Understanding Electrical Substations: Types and Functioning (2024)

We’ve all experienced that dreaded feeling of electricity going out in our homes and offices. Electricity not only fuels our homes but also our plants and factories, making electricity outages a major inconvenience.

The cause of electricity outages is often linked to a critical piece of infrastructure that we may not think about every day: electrical substations. Electrical substations are a crucial component of electricity networks and are designed to both generate electricity and distribute it to end users.

What Are Electrical Substations?

An electrical substation is a facility that serves as a junction point between electricity generation and electricity distribution. It gathers electricity from various sources, such as electricity generation plants and electricity distribution networks, and then distributes it to end users across a wide area.

Electrical substations are also responsible for transforming electricity from one voltage level to another, so they can meet the electricity needs of different users.

Usually, electrical substations are located in remote places and are heavily monitored by electricity companies for safety reasons. However, now they are moved closer to power plants and electricity grids, allowing electricity utilities to easily monitor and manage electricity flow.

Many people may confuse an electrical substation with a transformer station, but the two are quite different. A transformer station is for high to medium voltages of electricity, while an electrical substation is designed to perform electricity control and transformation for lower voltages.

How Do Electrical Substations Work?

Electrical substations are responsible for electricity generation, electricity transmission, and electricity distribution.

Generation is the process of creating electricity from an electricity source. The electricity is then transmitted — or sent over electricity lines — to a distribution center, and from there it is distributed to end users.

To ensure electricity is sent safely and efficiently, electricity utilities rely on electricity substations. These facilities have the necessary equipment to control and monitor electricity flow. The electricity is also transformed from one voltage level to another, so it can be more easily distributed to end users.

What’s more, electricity substations are equipped with a range of monitoring and control systems that enable the electricity network to be monitored in real-time. This ensures electricity outages can be quickly identified and addressed, enabling the electricity supply to remain uninterrupted.

Types Of Electrical Substations

Electrical substations come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they all have the same purpose: electricity generation, electricity transmission, and electricity distribution.

The main types of electrical substations include:

1. Transmission Substations:

These are the largest and most complex electricity substations. They are responsible for electricity transmission across long distances and also act as electricity stepping stones, allowing electricity to be distributed across wider areas.

There are two types of transmission substations

  • Step-Up Transmission Substations: These substations increase electricity voltage for electricity transmission over long distances and are located outside electricity generating plants. Circuit breakers and taps are used to switch generation and operative equipment at the plant, respectively.
  • Step-Down Transmission Substations: These substations reduce electricity voltage to make electricity more suitable for electricity distribution. They are located at the switching points on the power grids where electricity is sent to electricity distribution networks.

2. Distribution Substation

These electricity substations are responsible for electricity distribution within electricity grids. Distribution substations regulate electricity voltage, switch electricity from one electricity line to another, and monitor electricity flow so electricity outages can be quickly identified.

It is in charge of stepping down voltage further so it can be used by residential, commercial, and industrial users. A distribution transformer is a key component of accomplishing this before electricity is distributed to different end users.

3. Collector Substation

These electricity substations are much smaller than transmission and distribution substations, but they play an important role in electricity distribution. They are responsible for electricity collection from electricity generating plants and electricity transmission to electricity distribution networks. As such, power generated can be easily monitored within the network.

Design Generator Software for Electrical Substations

Electrical substations are a crucial component of electricity networks as they are responsible for transforming electricity from one voltage level to another and distributing it safely to electricity consumers.

To ensure electricity can be managed, monitored, and controlled effectively, electrical substation operators must have access to sophisticated designs and tools to help them generate and maintain electricity grids.

At Transcend, we offer cutting-edge Transcend Design Generator software that enables operators to manage electricity networks effectively and efficiently. Our innovative solutions are designed to maximize electricity reliability while minimizing operational costs, enabling electricity networks to operate at their highest levels of efficiency.

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Understanding Electrical Substations: Types and Functioning (2024)

FAQs

Understanding Electrical Substations: Types and Functioning? ›

An electrical substation is a facility that serves as a junction point between electricity generation and electricity distribution. It gathers electricity from various sources, such as electricity generation plants and electricity distribution networks, and then distributes it to end users across a wide area.

What are the four types of substations? ›

There are four types of substation transformers, each classified by their respective voltage range:
  • Super High Voltage Substations (>500kV)
  • High Voltage Substations (66kV, 110kV, 220kV, and 500kV)
  • Medium Voltage Substations (6kV, 10kV, 15kV, 22kV, and 35kV)
  • Low Voltage Substations (0.2kV and 0.4kV)
  • Mobile Substation.

What are the classification of substation according to function? ›

All in all, it is where bulk power is converted into a usable amount of power or vice versa. It is classified into four categories- step-up or primary substation, primary grid substation, secondary substation, and step-down or distribution substation.

What are the functions of electrical substation? ›

Substation Functions

Regulate voltage to compensate for system voltage changes. Switch transmission and distribution circuits into and out of the grid system. Measure electric power qualities flowing in the circuits.

How do electric substations work? ›

Substations contain the specialist equipment that allows the voltage of electricity to be transformed (or 'switched'). The voltage is stepped up or down through pieces of equipment called transformers, which sit within a substation's site.

Are substations AC or DC? ›

A substation is a high-voltage (HV) electric system facility used to switch generating stations, transmission systems, distribution systems, and to step voltages up or down, with some substations transforming and converting power from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) or DC to AC, respectively.

What are the different types of sub circuits in electrical? ›

Subcircuits are self-contained circuits that appear as "black boxes" in other circuits. A given subcircuit may be used any number of times at multiple levels just as long as it does not become a subcircuit of itself. There are three types of subcircuits: cards, chips and plug-ins.

What are the levels of substations? ›

On the basis of voltage levels, substations can be categorized as: Low Voltage (LV) Substations: 0.24KV - 0.6 KV. Medium Voltage (MV) Substations: 2.4KV - 69KV. High (HV) Substations: 115KV - 765 kV.

What are the basic principles of substation? ›

Substations typically serve three main purposes. One is to transform the voltage from one level to another, another is to provide sectionalizers or devices that can be used to isolate and protect equipment such as circuit breakers and disconnectors, and lastly the third is to control the system voltage.

What is a common type of substation configuration? ›

While there are many minor varia- tions, the four bus configurations are called breaker-and-a-half, double-bus- double-breaker, double-bus-single-breaker, and ring bus. An operating diagram is typically used to describe a substation.

What is the most common configuration used at a substation? ›

Normally, the most common configuration used by electricity companies is that of an input and output ring with a protection switchgear designed to protect each transformer in the event of a problem such as a network overload.

What are the three main parts of a substation? ›

An Electrical substation is a critical component in the electrical power distribution system, comprising three main parts: transformers, switchgear, and control systems. These parts work together to ensure efficient energy distribution, voltage regulation, and safety within the grid.

What is the difference between a station and a substation? ›

The main difference we find between a transformer station and an electrical substation is the magnitude of the installations. While transformer stations are linked to high/medium-voltage transmission systems, electrical substations are designed to support and transform lower voltages.

How to understand substations? ›

An electrical substation is a facility that serves as a junction point between electricity generation and electricity distribution. It gathers electricity from various sources, such as electricity generation plants and electricity distribution networks, and then distributes it to end users across a wide area.

How many volts run through a substation? ›

A typical substation at a power plant

Typical voltages for long distance transmission are in the range of 155,000 to 765,000 volts in order to reduce line losses.

What are the fundamentals of substation? ›

Fundamentals of Electrical Substations

Electrical substations act as intermediaries between high-voltage transmission lines and local distribution networks. They facilitate voltage transformation, switching, and protection, ensuring electricity is safely distributed to end consumers.

How many substations are there? ›

There are 55,000 substations in the United States.

What are the main three levels of substation automation system? ›

2.2. 2 Automation of substations
Sr. no.LevelHierarchy
1Process levelLowest level
2Bay levelMiddle level
3Station levelHighest level

What are the primary and secondary substations? ›

The primary substations are the interconnection between high voltage and medium voltage. The secondary substations are the interconnection between medium and low voltage. SEA produces HV/MV, MV/MV, MV/LV transformers, both liquid immersed and dry type.

References

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