Sub-Station & Circuit Breakers

Dr.V.Saravanan Assistant Professor EEE Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015.

Sub-Station Equipment

Incoming & Outgoing Feeders Transformers Main & Auxiliary HV & LV CB, LB Switch & Isolators Relay, Metering, CT, PT & Control Panels Shunt Reactors, Capacitors & SVC Power & Control Cables Surge Arrestor, OH Earth wire Battery System, Communication Equip.

Types of Sub-Station

Indoor type

Small SS Up to 11KV 33KV &Above

Compact SS In City

Outdoor type

Gas Insulated type

Compensation Equipment

Shunt Reactor

EHV SS Compensate Line Charging

Reactive VAR Supply Electronic Method to control - Step less

Shunt Capacitor

Static VAR Compensator

Sub-station Equipment Role

Equipment Bus bars Functions Feeding Power Al.

Load break switches Opening loaded circuits Earthing Switch Surge Arrestor CT & PT Discharge charges Divert HV Surges to Earth Measuring & Protecting

Sequence of Operation of Isolator, C.B and Earthing Switch

While opening

Open C.B Open isolator Close earthing switch Ensure C.B is open Open earthing switch Close isolator Close C.B

while closing

Interlocks are provided to Ensure above Sequence

Difference Between Isolator & Circuit breaker

Isolator is a switch intended to make or break the circuit with out load Circuit Breaker will make or break the circuit with or without load Operation of Load Break Switch is also similar to Circuit Breaker

CB Development

Historical Development

Switch Switch with Fuse Bimetallic Relay Oil Circuit Breakers Air Circuit Breakers Vacuum Circuit Breakers SF6 Circuit Breakers

Minimum Oil Circuit Breakers

Used in large numbers for Medium voltage Distribution system

Low Capacity Applications Low Fault MVA Up to 11KV Application

Disadvantages of using oil as quenching media

Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker

Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker

Used in large numbers for High voltage Distribution system

High Capacity Applications High Fault MVA Up to 110KV Applications - Limited

Disadvantage

Flammability & High maintenance cost

Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker

Air Blast Circuit Breaker

ACBs are required to CARRY short circuit current for a specified time

Which is usually one second Is invariably more than what the downstream devices require to interrupt faults

In case the downstream devices fail to interrupt the fault current, the, breaker acts as a back-up protective device ACBs are also used for switching motors of higher rating Suitable for Medium Voltage Application

Air Blast Circuit Breaker

Vacuum Circuit Breakers

Vacuum as quenching media Features include high speed interrupting time Long working life due to minimized contact wear & shock Maintenance of circuit breaker is reduced

Service interval lies between 10,000 & 20,000 operations

Used for Feeders & Mains protection Rugged Housing & Small in size Superior Than SF6 Breaker

Vacuum Circuit Breakers

Vacuum Circuit Breakers

SF6 Circuit Breaker

SF6 as quenching media Service interval lies between 5000 & 20,000 operations SF6 pressure should be maintained for proper operation

SF6 Circuit Breaker

Cost of Breaker

The cost of CB depends on

Working Voltage in KV Operating Capacity in Amps Rupturing Capacity in MVA Speed of Operation in milliseconds

CB Capacity in MVA

Capacity of the CB always expressed in terms of Fault MVA Cost of CB Depends upon the fault level Fault Level Depends on

Generation end Transmission end Distribution end

Calculation of Short Circuit Level

Short Circuit Current is Equal to the Ratio between Load in Volt Amp divided by the Voltage Drop Measure the KVA of the Load Measure the Voltage No-load & Load

Difference gives the Voltage Drop

Typical Capacity Rating of CB

Voltage 0.4 3.3 6.6 In KV Rating 25 in MVA 75 150 11 22 66 110

250

500

1000 1500

Rupturing Capacity

Rupturing Capacity represents the Max. power a CB can Safely interrupt Factors Determine Rupturing Capacity

Length & Speed of Breaking Position of Arcing Contacts Dimensions of Parts Mechanical Strength of Breaker

Conditions for CB Operation

Overload Short Circuit Earth Fault Local Maintenance work Any other Abnormal operation

Auto Re-close Breaker

Auto re-close breaker

open the circuit in case of a fault Try to close the circuit with a few millisecond delay to allow the fault to clear Repeat the operation once more After the operation the circuit will break for next official command Line Ground Fault due to trees

Helpful in has of transient faults & Abnormalities

Improve Power System Stability

Time Taken for the Clearance of Fault in Power System

Fault Clearing time is the time taken

To clear the fault from sensing of relay to extinguish of Arc in CB

The time taken to trip a circuit is the sum of the time taken by the various components in the Protecting System

Relay for Sensing the Faults Relay to CB communication Time taken by the CB to open the contact & Extinguish of Arc

CB Response

In HV Circuit Breaker

Time taken to break the Circuit within 2 to 3 Cycles or within 40 to 60 MilliSecond Discrimination of fault

Grading of Circuit Breakers

Circuit Breakers

TROUBLE

Low insulation resistance (below 2000 M)

Between phase terminal & earthed frame with C.B closed Phase terminals of a pole

Possible Causes

Moisture Dirty Insulation Surface Internal & /OR External Poor Oil Carbon / Copper Particle Sticking to Internal Surface

POSSIBLE REMEDIAL ACTION

Circulate dry hot air or oil through the breaker pole

For four to six hours

Dismantle & Clean Reasonable insulation resistance

Above 2000 M

Resistance across terminals of pole too high( above 100)

Possible Causes
Reduced contact pressure Loose screws or bolts for flanges Contact surface damaged due to repeated operations Insufficient contact wipe Oxidation layer on terminals

Remedial Measures
Dismantle repair & assemble again If necessary, replace the contact

Unequal contact Wipe & Travel in 3 poles

Measured from top surface of interrupter flange & Contact tip by a simple rod with

breaker open breaker closed Contact erosion due to repeated load operations or short circuit operations Unequal lengths due to wrong adjustments during maintenance

Possible Causes

Remedial Action

Inspect contact tips Replace if badly eroded Adjust contact if lengths are unequal in three poles

One of the poles does not close

Possible Causes

Pull rod for contact damaged One of the links of that pole broken Contact of that pole severely damaged Dismantle the pole and repair the defect

Remedial Action

Breaker Operation too Slow During Opening

Tripping from trip command to contact separation instant too large

60ms instead of say 40ms Excessive friction in the pole unit Contact grip too high Trip coil operation sluggish Low battery voltage, hence higher trip coil pick up time

Possible Causes

Identifying the cause & take remedial action

Breaker doesnt Operate on Electrical Command

Possible Causes

Spring defective Trip coil open Trip coil /latch defective Spring not charged If breaker operates with manual operation of trip release

The mechanism is ok

Remedial Action

Check closing spring visually Identify the cause & take remedial action Check supply to spring charging motor

Drying out in Electrical Equipment

Drying out is nothing but moisture removal

From the insulation to increase insulation resistance

Drying out is carried out in huge generators

By circulation of short circuit current through windings

Re-varnish Max. drying out temp. 80C

Maintenance Required for Oil Circuit Breakers

Once in Three to Six months depending upon the usage Check the Oil Level & Colour Check the Oil BDV Value Clean the insulators Check insulation value Check Closing, Tripping & Interlock Mechanism

Maintenance Required for SF6 Circuit Breakers

Daily Basis

Check the Pressure of SF6 Gas in side the Breaker Check for SF6 Gas Leakage Refill incase of leakage
By Trained persons

Over halve once in Six months

Thank you