SECONDARY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

NOORNABI SHAIKH
Electrical engineering
Distribution systems around the world have evolved into different forms. The two main designs are North
American and European.

North American Layout European Layout

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 SECONDARY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

THE part of electric utility system which is between the primary system and the consumer’s property is
called the “Secondary System”.

Secondary distribution system include step – down distribution transformers, secondary circuit
(secondary mains), consumer services (or service drops), and meters to measure consumer energy
consumption.

Generally, the secondary distribution systems are designed in 1– phase for areas of residential customers
and in 3 – phase for areas of industrial or commercial customers with high – load densities.

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Types of Secondary Distribution System

1. The separate – service system for each consumer with separate distribution transformer and
secondary connection.
2. The radial system with a common secondary main which is supplied by one distribution transformer
and feeding a group of consumers.
3. The secondary bulk system with a common secondary main that is supplied by several distribution
transformers which are all fed by the same primary feeder.
4. The secondary – network system with a common grid – type main that supplied by large number of
distribution transformers which may be connected various feeders for their supplies.

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1. The Separate – Service System is seldom used and serves industrial or rural – type service areas.

Individual-transformer service is applicable to certain loads that are more or less isolated, such as in rural
areas where consumers are far apart and long secondary mains are impractical, or where a particular
consumer has an extraordinarily large or unusual load even though situated among a number of ordinary
consumers.

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2. Radial System: The most commonly used secondary system for serving residential, rural, and light –
commercial areas are radial – designed.
It takes advantage of diversity between consumers’ loads and demands, as indicated above. Moreover, the
larger transformer can accommodate starting currents of motors with less resulting voltage dip than would be
the case with small individual transformers.

Primary Feeder

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3. Secondary banking:
Interconnection of secondary sides of two or more distribution transformers which are supplied from
the same primary feeder is called secondary banking.

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This system is used in residential and light-commercial areas where the services are relatively close
to each other, and therefore the required spacing between transformers is little.
However, many utilities prefer to keep the secondary of each distribution transformer separate from
all others.
Secondary banking is a special form of network configuration on a radial distribution system.
Following are the advantages of secondary banking:

1. Improved voltage regulation

2. Reduced voltage dip or light flicker due to motor starting, by providing parallel supply paths for motor –
starting currents.
3. Improved service continuity or reliability
4. Improved flexibility in a accommodating load – growth, at low cost, i.e., Possible increase in the average
loading of transformers without corresponding increase in the peak load.

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Figure (b) shows the special distribution transformer known as “Completely self – protecting - bank”
(CSPB) transformer. In this type of banking a built in high voltage protective link, secondary
breakers, signal light for overload warnings, and lightning protection.

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CSPB transformers are built in both single – phase and three – phase. They have two identical
secondary breakers which trip independently of each other upon excessive current flows.
In case of transformer failure, the primary protective links and the secondary breakers will both
open. Therefore service interruptions will be minimum and restricted only to those consumers
who are supplied from the secondary section which is in fault.
Main disadvantage of all methods of secondary banking is transformer load management
(TLM).
Today in general the banking is applied to the secondaries of single – phase transformers, and
all transformers in bank must be supplied from the same phase of the primary feeder.

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4. The Secondary Networks

Most of the secondary systems are radial –

designed except for some specific design.

The mesh type network system is supplied

through network type transformers by 2 or
more primary feeders to increase the
service reliability.

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Secondary networks at present provide the highest degree of service reliability and serve areas of high load
density, where revenues justify their cost and where this kind of reliability is imperative. In some instances, a
single consumer may be supplied from this type of system by what are known as spot networks.

the secondary network is created by connecting together the secondary mains fed from transformers supplied
by two or more primary feeders.

Automatically operated circuit breakers in the secondary connection between the transformer and the
secondary mains, known as network protectors, serve to disconnect the transformer from the network when its
primary feeder is de-energized; this prevents a back feed from the secondary into the primary feeder.

This is especially important for safety when the primary feeder is de-energized from fault or other cause.

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Most networks are supplied from three or
more primary feeders, where the network
can operate with the loss of two feeders
and the spare transformer capacity can
be proportionately less. These are
referred to as second-contingency
networks.

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 ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

1. North American and European of system has its advantages. Discuss some major difference
between systems in terms of:

1. Cost
2. Flexibility
3. Safety
4. Reliability
5. Power quality

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