2010 China International Conference on Electricity Distribution

New 20kV Network Concept for an Existing Distribution Network

Dr. Holger M ller1, Theodor Connor1
1, Network Consulting, Power Technologies International (PTI) Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany E-MAIL: hmmueller@siemens.com, theodor.connor@siemens.com

Abstract: This paper presents a study of a distribution

network of the large city in a former republic of the Soviet Union. The current situation is analyzed and a new network concept is developed. The major part of the current electrical network has been built in the 1960th and 70th using old Russian technology. The economy develops strongly in the last years, and it can be estimated that the total consumption will roughly double within the next 15 years. Today the distribution network is using several voltage levels. A lot of the electrical equipment in the network is reaching the end of its lifetime in the coming years. Therefore and due to the historical developments in the network structure, reliability is low compared to European standards. For these reasons a new network concept has been developed in a consulting project undertaken by Siemens PTI and described in this paper. Especially for the new and optimal network concept for the city, the reduction of the large number of existing voltage levels has been proposed by introducing a new 20 kV level. The Greenfield planning approach is used for this task to achieve the optimal solution for the network. Finally a way is presented to transform the current network step-by-step into the recommended 20 kV solution with future oriented and optimized network structure for the year 2025. The objective of these steps is to achieve a fast improvement of network reliability. The liberalization in many countries all over the world has led to competition between companies of the electricity industry, which has created challenges as well as opportunities for both utilities and industrial consumers. After years of small investment in the electrical infrastructure many customers face now challenges for future operation of their networks: increasing consumption aging equipment movements of load centers target to use standardized equipment flexible adaptation to changes in load and structure

1. Introduction

Furthermore old equipment and grown network structures make the maintenance and operation of the network difficult and expensive. Especially fault detection and protection coordination within these networks are very complicated. Large-area outages are often the results of this historical development causing discontent with public consumers and high interruption costs for industry consumers. For strategic network planning the countrys economy is an important factor. Based on the positive economic development in the past with growth rates of about 10%, the standard of living shall be further developed. Thus it can be derived that the total consumption will double within the next 15 years. On the other hand if security of supply can not always be guaranteed, poor security of supply can have a negative impact on the economic development. Thus a highly reliable network is an important basis for the future economic development.

Keywords: Greenfield planning, distribution network,

optimal network concept.

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2. Methodology

The main planning criteria are: Reliability criteria: the network should comply with the (n-1)-criteria for disturbances as well as for planned outages and main reliability indices should show a good performance. Thermal limits: thermal capacity of equipment must not be exceeded under normal operation and contingency situation at planning process. Voltage ranges: a voltage range of 95% to 105% of nominal voltage should be maintained at normal operation; at contingency situation a voltage range of 90% to 110% of nominal voltage is acceptable. Short-circuit current levels: maximum short-circuit currents have to be lower than rating of network components. Economical network structure: network planning has to lead to a cost-effective power system considering both economic investments and efficient network operation. Losses and other operational costs have to be minimized efficiently.

2.1

Planning approach
The main objective of network planning is to achieve a

coordinated development of the electrical distribution network towards a secure, reliable, efficient and economical performance. Based on the data collected of the actual status of the network and considering the future development of the city, the load growth of the network can be estimated over the next years. The current status of the actual system is analyzed and the major problems are determined. Using the Greenfield planning approach a network concept for the complete distribution network is developed without considering the existing structure and constraints. In this way the optimal target network design for the long term development is achieved. Based on this solution for the year 2025 and taking into account the situation of the actual system status, future modifications and a sequence of steps can be derived to transform the actual system in to the target structure. Thus a consistent network design for the distribution network can be achieved A typical planning loop is shown in Fig. 1.

3. Status of Medium Voltage Network

At the beginning of the strategic network planning process starts with an extensive data collection. To get an overview of the

Short Short term term Data Data collection collection Actual Actual System System

Medium Medium term term Long Long term term

current status of the future development, the network under investigation is the Medium Voltage (MV) distribution system of a large city with nearly 1 million inhabitants and an area of about 100km .

Weak points

Next steps

2025 network

3.1

Development of Load
By analyzing the peak load of the city of the last years the

Figure 1. Planning Loop for Greenfield Planning Approach

growth of the load for the future years can be estimated. To

2.2

Planning criteria
The planning criteria describe the standards for development

achieve a more accurate evaluation, information about new industrial and housing areas as well as data about the economic growth (e.g. the gross national product GNP) is important. If no detailed data of the load distribution over the city is available, the actual load distribution and its development can be approximated using topographic maps and satellite photos. This can help to subdivided and distinguish areas of different load

and design of distribution networks. The compliance of the proposed concept with these criteria is investigated through calculations of the network performance.

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density. Here the following categories are used: Residential areas Business and governmental areas Industrial areas

The current network concept is characterized by long overhead lines inside the city and T-off connection with only a very low number of circuit-breakers, with a very simple protection concept and without any automated resupply of loads after faults. These characteristics cause high number of interruptions and long down times for all customers. Additionally the currently large load growth results in network equipment, which is already loaded to their maximum capacity. Thus in some areas new customers can not be connected anymore. Another factor is the high number of voltage levels from

Using this approach the complete city could be divided into several sectors with a certain area and a designated load density. The results matched the collected data very well.

Industry Housing

220 kV and 110 kV via 35 kV and 10 kV to 6 kV and 400 V. A reduction of voltage levels and an economic optimized selection of suitable voltage levels is important to reduce maintenance costs

Business

and providing higher flexibility for network operation.

4. Optimal Selection of Voltage Levels

Figure 2. Example of Dividing the City into Sectors with typical Usage and Load Density

To develop different possible alternatives, which can be analyzed and compared, and to determine the optimal network concept, a Greenfield planning approach is used. The performance is always judged using the planning criteria described above. After the final concept is determined, it is investigated using detailed network models and state of the art analysis tools. Here the network simulation tool PSSSINCAL has been used.

3.2 Analysis of Existing Assets

The condition and age of the existing assets in the network, like switchgear, cables and transformers, are assessed. The analysis of the 110 kV and 35/10 kV components gives a very good overview of the state of the network. The location of old equipment indicates areas, where there is a strong need for action. For this network the results showed, that a quarter of the 110/35 kV substations are over 40 years and 50% are between 20 and 40 years. Thus a lot of network components will have to be replaced in the coming years.

4.1

Selection of Optimal Medium Voltage Level

To ensure an economical operation of the system, the

reduction of the existing voltage levels of 220 kV, 110 kV, 35 kV, 10 kV and 6 kV to a maximum number of three is necessary. Here three different alternatives are compared. Alternative 1 220/35kV: The existing 35 kV network level will be used to substitute the existing smaller 10 kV and 6 kV levels. This voltage level is well suitable to supply large loads, e.g. large hotel or business complexes with around 3-5 MW of peak load. These loads can reasonably not be supplied anymore by the existing 10/6 kV voltage levels. Although a parallel 110 kV and 35 kV voltage level is not economically feasible, as the voltages are very similar. Thus the

3.3

Analysis of Present Network Performance

An initial analysis of a systems existing structure from the

HV transmission grid to the MV distribution levels shows the actual network performance and reveals any existing weaknesses or bottlenecks. There are some factors, which have a negative impact on the network performance. The main issue is the age of the network components leading to a higher number of faults and disturbances in the network.

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220 kV level will have to substitute the extensive 110 kV voltage level within the city. This solution has some major drawbacks. One is the 35 kV level itself, as this is not a standard voltage level used throughout the world. Thus the equipment is expensive. Also there is only a small number of manufacturers for 35/0.4 kV substations. Additionally the complete 110 kV network has to be replaced by 220 kV substations and lines, which will also have a high impact on the total costs. Alternative 2 220/110/10kV: Another possibility is to upgrade the old 35kV level by 110kV components. This can happen in a step by step approach and the existing 10kV network can be used and extended. A drawback is that the 10kV level is very limited, when in new city developments large loads have to be connected. Here only a few loads in the MW range can be supplied via on 110/10kV substation. Also the number of cables needed in parallel is quite high. This means that the 10kV level is already today meeting its limitations. Thus it is not an adequate solution for future developments in the city, but it can be used as intermediate step to a network with higher voltages. Alternative 3 220/110/20kV: As a third possibility it is investigated to extend the existing 110kV network to replace the old 35kV level. A new 20kV voltage level will then substitute the 10kV and 6kV levels. Today 20kV is a standard level for distribution network in large areas of the world. A large number of manufacturers is existing, thus the components are having moderate prices. The power capability is high compared to the 10kV solution, suitable to supply all different kinds of loads within a city. Hence the voltage level is adequate also for future developments in larger cities. Compared to alternative 2 this solution shows initial higher investment costs, as a new voltage level has to be introduced. On the other hand the advantages for the network are larger then in the other options. As a lot of components are reaching the end of their lifetime in the next years, it is a good opportunity to set the course for a suitable distribution network.

4.2 Development of Suitable Network Concept

The future network concept has to be suitable to provide energy to the customer in a highly reliable way with low losses and without too complex network structures. Therefore several alternatives have been analysed to find an optimal concept, keeping in mind the current situation and already existing developments. The existing 220kV network and the 220/110kV substation, forming a ring around the city, are used as the basis of the final concept. From these HV substations at the citys border the power is transmitted to the city centers via 110kV cables or overhead lines. These lines are supplying the 110/20kV substations in a ring structure. Advantages of this concept (shown in Fig. 3) are a rather simple structure, where the substations are fed from one main 220/110kV station.
Main Infeed 220 kV

110 kV

Substation 110 kV

20 kV Legend: Circuit-breaker (n.c.) Circuit-breaker (n.o.) RMU 20 kV

0.4 kV

Figure 3. Schematic Overview of the Developed Concept

Thus the short-circuit currents are well within the ratings of typical 20kV switchgear. Throughout the network structure typical component ratings are used, e.g. the standard transformer size for a 110/20 kV transformer is selected to 31.5 MVA.

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If a fault occurs on one line in the 110kV network, the distance protection or cable differential protection will trip the line without an interruption of loads. Thus the concept shows a very good reliability performance. In case of critical loads the structure can be enhanced to ensure also (n-2) security, e.g. for the airport or for governmental buildings.

5. Verification of Network Performance

To analyze the behavior of the system of the developed network concept, the complete network from the surrounding 220kV level down to each 20/0.4kV substation is modeled in the power system simulation software PSSSINCAL. Here the geographic information can also be included to obtain a network model with correct position of the components. With this model detailed calculations have been performed to ensure a good performance of the proposed network concept. Load-flow analysis assures that the voltages at bus bars in all voltage levels and loadings of all components are within the given limits during normal operation as well as during disturbed conditions. Additionally the losses are evaluated and the tap range of the transformers is approved. To confirm the ratings of switchgear and cables, short-circuit calculations are performed to assess the maximum stress on the components during faults. Additionally maximum and minimum short-circuit currents are used to determine the necessary protection concept and settings. Extensive probabilistic reliability calculations are performed to ensure a high security of supply and good reliability indices, e.g. low frequency of interruption and customer minutes lost.

4.3 Optimal Location of Substations

If new substations will be build to serve new loads or to replace old substations, the optimal location of the station has to be determined. In an analysis the loads within one or two sectors are combined in the centers of gravity for the supply areas. The load centre governs the optimal site of the new substation with its planned standardized equipment. An example graphic from the software PSSSINCAL showing the load density of several areas within the city is shown in Fig. 4, where green indicates a low value and red indicates a high value for the load density. The middle of the red area symbolizes the optimum location for the substation in that area.

6. Roadmap and Future Steps

To improve the situation in the areas determined in the assessment, actions have been work out and proposed for the areas with the highest rating. Therefore the following aspects have been described, which are important for the identified areas:
Figure 4. Load Density and Optimal MV-Substation Location

Location of new substation depending on required space Load growth inside area up to year 2025 including new development areas Disentanglement of areas fed by one substation at the MV and LV level Fast improvement of reliability

The optimum indicates the location, which will lead to a minimum length of MV cables required to supply the loads and subsequently a minimum of losses during operation. These locations have of course to be matched with local constraints and restrictions.

In the following one example of fast improvement of power supply within one area of the city is described. In Fig. 5 the old network structure with its old substations (red circles) is shown. Today these substations S/S 1..3 are connected via T-off connected lines causing unreliable energy

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supply for these substations due to the lack of circuit-breakers and protection devices. S/S 2 S/S 3

2025 has been estimated. Based on predefined planning criteria different possible concepts and voltage levels combinations have been developed and compared. The optimal solution with the substitution of the existing 6 kV and 10 kV voltage levels by the newly introduced 20 kV level has been discussed and proposed. A detailed analysis of the network in the power system simulation software PSSSINCAL ensured the good performance of the proposed concept. Also the main targets to improve reliability and security of supply and to reduce of operational costs are achieved. Based on the developed concept a roadmap is described for transforming the current network into the new structure. First steps are described for a selected number of areas with a high priority

S/S 1

Figure 5. Old network structure (red) with three substations and T-off at the 110kV level

for improvements. The proposed concept for the year 2025 is the base for enabling the distribution network to fulfill its tasks in the future, coping with the future load growth, ensuring efficient operation and guaranteeing a high quality of living.

To increase the reliability a new substation S/S 1 can be placed on the optimal location (blue circles in Fig. 6). The new substation will have state of the art circuit-breakers and protection devices with remotely controlled breakers. A step by step replacement and extension of the network will finally lead to the proposed network concept in the coming years.

Biography
Dr. Holger Mueller, born in 1973 in Darmstadt, received

S/S 2

Dipl.-Ing. and Dr.-Ing degrees from the Technical University of Darmstadt in 1999 and 2003 respectively. His PhD research covered modeling and dynamic simulations of HVDC systems. Since 2008 he works with the network consulting department of Siemens PTI in Erlangen, Germany, as a senior consultant in the S/S 1 field of power system analysis, mainly in the fields of transmission and distribution planning and smart grid solutions. His research activities also include aspects about large scale integration of renewable energies into power systems. Email: hmmueller@siemens.com. Theodor Connor was born in 1953. He received his Dipl.-Ing. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin in 1980. Since 1980 Mr. Connor is working for Siemens AG in Erlangen. As Head of Network Consulting his areas of expertise are strategic planning of transmission, distribution networks, grounding and interference. Mr. Connor is doing training courses worldwide. He is a member in different technical committees, e.g. DKE, CIGRE,CENELEC and IEC. Email: theodor.connor@siemens.com

S/S 3

Figure 6. New network substations

7. Conclusions
This paper describes the development of a new network concept based on a Greenfield planning approach. In the beginning the current state of the network has been analyzed and major drawbacks have been identified. Also the planned development of the loads has been investigated and the load growth up to the year

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