UNIT 2

ELECTRIC POWER
DISTRIBUTION

Ar . Gandharva Swami

ASSISTANT PROFESOR. DTC , Gr . Noida

• INDIA is world's fourth largest energy consumer after United States of
America, China and Russia.

• India had an installed capacity of 205.34 Gigawatt (GW) as of June 2012, the
world's fifth largest.

• Captive power plants generate an additional 31.5 GW.

• India's network losses exceeded 32% in 2010 including non-technical losses,

compared to world average of less than 15%.

• The electricity demand in the capital touched 4,823MW at 4.10pm on

19.05.2012.
A power plant, also referred to as a power station and sometimes generating station or
generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power.

TYPES OF POWER PLANTS

Power plants are classified by the type of fuel and the type of prime mover installed.

Thermal power stations, mechanical power is produced by a heat engine, which transforms
thermal energy, often from combustion of a fuel, into rotational energy .

Nuclear power plants use a nuclear reactor's heat to operate a steam turbine generator.

Fossil fuel powered plants may also use a steam turbine generator or in the case of Natural gas
fired plants may use a combustion turbine.

Geothermal power plants use steam extracted from hot underground rocks.

Renewable energy plants may be fuelled by waste from sugar cane, municipal solid waste,
landfill methane, or other forms of biomass.
 POWER SUBSTATION
• This is where the transition from transmission to distribution happens.

• It transforms voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other
important functions.

• It changes the voltage levels between high transmission voltages and lower distribution
voltages, or two different transmission voltages.

TYPES OF POWER SUBSTATION

• Transmission Substation
• Distribution Substation
• Collector Substation
• Converter Substation
• Switching Substation
• Railways
• Mobile Substation
TRANSMISSION SUBSTATION
• It connects two or more transmission lines.

• The simplest case is where all transmission lines have the same voltage.

• In such cases, substation contain high-voltage switches that allow lines to be connected or isolated
for fault clearance or maintenance.

DISTRIBUTION SUBSTATION
• It transfers power from the transmission system to the distribution system of an area.

• This is where the residential, commercial and industrial units are commonly connected.

COLLECTOR SUBSTATION
• This substation is most commonly required in a distributed generation projects.

• It resembles a distribution substation although power flow is in the opposite direction, from the
generation unit to the transmission grid.
CONVERTER SUBSTATION
• These stations contain power electronic devices which change the frequency of current or
else convert from AC to DC or reverse.

• Most commonly associated with HVDC converter plants, traction current or interconnected
non-synchronous network.

SWITCHING SUBSTATION

• A switching station is a substation without transformers and operating only at a single

voltage level.

• A switching station may also be known as a switchyard.

RAILWAY SUBSTATIONS
• Electrified railways also use substations, often distribution substations.

• In some cases, a conversion of current types takes place, commonly with rectifiers for DC
trains or rotary converters for trains using AC at frequencies other than that of the public
grid.

MOBILE SUBSTATIONS

• A mobile substation is a substation on wheels, containing a transformer, breakers and bus

work mounted on a self-contained semi-trailer, meant to be pulled by a truck.

• In some cases, a conversion of current types takes place, commonly with rectifiers for DC
trains or rotary converters for trains using AC at frequencies other than that of the public
grid.
COMPONENTS OF AN ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM
• A modern electric power system consists of six main components

• The power station .

• A set of transformers to raise the generated power to the high voltages used on the
transmission lines .

• The transmission lines .

• The substations at which the power is stepped down to the voltage on the distribution
lines .

• The distribution lines .

• The transformers that lower the distribution voltage to the level used by the
consumer's equipment.
Distribution System
 “The part of power system which distributes electrical power for local use is known as
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.”
 This system is the electrical system between the substation fed by the transmission system and
consumer meter.
 Distribution line generally consist of
• Feeders

• Distributers

• Service mains
7 9/20/2015

Distribution

FEEDERS DISTRIBUTORS SERVICE MAINS

Feeder 9 9/20/2015

• A Feeder is conductor which connects the substation to the area where power is to be
distributed .
• Feeder are used to feed the electrical power from the generating station to the substation
• No tapings are taken from the feeder
• So the current in it remains the same throughout
• Main consideration in the design of feeder is
• The Current carrying capacity.

Distributer
• A distributer is a conductor from which tapings are taken from pole mounted
transformer to the consumer.
• The current through a distributer is not constant because tapings are taken at
various places along its length.
• Voltage drop is main consideration.
• Limit of variation is 6% of rated at consumer
Service main
• A service mains is a generally a small cable which connects the distributer to the
consumer meter.
• The connecting links between the distributor and the consumer terminals.
INTRODUCTION
Distribution system is a part of power system, existing between distribution substations and
consumers.

It is further classified on the basis of voltage

Primary distribution system-

11 KV or 6.6 KV or 3.3 KV

Secondary distribution system-

415 V or 230 V
Classification Of Distribution system
It can be classified under different considerations as;
1. Type Of Current: 4. Number Of Wires:
a) AC Distribution System a) Two Wire
b) DC Distribution System b) Three Wire
c) Four Wire
2. Type Of Construction:
5. Scheme Of Connection:
a) Overhead System
a) Radial Distribution System
b) Underground System b) Ring or Loop Distribution System
3. Type Of Service: c) Interconnected Distribution System

a) General Lighting & Power

b) Industrial Power
c) Railway
d) Streetlight etc
A.C. Distribution system

A.c. distribution system is the electrical system between the step-down substation fed
by the transmission system and the consumers’ meters.

The a.c. distribution system is classified into

( i) primary distribution system .

( ii) secondary distribution system.

 Primary distribution
• voltages somewhat higher than general
utilisation and handles large blocks of
electrical energy than the average low-
voltage consumer uses.
• Commonly used primary distribution
voltage 11KV, 6.6 KV,3.3 KV.
• Electric power from the generating
station is transmitted at high voltage to
the substation located in or near the city.
• At this substation, voltage is stepped
down to 11 kV with the help of step-
down transformer.
• Power is supplied to various substations
for distribution or to big consumers at
this voltage.
• This forms the high voltage distribution
or primary distribution.
Secondary distribution

• It is that part of a.c.

distribution
system which includes the
range of
voltages at which the ultimate
consumer utilizes the electrical
energy
delivered to him.

• The secondary
distribution employs
400/230 V, 3 phase, 4-
wire system.
D.C. Distribution system

D.c. supply is required for the operation of variable speed machinery ( i.e., d.c. motors), for
electro-chemical work and for congested areas where storage battery reserves are necessary.

For this purpose, a.c. power is converted into d.c. power at the substation by using converting
machinery e.g., mercury arc rectifiers, and motor-generator sets.

Type of DC distributor
The dc supply from the substation may be obtained in form of

( i) 2-wire

( ii) 3-wire for distribution.

Connection schemes of distribution system

• Radial system

• Ring main system

• Interconnected system
Radial Distribution System:
 separate feeders radiate from a single substation and feed the
distributors at one end only.
 Only one path is connected between each customer and
substation.
 Electrical power flows along a single path.
 If interrupted, results in complete loss of power to the customer.

Advantages:
 Low cost .
 Simple planning.

Disadvantages :

 The radial system is employed only when power is generated at low

voltage and the substation is located at the centre of the load.
 Distributor nearer to feeding end is heavily loaded
 Consumers at far end of feeder would be subjected to serious
voltage fluctuations.
Ring or Loop Distribution System

 It consists of two or more paths between power sources

and the customer.
 The loop circuit starts from the substation bus-bars,
makes a loop through the area to be served, and returns
to the substation
Advantages:
 Less conductor material is required.
 Less voltage fluctuations.
 More reliable.

Disadvantages:
 It is difficult to design as compared to the
design of radial system
Interconnected Distribution System:

 It is supplied by a number of feeders.

 Radial primary feeders can be tapped off from the
interconnecting tie feeders.
 They can also serve directly from the substation.

Advantages:
 Increases the reliability of supply
 Losses are less
 Quality of service is improved.

Disadvantages:
 Its initial cost is more.

 Difficult in planning, design and operation.