6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MODERN POWER SYSTEMS MPS2015, 18-21 MAY 2015, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA
The Reliability Evaluation of the Electrical
Substations with Various Connection Schemes
Pavel Atănăsoae, Radu Pentiuc, Eugen Hopulele
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
“Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava
Suceava, Romania
atanasoae@eed.usv.ro; radup@eed.usv.ro; eugenh@eed.usv.ro
Abstract— Under the conditions of promoting the production
of electricity from medium and small power sources (distributed
generation), it is required that the connection of these groups to
the already existing electrical substations in the National Power
System is functional. This paper presents an analysis of the
reliability of existing electrical substations in order to connect
new sources for generating electricity.
Keywords—reliability; electrical substations; electricity market;
distributed generation.
I. INTRODUCTION
The reliability of an electricity supply system reflects its
ability to maintain service continuity. Transition to the market
economy changes dramatically relations between the
participants in the electricity market. Electric power producers
began to compete in electricity sale, contradictions arose
between the market subjects that led to heavy operational
regime of electric power systems and complicated their
managing. Now relationship between the participants in the
electricity market is based on contractual obligations and
mutual financial settlements. In these conditions, the key
objective is to eliminate decrease in reliability level that existed
under the centralized management and adapt it to the
requirements of each participant in the electricity market.
In the National Power System there are a variety of
connection schemes for electrical substations. The multitude of
adopted solutions is due to the different criteria and the
different share that was taken into consideration when the
electrical substation was built. Thus, the solution of building
such a substation was mainly influenced by their location and
the function that it was going to fulfill in the power system:
outlet electrical substation, electrical transfer substation,
electrical distribution substation or electrical substation with
multiple functions.
Under the conditions of promoting the production of
electricity from medium and small power sources (distributed
generation), it is required that the connection of these groups to
the already existing electrical substations is functional. There is
a need to evaluate the reliability of the electrical substations in
which such groups are connected in order to achieve financial
analysis calculations and justification of investment projects in
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new energy sources: combined heat and power plants,
renewable energy sources.
The paper comparatively analyzed the most common types
of connections schemes of the electrical substations: single bus
system; single section bus system; double bus system; double
bus system and transfer bus. The reliability concepts can be
applied to virtually any engineering systems. In its broadest
sense, reliability is a measure of performance. This measure
can be used to help systems meet performance criteria, to help
quantify comparisons between various options, and to help
make economic decisions.
II. CALCULATION ASSUMPTIONS
To analyze the reliability of electrical installations,
calculation models which involve independence of the state
which goes through a particular entity compared with other
appropriate entities of the system are usually accepted. Because
the component elements of electrical substations usually
consist of high reliability equipment (the ratio λ/µ ≤ 0.05),
these may be considered independent. This assumption allows
approaching the reliability calculations for schemes of
electrical substations whose initial configuration changes over
time by deliberate actions of the operating personnel depending
on the needs of the system (manual or automatic maneuvers).
In order to avoid laborious calculations, in practice you can
use equity methods which consist of transforming the
technological scheme of the system in the equivalent schemes
of reliability, which are dependent on the level of analyzed
success. It is considered that the runtimes between two failures
and the times to restore the component elements of the electric
substation are random variables, distributed according to an
exponential distribution function.
To evaluate the reliability, the system is often decomposed
into a number of individual subsystems or constituent
components. The reliability for these can be calculated and
then combined using various numerical techniques to estimate
the reliability of the complete system. Then, we equate
successively and in the calculation scheme we replace each set
of elements that enters into an elementary connection (series,
parallel) on each branch of the calculation scheme by a single
equivalent element.
 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MODERN POWER SYSTEMS MPS2015, 18-21 MAY 2015, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA

Thus, for a system with n elements in series, the equivalent

indices are calculated using the following equations:
II
n
λ es = ∑ λi (1)
i=1
n III I
∑ λi B B A
i =1
µ es = n λ
(2) ……
i G
∑ n
i =1 µi
Fig. 1. Single section bus system
For a system with two elements in parallel, the equivalent
indices are calculated using the following equations:

λ1 ⋅ λ 2 ⋅ (µ1 + µ 2 )
λ ep = (3)
V II

µ1 ⋅ µ 2 + λ1 ⋅ µ 2 + λ 2 ⋅ µ1
µ ep = µ1 + µ 2 (4) IV
VI III I
For a system with n identical elements in parallel, the B B B B A
equivalent indices are calculated using the following equations: …… ……
G
a) for equivalent failure rate: n/2 n/2

  λ 
 2⋅λ ⋅ 
Fig. 2. Single section bus system

λ+µ
2
λ ep = 2 ⋅ λ = III

 2 2⋅λ + µ  λ 
 1+   II
 λ+µ
  λ 
2 IV

 3⋅ λ ⋅
λ + µ 
I
 
V

λ ep3 = 2 B B A
  λ   λ  ……
1+  +
 λ + µ   λ + µ 
G
  (5) n

M Fig. 3. Double bus system

 n −1
  λ  III
 n ⋅ λ ⋅ λ+µ
λ epn =  
n −1 II
  λ   λ 
 1+   + ... +  λ + µ 
λ+µ
IV
   VI
I
V
b) for equivalent repair rate:

µ ep2 = 2 ⋅ µ VII


µ ep3 = 3 ⋅ µ B B A
 ……

M (6) G

µ = n ⋅ µ n
 epn Fig. 4. Double bus system and transfer bus

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 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MODERN POWER SYSTEMS MPS2015, 18-21 MAY 2015, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA

The reliability parameter values used as input data in our

calculations are taken from the NTE 005/06 standard [7]. The
1
diagrams shown in Figures 1-4 were compared in terms of
power transit between points A and B. The calculation 0.9
equations for reliability indicators are presented further. 0.8

Mean Time Between Failures: 0.7

n=2
0.6

Reliability
1
MTBF = (7)
0.5
n=6
λe 0.4
0.3
Mean Time To Repair:
0.2
n=12
1 0.1
MTTR = (8)
µe 0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
The system reliability is determined by the following relation: Time [hours]

R (t ) = e −λe ⋅t (9) Fig. 5. Reliability for single bus system

and the system availability:

1
MTBF
A= (10) 0.9
MTBF + MTTR 0.8

The probability of success of the electrical substation: 0.7

Reliability 0.6 n=2
µe
PS = (11)
0.5

λ e + µe 0.4
n=6
0.3
The probability of rejection of the electrical substation: n=12
0.2

λe 0.1
PR = (12)
λe + µe 0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Mean Up Time in the analyzed period T: Time [hours]

µe
MUT = ⋅T (13) Fig. 6. Reliability for single section bus system
λe + µe
Mean Down Time in the analyzed period T: 1

λe
MDT = ⋅T (14) 0.9
n=2
λe + µe
0.8
The undelivered electricity:
Reliability

0.7
n=6
Wundelivered = MDT ⋅ Pinst (15) n=12
0.6
where Pinst is the installed power of the power unit connected at
the electrical substation.
0.5
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
0.4
Figures 5-8 show how the configuration type and the
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
number of circuits influence the reliability of the substation.
The single bus system is the simplest of the configurations, but Time [hours]
is also the least reliable. Failure of a circuit breaker or a bus
fault for single bus system causes loss of entire substation. Fig. 7. Reliability for double bus system

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 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MODERN POWER SYSTEMS MPS2015, 18-21 MAY 2015, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA

1 TABLE II. MEAN DOWN TIME AND UNDELIVERED ELECTRICITY FOR

PINST=20 MW AND N=12
n=2
n=6 Electrical substation MDT The undelivered
0.95 configuration (hours/year) electricity for 10 years
n=12 (MWh)
Single bus system 19.50 3899.13
Reliability

0.9 Single section bus system 13.59 2717.25

Double bus system 5.95 1190.42
Double bus system and
0.16 32.11
0.85 transfer bus

The longitudinal and cross sectioning of the bars have

0.8 favorable consequences on the effects of incorrect operation of
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 the switches. Frequency and duration of outages are relevant
measures for reliability in electricity supply systems.
Time [hours]
IV. CONCLUSIONS
Fig. 8. Reliability for double bus system and transfer bus The quantitative analysis of reliability aims to quantify
under the form of numerical indicators that show the level of
A sectionalized single bus bar configuration is flexible in reliability for the comparison of two or more solutions in terms
operation. It is higher in reliability than single bus bar of operational safety.
configuration. Isolation of bus sections for maintenance is
The economic efficiency of an investment can be
possible in this scheme. established based on a comparison of the economic effects in
In the case of the double bus system, if a bus fails, all the case of the non-evacuation in the power system of a certain
equipment connected to it can be placed on the other bar amount of electrical energy under the new conditions on the
system (the node is fully reserved). In practice, the double bus electricity market. The economic effect of reliability is finally
system schemes can be with one or both bars longitudinally quantified by the undelivered electricity caused by the failure.
sectioned, leading to a greater flexibility scheme. The amount of undelivered electricity can be used further in the
The double bus system and transfer bus scheme is the calculations for the financial analysis of investment projects.
safest but with the highest costs in terms of investments.
The probability of success and the number of interruptions The value of the undelivered electricity must consider the
cost of the penalty due to the imbalance from the approved
depending on the number of circuits and the configuration of
notification on the electricity market.
the electrical substation is presented in Table I.
REFERENCES
TABLE I. THE PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER
OF CIRCUITS
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