CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN FEATURES
OF GAS INSULATED SYSTEM (GIS)
HEMANT KUMAR
M.E SCHOLAR, Department of Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala (Punjab), India
hkumar_me17@thapar.edu
Abstract - Energy demands are increasing day by day and
so is the burden on conventional & other non-conventional
sources of energy. Power Sector and associated energy
demands in India are growing at an accelerated pace. In a
bid to further enhance the transmission capacity, India has
moved towards ULTRA HIGH VOLTAGE (UHV)
transmission level and has adopted 1200kV (UHV) AC
system to transfer power over a large geographical area.
One of today’s major challenges in power transmission is
to bring high voltage levels right into the urban area, which
in turn requires switchgear that has small footprint, utmost
reliability, very low noise and electromagnetic emissions.
Usage of Gas Insulated System (GIS) serves as the most
convenient option having high reliability, availability, high
degree of safety, compact design, long service life etc.
I. INTRODUCTION
Gas insulated substations (GIS) have become a major
component of power networks and have been used
with considerable success over the past 40 years. GIS
are exposed to different over-voltages compared to
conventional substations (i.e., lightning, switching
and temporary over-voltages). In conventional
substations the protection of transformers against
over-voltages is the most important concern [1]. In
GIS, the entire gas insulated assembly (including
enclosures, circuit breakers, disconnect and
grounding switches) must be protected against severe
over-voltages because the gas insulated system is
partially non-self-restoring. Introduction of gas-
insulated switchgear technology during the seventies
allowed the end-users, in a first step, to take
advantage of the compactness and the insensitivity to
the environmental conditions of SF6 Gas Insulated
Switchgear (GIS). Further reasons based on
geographically difficult areas, pollution and/or
environmental issues, visual appearance of a
substation, but also crime, terrorism and material
damage are forcing hidden solutions. Underground,
indoor GIS substations have proven their superior
reliability in the Middle East and Europe, and thus
represent the proper answer to the world electrical
delivery challenges [2]. World utilities are today also
looking for upgrade, refurbishment and extension of
infrastructure with new solutions, predictably higher
reliability and long-term availability [3].
II. PLANNING AND INSTALLATION
OF GIS
A deliberate and complete installation plan, including
the future addition of similar equipment, is essential
so that all aspects of construction can be reviewed.
The preassembled sections of the equipment and the
manufacturer’s instructions dictate the assembly
sequence and, in most instances, follow a series of
steps categorized as follows:
• Preconstruction meeting between user,
equipment installer, and manufacturer
• Site preparation including grading,
installation of drainage, foundations, and
ground grid, access roads, and auxiliary
power
• Staging of construction equipment required
during the installation
• Final alignment and leveling of foundation
supports
• Receiving, unloading, and storing GIS
equipment
• On-site assembly and lay-down area
• Grounding of GIS equipment to ground grid
• Local control cabinet installation
• Connection of control wires
• Evacuation and filling with insulating SF6
gas
• Leak testing
• Mechanical or operational testing
• Dielectric testing of primary circuits with
conditioning steps
• Cleanup in accordance with applicable
regulations
• Testing between GIS equipment and balance
of plant for system integration
• Energization
The overall installation process for GIS may
encompass many months, during which time other
activities associated with the project should continue.
Coordination of activities among the project’s
responsible parties is a necessity, especially with
regard to the interface with the HV power
transformer and HV cable connections. Time spent in
these coordination processes will help to ensure the III. DESIGN OF 400/220 KV GIS
minimum number of disruptions during the SYSTEM
installation process. Disruptions will nevertheless
occur and a certain degree of flexibility on the part of PART I – BUS SWITCHING SCHEME
all parties is essential. A typical sequence for the PART II – SINGLE LINE DIAGRAM AND
installation of new GIS could be as follows: GENERAL ARRANGEMENT
• The anchoring/support system is installed PART III – SUBSTATION LAYOUT
and leveled to accommodate civil works PART IV – SELECTION OF TECHNICAL
tolerances. PARAMETERS OF MAJOR SUB - STATION
• Complete bays and single- or three-phase EQUIPMENTS
bay components are installed on their
respective supports. PART I –
• Inter-bay connecting elements are installed
and bus-coupled. The various types of well-known
• GIS equipment is grounded to a ground grid. schemes are given below:
• Installation of local control cabinets and a. Single/Sectional Bus –
interconnecting cables. • Simplest and cheapest bus
• Commencement of SF6 gas vacuum-filling bar scheme
process. • Maintenance and
• Gas insulated buses, including SF6 gas-to- extensions of bus bars are
air bushings to outgoing power transformers not possible without
or line positions, are installed. shutdown of the
• Interface components are installed (e.g., GIS substation
to HV cable or power transformers), but bus • Operation of bus bar is
links remain uncoupled. easy
• Site commissioning tests are completed,
including local control cabinets. b. Main and Transfer Bus
• GIS is subjected to the high voltage • Similar to the single bus
withstand tests. scheme except the
• Ancillary GIS devices (e.g., voltage sectionalizing breaker or
transformers and surge arresters) are isolator
installed and bus links to high voltage cables • By keeping the
and/or transformers are coupled. sectionaliser open one
• Means of dust control during installation section can be in service
should be taken into account. and the other can be taken
In general, GIS is essentially immune to many of the for maintenance or
degradation mechanisms that affect air insulated extension
equipment. The following is a partial list of some of
the major degradation mechanisms -: c. Sectionalized Main and Transfer
• Frequent operation above thermal limits Bus
• Frequent high electrical stresses due to • Individual CB can be
surges taken out for maintenance
• Particles in the high voltage encapsulation on-load at a time
from production and/or installation • The transfer bus coupler
• Excessive moisture in the SF6 gas acts as the breaker for the
• Impurities in the SF6 gas circuit under bypass
• Contaminants entering flanges and affecting
O-rings d. Double Main with bypass Isolator
• Mechanical wear/aging • This bus arrangement
provides the facilities of a
• Poor assembly techniques
double bus arrangement
• Poor management of decomposition
& a main and transfer bus
products due to switching or interruption of
arrangement
currents
• The bus to which the
transfer bus isolator is
 connected can be used as
a transfer bus also
• During the time a circuit
is under bypass, the bus
coupler will act as the
breaker for the bypassed
circuit
e. Double Main and Transfer Bus
• In this bus scheme, in
addition to the main buses
there will be a separate
transfer bus also
• Since separate transfer
bus is available there will
be no need of transferring
the load from one bus to
other bus unlike in a
double main cum transfer
bus arrangement
f. Ring Bus
• This arrangement is very
popular
• Extension of mesh station
is almost impossible
• No bus bar protection
required
g. One and Half Breaker
• In this layout, two circuits
have three breakers; the
middle breaker ties the
two circuits and hence is
called the tie breaker.
• The combination of three
breakers is called a
diameter.
• One great advantage of
this scheme is that even
both the buses are out of
service, power can be
transferred from feeder to
another
h. Double Bus and Double Breaker
• This arrangement is very
expensive one and hence
followed in very
important circuit only
• In this arrangement
breaker maintenance for
each circuit is possible
PART II –
• Bay Allocation:- The identification of
various feeders in any substation is
done keeping following points in view
• Minimum Line Crossings
• Compactness and Flexibility of
S/S expansion
• Sub Station Layout:- For 400/200 KV
substation low level or rigid bus bar
layout is been used due to following
advantages
• Each feeder of D/C lines/Auto
transformers can be directly
connected to separate buses
• Less structures and associated
Civil Works
• Better aesthetic appearances of
substation
• ROAD AND RAIL TRACKS:- Road
and rail track layout is an important
aspect from operation and maintenance
point of view
• The road and rail layout is
judiciously chosen keeping in
view higher cost of rail track,
rolling/shifting of heavy
equipment's in substation
without causing shutdown of
heavy equipment's.
• For 400/220 KV S/S, Roads
have been provided near main
and tie equipment’s and along
the inside boundary of
substation.
• LOCATION OF CONTROL ROOM
AND OTHER AUXILIARY
BUILDINGS:-The location of control
room and other auxiliary buildings play
a major role for economic design of S/S
• Easy access to control
room with minimum
routing through S/S area
• Clear view of substation,
control room is referred to
be in center considering
future bays requirements
also.
PART III –
• There can be several combinations in
which the equipment's, bus-bars,
structures etc. can be arranged to
achieve a particular switching scheme.
• The first objective of sub-station
scheme is to translate the selected
scheme into a layout so as to physically
achieve the feeder switching
 requirements, maintaining safety
clearances and clearances required for
ease in erection and maintenance.
• For 400/220 KV sub-station, Breaker
and Half scheme for 400 KV s/s and
Double main with transfer bus scheme
for 220 KV s/s have been considered.
Factors Influencing the Choice:-
• Reliability
• Electrical and safety clearance
• Ease of construction and extension
• Ease of operation and maintenance
• Safety of operating personnel
• Safety of equipment and
installation
• Economy
PART IV –
• AUTO TRANSFORMER: - For
interconnection between two systems at very
high voltage for bulk power transfer, use of
auto transformers are recommended as a
single transportable limit.
• Keeping in view of the transport,
manufacturing & testing limitation
in Indian condition 315 MVA, 3-
phase capacity has been
standardized as the largest unit
• For 400/220 KV substation 315
MVA, 3-phase capacity has been
used
• 420 KV SHUNT REACTORS &
NEUTRAL GROUNDING REACTOR:-
Shunt reactors are meant for shunt
connection in a system to compensate
capacitive current and switching operation
• As 400 KV lines are practically
compensated type, reactors of
capacities ranging from 50 to 100
MVAR shall be required
• Shunt reactors shall have ONAN
cooling so that failure of cooling
system does not necessitate tripping
of line or shunt reactor
• CIRCUIT BREAKER:- SF6 type of Circuit
breakers are of state of art design and are
reasonably maintenance free
• SF6 circuit breakers are capable of
breaking a number of full short
circuit currents before needing to
replace/repair their main/arcing
contacts
• SF6 circuit breakers complying to
latest IEC 56/ IS 2516 standard are
specified
• ISOLATORS:- Isolator of Double break
type conforming to IEC 129/IS 9921
standard are most commonly used and have
a reasonably good reliability level
• Isolators are provided with earth
switches where required as per
layout requirements for ease
maintenance of adjoining
equipment
REFERENCES
[1] S. Okabe, J. Takami, "Occurrence probability of
lightning failure rates at substations in consideration
of lightning stroke current waveforms," IEEE Trans.
Dielectrics and Insulation, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 221-
231, Jan. 2011
[2] G.F. Montillet, E. Mikes et al. "Underground
transmission and distribution GIS solutions"
IEEE/PES T&D Exposition and Conference, Dallas
USA, 2003.
[3] E. Mikes, Ch. Tschannen, et al. "GIS substation
extensions and upgrades" CEPSI Paper T1-068,
2000, Manila, Philippines.