ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES

IN SUBSTATION
ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• Majority of electrical substations will be air insulated type.
All the electrical equipment live parts will be exposed . All
the electrical equipment in the substation shall be
arranged in such a manner to ensure the clearance space
between the live parts .and other equipment of the
substation (grounded or ungrounded).
ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• Adequate clearances should be provided for safety of
the operating and maintenance personnel and also to
prevent any conducting path between the phases.
 ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• The values identified as
minimums should be maintained
or exceeded at all times. Phase-
to-ground and phase-to-phase
clearances should be
coordinated to ensure that
possible flashovers occur from
phase to ground rather than
from phase to phase.
ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• Phase to phase clearance is the minimum clearance required to be
provided between the live parts of different phases or is the
minimum clearance between the same phases .
• Phase to earth clearance is the minimum clearance required to be
provided between the live parts of the system and earth structures
ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• Sectional clearance is the distance between the live parts of the phases and
the terminals of the work section. This limits of work section or maintenance
section may be a platform or ground on which operation personnel can
carryout his task safely.

• Ground clearance is the vertical clearance between the live parts of the
equipment and the earth surface
ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• The minimum metal-to metal
clearances should be maintained
at all times with the switches in the
open position, closed position, or
anywhere between the open and
closed positions.

•
ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• When non-rigid conductors are used for outdoor overhead substation buses,
the movement of the conductors caused by temperature changes and wind
and ice loads has to be considered. The usual practice is to increase the
centerline-to-centerline bus spacing and the phase-to-ground clearances to
compensate for these conditions.
ELECTRICAL CLEARANCES
• In some locations, contamination from airborne particles necessitates
increasing the minimum electrical clearances. Satisfactory operation can
usually be obtained by using clearances one step above those normally used.
In extremely contaminated locations, additional clearance may be required.