UNIT 4 SUBSTATION , GROUNDING SYSTEM AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

BUS-BAR ARRANGEMENTS:

Bus-bar arrangements

Electrical Bus-Bar and its Types

Definition: An electrical bus bar is defined as a conductor or a group of conductor used
for collecting electric power from the incoming feeders and distributes them to the
outgoing feeders. In other words, it is a type of electrical junction in which all the
incoming and outgoing electrical current meets. Thus, the electrical bus bar collects the
electric power at one location.

The bus bar system consists the isolator and the circuit breaker. On the occurrence of a
fault, the circuit breaker is tripped off and the faulty section of the busbar is easily
disconnected from the circuit.

The electrical bus bar is available in rectangular, cross-sectional, round and many other
shapes. The rectangular bus bar is mostly used in the power system. The copper and
aluminium are used for the manufacturing of the electrical bus bar.

The most common of the bus-bars

are 40×4mm (160 mm2); 40×5 mm (200 mm2) ; 50×6 mm (300mm2) ; 60×8 mm (480
mm2) ; 80×8 (640 mm2) and 100×10 mm (1000 mm2).

The various types of busbar arrangement are used in the power system. The selection
of the bus bar is depended on the different factor likes reliability, flexibility, cost etc. The
following are the electrical considerations governing the selection of any one particular
arrangement.

 The bus bar arrangement is simple and easy in maintenance.

  The maintenance of the system did not affect their continuity.
 The installation of the bus bar is cheap.
The small substation where continuity of the supply is not essential uses the single bus
bar. But in a large substation, the additional busbar is used in the system so that the
interruption does not occur in their supply. The different type of electrical busbar
arrangement is shown in the figure below.

Single Bus-Bar Arrangement

The arrangement of such type of system is very simple and easy. The system has only
one bus bar along with the switch. All the substation equipment like the transformer,
generator, the feeder is connected to this bus bar only. The advantages of single bus
bar arrangements are

 It has low initial cost.

 It requires less maintenance
 It is simple in operation

Drawbacks of Single Bus-

Bars Arrangement
  The only disadvantage of such type of arrangement is that the complete supply is
disturbed on the occurrence of the fault.
 The arrangement provides the less flexibility and hence used in the small
substation where continuity of supply is not essential.
Single Bus-Bar Arrangement with Bus Sectionalized

In this type of busbar arrangement, the circuit breaker and isolating switches are used.
The isolator disconnects the faulty section of the busbar, hence protects the system
from complete shutdown. This type of arrangement uses one addition circuit breaker
which does not much increase the cost of the system.

Advantage of
single Bus-bar Arrangement with Bus Sectionalization

The following are the advantages of sectionalized bus bar.

 The faulty section is removed without affecting the continuity of the supply.
 The maintenance of the individual section can be done without disturbing the
system supply.
 The system has a current limiting reactor which decreases the occurrence of the
fault.
Disadvantages of Single Bus-Bar Arrangement with Sectionalization
  The system uses the additional circuit breaker and isolator which increases the cost
of the system.
Main and Transfer Bus Arrangement

Such type of arrangement uses two type of busbar namely, main busbar and the
auxiliary bus bar. The busbar arrangement uses bus coupler which connects the
isolating switches and circuit breaker to the busbar. The bus coupler is also used for
transferring the load from one bus to another in case of overloading. The following are
the steps of transferring the load from one bus to another.

1. The potential of both the bus bar kept same by closing the bus coupler.
2. The bus bar on which the load is transferred is kept close.
3. Open the main bus bar.
Thus, the load is transferred from the main bus to reserve bus.

Advantages of Main
and Transfer Bus Arrangement

 The continuity of the supply remains same even in the fault. When the fault occurs
on any of the buses the entire load is shifted to the another bus.
 The repair and maintenance can easily be done on the busbar without disturbing
their continuity.
 The maintenance cost of the arrangement is less.
 The potential of the bus is used for the operation of the relay.
  The load can easily be shifted on any of the buses.
Disadvantages of Main and Transfer Bus Arrangement

 In such type of arrangements, two bus bars are used which increases the cost of
the system.
 The fault on any of the bus would cause the complete shutdown on the whole
substation.
Double Bus Double Breaker Arrangement

This type of arrangement requires two bus bar and two circuit breakers. It does not
require any additional equipment like bus coupler and switch.

Advantages of Double
Bus Double Breaker

 This type of arrangement provides the maximum reliability and flexibility in the
supply. Because the fault and maintenance would not disturb their continuity.
 The continuity of the supply remains same because the load is transferrable from
one bus to another on the occurrence of the fault.
Disadvantages of double bus Double breaker

 In such type of arrangement two buses and two circuit breakers are used which
increases the cost of the system.
 Their maintenance cost is very high.
Because of its higher cost, such type of bus-bars is seldom used in substations.
Sectionalized Double Bus Bar Arrangement.

In this type of bus arrangement, the sectionalized main bus bar is used along with the
auxiliary bus bar. Any section of the busbar removes from the circuit for maintenance
and it is connected to any of the auxiliary bus bars. But such type of arrangement
increases the cost of the system. Sectionalization of the auxiliary bus bar is not required
because it would increase the cost of the system.

One and a Half Breaker

Arrangement

In this arrangement, three circuit breakers are required for two circuits. The each circuit
of the bus bar uses the one and a half circuit breaker. Such type of arrangement is
preferred in large stations where power handled per circuit is large.
 Advantages of One
and a Half Breaker Arrangement

 It protects the arrangement against the loss of supply.

 The potential of the bus bar is used for operating the relay.
 In such type of arrangement, the additional circuits are easily added to the system.
Disadvantages of One and a Half Breaker Arrangement

 The circuit becomes complicated because of the relaying system.

 Their maintenance cost is very high.
Ring Main Arrangement

In such type of arrangement, the end of the bus bar is connected back to the starting
point of the bus to form a ring.
 Advantag
es of Ring Main Arrangement

 Such type of arrangement will provide two paths for the supply. Thus the fault will
not affect their working.
 The fault is localized for the particular section. Hence the complete circuit is not
affected by the fault.
 In this arrangement, a circuit breaker can be maintained without interrupting the
supply.
Disadvantages of Ring Main Arrangement

 Difficulties occur in the addition of the new circuit.

 Overloading occurs on the system if any of the circuit breakers is opened.
Mesh Arrangement

In such type of arrangement, the circuit breakers are installed in the mesh formed by the
buses. The circuit is tapped from the node point of the mesh. Such type of bus
arrangement is controlled by four circuit breakers.
 When a fault occurs on any
section, two circuit breakers have to open, resulting in the opening of the mesh. Such
type of arrangement provides security against bus-bar fault but lacks switching facility. It
is preferred for substations having a large number of circuits.

Types of D.C. Distributors

The most general method of classifying d.c. distributors is the way
they are fed by the feeders. On this basis, d.c. distributors are
classified as: ( i) Distributor fed at one end ( ii) Distributor fed at both
ends ( iii) Distributor fed at the centre ( iv) Ring distributor.

TYPES OF D.C. DISTRIBUTORS

The most general method of classifying d.c. distributors is the way they are fed by the
feeders. On this basis, d.c. distributors are classified as:

( i) Distributor fed at one end

( ii) Distributor fed at both ends
( iii) Distributor fed at the centre
 ( iv) Ring distributor.

( i) Distributor fed at one end.

In this type of feeding, the distributor is connected to the supply at one end and loads are taken at
different point along the length of the distributor.

Fig. shows the single line diagram of a d.c. distributor A B fed at the end A (also known as
singly fed distributor) and loads I1 , I2 and I3 tapped off at points C, D and E respectively.

The following points are worth noting in a singly fed distributor:

( a) The current in the various sections of the distributor away from feeding point goes
on decreasing. Thus current in section AC is more than the current in section CD and current in
section CD is more than the current in section DE.

( b) The voltage across the loads away from the feeding point goes on decreasing.
Thus in Fig. the minimum voltage occurs at the load point E.

( c) In case a fault occurs on any section of the distributor, the whole distributor will
have to be disconnected from the supply mains. Therefore, continuity of supply is interrupted.
( ii) Distributor fed at both ends.

In this type of feeding, the distributor is connected to the supply mains at both ends and loads are
tapped off at different points along the length of the distributor. The voltage at the feeding points
may or may not be equal. Fig. shows a distributor A B fed at the ends A and B and loads of I1 ,
I2 and I3tapped off at points C, D and E respectively.

Here, the load voltage goes on decreasing as we move away from one feeding point say A ,
reaches minimum value and then again starts rising and reaches maximum value when we reach
the other feeding point B. The minimum voltage occurs at some load point and is never fixed. It
is shifted with the variation of load on different sections of the distributor.

Advantages

( a) If a fault occurs on any feeding point of the distributor, the continuity of supply
is maintained from the other feeding point.

( b) In case of fault on any section of the distributor, the continuity of supply

is maintained from the other feeding point.

( c) The area of X-section required for a doubly fed distributor is much less than that of
a singly fed distributor.
( iii) Distributor fed at the centre.

In this type of feeding, the centre of the distributor is connected to the supply mains as shown in
Fig. It is equivalent to two singly fed distributors, each distributor having a common feeding
point and length equal to half of the total length.

( iv)Ring mains.

In this type, the distributor is in the form of a closed ring as shown in Fig.It is equivalent to a
straight distributor fed at both ends with equal voltages, the two ends being brought together to
form a closed ring. The distributor ring may be fed at one or more than one point.
1. D.C. DISTRIBUTOR FED AT ONE END — CONCENTRATED LOADING

Fig. shows the single line diagram of a 2-wire d.c. distributor A B fed at one end A and
having concentrated loads I1 , I2 , I3 and I4 tapped off at points C, D, E and F respectively.

Let r1 , r2 , r3 and r4 be the resistances of both wires (go and return) of the
sections A C, CD, DE and EF of the distributor respectively

It is easy to see that the minimum potential will occur at point F which is farthest from the
feeding point A .
2. UNIFORMLY LOADED DISTRIBUTOR FED AT ONE END

Fig shows the single line diagram of a 2-wire d.c. distributor A B fed at one end A and loaded
uniformly with i amperes per metre length. It means that at every 1 m length of the distributor,
the load tapped is i amperes. Let l metres be the length of the distributor and r ohm be the
resistance per metre run.

Consider a point C on the distributor at a distance x metres from the feeding point A as shown in
Fig. Then current at point C is

= i l − i x amperes = i ( l − x) amperes

Now, consider a small length dx near point C. Its resistance is r dx and the voltage drop over
length dx is d v = i ( l − x) r dx = i r ( l − x) dx Total voltage drop in the distributor upto point C
is

The voltage drop upto point B ( i.e. over the whole distributor) can be obtained by putting x =
l in the above expression.
∴ Voltage drop over the distributor AB
where

i l = I, the total current entering at point A r l = R, the total resistance of the distributor

Thus, in a uniformly loaded distributor fed at one end, the total voltage drop is equal to that
produced by the whole of the load assumed to be concentrated at the middle point.

3. DISTRIBUTOR FED AT BOTH ENDS — CONCENTRATED LOADING

Whenever possible, it is desirable that a long distributor should be fed at both ends
instead of at one end only, since total voltage drop can be considerably reduced without
increasing the cross-section of the conductor. The two ends of the distributor may be supplied
with ( i) equal voltages ( ii) unequal voltages.

( i) Two ends fed with equal voltages. Consider a distributor A B fed at both ends with
equal voltages V volts and having concentrated loads I1 , I2 , I3 , I4 and I5 at points C, D, E, F
and G respectively as shown in Fig. As we move away from one of the feeding points, say A ,
p.d. goes on decreasing till it reaches the minimum value at some load point, say E, and then
again starts rising and becomes V volts as we reach the other feeding point B.

All the currents tapped off between points A and E (minimum p.d. point) will be supplied from
the feeding point A while those tapped off between B and E will be supplied from the feeding
point B.
 The current tapped off at point E itself will be partly supplied from A and partly from B.
If these currents are x and y respectively, then,
I 3= x + y

Therefore, we arrive at a very important conclusion that at the point of minimum potential,
current comes from both ends of the distributor.

Point of minimum potential.

It is generally desired to locate the point of minimum potential. There is a simple method for it.
Consider a distributor A B having three concentrated loads I1 , I2 and I3 at
points C, D and E respectively. Suppose that current supplied by feeding end A is Ia . Then
current distribution in the various sections of the distributor can be worked out as shown in Fig.

Voltage drop between A and B = Voltage drop over A B

From this equation, the unknown IA can be calculated as the values of other quantities are
generally given. Suppose actual directions of currents in the various sections of the distributor
are indicated as shown in Fig. The load point where the currents are coming from both sides of
the distributor is the point of minimum potential i.e. point E in this case

( ii) Two ends fed with unequal voltages.

Fig. shows the distributor A B fed with unequal voltages end A being fed at V1 volts and
end B at V2 volts. The point of minimum potential can be found by following the same
procedure as discussed above. Thus in this case, Voltage drop between A and B = Voltage drop
over A B
V1 − V2 = Voltage drop over A B

4. UNIFORMLY LOADED DISTRIBUTOR FED AT BOTH ENDS

We shall now determine the voltage drop in a uniformly loaded distributor fed at both
ends. There can be two cases viz. the distributor fed at both ends with ( i) equal voltages ( ii)
unequal voltages. The two cases shall be discussed separately.

( i) Distributor fed at both ends with equal voltages.

Consider a distributor A B of length l metres, having resistance r ohms per metre run and with
uniform loading of i amperes per metre run as shown in Fig. 13.24. Let the distributor be fed at
the feeding points A and B at equal voltages, say V volts. The total current supplied to the
distributor is i l. As the two end voltages are equal, therefore, current supplied from each feeding
point is i l/2 i.e.

Current supplied from each feeding point

Consider a point C at a distance x metres from the feeding point A. Then current at point C is i l

Now, consider a small length dx near point C. Its resistance is r dx and the voltage drop over
length dx is

Obviously, the point of minimum potential will be the mid-point. Therefore, maximum voltage
drop will occur at mid-point i.e. where x = l/2.
( ii) Distributor fed at both ends with unequal voltages.

Consider a distributor AB of length l metres having resistance r ohms per metre run and with a
uniform loading of i amperes per metre run as shown in Fig. Let the distributor be fed from
feeding points A and B at voltages VA and VB respectively. Suppose that the point of minimum
potential C is situated at a distance x metres from the feeding point A. Then current supplied by
the feeding point A will be * i x.
As all the quantities on the right hand side of the equation are known, therefore, the point on the
distributor where minimum potential occurs can be calculated.

AC DISTRIBUTION:

A distribution system usually begins from a substation where the power is delivered
by a transmission network. In some cases, the distribution system may start from
a generating station itself, such as when consumers are located near the generating
station. For larger areas or industrial areas, primary and secondary distribution may also
be used.

Types Of AC Power Distribution Systems

According to phases and wires involved, an AC distribution system can be classified

as -
1. Single phase, 2-wire system
2. Single phase, 3-wire system
3. Two phase, 3-wire system
4. Two phase, 4-wire system
5. Three phase, 3-wire system
6. Three phase, 4-wire system
Single Phase, 2-Wire Distribution

This system may be used for very short distances. The following figure shows a single
phase two wire system with - fig (a) one of the two wires earthed and fig. (b) mid-point
of the phase winding is earthed.

Single Phase, 3-Wire System

This system is identical in principle with 3-wire dc distribution system. The neutral wire
is center-tapped from the secondary winding of the transformer and earthed. This
system is also called as split-phase electricity distribution system. It is commonly
used in North America for residential supply.

Two Phase, 3-Wire System

In this system, the neutral wire is taken from the junction of two phase windings whose
voltages are in quadrature with each other. The voltage between neutral wire and either
of the outer phase wires is V. Whereas, the voltage between outer phase wires is √2V.
As compared to a two-phase 4-wire system, this system suffers from voltage imbalance
due to unsymmetrical voltage in the neutral.

Two Phase, 4-Wire System

In this system, 4 wires are taken from two phase windings whose voltages are in
quadrature with each other. Mid-point of both phase windings are connected together. If
the voltage between the two wires of a same phase is V, then the voltage between two
wires of different phase would be 0.707V.

Three Phase, 3-Wire Distribution System

Three phase systems are very widely used for AC power distribution. The three
phases may be delta connected or star connected with star point usually grounded. The
voltage between two phases or lines for delta connection is V, where V is the voltage
across a phase winding. For star connection, the voltage between two phases is √3V.
Three Phase, 4-Wire Distribution System

This system uses star connected phase windings and the fourth wire or neutral wire is
taken from the star point. If the voltage of each winding is V, then the line-to-line voltage
(line voltage) is √3V and the line-to-neutral voltage (phase voltage) is V. This type of
distribution system is widely used in India and many other countries. In these
countries, standard phase voltage is 230 volts and line voltage is √3x230 = 400 volts.
Single phase residential loads, single phase motors which run on 230 volts etc. are
connected between any one phase and the neutral. Three phase loads like three-phase
induction motors are put across all the three phases and the neutral.

Classification On The Basis Of Connection Scheme

Distribution system can be classified according to its connection scheme or topology as

follows -
1. Radial system
2. Ring main system
3. Interconnected system