Maintaining performance efficiency in power system through GIS and hybrid substation

Substation line maintenance challenges develop as a result of the increasing level of urbanisation, economic concerns, and presumably a better awareness of demanding social environment requirements.

Substations are crucial components of a power system. When discussing substations or any other transmission technology, we must evaluate the overall power system. Previously, it was only thought of as a power station, whether it was thermal, nuclear, or hydro. Transmission systems were treated differently than load regions, with a stepped-down substation erected and then linked to distribution substations.

Today, the energy environment is completely altering, and we have solar and wind power generating. Although there are options for battery storage for energy storage, certain thermal power plants are still short of such inertia. The difficulties that we confront today with transient systems are ones of maximum resource use. We have a certain amount of infrastructure built up which should be utilised to its maximum extent to keep the end-cost to the customer low. 

We have very severe immediate constraints, and obtaining property to build an AIC substation remains difficult, as it takes 7-8 months and may be delayed by litigation. As a result of the high number of renewable power units in the grid, renewable integration has become a major challenge. All of this must be done with a reliable power system, or else frequent blackouts will occur.

Challenges and concerns in designing a power substation

When it comes to the development of a substation design, the difficulties that design engineers encounter are not limited to the placement of equipment into the substation. One example is the lack of available space. Second, the installation of new substations, lines, and system parts raises worries about increased short circuit levels, particularly in some of the older substations with buses rated for 20 normal amperes. Short-circuit levels are now close to 52 amperes. Some other NCR stations are experiencing this constraint, and operations are being carried out via a split bus to guarantee that there is no untoward incident in a substation.

Another consideration is to minimise wind expense while maintaining meticulous equipment condition monitoring. Bringing in more substation lines and increasing organisational engagement will require an industrial approach. It’s really difficult to get those lines into a substation. Today, getting those wires into a substation is a major undertaking.

Due to the high level of urbanisation, economic factors, and likely a greater awareness of rigorous social environment standards, substation line maintenance issues arise.

We need a fresh attitude to tackle the space and accommodation constraints. Gas Insulated Substations (GIS), which have been active in the power sector, could be one of the alternatives.

Aside from this, there are sensors on the market that are either indoor GIS, outdoor GIS, or hybrid substations that combine AIS and GIS.

“Sterlite Power was a pioneer in the Gurgaon area for multilayer vertical GIS substations. We constructed three vertical substations that are erected in accordance with industry standards. The substation took up three acres of land,” says Rajesh Suri, Head – Design & Engineering, Sterlite Power Transmission Limited. 

Today’s market equipment, whether it’s a circuit breaker or a dis-connector, has a high degree of reliability. A call to action for anywhere there is a space constraint, such as replacing a one and a half breaker scheme with a double bar scheme or a main bus and transfer scheme. To tackle the land challenge, some fresh thinking is required. 

Disadvantages of Gas Insulated Substations 

GIS has a number of drawbacks, including a high building cost. One option is to start looking into outside substations. You should look into outdoor GIS. GIS substations are now epoxy-coated to make them more environmentally friendly. And these outdoor GIS substations are already in use in India, with one in Chennai and another in Gujarat.

Substation trends 

One of the latest trends is the use of drones to examine substation sites. Within 4 hours, these drones can survey a 40-acre substation. Substation 3D models can then be created. There are various tools accessible. These capabilities, for example, are accessible in BIM 3D, which can result in a very quick development of the BOQ.

Site creation using 3D tools is another extra technology, and I feel AutoCAD 3D is the greatest accessible tool for 3D imaging. These 3D terrain profiling tools can do it in about a fourth of the time.

Digital substations and their benefits 

To carry more signals in digital substations, optical fibres are used rather than copper wires. Optical fibres take up far less space than a digital substation, and installation time is minimal. As more renewables are added to the grid, this is becoming increasingly critical. For generating stations, these renewals typically take 15 to 16 months. As a result, the transmission schedule must be adhered to. This necessitates the construction of a substation and transmission lines concurrently.