#Electrical substation equipment code#

Personnel should be able to clearly see the equipment and surroundings to perform their work safely. Illumination in Electrical Substation DesignД¬arefully thought out illumination and lighting can help create a safe work environment. Giving clearance for both the bus and insulator reduces this risk. Touching the bottom of the insulator could become unsafe if the bus flashover to the ground over the insulator occurs. For example, a post insulator supporting an energized bus should have at minimum 6 feet of clearance, measuring from the bottom of the insulator. This is to ensure that a person standing on the ground cannot touch a substation element that has the potential to become energized. Ungrounded parts and other substation elements should be at least 6-8 feet from the ground. Minimum Height in Electrical Substation Design If the desired clearance cannot be achieved, live parts should be enclosed with a protective barrier. A well-designed substation can reduce or minimize hazards by creating a safe environment for utility workers and the public.Д®nergized parts should be designed with enough clearance to reduce the risk of accidental contact. Within the confines of the code, substation design engineers have some leeway to improve safety through their design.

#Electrical substation equipment code#

National Electrical Safety Code Standard C2-2012 creates basic provisions for the safe construction, operation and maintenance of electrical substations.Дesign Concepts for Electrical Substation SafetyД®lectrical Safety Code Standards create hard and fast rules for electrical substation design. The most important code comes from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). There are numerous laws, rules, and codes that govern electrical substation design. Hazards are carefully identified and appropriately grounded to protect both utility workers and the public. Calculating the touch and step potentials is part of the substation design engineering process. вЂњTouch and step potentialsвЂќ as they are commonly called, are the gradient potential ground rise during a short circuit. To prevent such hazards, a substation design engineer can calculate the total ground potential rise during a short circuit in the transmission system. Metal fences can create a significant safety threat if not included in the grounding system. However, conductive materials that come into contact with the ground can become electrified. The earth does not conduct electricity, so the ground within the substation and the surrounding area is generally safe to walk on during a fault. In the event of a fault, electrical currents can be discharged into the ground. Grounding systems help ensure the safety of anyone who may come near an electrical substation. The grounding system is one of the most important power substation design features. Capacitors, voltage regulators and reactors are also frequently included in power substation design. Large transformers house circuit breakers that are used to manage short circuits and overload currents. Substations are also generally equipped with switching, protection and control equipment. Step-down transformers are used for decreasing the alternating voltages at high currents. Step-up transformers are used for increasing alternating voltages at low currents. A transformer is a common piece of equipment found within a substation. These substations help keep service running during storms, preventative maintenance and new line construction.ДЄlthough substation design engineers create substations with a specific purpose in mind, many different types of substations overlap in their functionality and equipment. Switching substations make it possible to connect and disconnect transmission lines for planned and unplanned outages. Collector substations take energy from wind farms, hydroelectric power plants or other renewable energy sources and step up the voltage to enable energy to flow through transmission lines. There are different types of substation design, but they all help connect individual components or systems within the electrical grid.Дistribution substations, for example, use a transformer to step down the voltage from transmission lines so energy can flow through lower-voltage distribution lines. Electrical substations bring efficiency, redundancy, and safety to our electrical systems for power delivery.