Design Considerations

of
Primary Systems
Primary Systems-The part of the electric utility system that is between the distribution
substation and the distribution transformers. It is made of circuits known as primary
feeders or primary distribution feeders.
Factors affecting the selection of primary-feeder.
1.The nature of the load connected
2. The load density of the area served
3. The growth rate of the load
4. The need for providing spare capacity for emergency operations
5. The type and cost of circuit construction employed
6. The design and capacity of the substation involved
7. The type of regulating equipment used
8. The quality of service required
9. The continuity of service required
Radial-Type Primary feeder-The simplest and the lowest cost and therefore the most common form of primary feeder
is the radial-type primary feeder.
Radial-Type Primary feeder with tie and sectionalizing switches
Radial Type Primary Feeder with express feeder and back-feed
Radial-Type phase-area feeder
Loop-Type Primary Feeder
Primary Network
Primary Feeder Voltage Levels-The primary-feeder voltage level is the most important
factor affecting the system design, cost, and operation. Some of the design and operation
aspects affected by the primary-feeder voltage level are:
1.Primary-feeder length
2. Primary-feeder loading
3. Number of distribution substations
4. Rating of distribution substations
5. Number of sub-transmission lines
6. Number of customers affected by a specific outage
7. System maintenance practices
8. The extent of tree trimming
9. Joint use of utility poles
10. Type of pole-line design and construction
11. Appearance of the pole line
Additional factors affecting primary- Typical Primary Voltage Levels
feeder voltage-level selection
Primary-Feeder Loading-Primary-feeder loading is defined as the loading of a feeder
during peak-load conditions as measured at the substation. Some of the factors affecting
the design loading of a feeder are:
1.The density of the feeder load
2. The nature of the feeder load
3. The growth rate of the feeder load
4. The reserve-capacity requirements for emergency
5. The service-continuity requirements
6. The service-reliability requirements
7. The quality of service
8. The primary-feeder voltage level
9. The type and cost of construction
10. The location and capacity of the distribution substation
11. The voltage regulation requirements
Factors affecting feeder routing decisions

Factors affecting number of feeders

Factors affecting conductor size selection
Tie Lines-A tie line is a line that connects two supply systems to provide emergency service
to one system.
1.To provide emergency service for an adjacent feeder for the reduction of outage time to
the customers during emergency conditions.
2.To provide emergency service for adjacent substation systems, thereby eliminating the
necessity of having an emergency backup supply at every substation. Tie lines should be
installed when more than one substation is required to serve the area load at one primary
distribution voltage.
Tie Lines
Design Considerations
of
Secondary Systems
Introduction-A realistic view of the power distribution systems should be based on
“gathering” functions rather than on “distributing” since the size and locations of the
customer demands are not determined by the distribution engineer but by the customers.

-The concept of distribution starts with the individual customers and loads and proceeds
through several gathering stages where each stage includes various groups of increasing
numbers of customers and their loads.

-To minimize the secondary-circuit lengths, distribution engineers locate the distribution
transformers close to the load centers and try to have the secondary SDs to the individual
customers as short as possible.

-Distribution transformers represent a significant part of the secondary system cost.

Therefore, one of the major concerns of distribution engineers is to minimize the
investment in distribution transformers. In general, the present practice in the power
industry is to plan the distribution transformer loading on the basis that there should not
be excessive spare capacity installed, and transformers should be exchanged, or banked, as
the secondary load grows.
Present Design Practice- The part of the electric utility system that is between the primary
system and the consumer’s property is called the secondary system. Secondary
distribution systems include step-down distribution transformers, secondary circuits
(secondary mains), consumer services (or SDs), and meters to measure consumer energy
consumption.

The types of the secondary distribution systems include the following:

1.The separate-service system for each consumer with separate distribution transformer
and secondary connection.
2. The radial system with a common secondary main, which is supplied by one distribution
transformer and feeding a group of consumers.
3. The secondary-bank system with a common secondary main that is supplied by several
distribution transformers, which are all fed by the same primary feeder.
4. The secondary-network system with a common grid-type main that is supplied by a
large number of the distribution transformers, which may be connected to various feeders
for their supplies.
Secondary Voltages- Accordingly, the standard voltage level for single-phase residential
loads is 120/240 V. It is supplied through three-wire single-phase services, from which
both 120 V lighting and 240 V single-phase power connections are made to large
household appliances such as ranges, clothes dryers, and water heaters.

-For grid- or mesh-type secondary-network systems, used usually in the areas of

commercial and residential customers with high-load densities, the voltage level is
208Y/120 V. It is also supplied through three-wire single-phase services, from which both
120 V lighting and 208 V single-phase power connections are made

-To increase the service reliability for critical loads, such as hospitals, computer centers,
and crucial industrial loads, some backup systems, for example, emergency generators
and/or batteries, with automatic switching devices are provided.
Secondary Banking- The “banking” of the distribution transformers, that is, parallel
connection, or, in other words, interconnection, of the secondary sides of two or more
distribution transformers, which are supplied from the same primary feeder, is sometimes
practiced in residential and light-commercial areas where the services are relatively close
to each other, and therefore, the required spacing between transformers is little.

The advantages of the banking of the distribution transformers include the following:
1.Improved voltage regulation
2. Reduced voltage dip or light flicker due to motor starting, by providing parallel supply
paths for motor-starting currents
3. Improved service continuity or reliability
4. Improved flexibility in accommodating load growth, at low cost, that is, possible increase
in the average loading of transformers without corresponding increase in the peak load
Secondary Networks- most of the secondary systems are radial designed except for some
specific service areas (e.g., downtown areas or business districts, some military
installations, hospitals) where the reliability and service-continuity considerations are far
more important than the cost and economic considerations. Therefore the secondary
systems may be designed in grid- or mesh-type network configurations in those areas.

-Currently, the 15 kV class is predominating. The secondary network must be designed in

such a manner as to provide at least one of the primary feeders as a spare capacity
together with its transformers. To achieve even load distribution between transformers
and minimum voltage drop in the network, the network transformers must be located
accordingly throughout the secondary network.
Unbalanced Load and Voltages-A single-phase three-wire circuit is regarded as unbalanced
if the neutral current is not zero. This happens when the loads connected, for example,
between line and neutral, are not equal. The result is unsymmetrical current and voltages
and a nonzero current in the neutral line. In that case, the necessary calculations can be
done by using the method of symmetrical components.
Secondary System Costs-Many utilities develop cost estimates for this equipment on a per
customer basis. The annual costs of operating, maintenance, and taxes for a secondary
system are typically between 1/8 and 1/30 of the capital cost.
-In general, it costs more to upgrade given equipment to a higher capacity than to build to
that capacity in the first place. Upgrading an existing SL entails removing the old conductor
and installing new.