SUBSTATION SAFETY

There are numerous laws, rules, codes, etc. governing safety requirements; of
the most important being IEEE Standard C2-2012 . 2012 National Electrical
Safety Code(NESC)

Rule no. 1 (clearance)

Enough clearance from energized parts should be provided to avoid
accidental contact with them. If that cant be met, live parts should be guarded or
enclosed.

Rule no. 2 (minimum height)

A minimum height from the ground to any ungrounded part of an
electrical installation should be 8-6, so a person staying on the ground cant
touch a substation element or its part which may become energized accidentally.
For example, the bottom of a post insulator supporting an energized bus does
not normally have any potential.

However, if bus flashover to the ground over insulator occurs, touching the
bottom of the insulator may become unsafe. Thats why an 8-6 distance from
the bottom of insulator to the ground should be provided.

Rule no. 3 (illumination)

There should be sufficient illumination for personnel to clearly see
their surroundings and perform any work safely. Required illumination levels
are specified in NESC [1].

Rule no. 4 (passageways)

All passageways and stairs should be wide enough for personnel to navigate
them safely, adequate railing should be provided, and floor openings should have
guard rails.

Rule no. 5 (evacuation routes)

Exits should be clearly marked and evacuation routes should be free
from obstructions. Depending on the function of the building (for example,
control house), it may require several exits to avoid personnel being trapped
during equipment fault, fire, etc.

Rule no. 6 (grounding, as always)

All substation metallic structures, fences, and equipment tanks should
be connected to a station ground grid which should be designed to ensure
that step and touch potential values are lower than the ones stipulated in the
applicable standards.

Installation
Dry-type transformers should be installed over foundations that are properly
leveled and capable to withstand their weight.
When a transformer is fitted with wheels, make sure the equipment will be equally
supported on its base points in order to assure its stability and to prevent any
deformation.
When installing the transformer, the following factors should be carefully
taken in account:

1. There should be a minimum spacing of 0,5 m between one transformer and

another, and between the transformer and any adjacent wall in order to facilitate
the access for inspection and ventilation, depending, however, on the project
dimensions and the voltages;

2. The room where the transformer will be installed should be well

ventilated as to assure proper natural ventilation, since this is an essential
parameter for a proper performance of a dry transformer.
In this regard, it is important that the air inlets are located at the front part of the
transformer near the bottom and the air outlets are located at the back part of the
transformer, with near the top openings large enough to allow for a circulation of
approx. 2,5 cubic meters of air per minute/kW of loss. (See the example
calculation below).
Proper ventilation in the transformer room will grant the expected useful
life and stable operation either on continuous regime or under
momentary overloads.

Figure 1 - Natural transformer

ventilation

As normally the natural ventilation is not sufficient, fans can be installed

to increase the air flow i n the room according to Figure 2 or, preferably, adopt
the refrigeration o f the room where the transformer will operate .

Danger! If the transformer room is going to be air conditioned, make sure

the conditioned air will not be directly blown on the transformer, otherwise
water condensation can be built on it and can result in the transformer s burning.

Figure 2 - Forced transformer

Room Ventilation

To calculate the approximate size of the openings or the airflow necessary in

the room the following expressions cab be used, considering a difference of
15C between the inlet air and the outlet air.

where:
Pt = total transformer losses sinked at 115C [kW]
S = lower opening surface [m2]
S = upper opening surface [m2]
H = distance measured between the middle of the height of the transformer
and the middle of the upper opening for air outlet [m]
V = cooling air volume[m3/min]

Example: Installation of two 2.000 kVA dry-type

transformers
Typical total losses PT for 2 MVA dry-type transformer at 115C = 27kW
Distance H between the middle of the transformer height and the middle
of the air upper outlet opening: 1,5m

From the calculated area we know that the installation of forced ventilation in the
room will be necessary.
The minimum flow of the fans will be:

This example does not consider the presence of a protection cabinet , wich
would be put in questi on in the case of a proper room for the transformer
installation.

The selection of investment-related fire protection can be done based on company policies and standards, insurance
engineering recommendations, industry practices, specific codes and standards (IEEE 977 and NFPA 850), or by risk-based
economic analysis.

Oil-Filled Equipment in Substation IEEE 980-1994 (R2001)

IEEE 979, Guide for Substation Fire Protection; Factory Mutual Data
Sheets; NFPA 851, Recommended Practice for Fire Protection for Electric
Generating Plants and Current Converter Stations [2]; and CIGRE TF 14.01.04,
Report on Fire Aspects of HVDC Valves and Valve Halls [3] provide guidance
on other types of fire hazards and fire protection.