What is a substation?
A Substation is a part of the electrical installation, which an industrial electrical consultant designs, that transforms voltage from high to low or low to high depending on the requirement. Typically, a substation has a switchyard, protection and control equipment, & transformers.
What is the role of an electrical consultant?
The industrial electrical design consultant has to ensure compliance with the local regulations and norms. Usually, the substation is in a fenced enclosure.
Firstly, an electrical consultant works closely with the client to understand expectations from the project. Subsequently, the design of any switchyard and substation is initiated.
Undoubtedly, an experienced industrial electrical design consultant uses his experience to design the substation and switchyard. Additionally, they design energy storage systems, back-to-back shunt capacitor banks, phase-shifting transformers.
Types of substations
Generally, substations can be classified by:
- Design: Indoor, outdoor, or pole mounted
- Importance: Grid substations and town substations
- Operating voltage: 11-66KV (High voltage), 132- 400KV (Extra High Voltage) and above 400KV (Ultra High Voltage)
- based on services: Step-up substation, primary grid substation, and step-down substation
- The substations can be indoor or outdoor type on the consumer side. It can be for 11kV, 33kV, 66kV or 110kV. The local power network is connected through HT metering, HT breakers, and control gear.
Furthermore, a consultant update with the latest in substation design, grounding, and bus arrangement like a radial ring, paired elements, main and transfer, and double bus double breaker system. There are many software and tools that a consultant can use for designing a project.
Additionally, a structural consultant helps provide the foundation design and structural loading calculation for the substation.
To conclude, the substation and switchyard design is one of the most important deliverables for an electrical design consultant for an industrial project.
