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ASCE SUBSTATION STRUCTURE DESIGN GUIDE

Leon Kempner, Jr. 1, and George T. Watson2

Introduction
The purpose of the substation structure design guide is to provide a comprehensive
document for the design of outdoor electrical transmission substation structures. The
recommendations of this document apply to substation structures that support
electrical equipment, rigid bus, and electrical cables/wires. The electrical equipment
can be of significant weight and have attachments of brittle porcelain components.
Specific guidelines for structural loads, deflection limits, analysis, design, fabrication,
maintenance and construction of substation structures are recommended. Guidelines
for the design of the structure to the foundation connections are provided. The design
criteria for substation structure foundations are not covered by this document.
Foundations in substations should be designed according to accepted engineering
practice, the same as foundations designed for other structures. The guide addresses
steel, concrete, wood, and aluminum used for the design of substation structures.
Design equations are provided when reference to existing structural design
documents are not appropriate or convenient. The intent of the design guide is to
cover structures that are located inside the fenced area of a substation yard. The
guidelines of this document may also be appropriate for structures that serve the
purpose of supporting electrical equipment located outside the substation fence that
are required to satisfy electrical substation design criteria.

Electrical Equipment and Structure Types

This section is used to establish common terminology and definitions for the different
types of substation and switch yard structures used to support the above grade
components and electrical equipment. Substation structures support electrical
conductors/wires, switches, buses, lightning arrestors, insulators, and other
equipment. Structure can be fabricated from steel latticed angle members, wide
flanges, tubes (round, square, and rectangular), pipes, polygonal tubes (straight or
tapered). Common materials utilized are concrete, steel, aluminum, and wood. The
guide provides photographs (Figure 2), an overview of typical types of substation
support structures, and gives brief descriptions of the electrical equipment they are
required to support. An understanding of the function, operation, and relationship of

l BonnevillePowerAdministration,Vancouver,Washington,2ReliantEnergy, Houston, Texas

210

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 ELECTRICALTRANSMISSIONIN A NEW AGE 211

electrical equipment and their support structures is a prerequisite to good substation

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structural design.

Figure 2, Disconnect Switch Support Structures

Loading Criteria For Substation Structures

All substation structures should be designed to withstand applicable loads transmitted
by wind, ice, wire tensions, earthquakes, construction and maintenance, electrical
equipment loads, and other specified or unusual service conditions. The loading
section discusses guidelines for development of structure loading criteria. Structure
loading includes basic loading conditions, their application, and load calculation
examples. Loads and load cases recommended in the guide are considered
appropriate for providing reliable substation structures. Table 1 lists recommended
substation structure load conditions that have the potential to control the design of the
substation structure types listed. These load conditions as well as other important load
conditions identified by the design engineer should be selected based on the structure
type, equipment, function, site location and the structural reliability required. The
users of the guide may substitute or modify the guide's recommendations based on
utility experience, research results, or test data. Equipment manufacturers should be
consulted with regard to operational loads and deflection requirements specific to the
particular equipment.

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 212 ELECTRICALTRANSMISSIONIN A NEWAGE

Table I - Basic Loading Conditions

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Wire Loadec Switch and (~her

Su ~ talion Interruplion Rigd Bus Equipment
Loadn,q Condlions S1Tuclures Supporls S upp~Is SupFods

NESC* Y N N N
Ex#emeWind Y Y Y Y
Exlreme Ioe cnd Wind Y Y Y Y
Ecrthqucke Y Y Y Y
S h ~ t Circuit N Y Y N**
ConslTuclion & Mdntenaqoe Y Y Y Y
Opefaliond N Y N Y
Deflection Y Y Y Y
* Or other State or localregulatorycodes (i.e.,CaliforniaGeneralOrder95).
** Short circuitloads shouldbe consideredif the designengineerdeterminesthat this load
effect is significant,suchas for rigidbus connectedequipment.

Deflection Criteria
Deflection and rotation of substation structures and members can affect the
mechanical operation of supported electrical equipment, reduce electrical clearances,
and cause unpredicted stress in structures, insulators, connectors, and rigid bus. For
these reasons, structural deflections should be investigated and limited to magnitudes
that are not detrimental to the mechanical and electrical operation of the substation
equipment. The sensitivity of equipment to deflection of supporting structures varies
considerably. Disconnect switches, with complex mechanical operating mechanisms,
are highly susceptible to binding if the structure distorts from the installed geometry.
Conversely, structures supporting only stranded conductor bus or line dead-ends
could grossly deflect without any impact on operation.

Structures are classified for the purpose of applying deflection limitations in

accordance with the potential sensitivity of the supporting equipment. The guide
defines three structure Classes A, B, and C. Class A structures support equipment
with mechanical mechanisms where structure deflection could impair or prevent
proper operation. Examples are group operated switches, vertical reach switches,
ground switches, breaker supports, and circuit interrupting devices. Class B structures
support equipment without mechanical mechanisms, but where excessive deflection
could result in compromised phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground clearances,
unpredicted stresses in equipment, fittings, or bus. Examples are support structures
for rigid bus, lighting/surge arresters, metering devices (such as CT's, PT's, and
CVT's), station power transformers, hookstick switches/fuses, and line/wave traps.
Class C structures support equipment relatively insensitive to deflection, or are stand-
alone structures that do not support any equipment. Examples are support structures
for flexible (stranded conductor) bus, masts for lightning shielding, and dead-end

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structures for incoming transmission lines. Deflection limitations for these structures
are intended to limit "P-delta" stresses, wind-induced vibrations, and visual impact.
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Table 2 summarizes the structure classes and associated deflection limits. Equipment
manufacturers should be consulted to determine if any specific structure deflection
limits are required for their equipment.

TABLE 2 Summary of Structure Deflection Limitations

Maximum Structure Deflection As A Ratio Of Span Length (3)
Structure Classes
Member Type Deflection Direction Class Class Class
A B C

HORIZONTAL (1) VERTICAL 1/200 1/200 1/100

HORIZONTAL (1) HORIZONTAL 1/200 1/100 1/100

VERTICAL (2) HORIZONTAL 1/100 1/100 1/50

(1) Spans for horizontal members shall be the clear s ~an between vertical supports, or
for cantilever members, the distance to the nearest vertical support. Deflection
shall be the net displacement, horizontal or vertical, relative to the member
support points.
(2) Spans for vertical members shall be the vertical distance from the foundation
connection to the point of investigation. Deflection shall be the gross, horizontal
displacement relative to the foundation support.
(3) For loading criteria for deflection limitations, see Section 3.2.11, Deflection
Loads

Methods of Analysis
The design of substation structures require knowledge of the equipment being
supported by the structure, its operation, and electrical and safety codes. Analysis, as
used herein, is defined as the mathematical formulation of the behavior of a structure
under load. The solution yields the calculated displacements, support reactions and
internal forces or stresses. The analysis of a structure begins by developing a model
that defines the structure configuration, connection characteristics, support boundary
conditions, and loading cases. These items are discussed in this section of the
substation design guide.

Design
The guide refers to the industry codes for design guidelines and only notes any
exceptions, to the reference documents. Load factors and deflection criteria specified
on the Loading and Deflection Sections of the design guide must be used rather than
the load factors and deflection criteria specified in the referenced documents.
Factored loads must be used with ultimate strength design. Unfactored loads should
be used with allowable stress design. There is no intention to exclude any material or

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structural section types. If the material or section type is not addressed in the guide,
the design engineer should reference an appropriate design code or document.
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Ultimate strength design and allowable stress design are both acceptable for the
design of substation structures. Ultimate strength design is recommended, since the
structural design trend is towards ultimate strength design. Structures that support
conductors and overhead groundwires that extend outside the boundaries of the
substation should meet or exceed the load and strength requirements of the NESC.

Connections used in Foundations

The variety of structures used in electrical substations has a wide range of groundline
reactions. The foundations used depend on the types of soil present as well as
individual preferences. These foundations can be slabs on grade, spread footings,
drilled shafts, or piling with pile caps. With these variables, many different types of
anchorages are used to connect substation structures to their foundations. The most
common means of transferring structure reactions to the foundations are by anchor
bolts and welding to embedded plates. These types of anchorages provide good
transfer of load. Anchor bolts can be headed bolts or straight length of deformed
reinforcing bars. Cast-in-place headed bolts are the recommended anchor bolt types.
Stub angles and direct embedded structures can also be used in substations. The
design approach for anchor bolts in this section is based on ultimate strength design
(USD). Anchorage design loads must include applicable overload factors.

Quality Control and Quality Assurance

In order to assure product quality, a good quality control (QC) and quality assurance
(QA) program needs to be instituted by both the fabricator and purchaser throughout
the entire production process. A good QC/QA program will ensure the purchaser that
the fabricator has the personnel, organization, experience, procedures, knowledge,
equipment, capability, and commitment to produce the required structures. Quality
control is the responsibility of the fabricator while quality assurance is the
responsibility of the purchaser. Quality control guidelines used by the fabricator
should be clearly defined and available for review and approval by the purchaser. The
purchaser should also specify any additional requirements in order to achieve the
desired degree of structure quality. It is necessary that the QC/QA program be agreed
upon between the fabricator and the purchaser prior to the start of any fabrication.
The extent of a QC/QA program may vary based On the purchaser's experience, and
initial investigations of the fabricator's experience, and past performance, and the
degree of reliability required for the specific product to be fabricated.

Testing
Full-scale structural proof tests are rarely performed on substation non-electrical
equipment support structures or wire-support structures. It is not cost effective to
perform a full-scale test because substation structures are not fabricated in large
quantities such as those used in a transmission line). Full-scale testing should be
considered if a particular substation structure is a standard and will be used in large
quantities or if the structure uses a unique structural system not typical of current
practice. However, component testing (a section of the tower, connections, etc.) may

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be cost effective for substation structures. Electrical equipment support structures are
typically simple cantilever structures that are generally not proof tested for static
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loads. Seismic response (dynamic loading) requires that the support structure and
equipment be seismically tested or analytically evaluated as a system (equipment and
support structure). Seismic evaluations are performed in accordance with IEEE
Standard 693 (1997).

Construction and Maintenance

Designers of substation structures should anticipate construction loads imposed on
the structure. These loads could be locally higher than other loads from other load
conditions, especially on pull-off or strain-type structures. Maintenance and/or
operation loads should also be considered. Substation support structures and
equipment should have provisions for access: i.e., cross-over or working platforms.
These will need to be considered, especially around large transformers with coolant
and fire protection piping. Rigid bus system maintenance is addressed as a special
issue. There should be a systematic maintenance routine to keep the entire rigid bus
system in good operating condition. Some inspections may have to be done during
scheduled outages. Thermographic inspections can be used to detect excessive
temperatures before discoloration is visible. Infrared scanning inspections can be
routinely made in accordance with the international electrical commission charts.

Worker safety is also discussed as a separate issue. All structures and equipment,
which will be inaccessible with bucket trucks or small ladders, should be considered
for climbing devices (ladders) mounted to the structure with a fall protection device.
Elevated areas that require personnel access, either during construction or for
maintenance, must have fall protection devices; i.e., safety cables for worker
attachment. In all cases, OSHA and local codes must be adhered to, especially in
energized substations.

Summary
Overviews of the contents of each section of the ASCE Substation Structure Design
Guide were presented. The objective of the subcommittee is to have this document
ready for publication by 2003.

Reference
IEEE Std 693, Recommended Practice for Seismic Design of Substations, Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Pascataway, NJ, 1997

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