Substation Protection: How Well-Designed Is Your System?

Today is just another day at your local HV substation. Inside, the transformers gently hum and switchgear sit idle. Outside, a neighbour’s neglected tree loses a branch, which clashes with an overhead line. Ask yourself: What happens next? That depends on the substation design and their protection systems, which are the focus of this post.

Protection systems

So, what are protection systems? It’s a system that controls switchgear to detect and correct electrical faults. Generally, combining In a home, the switchgear and protection in a single unit, such as a fuse or MCB. The high voltage world is surprisingly similar, only the switchgear is much larger, and the protection systems separated.

A fault can affect thousands of customers. So, protection systems now often armed with clever automation. And remote control to minimise disruption. These complex devices are highly configurable and their settings files require careful design. How then, should an engineer commission them?

So, if the protection scheme is too sensitive, the assets protection good. But, the risk of nuisance tripping and unnecessary outages will increase. Also, by contrast, if a scheme is too basic or the settings are too coarse, the risk of permanent damage to assets and harm to the workforce increases. What then, is the right balance?

A protection network review (study) guides you through these questions. This is a comprehensive study that reviews all the components of a protection scheme and the network it protects. The result is a co-ordinated approach that reduces unnecessary trips and ensures your assets are protected. Stay informed about your network and minimise your disruption today.

GreyMatters is proud to launch a Protection Network Review service. Contact us now. Or ask a question in the “ChatBox” below

Dominic Warren-Gash CEng MEng MIET