Search

Premium Membership ♕

Limited Time Offer: Save 15% on PRO Plan with discount code: LRN15 and study specialized LV/MV/HV technical articles and studies.

Home / Download Center / Electrical Engineering Books and Technical Guides / Electrical engineering guides / A practical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners)

Transmission and distribution substations

The major types of equipment found in most transmission and distribution substations are discussed in this handbook. The purpose, function, design characteristics, and key properties are all explained. After the equipment is discussed, planned and essential predictive maintenance techniques are discussed.

Practical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners)
Practical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners)

The reader should get a good fundamental understanding of all the important aspects of the major equipment found in substations and how they are used and operated.

The substation equipment discussed in this handbook includes:

  • Transformers
  • Regulators
  • Circuit breakers and reclosers
  • Air disconnect switches
  • Lightning arresters
  • Electrical buses
  • Capacitor banks
  • Reactors
  • Static VAR compensators
  • Control building
  • Preventative maintenance

Power transformers

Transformers are essential components in electric power systems. They come in all shapes and sizes. Power transformers are used to convert highvoltage power to low-voltage power and vice versa.

Power can flow in both directions: from the high-voltage side to the low-voltage side or from the low-voltage side to the high-voltage side.

Generation plants use large step-up transformers to raise the voltage of the generated power for efficient transport of power over long distances. Then step-down transformers convert the power to subtransmission, as in Figure 1, or distribution voltages, as in Figure 2, for further transport or consumption.

Step-down transformer
Figure 1 – Step-down transformer

Distribution transformers are used on distribution lines to further convert distribution voltages down to voltages suitable for residential, commercial, and industrial consumption. There are many types of transformers used in electric power systems.

Instrument transformers are used to connect high-power equipment to low-power electronic instruments for monitoring system voltages and currents at convenient levels. Instrument transformers include CTs and VTs (i.e., current transformers and voltage transformers). These instrument transformers connect to metering equipment, protective relaying equipment, and telecommunications equipment.

Regulating transformers are used to maintain proper distribution voltages so that consumers have stable wall outlet voltage. Phase shifting transformers are used to control power flow between tie lines.

Transformers can be single phase, three phase, or banked together to operate as a single unit.

Distribution power transformer
Figure 2 – Distribution power transformer

Circuit breakers

The purpose of a circuit breaker is to interrupt current flowing in the line, transformer, bus, or other equipment when a problem occurs and the power has to be turned off. Current interruption can be for normal load current, high-fault current (due to a short-circuit current or problem in the system) or simply tripped by protective relaying equipment in anticipation of an undesirable event or disturbance.

A breaker accomplishes this by mechanically moving electrical contacts apart inside an interrupter, causing an arc to occur that is immediately suppressed by the high-dielectric medium inside the interrupter.

Circuit breakers are triggered to open or close by the protective relaying equipment using the substation battery system.

Oil circuit breaker
Oil circuit breaker

The most common types of dielectric media used to extinguish the arc inside the breaker interrupter are listed below:

  • Oil (clean mineral)
  • Gas (SF6 or sulfur hexafluoride)
  • Vacuum
  • Air

These dielectric media also classify the breaker, such as oil circuit breaker (OCB), gas circuit breaker (GCB), and power circuit breaker (PCB).

Compared to fuses, circuit breakers have the ability to open and close repeatedly, whereas a fuse opens the circuit one time and must be replaced. Fuses are single-phase devices, whereas breakers are normally gang operated three-phase devices.

Breakers can interrupt very high magnitudes of current. They can close into a fault and trip open again.  They can be controlled remotely. They need periodic maintenance.

Title:A practical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners) – Steven W. Blume
Format:PDF
Size:22.0 MB
Pages:252
Download:Here 🔗 (Get Premium Membership) | Video Courses | Download Updates
A practical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners)
Practical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners)

Premium Membership

Get access to premium HV/MV/LV technical articles, advanced electrical engineering guides, papers, and much more! It will help you to shape up your technical skills in your everyday life as an electrical engineer.
50% Discount 💥 - Save 50% on all 90+ video courses with Enterprise Membership plan.

More Information

39 Comments


  1. Gbenga Ajumo
    Mar 22, 2024

    can I have a copy of the book ( PDF )


  2. Baxter
    Nov 20, 2023

    Can I have an e-copy ?
    Thanks


  3. Braam Botha
    Jun 28, 2023

    Useful book and a good refresher. I graduated at Univ of Natal in 1963 BSc(Eng) Elec


  4. Norberto Ardila
    Mar 26, 2023

    Thanks You. May i had a copy?…


    • Abraham Abeiku Bassaw
      Mar 28, 2023

      Please I want a copy


  5. James
    Mar 24, 2023

    HI everyone , Can you please send me a copy


    • Maciel
      Jun 29, 2023

      Hi, Can you please send me a copy?
      Thanks


  6. Pietros
    Mar 23, 2023

    Thank you so much, may I have a copy


  7. Ningir sunday
    Feb 15, 2023

    I will be glad,if I can have a copy of electrical engineer practical handbook
    Can you send it for me?


  8. Henry Ifeanyi
    Oct 30, 2022

    Big thanks goes to the founder and organizers of this information.

    Gonna be more grateful if the complete information can be sent to me


  9. Tetevi P Mawuli
    Oct 21, 2022

    Thanks you for the information you are giving us. In fact it’s updating me every now and then.
    I would be very grateful if the information comes in a PDF form.
    Thanks


  10. Durai
    Oct 16, 2022

    please permit me to pay the membership fee through net banking.I am not using Credit card.


  11. S M A Latif
    Oct 16, 2022

    I would be pleased if you get me one copy of it. Thanks.


    • Benjamin Tettey
      Oct 16, 2022

      Educative


  12. El Hacen
    Oct 03, 2022

    It would be very helpful for me to get a copy of ‘electrical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners)’
    Thanks in advance.

    El Hacen.


  13. THOMAS VICTOR
    Sep 09, 2022

    this educative


  14. Abdulrahman Ambali
    Aug 30, 2022

    This is great


  15. Abdulrahman Ambali
    Aug 30, 2022

    This is fantastically helpful and educative


  16. Richardson Adesuyi
    Aug 11, 2022

    Very good teaching, learning and research
    keep it up.
    I will be grateful to you for a copy


  17. ABDULYUNUS A AMIR
    Aug 10, 2022

    A great article on practicle hand book. It will be very much helpful to me. I would request to arrange to send me “A practical handbook for electrical engineers ( beginners).
    Thanks in advance,
    Regards,
    A.A.AMIR


  18. Tushar
    Aug 05, 2022

    I would be very helpful for me if I could get a copy of “A practical handbook for electrical engineers (beginners)”.
    Thankyou


  19. Chinedu
    Jun 28, 2022

    It’s an interesting read. Kindly send me a copy.


  20. Rene
    Jun 28, 2022

    seems very helpful, can you please send it to me?


  21. Zhanat
    Jun 23, 2022

    The article is so educative. Please, could you send me the handbook? Thank you!


  22. Nqaba Boniwe
    Apr 30, 2022

    It is a new course to me and i would like to have a knowledge of ths course.If i can get a study book for this course i wil be glad.


  23. kc gupta
    Apr 21, 2022

    Very informative and quite useful. can u pl send this book to me.


  24. Benjamin Tettey
    Apr 20, 2022

    Very educative


  25. Benedicto Mnubi
    Jan 25, 2022

    Amazing and very helpful articles

    You are supporting my career.


  26. Jayanta Kumar Deka
    Dec 17, 2021

    I need this handbook


  27. Mustafizur Rahman
    Jul 14, 2021

    Very resourceful portal introduces new innovations. Knowledge-based and practical.


  28. Alexander
    Sep 15, 2020

    Which automatic switchs are recommended for changing over current?


  29. peterkasungami
    Apr 23, 2020

    good


  30. Sanjay Khade
    Apr 03, 2020

    Very nice articles, subjects selected with great thoughts.Simple language.


  31. Dr Srinivasan Mallan
    Mar 31, 2020

    I need basics of energy management system in electrical engineering details.Please help me..Thahnk you


    • Benjamin Tettey
      Jun 24, 2022

      Very educative and useful with my job.


  32. Habeeb Salau
    Mar 31, 2020

    Very educative, informative and knowledge based portal.


  33. Dr B P Singh
    Mar 31, 2020

    I loved articles/ information. Would like to receive on my mail.


  34. ALFRED THUSOETSILE ESIANG
    Mar 30, 2020

    GREAT STAFF, IT REALLY TAKES LEARNING TO THE NEXT LEVEL


  35. Winny Kenyi Michael
    Mar 30, 2020

    It was useful,i appreciated it

Leave a Reply to Richardson Adesuyi

Tell us what you're thinking. We care about your opinion! Please keep in mind that comments are moderated and rel="nofollow" is in use. So, please do not use a spammy keyword or a domain as your name, or it will be deleted. Let's have a professional and meaningful conversation instead. Thanks for dropping by!

two  +  three  =  

Learn How to Design Power Systems

Learn to design LV/MV/HV power systems through professional video courses. Lifetime access. Enjoy learning!

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe to our Weekly Digest newsletter and receive free updates on new technical articles, video courses and guides (PDF).
EEP Academy Courses - A hand crafted cutting-edge electrical engineering knowledge