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Professional Certificate of Competency in Substation Design (Main Equipment)

Course Duration
Duration
  • 3 Months
Course Study
Study Mode
  • Online
  • Online Electrical Engineering
Course Location
Location
  • Online
Course Code
Course Code
CEY1
Course Intakes
Intakes
  • 14 January 2025
  • 13 May 2025
Course Type
Course Type
  • Professional Certificate
  • UK
  • Electrical Engineering
Course Fees
Fees

Course Overview

This professional development course is targeted at engineers and technicians who need practical skills and knowledge in the design of the equipment required for substations. Course Benefits

  • You may be eligible to claim CPD points through your local engineering association.
  • Receive a Certificate of Completion from EIT.
  • Learn from well-known faculty and industry experts from around the globe.
  • Enjoy the flexibility of attending anytime from anywhere, even while working full-time.
  • Interact with industry experts during webinars and receive the latest updates and announcements on the subject.
  • Experience global learning with students from various backgrounds, providing a great networking opportunity.
  • Gain practical skills and knowledge essential for substation design.
  • Study important topics in substation design, including capacity calculations, component selection, and layout planning.
  • Learn about electrical networks, system studies, harmonic control, and MV substations.
  • This course includes numerous examples and case studies to help you develop a deep understanding of the subjects.

Course Details

Depending on the functions performed by a substation, the configuration and complexity can vary significantly. The designer’s skill lies in anticipating the present and future needs that the substation will address, selecting the appropriate design configuration, and calculating the ratings of main equipment such as busbars, transformers, and switchgear to ensure trouble-free service over several decades.

Sufficient consideration should be given to the maintenance of critical substation equipment, and appropriate redundancies must be planned as well. This is essential; otherwise, consumers served by the substation may experience frequent supply outages, which is undesirable from both a service and financial perspective.

It is also necessary to ensure that the substation will operate satisfactorily under both normal and fault conditions without any failures. This is achieved through various calculations performed for postulated conditions. These calculations are collectively referred to as system studies. The type of studies will depend on the complexity and criticality of the substation and the loads connected to it.

During the design phase, studies need to be conducted for current conditions as well as future anticipated conditions. Such studies, known as system studies, can range from simple fault-level calculations to complex network simulations. The conditions and requirements will dictate the necessary system studies to be performed.

Modern industries generate significant harmonics on the power grid, which can lead to premature equipment failures due to heating or harmonic resonance. In such cases, harmonic filters and other measures to inhibit resonance will need to be planned.

This course covers all the main equipment for substations, such as circuit breakers, isolators, transformers, current transformers, and busbars, as well as the design and selection of this equipment. Included case studies and examples complement the coursework.

The course consists of 12 modules, covering topics such as calculating equipment capacity, selecting suitable configurations, VAR compensation, and harmonic control.

The course is composed of 12 modules, covering topics such as, calculating substation capacity, selecting a suitable configuration, planning for system studies, laying out an outdoor high voltage switchyard showing main and auxiliary equipment, planning an indoor substation with medium voltage switchgear, and choosing equipment for fault limiting, VAR compensation and harmonic control and adjusting the switchyard layout to include these systems.

Module 1: Role of Substations in an Electrical Network, Types and Configurations of Substations

  • Networks: an introduction
  • Substations as network nodes
  • Substation types based on their position in the network
  • Optimizing the location of a substation
  • Configurations of HV substations based on their bus arrangement (typical SLD)
  • Data on industrial loads required for the design of the electrical supply substation
  • Load assumptions for residential and commercial consumers
  • Environmental issues in the location of a switchyard and mitigation measures
  • Planning permits and zoning regulations

Module 2: Examples/Case Studies of Substation Equipment Sizing

  • Size the main equipment (busbars, circuit breakers) based on the requirements.

Module 3: System Studies Required for Finalising Equipment Ratings

  • Load flow study (active/reactive loads)
  • Short circuit study
  • Harmonic flow
  • Voltage profile and reactive power compensation
  • Stability study
  • Other calculations normally performed for substation design

Module 4: Examples/Case Studies of Short Circuit Calculations

  • Short circuit calculations using the per unit system
  • Conductor sizing

Module 5: Overview of Switchyard Equipment and their Ordering Specifications

  • Main (primary) equipment: power transformers, disconnectors, circuit breakers, instrument transformers, busbars, lightning arrestors
  • Layout options
  • Sectional and safety clearances and their influence on the layout
  • Interconnecting cables and use of marshalling kiosks

Module 6: Substation Clearances

  • Clearances and the influence on the layout of HV switchyards

Module 7: Substation Equipment for Fault Limiting, PF Compensation

  • Need for and application of fault limiting reactors, power factor compensation equipment, and static VAR compensators
  • Selection of ratings for fault limiting reactors and power factor compensation

Module 8: Substation Equipment for Harmonic Control

  • What is meant by harmonics?
  • The sources of harmonic generation
  • The effect of harmonics on electrical equipment
  • Applicable limits of harmonic distortion: THD (V) and THD (I)
  • Harmonic control measures: control at source, control by passive filters, and control by active filters
  • Rating of passive filters
  • Integration of filters and power factor correction (PFC) during design

Module 9: Overview of Medium Voltage (MV) Metal Enclosed Substation Equipment

  • Application of medium voltage in distribution networks
  • Main equipment: metal-enclosed switchgear, isolators, circuit breakers, instrument transformers, and distribution transformers
  • Auxiliary systems
  • Control, protection, and auxiliary power
  • Cabling in substations
  • Ventilation and fire safety
  • Typical VCB (Vacuum Circuit Breaker)
  • Layout options
  • Work clearances
  • Arc safety and fire safety in MV installations

Module 10: Examples/Case Studies of MV substation equipment design

  • MV distribution equipment added to HV switchyard

Module 11: Mv Substation Design and Specifications

  • Sizing of main equipment for MV substations
  • Layout of a typical MV indoor substation
  • Facilities required
  • Switchgear room planning
  • Transformers: indoor/outdoor options
  • Space for auxiliary supply equipment
  • Cabling as part of building planning

Module 12: Examples/Case Studies of MV Substation Equipment Layout

  • Example of the space requirements for the switchgear
  • PFC and harmonic control equipment are added

To obtain a certificate of completion for EIT’s Professional Certificate of Competency course, students must achieve a 65% attendance rate at the live, online fortnightly webinars.  Detailed summaries or notes can be submitted in lieu of attendance.  In addition, students must obtain a mark of 60% in the set assignments which could take the form of written assignments and practical assignments. Students must also obtain a mark of 100% in quizzes.  If a student does not achieve the required score, they will be given an opportunity to resubmit the assignment to obtain the required score.

For full current fees in your country go to the drop down filter at the top of this page or visit the Fees page.

Payment Methods

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Hashemi Ford has over 20 years international experience in electrical power industry with a focus on modelling, analysis, planning and operation of power systems including distribution, sub-transmission and transmission networks. He has been involved in modelling and analysis of major projects including HVDC interconnectors and wind farms.

Learn about our instructors.

You are expected to spend approximately 5-8 hours per week learning the course content. This includes attending fortnightly webinars that run for about 90 minutes to facilitate class discussion and allow you to ask questions. This program has a 65% attendance requirement in the live webinars in order to graduate from the program.  If you are unable to attend the live webinars, you have the option of watching the recording of completed webinars and sending a summary of what you have learnt from the webinar to the Learning Support officer.  The summaries go towards your attendance requirement for the program.

This program is run online on an intensive part-time basis and has been designed to fit around full-time work. It will take three months to complete.

We understand that sometimes work commitments and personal circumstances can get in the way of your studies, so if at any point you feel that you are struggling with the pace of the course or finding a particular module challenging, you are encouraged to contact your designated Learning Support Officer for assistance.

Registrations are open for our upcoming intakes. Please ensure you book your place at least one week before the start date of the program.

Hear from our students

  The way it relates with the practical field of work is just perfect.  
  The instructor was knowledgeable and had good industry experience.  

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