Substation Design, Operation and Maintenance: HV/MV Busbars, Equipment and Switching – Paris, 5–16 Apr 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Substation design, operation and maintenance decisions are often made bay by bay, so busbar schemes, equipment ratings, auxiliary supplies, automation and switching rules drift apart as a site grows, and a single breaker failure or switching error can drop several feeders. This Core Concept course equips engineers and senior operators to treat the HV and MV substation as one system: selecting busbar arrangements and primary equipment, checking insulation, clearances and auxiliaries, interfacing control and protection, and running safe switching and condition-based maintenance. Participants produce a Substation Design and Operations Review for their own site.

Course Objectives:

• Select substation types and busbar arrangements that balance supply security, maintainability and cost for a given network role
• Specify primary equipment for each bay, including power transformers, circuit breakers, disconnectors, instrument transformers and surge arresters, and justify GIS or AIS construction
• Check substation layouts against insulation coordination, clearance, earthing and auxiliary AC and DC supply requirements
• Evaluate control, SCADA and protection interfaces built on IEC 61850 station and process bus architectures
• Direct switching programmes, interlocking and safety documentation for outages, extensions and commissioning of new bays
• Build a condition-based maintenance and performance review for a substation using diagnostic data, health indices and reliability KPIs

Target Audience:

• Substation design engineers who prepare single-line diagrams, layouts and equipment specifications for new and extended sites
• Transmission and distribution engineers accountable for substation performance, outages and network security
• Senior operators and control engineers who authorise switching programmes and safety documents
• Asset managers who set maintenance strategy and renewal priorities for substation equipment
• Project and commissioning leads who coordinate substation extensions with network operators and contractors

Course Outline:

Day 1: Substation Types, Functions and Single-Line Diagrams

• Transmission, Distribution, Collector, Converter and Switching Substation Functions
• Mobile Substations for Emergency Supply and Planned Outage Cover
• Single-Line Diagram Reading: Bays, Feeders, Couplers and Device Designations
• Voltage Level Selection and Transformation Ratio Choices Across HV and MV Busbars
• Substation Functional Specification Checklist for a New or Extended Site

Day 2: Busbar Arrangements and Primary Equipment Selection

• Single, Sectionalised and Double Busbar Arrangement Comparison
• Breaker-and-a-Half and Ring Bus Schemes: Supply Security Versus Capital Cost
• Power Transformer Rating, Cooling Mode and Tap Changer Choices at Station Level
• Circuit Breaker, Disconnector and Earthing Switch Duty Allocation per Bay
• Current and Voltage Transformer Cores, Burdens and Accuracy Classes for Metering and Protection

Day 3: Insulation Coordination, Surge Arresters and GIS Versus AIS

• Lightning and Switching Overvoltage Sources in HV Substations
• Insulation Level Selection and Coordination Principles Overview
• Metal-Oxide Surge Arrester Placement, Protective Distance and Energy Ageing
• Air-Insulated Substation Footprint, Extension Flexibility and Environmental Exposure
• Gas-Insulated Substation Compartments, Insulating Gas Choices and Land Area Saving

Day 4: Layout, Clearances, Earthing Grid and Auxiliary Supplies

• Substation Layout Drawing: Bay Spacing, Access Roads and Heavy Equipment Transport Routes
• Phase-to-Phase, Phase-to-Earth and Working Section Clearance Checks
• Earthing Grid Overview: Step and Touch Voltage Concepts and Fence Bonding
• Station Service AC Supply: Auxiliary Transformers, Changeover Schemes and Essential Loads
• DC System Design: Battery Duty Cycle Sizing, Chargers and Earth Fault Monitoring

Day 5: Week-One Integration: Guided Substation Design Case Study

• Case Substation Brief: Load Growth, Incoming Circuits and Outgoing Feeders
• Busbar Scheme Selection Matrix for the Case Substation
• Bay Equipment Schedule Drafted from the Case Single-Line Diagram
• Layout Sketch Review Against Clearance, Fire Separation and Access Criteria
• Week-One Design Basis Memorandum and Open Issues Register

Day 6: Substation Automation, SCADA and Protection Interfaces

• Substation Automation Hierarchy: Process, Bay and Station Levels
• IEC 61850 Station Bus, Process Bus, GOOSE and Sampled Values Overview
• Substation Configuration Language Files and IED Engineering Workflow
• SCADA Telecontrol Gateways Using DNP3 and Modbus Protocols
• Protection Zones, Zone Overlap and Bay Trip Matrix Interfaces

Day 7: Switching Operations, Safety Rules and Operational Risk

• Switching Programme Preparation, Independent Checking and Authorisation Chain
• Interlocking Logic Between Breakers, Disconnectors and Earthing Switches
• Isolation, Proving Dead, Circuit Earthing and Safety Document Issue for Substation Work
• Operational Risk Assessment for Live Substation Extensions and Busbar Outages
• Incident Case Review: Switching Error, Wrong Bay Access and Lessons Learnt

Day 8: Testing, Commissioning and Stakeholder Coordination

• Factory and Site Acceptance Test Sequence for a Substation Extension
• Bay Energisation Plan and Outage Request Coordination with the Network Control Centre
• Scheme Tests: End-to-End Protection and Interlock Verification Across Bays
• Interface Management Between Asset Owner, EPC Contractor, OEMs and Network Operator
• Operations Handover Pack: As-Built Single-Line Diagram, Settings Records and Operating Instructions

Day 9: Condition-Based Maintenance, Diagnostics and Performance KPIs

• Condition Monitoring Data Sources: Online Sensors, Routine Inspections and Test History
• Diagnostic Technique Selection by Asset Class: Thermography, Partial Discharge and Dissolved Gas Analysis
• Health Index Scoring and Criticality Ranking for Substation Assets
• Substation Reliability KPIs: Availability, Forced Outage Rate and Mean Time to Restore
• Maintenance Strategy Review: Time-Based to Condition-Based Transition Plan

Day 10: Capstone: Substation Design and Operations Review

• Participant Substation Data Pack Assembly and Single-Line Diagram Mark-Up
• Design Adequacy Review: Busbar Scheme, Equipment Ratings and Clearances
• Operations Review: Switching Procedures, Auxiliary Supply Resilience and Automation Status
• Maintenance and Risk Action Register With Owners and Priorities
• Substation Design and Operations Review Presentation and Peer Challenge

Skills You Will Gain:

• Busbar Scheme Selection
• Primary Equipment Specification
• Insulation Coordination Judgement
• Substation Layout Checking
• Auxiliary Supply Design
• Substation Automation Interfacing
• Switching Programme Authorisation
• Condition-Based Asset Prioritisation

Why Attend This Course:

• Return with a Substation Design and Operations Review for your own site, marked up on its single-line diagram
• Recognise where a busbar scheme, bay rating or auxiliary supply leaves a single point of failure before it causes a multi-feeder outage
• Challenge switching programmes, interlocks and automation interfaces with the questions an experienced substation engineer asks
• Compare substation practice with engineers from transmission and distribution utilities, generation, oil and gas, and heavy industry

Conclusion:

A substation performs as intended when its busbar scheme, equipment, insulation, auxiliaries, automation and operating rules are designed and managed together. Week one builds design capability, from substation types and single-line diagrams through busbar arrangements, equipment selection, GIS and AIS construction, layout and auxiliary supplies, closing with a guided design case study. Week two adds automation interfaces, switching and safety rules, commissioning coordination and condition-based maintenance, and the final day produces a Substation Design and Operations Review for each participant's own site.