Lecture Notes for Sub Station and Power System Operation

& Maintenance Course

By
U Tin Maung Tun
Chief Engineer
Thermal Generation Department
Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise
20
th
July 2009
Subject - Power System
1. Introductory
1-1 Importance of Electrical Energy
Civilizations of mankind are closely engaged with energy everyday. In the
future our existence will be more and more dependent upon energy.
Electric Energy occupies the top position in the energy hierarchy. It finds
numerous uses in home, industry agriculture and even in transport. Improvement of
the quality of life of the people depend so much upon the supply of electrical energy.
1-2 Superiority of Electrical Energy
Electrical energy is considered to all other forms of energy such as, (Chemical,
Heat, Light, Sound, and Mechanical) due to the following reasons.
(a) Cheapness (much cheaper than other)
(b) Convenient and Efficient Transmission
(c) Easy to control
(d) Cleanness
(e) Greater Flexibility (very easy to use)
Now 25% of the total energy used is electricity in the world, but because of the
numerous advantages this portion will be greater and greater in future.
1-3 Generation of Electrical Energy
(a) Conventional methods
By using engines, steam turbines, gas turbines, hydraulic turbines as prime-
movers for the electrical machines (Generators or Alternators).
(b) Non Conventional methods
- Generation without using prime-movers
- Solar cells, Fuel cells thermo electric, Geothermal tidal, Wind
- 2 -
2. Power Systems
2-1 In the early days a generation plant supplies electricity to an area.
Now demand of electricity is greater and greater, the capacity of power plant is
larger and larger. The power plants are connected with High Voltage Transmission
Lines and transported to cities, towns and Industrial Areas by using Primary Sub
Station and medium voltage line. The interconnected network of Generation Plants,
Sub Stations and Loads are called Power System.
2-2 Elements of Power System
(a) Generators
(b) High and Extra High Voltage Transmission Lines
(c) Sub-Stations
(d) - Switch gears and measuring instruments
- Power transformers
(e) Protection and Control and Communication Systems, Reactors, Capacitors
(f) Consumer equipments (Loads)
2-3 Advantages of Power System
(a) Economical
(b) Reliable (Less Interruption)
(c) Low capital investment
(d) Low operation and maintenance cost
(e) Flexibility of operation
(f) Less reserve capacity (Spinning and Stand-by)
3. Power system studies
The following three studies should be done for proper and reliable power
system.
1. Load flow study
2. Short circuit study
3. Stability study
Without above mentioned studies a power system cannot be operated with
proper voltage regulations, minimum loss and less outages.



- 3 -
3-1 Load flow study
In a 3 AC power system active and reactive power flows from the generating
stations to the load through different network buses and branches (Transmission
Lines). Active power (P) and reactive Power (Q) supplied by generators at generator
buses. Reactive power (Q) is supplied or drawn from load buses by shunt
compensation elements (Shunt Capacitor, Reactors, Static VAR systems) and also
load elements such as motors (Synchronous and Induction) chokes on Lamps,
Welding transformers, Arc furnaces.
The flow of P and Q in a power system is called load flow.
In load flow study the voltage of buses and their phase angles are affected by
the power flow and vice-versa.
3-1-1 Advantages of load flow study
(a) Planning and Operation of existing power system.
(a) Future extension of generating plants, transmission lines, sub-stations and new
branches.
(c) Localizations of shunt power capacitors, reactor s, fixed series capacitors,
thyristor controlled series capacitors, static VAR compensators (FSC, TCSC,
and SVC)
(d) Selection of the voltage ranges and number of taps in On Load Tap Changers
(OLTC) of power transformers.
3-1-2 Methods of load flow study
For many years load flow studies were carried out by means of a special
purpose analog computer called AC network analyzer but the advent of high speed
digital computers replace their use for large system studies in greater flexibility,
economy, accuracy and speed of operation. Now we can get load flow study software
operable with modern personal computers.
3-2 Short circuit study
In a AC 3-phase power system the faults or short circuit occurrences can not be
avoided, mostly on transmission lines, bus bars, Current transformer, Potential transformer,
Circuit breakers, etc. The amount of short circuit current is calculated by special software
with high speed personal computers. It well takes a lot of time to calculate manually by
mathematic equations.
- 4 -
3-2-1 Types of Short Circuits
(a) Single line to ground
(b) Line to Line
(c) Double Line to ground
(d) Three phase (Symmetrical)
3-2-2 Advantages of short circuit studies
(a) Replacement of aged equipments (Circuit Breakers, CT, Bus, etc.)
(b) Define the setting of protective relays (Over current, Earth Fault) for fault
discrimination and reduce the blackout areas.
(c) Predetermine the short circuit capacity of future power system extension
equipments.
(d) Support system stability
(e) Support power quality assurances
t(f) Support power system earth methods to limit Earth Fault Current
3-3 Stability Study
In all power system, the larger machines are of the synchronous type these
include substantially of the generators and condenser and considerable parts of the
motors. On such system it is necessary to maintain synchronism.
Transient disturbances are caused by change in loads switching operations and
particularly faults and loss of excitation.
Thus maintenance of synchronism during study state conditions and regaining
of synchronism or equilibrium after disturbance are very important to the electrical
power producers (Utilities).
Stability =Maintenance of Synchronism
Stability Limit =Maximum power flow of part of the (or) point of the
System
3-3-1 Types of stability
(a) Steady state stability
(b) Transient stability
(c) Dynamic stability



- 5 -
(a) Steady state stability
Capability of an electric power system to maintain synchronism
following the slow disturbance (Normal Load fluctuations, action of automatic
voltage regulator and generator governor).
(b) Transient stability
Large disturbances such as load thrown out line faults fault clearing,
load thrown in.
In this case the synchronism is maintained and the maximum amount of
power at that time is transient stability limit.
(c) Dynamic Stability
Ability of power system to maintain the synchronism after the
initializing until the system settle down to the new study state equilibrium
condition. This actually occurs in about (1-1.5) seconds after disturbance.
P
s
=
X
VsVr
Sin







3-3-2 Methods to improve stability
(a) Increase the system voltages
(b) Reduce the transfer reactance
(c) Use high speed circuit breaker
(d) Auto re-closing (3 poles for feeders, Single pole for tie line)
(e) - Grounding resistors instead of solid grounding
(f) - Series capacitors in the mid way of the line



Load angle
P
s