“ Battery, Battery Charger, DC & AC Distribution,

Substation Auxiliary System

and
Operation, Maintenance & Routine Inspection of DC
& AC System”

Presented by
Md. Mostafizur Rahman
Assistant Engineer
System Protection and Metering Division, Dhaka-1
Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd.
All the transmission and distribution substations require auxiliary
power supplies.

Auxiliary AC power is required for-

Control room AC power needs
Lighting
Heating
Ventilation
Switchgear operating mechanisms (depends on motor type), etc.

Auxiliary DC power is used to feed essential services such as-

Circuit breaker trip and closing coils
Protective relays and auxiliary trip relays
Alarm/Annunciation system
Substation automation system (SAS)
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system
Communications equipments, etc.
Why we need DC in Substation?

Reliable source obtained from battery.

Storage capability.
AC can’t be stored.
At the time of power restoration after blackout
dc power can be obtained from battery.
Without dc source ac can’t be supplied during
restoration of power after blackout of substation.
Auxiliary DC Power Supply:

Auxiliary DC power is provided by battery and battery

charger combination.
Capital cost and reliability objectives must be considered
before defining the battery/battery charger combination.
The capacity of the charger must be such that after a severe
discharge it has the capacity to supply the full DC system load
current and the full charging current simultaneously.
The technique used for battery charging is called ‘float’
charging and involves the battery being permanently connected
to the load in parallel with the charger.
Comparison of Different Battery and Charger Combinations
 Simple Battery & Battery Charger Combination of Substation
DC Distribution Board

Battery Charger
AC Mains Supply

Battery Bank
Fully Duplicated Battery & Battery Charger Combination of Substation
 Concepts on Battery, Battery Types, Internal
Chemical Reaction, Battery Charging Methods
Battery Definition
and Its Terms
Battery: A container consisting of one or more cells, in which
chemical energy is converted into electricity and used as a source
of power.
Capacity: Capacity is expressed in ampere-hours (Ah) and is a
measure of the electricity that the battery can deliver. It denotes the
current a battery can supply for a specific hour. Suppose a 1.2V
battery’s capacity is 250Ah. It means it can supply 250A for one hour
having its terminal voltage 1.2V. Capacity information of battery is
normally written over container like the picture below,
Cycle: The discharge and subsequent charge of a secondary battery such
that it is restored to its fully charged states.
Duty cycle: Operating parameters of a cell or battery including factors
such as charge and discharge rates, depth of discharge, cycle length, and
length of time in the standby mode. Amount of load a battery is expected
to supply for specified time period is expressed as duty cycle of the
battery.
Discharge Period: The discharge period of the battery is the time
required before a full capacity battery becomes discharged to a specified
end voltage which will still ensure correct equipment operation.
 Battery capacity varies with temperature. The maximum and minimum
temperature range at which the battery will be expected to supply the
required capacity must be specified. A battery with 100 Ah capacity at 15°C
might have a capacity of 95 Ah at 10°C.
 Typically, the variation in capacity with temperature is as follows:
 NiCad batteries 0.6% increase per °C from 0 to 30°C
1.5% decrease per °C from 0 to -20°C
 Lead acid batteries 1% increase per °C from 0 to 60°C
1.5% decrease per °C from 0 to -10°C
Cutoff voltage: Cell or battery voltage at which the discharge is
terminated. The cutoff voltage is specified by the manufacturer and is
a function of discharge rate and temperature.
Electrode: Electrical conductor and the associated active materials at
which an electrochemical reaction occurs. Also referred to as the
positive and negative plates in a secondary cell.
Electrolysis: Chemical dissociation of water into hydrogen and
oxygen gas caused by passage of an electrical current.
Electrolyte: Medium which provides the ion transport function
between the positive and negative electrodes of a cell.
Separator: Electrically insulating layer of material which physically
separates electrodes of opposite polarity. Separators must be
permeable to ions in the electrolyte and may also have the function of
storing or immobilizing the electrolyte.
Trickle charge: Method of charging in which a secondary cell is
either continuously or intermittently connected to a constant current
supply to maintain the cell in fully or nearly fully charged condition.
Gassing: Evolution of gas from one or more electrodes resulting from
electrolysis of water during charge or from self-discharge. Significant
gassing occurs when the battery is nearing the fully charged state
while recharging or when the battery is on equalizing charge.
Equalizing charge: Charge applied to a battery which is greater than
the normal float charge and is used to completely restore the active
materials in the cell, bringing the cell float voltage and the specific
gravity of the individual cells back to equal values.
Specific gravity: Ratio of the weight of a solution to an equal volume
of water at a specified temperature. Used as an indicator of the state of
charge of a cell or battery.
Sulfation: Formation of lead sulfate crystals on the plates of a lead-
acid battery.
Thermal runaway: A condition that occurs in a battery (especially
valve regulated types) when charging energy results in heat generation
within the battery greater than the heat dissipated, causing an
uncontrolled rise in battery temperature. This can cause failure
through cell dry-out, shortened life, and/or melting of the battery.
 Types of Battery Cells
 Primary cells
• Cannot be recharged
• Chemical process not reversible
• Zinc carbon (1.5v)
• Alkaline (1.5v)
 Secondary cells
• Can be recharged
• Chemical reaction reversible
• Lead acid (2.0v)
• Nickel - cadmium (1.2v)
• Nickel - metal hydride (1.2v)
• Lithium – ion (3.3v)
Construction of a Nickel Cadmium Battery Cell
Chemical Reaction of Nickel Cadmium Battery
Construction of a Lead Acid Battery Cell
Chemical Reaction of Lead Acid Battery
Characteristics of different battery types
Series and Parallel Connections of Battery

N.B. : Series connection of battery is used for

getting increased voltage while keeping
output current same and parallel connection
is used for increasing output current
keeping output voltage same.
Battery Set Arrangement in Substation
 DC system Voltage Level on Substation
Typically, two voltage level dc system is used according to the requirement of
control circuit of equipment. In Bangladesh 110V and 220V dc system is used. In
the substation,
if the DC system is 110V then
battery set +ve terminal to ground voltage = 55V
battery set -ve terminal to ground voltage = -55V;

if the DC system is 220V

battery set +ve terminal to ground voltage = 110V
battery set -ve terminal to ground voltage = -110V.
Battery Sizing Calculation:
The required battery capacity is calculated by determining the
load which the battery will be expected to supply, the period for
which the supply is required, and the system voltage limits.
Reference is then made to manufacturers’ tables of capacity,
discharge current capability and final voltages.
The load on the battery is calculated from the power
consumption characteristics of the loads-
Continuous - (indicating lamps, relays, alarm systems, or other
items that continually draw current over the whole battery
discharge period)
 Time limited - (motors, emergency lighting, or other systems
which consume power for longer than one minute but shorter than
the battery discharge period)
 Momentary - (particularly the power needed to close or trip
switchgear).
Example of Battery Sizing Calculation:
 Float & Boost Charging
Float charging is used where the battery rarely gets discharged.  A typical
application where float charging can be used would consist of the float
charger, battery and the load in parallel.  During normal operation, the load
draws the power from the charger.  When the supply to the charger is
interrupted, the battery steps in.

Float charging of a battery involves charging the battery at a reduced

voltage.  This reduced voltage reduces the possibility of overcharging. The
Float charger ensures that the battery is always in the charged condition and
is therefore considered "floating".  The Float charger starts by applying a
charging voltage to the battery.  As the battery gets charged, its charging
current reduces gradually.  The float charger senses the reduction in
charging current and reduces the charging voltage. 

If the battery gets drained, the float charger will again increase the
charging voltage and the process continues. 

Boost charging involves a high current for short period of time to charge
the battery.  It is generally if the battery has been discharged heavily.  Boost
charge enables the quick charging of depleted batteries.
Battery Charging Stages:
There are three basic stages in charging a battery: bulk, absorption, and
float. These terms signify different voltage and current variables involved in
each stage of charging.
Bulk Charge: In the first stage of the process, current is sent to the
batteries at the maximum safe rate, batteries will accept it until voltage is
brought up to nearly 80-90 percent full charge level.
Absorption Charge: In the second stage, voltage peaks and stabilizes,
and current begins to taper off as internal resistance rises. The charge
controller puts out maximum voltage at this stage.
Float Charge: This can also be referred to as trickle charging or a
maintenance charge. In this stage, voltage is reduced to lower levels in order
to reduce gassing and prolong battery life.
Maintenance of Battery:
Concepts on Rectifier (Battery Charger)
Concept on Semiconductor Physics for Power Supply Equipments
Diodes:
Diodes are the most common semiconductors and are used in all types of power
supply equipments. The typical property of diode is that the resistance between anode
and cathode in forward direction is very whereas it becomes very high in
backward/reversed direction
The most common application of diodes is in a regulated or
unregulated rectifier bridge where the diodes are used to
rectify AC to pulsated DC.
Rectifier:
The purpose of a rectifier is to convert AC to DC.
The main components in a rectifier are electronic valves, diodes, thyristors or
IGBTS.
Normally a transformer is used between the mains and the rectifier bridge.
The main purpose of the transformer is to isolate electrically AC side from DC
side and making sure that the suitable voltage is available at the rectifier bridge
input.

Example of full wave diode bridge rectifier

 Unregulated rectifier:
The simplest rectifier circuit consists of a transformer followed by a rectifier circuit.
Output of the rectifier is smoothened by a choke or a capacitor filter.
The most common type of single-phase application is either half-wave, full-wave with
centre tap or, a full-wave bridge.
Regulated Rectifier:

For industrial battery charging applications regulated rectifiers must be used.

The above requirements can only be met if the output characteristics of

the rectifier is of constant voltage type with a current limit.
For low power requirements transistor regulators are commonly used
whereas for higher power requirements thyristor regulators are required.
Rectifier Regulation Characteristic
Transistor Regulated Rectifier:
The DC voltage is fed via a transistor regulator to the output of the rectifier.
This transistor regulator with its control circuit keeps the output voltage constant,
regardless of variation in mains voltage or load.
Because of power loss in the series transistor quite a large amount of heat is
produced in this type of rectifier, which means that the efficiency is rather low.
The series transistor also acts as active filter which lowers the ripple voltage.
Commonly used in telephone applications.

Figure 3.6: Transistor Regulated Rectifier

Brief Description of Transistor Type Rectifiers:
Regulation Characteristic for Transistor Regulated Rectifier
Thyristors:
Thyristors contain the same property as the Diodes. Additionally, thyristors have
additional control terminal called as gate.
Thyristors have three operating states:
Reverse blocking mode — Voltage is applied in the direction that would be
blocked by a diode.
Forward blocking mode — Voltage is applied in the direction that would
cause a diode to conduct, but the thyristor has not been triggered into
conduction.
Forward conducting mode — The thyristor has been triggered into
conduction and will remain conducting until the forward current drops below
a threshold value known as the "holding current"
Thyristor Regulated Rectifier:

 The thyristor are made conductive by “trigger pulses” created in the control
unit.
 The control unit obtains information of the output voltage which determines
the conducting period of the thyristors.
 Furthermore, the control unit also obtains information of the output current and
if it exceeds the nominal current of the rectifier the conduction time will decrease.
 Regulation is achieved by varying the firing angle of each thyristor by gate
pulses so that only the required amount of energy is made available at the output.
Schematic Diagram of Battery Charger
Schematic Diagram of Battery Charger, Cont.
Component Names and Symbols of Battery Charger
Front view of a Battery Charger
Interlocks and cross connecting batteries and chargers:

The interlocks between the battery/battery charger combination and the

DC distribution board are necessary to prevent boost charging voltages
appearing on the DC distribution system which could exceed the ratings of
trip coils and other equipment.

For NiCad batteries approximate voltages would be:

Float 116%
Boost/commissioning 135%
Minimum 84%
Typical Example of DCDB
Auxiliary AC Power Supply:

Substation auxiliary AC supplies may be derived from dedicated sources

or from additional circuits on low voltage distribution switchgear forming
part of the substation’s outgoing distribution system.
Simple 380-415V three phase circuit allocations fed by the distribution
substation transformer(s)
 Tertiary windings on substation main transformer(s) or from earthing
transformer (zigzag star-star) windings
 Dedicated substation auxiliary transformers and switchgear.
The essential factors to be considered-
The level of security of supply required (duplicated transformers, LVAC
sectionalized switchboard, key interlocks, etc.),
the fault level of the LVAC switchgear (possible high fault levels at
primary substation sites)
Allowances for future substation extensions
Substation Auxiliary AC supply from simple 380—415 V
three phase circuit allocations fed by the distribution
substation transformer(s)

11 kV

11/0.4 kV
Substation Auxiliary AC supply from earthing transformer (zigzag star-star) windings

230 kV

33/.4 kV
Auto Transformer
33 kV

Zigzag Transformer

132 kV
AC Distribution
Typical Example of ACDB (Figure-1_Incoming)
Typical Example of ACDB (Figure-2_Outgoing)
Thank you
 Source:
Technical Session on
“Advanced concept on DC & AC
Distribution and Station Auxiliary
System and Maintenance & Routine
Inspection of DC System”
By
Jamil Ahmed Sir,
Former Chief Engineer,
NPTND Project, PGCB