacity wind farm to the system. Develop enhancements needed for a two-transformer distribution substation that will serve a new residential development that increases substation load by 50%. Key topics include maintaining scheduled voltage and service reliability when daily, weekly and seasonal load variations are considered.
Develop a distribution system design for optimized customer service. Explore substation configurations and bus arrangements and also develop a transmission system design for bi-directional power transfer.
This course can be applied to the Electrical Engineering Certificate.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
- Analyze design features of radial 10-mile overhead and 5-mile underground distribution lines.
- Analyze design features of 25-mile overhead and 5-mile underground transmission lines.
- Analyze design features of distribution substation and transformer transmission substation.
- Recognize hardware applications for transmission lines, distribution lines, and substations – transformers, regulators, reclosers, capacitors and more.
Course Outline/Topics
Day 1: Distribution Systems
Establish distribution line ratings – Voltage, current, MVA, and type (OH / UG)
Establish substation connection to distribution line
Recognize relevant hardware applications:
OH Conductors – ACSR, ACAR, or coarse stranded copper and ampacity
UG Conductors – Aluminum cable, copper cable and ampacity
OH – Structures, wood poles, steel poles, concrete poles
UG – Direct buried or manhole and duct bank system
Insulation – Insulators, surge arrestors, cables and cable terminators
Short Circuit Protection – Current transformers, protective relays, and circuit breakers
OH In Line Short Circuit Protection – Reclosers and fuses
Customer Service Transformers – Location, KVA rating, secondary voltage
OH Switches – Pole top vacuum switches, air break switches, load transfer switches
UG Switches – Pad-mount or submersible
Consider Customer Service Requirements
Residential customers – 120 volt / 240 volt, single phase
Small business customers – 120 volt / 240 volt service, single phase
Medium business customers – 277 volt / 480 volt, three phase
Large business customers – 12.47 KV, three phase
Evaluate voltage control options
Establish peak load voltage profile and low load voltage profile
Evaluate tapped transformer applications
Evaluate voltage regulator applications
Evaluate capacitor applications
Underground (UG) lines versus overhead (OH) lines
Cost and benefit
Discuss power quality
Low voltage, high voltage, surges, dips, and power interruptions
Discuss Distribution System Automation
Discuss Renewable Energy connections to distribution lines
Day 2: Transmission Systems
Establish transmission line ratings – Voltage, current, MVA, and type (OH / UG)
Establish substation connections at both terminals of the transmission line
Recognize relevant hardware applications:
OH Conductors – ACSR, ACAR, or coarse stranded copper and ampacity
UG Conductors – Aluminum cable, copper cable and ampacity
OH – Structures, wood poles, steel poles, lattice structures
UG – Manhole and duct bank system
Insulation – Insulators, surge arrestors, and cable terminators
Short Circuit Protection – Current transformers, voltage transformers, protective relays, and circuit breakers
Switches – air break switches
Evaluate voltage control options
Establish high voltage and low voltage limits
Evaluate transformer applications
Discuss Reliability
Impact of single failure or maintenance outage
Impact of single failure during maintenance outage
Discuss Transmission System Operation
Short circuit detection and isolation
Load and voltage control
Power factor correction (capacitors)
System stability considerations
Reactive Power Requirements
FIDVR (Fault Induced Delayed Voltage Recovery)
Day 3: Substations
Establish Substation ratings – Voltage, current, MVA, type (indoor / outdoor)
Establish Number and Location of transformers, transmission lines, distribution lines, buses, circuit breakers in substations
Recognize relevant hardware applications:
Transformer connections and ratings
Circuit breakers and switches
Switchyard configurations – straight bus, sectionalized bus, double bus
Substation configurations – physical orientation of components
Electrical clearance considerations
Minimum clearance of live parts
Working clearance around live parts
Working clearance around cabinets and enclosures
Switchgear designs
Metal clad switchgear
GIS (Gas Insulated Substation)
Protective relaying
Zones of protection
Application overview – Bus protection, distribution line protection, transmission line protection, transformer protection
Substation operation
Bus configurations
Transformer and bus redundancy
Single failure analysis
Circuit breaker failure considerations
Radial Systems
Networked Systems
With Automated Distribution Systems
With Distributed, Renewable Generation
Dates and locations to be announced.
