BUILDING SERVICES II

EE 604

Ninth Lecture

Binod Bhandari
Senior Lecturer/Head of Department
Department of Electrical Engineering
Kathmandu Engineering College
 Overview of Todays Lecture

1. Overview of Previous Lecture

2. Understanding Single phase and 3 phase from videos

3. General Description of Electrical Distribution System

4. Components of Distribution systems

 Overview of Previous Lecture
1. Three phase circuit analysis

2. Numerical based on three phase circuit analysis

 Some Important videos

1. Ac voltage generation

2. Understanding 1 phase vs 3 phase system

3. Understanding simple House wiring

General Description of Electrical Distribution System
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Electricity comes to our house through three stages
• Generation
• Transmission
• Distribution
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Generation
• Generation is the part of power system where we convert some form of
energy into electrical energy. This is the source of energy in the power
system. It keeps running all the time. It generates power at different voltage
and power levels depending upon the type of station and the generators used.

• The ordinary power plant capacity and generating voltage may be 11kV, 11.5
kV 12kV or 13kV. But economically, it is good to step up the produced
voltage from (11kV, 11.5kV Or 12 kV) to 132kV, 220kV or 500kV or more
(in some countries, up to 1500kV) by Step up transformer (power
Transformer).
Different generating plants nowadays are :
Thermal power plant, Hydel power plant (Hydro-electric), Nuclear power plant
Diesel power plant, Gas power plant, Solar power plant, Tidal power plant,
Wind power plant. Etc
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Transmission
• The huge amount of power generated in a power station (hundreds of
MW) is to be transported over a long distance (hundreds of kilometers) to
load centers to cater power to consumers with the help of transmission
line and transmission towers.
• Usually, these lines run into hundreds of kilometers and deliver the power
in to a common power pool called the grid.

• The grid is connected to load centers (cities) through a sub-transmission

network normally 132kV (or sometimes 66kV)lines. These lines terminate
into a 132kV (or 66kV) substation, where the voltage is stepped-down to
33kV or11kV for power distribution network of lines at 11kV and lower.
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Types of Electric Power Distribution Systems

1) According to the nature of the supply 3) According to a type of construction

• AC Distribution system • Overhead system

• DC Distribution system • Underground system

2) According to a type of connection

• Radial system
• Ring system
• Interconnected system
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System

According to the nature of the supply

AC Distribution system
DC Distribution system

In most of the conditions, the power consumer or load requires AC power. Therefore,
the electric power is generated, transmitted, and distributed in the form of AC power.
Because an AC voltage can be easily step up and step down with the help of a
transformer.

According to the voltage level, the AC distribution system is further classified into
two types;
Primary distribution system
Secondary distribution system
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Primary distribution system

The voltage level of a primary distribution system is higher than the utilization
voltage level. In most cases, the primary distribution system uses a three-
phase three-wire system and the voltage level is in the range of 3.3 kV, 6.6 kV,
and 11 kV.

The primary distribution system supplies power to big consumers like

industries or large commercial complexes, etc.
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Secondary Distribution System

In a secondary distribution system, the power is distributed at the

utilization level. The primary distribution system ends with a transformer
that is used to convert 11 kV to 415 V. And this power is directly
distributed to the small consumers.

In most cases, the primary winding of this transformer is connected in

delta connection and secondary winding is connected in star connection to
provide a ground terminal. Therefore, the secondary distribution system
uses a three-phase four-wire system.
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Secondary Distribution System
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System

According to a type of connection

1. Radial System
In a radial system, a separate feeder is used to feed power from the substation to
each area. And this feeder feeds power to a distributor in one direction only. The
design of the radial system is simple and easy to implement in the system.

The initial cost of this system is less compared to other systems. But the
reliability of this system is very low. If one feeder is out of step condition, the
entire system will stop. This type of system is only used for a short-distance
distribution system.
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System
2. Ring Main System

• In the ring main system, the distribution

transformer is connected in a loop and
supplied by a substation from one end. It
means each distribution transformer has
two different ways to connect with the
substation.

• If a fault occurs between B and C points. In this

condition, the part between B and C will isolate
from the system. And substation supply power in
two different ways.

• It makes the system more reliable.

 General Description of Electrical Distribution System

3. Interconnected Distribution System

• In an interconnected distribution
system, a loop is supplied by more
than one substation at different
points. This system is also known as
a grid distribution system.

• It is supplied by two substations at points A

and E. Due to this type of arrangement, the
reliability of the system increases compared
to the ring main and radial system.
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Overhead vs Underground Distribution system
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
A typical power distribution system consists of –

• Distribution substation Along with these, a distribution system also

• Feeders consists of switches, protection equipment,
• Distribution Transformers measurement equipment etc.
• Distributor conductors
• Service mains conductors
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Distribution substation
A distribution substation is located near or inside city/town/village/industrial
area. It receives power from a transmission network. The high voltage from
the transmission line is then stepped down by a step-down transformer to the
primary distribution level voltage. Primary distribution voltage is usually 11
kV, but can range between 2.4 kV to 33 kV depending upon region or
consumer.

Distribution feeders: The stepped-down voltage from the substation is

carried to distribution transformers via feeder conductors. Generally, no
tapings are taken from the feeders so that the current remains same
throughout. The main consideration in designing of a feeder conductor is its
current carrying capacity.
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System

Distribution transformer: A distribution transformer, also called as service

transformer, provides final transformation in the electric power distribution
system. It is basically a step-down 3-phase transformer. Distribution transformer
steps down the voltage to 400 Y/230 volts. Here it means, voltage between any
one phase and the neutral is 230 volts and phase to phase voltage is 400 volts.
Distributors: Output from a distribution transformer is carried by distributor
conductor. Tappings are taken from a distributor conductor for power supply to
the end consumers. The current through a distributor is not constant as tappings
are taken at various places throughout its length. So, voltage drop along the length
is the main consideration while designing a distributor conductor.

Service mains: It is a small cable which connects the distributor conductor at the
nearest pole to the consumer's end.
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Service Panels
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Service Panels

• An electrical service panel is the link between the external wires coming from the
street and the internal electrical wires of the home’s electrical system. It is the
central distribution point that connects the service wire to the exit wires.
• The home electrical panel is generally kept away from the main household
activities. These locations may include the garage, hallway leading to the garage,
basement, and closet.

• Electric service panels have a number of different names: fuse box, breaker box,
fuse panel, and circuit breaker panel. Today, most homes have what is officially
called the electrical service panel, or simply, the service panel.
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Main Distribution Board
• It is the central hub of the electrical system, connecting all of the different
electrical services and components within the building, ranging from lighting
and power outlets to fire detection systems and more.

• This is often called an electrical panel, panel board, or even a fuse box. Virtually
all homes and businesses will have at least one distribution board built in, which
is located where the main electrical line enters the structure.

• The size of the board will depend on the amount of electricity coming in and
how many different circuits need to be installed.
• A Main Distribution Board is comprised of several components, including Bus
bars, circuit breakers, isolator switches, safety switches, and surge protection
devices, fuses etc.
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Main Distribution Board

It is important to ensure the correct cable size, type, and current rating is used, as well
as the correct number of circuit breakers, safety switches, and surge protection
devices. Proper installation is essential to ensure the system is safe and functioning
optimally.

A distribution board unit installed in the buildings which firstly receive the incoming
single phase electric supply (AC low voltage (LV) (230V AC or 120V AC in US)
from transformer secondary through electric pole and energy meter or the
distribution company’s electric service provider outlets is known as Main
Distribution Board.
General Description of Electrical Distribution System
Main Distribution Board (MDB), SDB
 General Description of Electrical Distribution System
SDB = Sub Distribution Board

The Distribution Board which is used to distribute electrical wiring and circuits
within a selected area in a building or house, i.e. floor in a multi storey
building. The Sub distribution board is connected and supplied from the Main
Distribution Board through different wires and cables rated according to the
load requirement.

Wiring Accessories for Single Phase Distribution Board

• DP = Double Pole MCB (The main isolator or main switch).
• RCD =Residual Current Devices for safety.
• SP = Single Pole MCB (Circuit Breakers and Fuses).
• MCB & CB = Miniature Circuit Breaker and Circuit Breaker.
General Description of Electrical Distribution System