MMME2104

Design & Selection of Mining Equipment

Electrical Component

Transmission and
Distribution

Lecture 3
14 August 2003
 Lecture Outline
• The electricity supply chain
• Components of an electrical power system
• Power Lines
– Standard voltages
– Equivalent circuit, voltage regulation and
power transmission capability
– Choosing the line voltage
• Substation Equipment
The Electricity Supply Chain

Generation

Transmission

Distribution

Retail

National Electricity Market

 Principal components of an
electrical power system

Transmission Lines • Step-down

Power transformers
Station Substation Substation
& switchgear
• Step-up
transformers
& switchgear Distribution Lines

• lighting
System
Loads • heating
• appliances
• motors
Power Lines
 Power Lines
Considerations in the design of a power line:
• The amount of active power it has to transmit
• The distance over which the power must be
carried
• The cost of the power line
• Aesthetic considerations, urban congestion,
ease of installation, expected load growth
 Types of Power Lines
Power
Station Substation

e.g. Swanbank
High voltage (HV)

Substation

e.g. Tennyson Medium Voltage (MV)

Low Voltage (LV)

Transformer

e.g. Pole-mount System

Loads

e.g. House
 Standard Voltages

Classification Range Standard levels

LV < 1kV 415V (3-phase)

240V (1-phase)
MV 1kV – 100kV 3.3kV, 6.6kV, 11kV,
33kV, 66kV
HV > 100kV 132kV, 275kV,
400kV, 750kV
 HV Power Line Components
Conductors
• Normally bare
• Stranded copper or steel-reinforced aluminium cable (ACSR)

Insulators
• Support and anchor conductors and insulate them from ground
• Ceramic or glass
• Must withstand mechanical and electrical stress

Support Structures (towers etc.)

• Wooden poles / H-frames for lower voltages, galvanized steel
towers for higher voltages
Equivalent circuit of a line

Distributed impedance of a line

Inductive impedance is normally low

Lumped model Capacitive impedance in normally high

Resistance varies with transmission
voltage and power…
 Voltage Regulation and Power Transmission
Capability of Transmission Lines:
Resistive Line
R

Load has unity power factor

Load
Supply

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%

P / Pmax
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
2
Vsup ply 0%
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Pmax = Vload / Vsupply
4R
 Voltage Regulation and Power Transmission
Capability of Transmission Lines:
Inductive Line
L

Load has unity power factor

Load
Supply

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%

P / Pmax
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
2
Vsup ply 0%

Pmax = 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

Vload / Vsupply
0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

2X L
 Choosing the Line Voltage
• The voltage should remain as constant as
possible over the entire length of the line – from
source to load – for all loads between zero and
rated load.
• The line losses must be small so as to attain a
high transmission efficiency and not overheat
the conductors
Î There is a trade-off between capital cost and
transmission losses in the choice of line
voltage for a given power transmission capability
Substations
 Substation Equipment
• Transformers
• Circuit breakers
• Switches (horn-gap, disconnect & grounding)
• Surge arrestors
• Current-limiting reactors
• Relays and protective devices
• Instrumentation
• See text for more info and examples