Title: Installing Transversal Busbar over Main Busbar at the Barreiras Subestation

Authors:
COMPANHIA HIDROELÉTRICA DO SÃO FRANCISCO - CHESF

Osveraldo Vilar França Lima (main author) – vilar@chesf..gov.br

Gustavo José de Vasconcelos Xavier – xavier@chesf.gov.br
RITZ do Brasil S/A

Célio Gonçalves Júnior – celio@ritzbrasil.com.br

KEY-WORDS: Live Working, Changing CHESF - Companhia Hidro Elétrica do São Francisco
Busbar, Live Line Rua Delmiro Gouveia 333-San Martin-Recife-PE-BRASIL
Fone: +55 81-3229.2171
Fax: +55 81-3229.3180

RITZ do Brasil S/A

BR 381 Km 488 – Betim – Minas Gerais – Brasil
Fone: +55 31 2125 4026
Fax: +55 31 2124 4100

Resume structure raised the conductor with insulating

string to finish the job.T
The BARREIRAS substation (230 kV) is a
strategic part of the network to supply electricity
to the Bahia State. It was necessary to expand
the power capacity of the substation through
the installation of a new Busbar. It’s not
possible to disconnect the substation without
create problems in the regional economy, so
CHESF decided to install this new busbar using
live line working methods over the energized
main busbar. In a first step, live line working
team assembled 3 special insulating scaffolds,
2 x 2 m base, among the phases of the main
bus bar in order to provide the insulating base
to launch the cables, and its top were
positioned in a safety distance from above the
bus bar.

The crew installed insulating ladders and PVC

U shapes on the top of the scaffolds to drive
and slip the conductors. Using a pilot rope, the 1. Problem
linemen pulled the conductors through the U
Shapes to be attached to the main structures.
There was the need to install a new bus, above
Just for reminding, the main bus bar was
the main bus, to increase the power supply
energized and whole task occurred over that.
capacity of substation BARREIRAS.
Finally, the ground crew prepared the insulating
Traditionally, to prevent risks involved in
string and other linemen on the metallic
maintenances and construction processes, the
services would be made by turning off the Main

1
Busbar of the substation and then launch the
new bar. However, this substation is located at
end of an important the transmission line after
230 Kv BOM JESUS DA LAPA substation
(Figure 1). Shutdown such substation would
then lead to huge inconvenience for the region
served by this infrastructure.
CHESF then decided to keep connected the
substation and perform the work using live line
working technique, leveraging the skills and
experience of its teams and rigorous planning
work.
SE Barreiras
Figure 1 – Barreiras Substation
2. Planning
Taking in mind the risks associated with
installation of new components in energized
environment, it is necessary a rigorous planning
of all stages of the service (launch and
establishment of 954 MCM ACSR cables above
the energized main busbar). Accidents in such
kind of procedure can cause major shutdowns,
and very serious injuries in involved staff, even
fatal accidents.
The charts below, derived from survey of
accidents in the Brazilian Electric Sector in
2006 (Table 1), create a picture where we can
identify that 94% of arc electric accidents occur
in low and high voltage installations (Figure 2)
and that was the discharge or electrical current
caused 42% of fatalities in electricity companies
in Brazil in 2006 (Figure 3).
Global Data
1 – Utilities 72
2 – Employees 101.105
3 – Man/Hour Exposed to Risk 200.219.744
4 – Employee Abscence due Accident 840
5 – Absence (Man/Day) 144.018
6 – Consumers suffered with shutdown 62.043.384
Table 1 - Sources of Data Statistics Report
Accident Brazilian Electric Sector – 2006
Global Data
Distribuição
Figure 02 - Electrical Accidents with Arches
by Activity - Brazil 2006
2
Thus, a series of integrated safety practices
must be implemented to increase the chance of
success in minimizing effects and preventing
accidents. To perform the planning for this
intervention was used a CHESF’s internal
standard of Executive Planning (M MI MN LT
018) that uses the technique of Preliminary
Analysis of Risk - PRA (Figure 4) to assess
risks and propose the necessary blocking
actions.
Descar
ga
Figure 03 - Fatal Accident - Injury Source of
Brazil 2006
Figure 04 – Steps of Executive Program
This technique allow to identify preventively
risks, their severity and how to block them
through field analysis and discussions with
everyone involved in the intervention. Thus, at
every stage of the work or situation, the risks
are identified, crossing probability and severity
of its occurrence to estimate its ratings
(negligible risk, acceptable and critical). After
that, the plan specify how to execute the
intervention, what kind of crew is more
appropriated to perform, when and what kind of
safety procedures should be taken to minimize
the risks of failure.
The Executive Program defined all actions that
should be performed at work, detailing how,
who and when to do the following steps:
• Description of Works;
• Human Resources;
• Resources (tools, equipment, etc.);
• Transportation and Communication;
• Preliminary Arrangements;
• Description of the Technique;
• Preliminary Analysis of Risk;
The risk assessment of the intervention was
based in the matrix defined in Figure 5. When
one stage of the procedure marked as green
defines that the risk is low, on the contrary, if
drops in the red zone, the risk is high and
demands a stronger safety behavior.
Figure 05 - Risk Assessment Matrix
3
3. Execution
3.1. Scaffold Assembly
We used special 2m X 2m scaffolds to
ensure stability and less space needed
in the staging and execution of activities.
For this task due to proximity with
energized busbar it was mandatory to
use conductive suites for all lineman
involved in the process. .
3.3. Launching the cable
3.2. Mounting a bridge between scaffolds
The linemen installed insulating stairs
connecting the columns of scaffolds, to
serve as support to drive the
conductors to be launched over the
bridges.
To serve as a guide for the cables and
prevent its fall from insulating ladders, it
was installed PVC gutters.
We used a pilot rope to pull the cable,
which was launched inside the PVC
gutter:

The lengths of power cables had
been previously calculated and cut
as necessary;

The cable to be installed receives a
guide wire to aid the rise of cable to
its destination;
4

Linemen positioned in the insulating
scaffold, hoist the cable through the
guide wire and placed inside the
PVC gutter;

The cable is moved in the PVC
gutter.
3.4. Attaching the cables to the Structure
and Finishing the Task.

Linemen connect the cable to the
insulting string previously installed in
the gantry.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the
cable, another linemen is installing a
insulating string;

This string end of the conductor
since the chain of insulators is
hoisted and attached to the gantry.

With the cables launched and
installed, the scaffold and
infrastructure used during the task is
dismantled.
5
 (3) Accidents Statistics in Brazilian Electricity
System – ELETROBRÁS / FUNCOGE, Rio de
Janeiro, 2006.

(4) Products Catalog – RITZ – February, 2010. Site:

www.ritzbrasil.com.br

4. Conclusions

The techniques for Live Line Work in

transmission lines and substation used to
perform such kind of intervention add a
tremendous value for electricity utilities in terms
of assuring the availability of power and
keeping the stability of the grid. However, this
approach, due its complexity, increase
operational and injury risks. So, it’s necessary
to treat these interventions carefully, investing
in planning, appropriate standards, technical
staff continuous training and development of
special tools.

5. Technical References

(1) Executive Program and Risk Analysis Document

– CHESF document, Recife, 2005.

(2) Mini-diagnosis of Maintenances Losses in

Maintenance Processes – CHESF, DUPONT,
Recife, 2005.