Advanced Power Distribution Engineering for Utilities

Introduction

In our modern world, distribution systems deliver electricity literally everywhere, taking power generated at many locations and delivering it to end-users. Generation, transmission, and distribution – of these big three components of the electricity infrastructure, the distribution system gets the least attention. Yet, it is often the most critical component in terms of its effect on reliability and quality of service, cost of electricity, and aesthetic (mainly visual) impacts on society.

Like much of the electric utility industry, several political, economic, and technical changes are pressuring the way distribution systems are built and operated. Deregulation has increased pressures on electric power utilities to cut costs and has focused emphasis on the reliability and quality of electric service. The great fear of deregulation is that service will suffer because of cost-cutting. Regulators and utility consumers are paying considerable attention to reliability and quality. Another change that is brewing is the introduction of distributed generation on the distribution system. Generators at the distribution level can cause problems (and have benefits if properly applied). Customers are pressing for lower costs, better reliability, and less visual impact from utility distribution systems.

Objectives

Deregulation and technical changes increase the need by utility engineers for better information. This course helps fill some of those needs in the area of electric distribution systems. The first two days of the course focus on the equipment-oriented information and applications such as choosing transformer connections, sizing and placing capacitors, and setting regulators. Day three and four of this course cover reliability and power quality.

The performance of the distribution system determines greater than 90% of the reliability of service to customers (the high-voltage transmission and generation system determines the rest). If performance is increased, it will have to be done on the distribution system. On the last day of this course, we tackle lightning protection, grounding, and safety. Safety is a very important consideration in the design, operation, and maintenance of distribution facilities.

The last two sessions of day five on distributed generation provide information to help utilities avoid problems caused by the introduction of distributed generation.

This course provides many tools to help address the challenges of providing a more reliable distribution system given significant cost constraints. In addition to a wealth of classic information on distribution practices, the course provides new insights based on recent research by EPRI, the Consortium for Electric Infrastructure to Support a Digital Society (CEIDS), IEEE, and others. 

Upon completion of this course, participants will have good knowledge of the following areas:

• Modern Power Distribution Systems
• Overhead Lines
• Underground Distribution
• Distribution Transformers
• Distribution Substations
• Voltage Regulation
• Capacitor Application
• Faults
• Short Circuit Protection
• Reliability
• Voltage Sags and Monetary Interruptions
• Power Quality
• Lightning Protection
• Grounding & Safety
•  Distributed Generators

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies, and presentations on best practice. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations. The online course is conducted online using MS-Teams/ClickMeeting.

Who Should Attend?

This course is suitable for electrical power managers, engineers, superintendents, supervisors, foremen, technicians, and those who are involved in the design, engineering, operation, maintenance, and control of the electric power system or anyone interested in obtaining a working knowledge of the modern power distribution systems for utilities

Course Outline

Day 1: Distribution Power Transformers Types, Characteristics, Operations and Protection

• Types and design of power transformers
• Oil-immersed transformers
• Major components of a power transformer
• Vector groups for transformers
• Cooling systems for transformers
• Fault level and impedance percentage of a transformer

Day 2: Construction and Characteristics Switches and Circuit Breakers

• Construction and operation of load break switch, earth switches, and isolators
• Construction and operation of molded case circuit breaker
• Construction and operations of air circuit breaker
• The electronic trip of an air circuit breaker
• The construction and operation of vacuum circuit breaker
• Characteristics of vacuum circuit breaker

Day 3: SF6 and High Voltage Circuit Breakers

• SF6 arc quenching characteristics
• SF6 circuit breaker operations and characteristics
• Live tank high voltage circuit breaker
• Dead tank high voltage circuit breaker
• Safety of SF6 circuit breakers
• New alternative grid green gas

Day 4: Auxiliary Power by Means of Batteries and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

• Critical loads and distribution equipment categories
• Types of  online and offline UPS design
• Components functionalities of a UPS
• Double conversion UPS
• Redundancy and parallel operation of UPS
• UPS operational modes

Day 5: Maintenance and Safety of Power Distribution Equipment

• Functionalities of numerical relays
• Maintenance strategies
• Partial discharge and its effects
• Merits of thermography
• Power quality measurement instruments
• Wrap up session and Q&A session