SUBSTATIONS SWITCHING SCHEME

M.BOLOORCHI

SEPTEMBER 2009

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1.0 PURPOSE

This report is intended to provide description and comparison of single line options for a
DESN substation. The goal is to provide an analytical comparison for all options so that
one can select the optimum solution considering cost, reliability, maintainability, ease of
operation.

This report summarizes our investigation and describes alternative solutions to the
deficiencies at the station.

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2.0 DESCRIPTION OF OPTIONS STUDIED

SWITCHING SCHEME OF SUBSTATION

Switching scheme of substation determines the electrical and physical arrangement
of the switching equipment. Different switching schemes can be selected as
emphasis is shifted between the factors of security, economy, extendibility,
maintainability, operational flexibility, protection arrangement, short circuit limitations,
land area, safety and simplicity dictated by function and importance of the substation.
Security of supply
Security of supply or substation service continuity is the main factor in selecting the
switching scheme.
Complete security of supply may be achieved by duplicating all circuits and
substation equipment such that following a fault or during maintenance connections
remain available. This would be extremely costly.
Switching schemes discussed in this report are mainly based on a compromise
between complete security of supply and capital investment.
Considering that line or transformer faults destroy service continuity on the affected
circuits, substation service continuity could be categorized into four categories, as
described below. Switching schemes will be categorized in accordance with this
categorization.
Category 1: No outage necessary within the substation for either maintenance or
fault; e.g. the 1 ½ breaker scheme under maintenance conditions in the circuit
breaker area.
Category 2: Short outage necessary to transfer the load to an alternative circuit for
maintenance or fault conditions; e.g. the double busbar scheme with bypass
disconnect switch and bus-coupler switch under fault or maintenance conditions in
the circuit breaker or busbar area.
Category 3: Loss of a circuit or section; for example the single busbar with bus
section circuit breaker scheme for a fault in the circuit breaker or busbar area. The
single feed scheme also comes under category 3 service continuity and for this
arrangement the addition of incoming circuit breakers, bus-bar and transformer circuit
breakers does not improve the classification.
Category 4: Loss of substation; for example the single busbar scheme without bus
sectionalization for a fault in the busbar area.
Extendibility
The design should allow for future extendibility. Adding bays of switchgear to a
substation is normally possible and care must be taken to minimize the outages and

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outage durations for construction and commissioning. Where future extension is likely
to involve major changes (such as from a single to double busbar arrangement) then
it is best to install the final arrangement at the outset because of the disruption
involved. When minor changes such as the addition of overhead line or cable feeder
bays are required then busbar disconnect switches may be installed at the outset
thereby minimizing outage disruption.
Maintainability
The switching scheme must take into account the electricity supply company system
planning and operations procedures together with knowledge of reliability and
maintenance requirements for the proposed substation equipment. The need for
circuit breaker disconnect switch bypass facilities may therefore be obviated by an
understanding of the relative short maintenance periods for modern switchgear.

Operational flexibility
The switching scheme must permit the required power flow control of individual
circuits and groups of circuits. In a two transformer substation operation of either or
both transformers on one infeed together with the facility to take out of service and
restore to service either transformer without loss of supply would be a normal design
consideration. In general a multiple busbar arrangement will provide greater flexibility
than a ring busbar.
Protection arrangements
The switching scheme must allow for the protection of each system element by
provision of suitable CT locations to ensure overlapping of protection zones. The
number of circuit breakers that require to be tripped following a fault, the auto-reclose
arrangements, the type of protection and extent and type of mechanical or electrical
interlocking must be considered.
For example a 1½ breaker substation layout produces a good utilization of
switchgear per circuit but also involves complex protection and interlocking design
which all needs to be engineered and thus increases the capital cost.
Short circuit limitations
In order to keep fault levels down parallel connections (transformers or power sources
feeding the substation) should be avoided. Multi-busbar arrangements with sectioning
facilities allow the system to be split or connected through a fault limiting reactor. It is
also possible to split a system using circuit breakers in a mesh or ring type substation
layout although this requires careful planning and operational procedures.
Cost
A satisfactory cost comparison between different substation switching scheme is
extremely difficult because of the differences in performance and maintainability. It is
preferable to base a decision for a particular scheme on technical grounds and then
to determine the most economical means of achieving these technical requirements.
The options studied are described in this section.

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ALTERNATIVE SWITCHING SCHEMES

2.1 Single Bus Scheme

The single busbar arrangement is simple to operate, places minimum reliance on
signalling for satisfactory operation of protection and facilitates the economical
addition of future feeder bays.
Figure 1 illustrates a single busbar scheme with fourteen feeder circuits and one bus
section circuit breaker.

Figure 1: Single Bus scheme with Bus Section Breaker

1. Each circuit is protected by its own circuit breaker and hence a fault on a
feeder/transformer does not necessarily result in loss of supply to other feeders.
2. A fault on a feeder or transformer circuit breaker causes loss of the transformer
and feeders circuits. They may be restored after isolating the faulty circuit
breaker.
3. A fault on a bus section circuit breaker causes complete shutdown of the sub-
station. All circuits may be restored after isolating the faulty circuit breaker and
the substation will be 'split' under these conditions.
4. A busbar fault causes loss of one transformer and all feeders on that bus section.
Maintenance of one busbar section will cause the temporary outage of all
circuits. Can be used only where loads can be interrupted.
5. Bus cannot be extended without de-energizing of half of the substation
6. Difficult to do any maintenance, maintenance of a feeder or transformer circuit
breaker involves loss of that circuit.
7. Lowest cost

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8. The introduction of bypass isolators between the busbar and circuit isolator
(Figure 2) allows circuit breaker maintenance facilities without loss of the circuit.
Under these conditions full circuit protection is not available.

Figure 2: Single Bus scheme with Bypass Isolator

9. Bypass facilities may also be obtained by using a disconnect switch on the out-
going ways between two adjacent switchgear bays (Figure 3). The circuits are
paralleled onto one circuit breaker during maintenance of the other. It is possible
to maintain protection (although some adjustment to settings may be necessary)
during maintenance but if a fault occurs then both circuits are lost. With the high
reliability and short maintenance times involved with modern circuit breakers
such bypasses are not nowadays so common.

Figure 3: Single Bus scheme with Bypass Switch between Two adjacent Bays

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2.2 Mesh Scheme
Each section of the mesh scheme, as shown in Figure 4, is included in a line or
transformer protection zone so no specific separate busbar protection is required.
Operation of two circuit breakers is required to connect or disconnect a circuit
and disconnection involves opening the mesh. Line or transformer circuit
disconnect switches may then be used to isolate the particular circuit and the
mesh reclosed:
1. Circuit breakers may be maintained without loss of supply or protection and
no additional bypass facilities are required. The particular circuit may be fed
from an alternative route around the mesh.
2. If a fault occurs during a breaker maintenance period, the mesh can be
separated into two sections
3. Busbar faults will only cause the loss of one circuit.
4. Circuit breaker faults will involve the loss of a maximum of two circuits.
Breaker failure during a fault on one of the circuits causes loss of one
additional circuit owing to operation of breaker-failure relaying
5. Maximum security is obtained with equal numbers of alternatively arranged
infeeds and load circuits.
6. Flexible operation for breaker maintenance. Any breaker can be removed for
maintenance without interrupting load.
7. Does not use main bus.
8. Each circuit is fed by two breakers however the ratio of circuit breakers to
circuits is 1/1.
9. Automatic reclosing and protective relaying circuitry rather complex
10. If a single set of relays is used, the circuit must be taken out of service to
maintain the relays. (Common on all schemes)
11. Requires potential devices on all circuits since there is no definite potential
reference point These devices may be required in all cases for
synchronizing, live line, or voltage indication.
12. Low initial and ultimate cost.

Figure 4: Mesh Scheme

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2.3 Ring Bus Scheme
The ring busbar offers increased security compared to the single busbar arrange-
ment since alternative power flow routes around the ring busbar are available. A
typical scheme which would occupy more space than the single busbar arrange-
ment is shown in Figure 5. The ring is not so secure as the mesh arrangement
since a busbar fault causes all circuits to be lost until the fault has been isolated
using the ring busbar isolators. Maintenance on a disconnect switch requires an
outage of both adjacent circuits. The inability of disconnect switches to break
load current is also an operational disadvantage.

Figure 5: Ring Bus Scheme

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2.4 Double Busbar
Transfer Bus
A typical transfer busbar arrangement is shown in Figure 6.
1. This is essentially a single bus scheme with bus section breaker and an
extra bus coupler breaker with bypass disconnect switch facilities. When
circuit breakers are under maintenance the protection is arranged to trip
the bus-coupler breaker.
2. Failure of bus or any circuit breaker results in shutdown of half of the
substation.
3. Any breaker can be taken out of service for maintenance,
4. The use of circuit breaker bypass isolator facilities is not considered to
offer substantial benefits since modern circuit breaker maintenance times
are short and in highly interconnected systems alternative feeder
arrangements are normally possible.
5. The system is considered to offer less flexibility than the duplicate bus
scheme shown in Figure 7.
6. Potential devices may be used on the main bus for relaying.
7. Low initial and ultimate cost.

Figure 6: Transfer Bus Scheme

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2.5 Duplicate Bus (Double Bus Single Breaker) scheme
The duplicate bus scheme has the flexibility to allow the grouping of circuits
onto separate busbars with facilities for transfer from one busbar to another
for maintenance or operational reasons. A typical duplicate busbar
arrangement is shown in Figure 7.

1. Each circuit may be connected to either busbar using the busbar

selector disconnect switches. On-load busbar selection may be made
using the bus-coupler circuit breaker.
2. Feeder breaker failure takes all circuits connected to that bus section
out of service.
3. Bus-tie breaker failure takes entire substation out of service.
4. One extra breaker is required for the bus tie on the duplicate bus,
5. Either main bus may be isolated for maintenance.
6. Permits some flexibility with two operating buses.
7. Circuit can be transferred readily from one bus to the other by use of
bus coupler breaker and bus selector disconnects switches.
8. Busbar and busbar breaker maintenance may be carried out without
loss of supply to any circuit.

Figure 7: Duplicate Bus Scheme

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2.6 1 ½ Circuit breaker Scheme
The arrangement is shown in Figure 8. It offers the circuit breaker bypass
facilities and security of the mesh arrangement coupled with some of the
flexibility of the double busbar scheme. The layout is used at important
high voltage substations and large generating substations where the cost
can be offset against high reliability requirements. Essentially the scheme
requires 1 ½ circuit breakers per connected transmission line or trans-
former circuit and hence the name of this configuration:
1. High security against loss of supply.
2. Bus failure does not remove any feeder circuits from service.
3. Breaker failure of bus side breakers does not remove any other circuit
from service.
4. Either main bus can be taken out of service at any time for
maintenance.
5. Most flexible operation.
6. Simple operation; no disconnect switching required for normal
operation
7. The circuit breakers and other system components must be rated for
the sum of the load currents of two circuits.
8. Relaying and automatic reclosing are more complex since the middle
breaker must be responsive to either of its associated circuits.
9. Additional costs of circuit breakers are involved together with complex
protection arrangements.

Figure 8: 1 ½ Breaker Scheme

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2.7 Single feed scheme (Primary)
The single feed scheme, shown in figure 9, offers savings in land area together with
less switchgear, small DC battery requirements, less control and relay equipment, less
initial civil works together with reduced maintenance and spares holding in comparison
with the double feed scheme.
An isolator and earth switch may be added at the transformer HV connections
depending upon the electrical supply company's operational procedures.

Figure 9: Single feed Scheme

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2.8 Double feed Scheme (primary)
A simplified H arrangement of double feed is shown in Figure 10. The scheme offers
better features and facilities than the two single feed schemes. Two motorized
disconnect switches, three manual gang operated disconnect switches and two circuit
switchers are used in this scheme
1. Any circuit switcher may be maintained at any time without disconnecting that
circuit. In order to allow for all operating and maintenance conditions all busbars,
circuit switchers and disconnect switches must be capable of carrying the combined
loads of both transformers and line circuit power transfers.
2. Normal operation is with the bypass disconnect switches open so that both
transformers are not disconnected for a single transformer fault.
3. A fault on one transformer circuit disconnects that transformer circuit without
affecting the healthy transformer circuit.
4. Under no circumstances the tie disconnecting switch shall not tie two overhead
lines together.

Figure 10: Double feed Scheme

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