Engineering & Design

Key considerations include:

• Arrange components to ensure safe operation and facilitate easy monitoring, control, and maintenance.
• Design for redundancy in critical components to maintain operation during failures or maintenance.
• Facilitating the flow of power from incoming transmission lines to outgoing distribution feeders.
• Providing flexibility for future expansion and modifications.
• Ensuring compliance with local, national, and international standards and regulations regarding substation design and operation.

Common substation layouts include:

• The incoming overhead lines or cables area
• The high voltage Air Insulated Switchgear (AIS) or Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) equipment
• The medium voltage equipment
• The control building and the auxiliary systems areas.

Substation civil engineering encompasses the planning, design, and construction of the infrastructures required to support the equipment and the buildings of a high voltage substation. It involves various aspects, including site preparation, structural design, and the integration of electrical and mechanical components within the substation.

We focus on the following key areas:

Key aspects

• Site selection consulting.
• Design and implementation of grading plans to ensure proper drainage and prevent flooding.
• Design robust foundations to support the weight and vibrations of transformers and switchgears.
• Architectural and structural design for control buildings.
• Design internal roads for easy access to the substation for maintenance and emergency response.
• Fencing and security: perimeter fencing, surveillance systems.
• Auxiliary systems: cooling systems, fire protection.

By executing these civil engineering aspects, we create a reliable power infrastructure, the foundation for safe and efficient electricity transmission and distribution.

Key benefits

• Safety: protect personnel from electric shock and prevent equipment damage
• Regulatory compliance: ensure grounding systems meet local, national, and international standards and regulations
• System performance: maintain proper operation of protective devices, ensuring they operate correctly during fault conditions

By systematically conducting grounding studies, substations can achieve a grounding system that provides safety, reliability, and efficiency.

Lightning protection studies are critical for designing systems that safeguard electrical infrastructure and buildings from the damaging effects of lightning strikes. These studies focus on analyzing and implementing measures to prevent lightning damage, minimize safety risks, and ensure the reliability of the electrical system.

Key aspects include:

• Lightning interception methods to optimize the placement of lightning masts, shield wires, and grounding systems to protect equipment and personnel.
• Site and risk assessment, for evaluating the risk of direct strikes based on historical lightning data.
• Design and implementation of a lightning protection system.
• Simulation and modeling for ensuring the effectiveness of the lightning protection system and other protection measures.

By conducting thorough lightning protection studies, facilities can implement effective measures to safeguard against lightning-related risks and ensure operational continuity.

Key aspects

• Ensuring structural integrity: confirming that conductors and equipment can withstand operational and environmental stresses without failure.
• Preventing failures: avoiding issues such as sagging, breakage, or fatigue that can lead to service interruptions or safety hazards.
• Compliance: meeting industry standards and regulations to ensure safety and reliability.
• Optimizing design: enhancing conductor and support structure designs for better performance and longevity.

By conducting thorough mechanical strength studies, utilities and engineers can ensure that conductors and equipment perform reliably and safely throughout their operational life.

Equipment sizing is a crucial aspect of electrical engineering, involving the determination of the appropriate dimensions, ratings, and capacities of various electrical equipment to ensure efficient, safe, and reliable operation of electrical systems. Proper equipment sizing helps in optimizing performance, ensuring safety, and preventing equipment overloads or failures.

Key considerations

• Determining the size and specifications of high voltage and medium voltage equipment.
• Determining the size and specifications of auxiliary systems.
• Identify suitable equipment based on load requirements and application.
• Review manufacturer specifications and confirm that equipment sizing aligns with overall system design and performance goals.
• Adhering to industry standards, safety codes, and utility requirements to ensure the substation design meets all necessary compliance criteria.
• Prepare documentation for the equipment specifications, based on the project requirements.
• Obtain approval from clients or stakeholders as required.

By following a systematic approach to equipment sizing, engineers can ensure that electrical systems are robust, efficient, and capable of meeting current and future demands.

Key aspects

• Load analysis: determine electrical loads, diversity factors.
• Select appropriate voltage and current levels.
• System design considering phase balance and load distribution.
• Cable sizing.
• Ensure proper protection and selectivity among the protection devices.
• Design of the AC and DC distribution panels and devices.
• Incorporate energy-efficient components and design practices to minimize energy consumption and operational costs.

By addressing these aspects and following a systematic design approach, you can achieve efficient, safe, and reliable low voltage AC and DC systems.

Effective cable routing is crucial in substation design and is related to the process of planning and arranging the paths through which electrical cables and wires will be installed within a building or infrastructure. Proper cable routing is essential for maintaining system performance, preventing hazards, and facilitating future maintenance or upgrades.

Key steps

• Assessment and planning: determine requirements, analyze substation layout, position and orientation.
• Design pathways: select pathways, design channels, trenches and duct systems.
• Ease of access: design routing to allow easy access for maintenance, troubleshooting, and future upgrades.
• Testing and verification: inspect installation, conduct testing.
• Standards and codes: follow relevant industry standards and codes or local regulations.

Among key considerations, is also the coordination of cable routing with other substation infrastructure like grounding and lighting.

Cable routing ensures that substation engineers can create a well-structured, accessible, and future-proof electrical system that meets safety and performance requirements.