PRESENTATION TO IEEE PES, ORLANDO CHAPTER:

GROUNDING & BONDING CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUBSTATION COMMUNICATIONS AND SMART GRID

Developed and Presented By: Adrian G Zvarych, PE Principal Engineer TRC Engineering Member, IEEE 24 September 2009 [email protected] Additional Contributions & Peer Review By: Michael Cunningham, Senior Engineer - TRC

Class Objectives

1.

2. 3. 4.

5. 6.

Understand Substation Grounding/Bonding Design Goals to Satisfy Communications Requirements Review of Typical Substation Control House Grounding/Bonding Practices Review Typical Telecom Room Grounding/Bonding Practices Necessary Grounding & Bonding Elements for a Smart Grid Friendly and Communications Ready Substation Control House Look-Ahead for other opportunities Review

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Change Has Been Happening

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Part 1: Substation Communications Evolution

Communications migration path:

Analog to digital Discrete to multiplexed Local Information decision needs to remote and diverse needs Lower Reliability to High Reliability (design and need) Minimal regulation (self- on inter-industry regulation to increased scrutiny and regulation by others)

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Pilot Wire Interface & Isolation Transformers

Circa 1900s Distribution Breakers

1912 Manufactured GE Oil Break Switch STILL IN SERVICE!!!!

Legacy Substation Communications Systems

PEOPLE/OPERATIONS Station Operators with all local indication Communications to Control Center via Power Line Carrier or Telephone Company Copper Circuits (SCADA) Radio Dispatch for Crews RELAY PROTECTION Power Line Carrier (first digital form of substation communications ON-OFF) Copper Based Pilot Wire All analog meters and electromechanical relays Needs driven by electric utility operations & reliability

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Advancements in Legacy Substation Relaying and Communications

Driven by build out of high voltage and EHV transmission grid

Need for high speed and reliable/secure relaying Need for remote and central monitoring and control of station equipment First discrete component solid state relaying deployed in substations in the 1970s

Single Side-Band Power Line Carrier more channels, more functionality Analog Point-To-Point Microwave Optical Networks

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Development of Non-Copper Substation Communications Systems

Analog Microwave (circa 1960s) Digital Microwave (circa 1980s) Spread Spectrum 900MHz (circa 1980s) Fiber (circa 1990s)

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Advancements of Components/Technology

Protective Relaying Electromechanical Relays Solid State Relays Solid State Relays Microprocessor Relays Communications Copper Analog Microwave Digital Microwave 900MHz Licensed & Spread Spectrum/Unlicensed Fiber Discrete Analog Digital Multiplexed IP

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS CIRCUIT HIERARCHY

Phone lines per circuit type
1 24 672 2,016 8,064 32,256 129,024 oo

DS0-1 DS0-2 DS0-3 DS0-4

. . .

DS1-1 DS1-2 DS1-3 OC1-1 OC1-2

OC3-1 OC12-1 OC3-2 OC3-3 OC3-4

OC48-1 OC48-2 OC48-3

DS0-24

OC192

DWDM

DS1-4
. . .

OC1-3

OC12-2
OC12-3 OC12-4

DS1-28

IMUX

OC48-4
JMUX JUNGLEMUX EXPANDABLE TO OC48 BANDWIDTH BROADBAND CARRIER CLASS NETWORKS

And Now Smart Grid!

Effects of Smart Grid and Communications Technology

Higher density of low-signal voltage circuits (RS-232, RS-485) over copper in the control house More fiber in the control house More non-substation hardened devices entering the control house IT-Telecom teams becoming more involved in substation control houses Organizational awareness of substation environment vs data center/telecom room requirements

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Users of Substation Information

System Operators P&C Engineering Asset Management Customer Service Center Field Maintenance Personnel (line trucks, P&C, substation, etc.) Electric System Customers (indirectly) Personnel Managers Corporate Security (access management, surveillance) IT-Security Cyber-Security Teams Utility Interchange (Where Transmission Tammy draws the line) Others

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Substation Communications: Change Is Here

Traditional Telemetry Watts, Vars, Volts, Amps Status Open, Closed, Major, Minor Control Open, Close, Raise, Lower Voice SCADA Analog/4 Wire AC Data Present Day All of the above, plus Temperature Outdoor Ambient, Control House Transformer Telemetry Winding Temps, Dissolved Gas, Tap Position Battery Voltage IP Services

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Security Surveillance, Door Access Control High Speed Remote Access for IEDs Syncrophasors Local Employee LAN Access SCADA

Change Is Here

Increased data flow (to 27 TB/day or higher in larger utility systems) from substations Not just SCADA Non-Traditional organizations using or managing substation systems and information Increased deployment of non-station hardened equipment, despite efforts by IEEE to develop standards such as IEEE-1613

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PART 2: NAVIGATING THE TRANSITION

GOALS OF GROUNDING/BONDING SUBSTATION AND TELECOM BASICS AND DEFINITIONS REAL WORLD CASE STUDY

Grounding and Bonding Basics

Substation Goals
Safety Step and Touch Ground Potential Rise Reliability Lightning Mast/Shielding Minimize Electrical System Damage and Outages Lightning/Transient Suppression Equipment Equalize potential differences across the station grid & in the control building Systems redundancy emphasized on Bulk Power and system-significant generation

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Grounding and Bonding Basics

Telecommunications Goals
Safety Bonding of metallic components Reliability Lightning protection and mitigation outdoor Single Point Ground Location for all attachments (Main Ground Bus) Minimize equipment damage Minimize telecom circuit outage time Equipment and systems redundancy emphasized on Broadband Reduce electrical noise Reference for DC voltage

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Substation Grounding A Great Start!

All outdoor metallic components are bonded to earth ground

Breakers Transformers Structures Static Wires/OPGW Distribution Neutrals Station Service Lightning Shielding (masts, overhead shield wires, etc.)

Control House

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4/0 copper grounding conductors brought in from grid (multiple places typically) CAUTION!!! 4/0 conductors snaked through cable trench/cable tray system, reduced to AWG #6 as needed for rack/panel connection Relay/Metering/Control Panels tied to bond snake running through the trench or tray cable management system

ANSI/IEEE Substation Grounding Standards

IEEE 80: Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding

Technical Target: Outdoor AC substations Purpose:

Establish safe limits of potential differences human body interface Substation grounding practices review for safety/safe design practices Provide a procedure for the design of practical grounding systems based on the above Develop analytical methods to aid in the understanding of gradient problems

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DOES NOT PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR TELECOM RELIABILITY!!!

1969 2009

Telecom Friendly Aspects of IEEE 80

Core benefits of an IEEE 80 ground grid design for Telecommunications Excellent low net ground grid resistance, ohm is possible, depending on final design Site specific ground grid design Human safe design, from a step-and-touch perspective Ground Potential Rise voltage is typically limited and affected by step-and-touch design criteria

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Grounding and Bonding Goals For Telecom

Safety minimize potential differences between metallic paths Reliability ensure proper comm circuit operation despite transient conditions Eliminate ground loops Establish single point ground reference point in any one defined area (such as a control building room) Provide an engineered design for grounding and bonding in an area with telecom equipment

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Fundamental Differences Between Substation & Telecom Grounding (Control House)

SUBSTATION Not engineered by site, considered a standard practice. Grounding conductors can enter the control house in multiple locations and are tied to the station ground grid at different points Racks bolted directly to the floor and to each other Floating DC Floor materials vary No minimum ground/bond conductor radius typically specified

1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3. 4. 5.

4. 5.

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6.

6.

TELECOM SITE Engineered on a site basis (can be templatized) Single point connection to ground field Racks are isolated from the floor and from each other DC (+) is grounded Floor materials are conductive/antistatic Minimum Bend Radius Specified for transient flow

1969 2009

Telecom Grounding & Bonding

Definitions Grounding providing an engineered, low impedance path to earth Bonding the permanent joining of metallic parts to form an electrically conductive path which will assure electrical continuity and the capacity to safely conduct any current likely to be imposed, including 60Hz and transients Grounded Conductor a system or circuit conductor that is intentionally grounded (these normally carry current)

Example: Electrical neutral wire, the DC (+) cable in 48 V DC Telecom supplies

Grounding Conductor a conductor used to connect equipment or the grounded circuit of a wiring system to a grounding electrode or electrodes (these do not normally carry current)

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Years of Service

Example: AC Circuit electrical ground wire (the green wire), grounding wires used to interconnect racks, equipment bonding jumpers

1969 2009

Telecom Grounding & Bonding

Definitions (contd) Solid Ground an intentional connection to a grounding system, using a grounding wire in which there is no additional impedance imposed Incidental Ground an unplanned grounding connection. Example a conductive cabinet attached to a concrete surface via Tapcon screws can be said to be Incidentally Grounded Earthing Electrode a copper or copper-clad steel rod driven into the earth to provide a lower impedance path to true earth ground. Other types of earthing electrodes are steel well casings, structural steel ground grids, metallic piping for water, sewer, etc. True Earth Ground a virtual location beneath the earths surface, where electrical resistance and impedance is zero, and ground currents run freely, whether man-made or natural Skin Depth a frequency and materials dependent calculation which determines the penetration of current flow density into the surface of a conductor. http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/calsdepth.cfm

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Telecom Grounding & Bonding

Components of a Telecom Grounding & Bonding System at a Substation CHPGP: Control House Principal Ground Point
A ground bus bar located near the cable connection to the substation ground grid. It serves as the central connection point for all main grounding conductors and earthing electrode

Horizontal Equalizer
An insulated grounding conductor which has its origination point at the CHPGP, with the function of connecting conductive equipment in a home run fashion to the principal grounding point in the room

Halo Ground
A grounding conductor, supported on insulated stand-offs around the perimeter of the room, typically installed at seven feet or higher elevation, to which all peripheral equipment are bonded (HVAC, Heaters, Junction Boxes, etc.). The Halo is a radial connection, and not a complete electrical loop.

Mechanical and Exothermic Connections

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Years of Service

Cable-to-device or cable-cable connections. Outdoor connections are typically exothermic, inbuilding connections are typically mechanical compression, with two-hole lugs.

Hardware & Miscellaneous

Insulated stand offs, cable management, plexiglas or Lexan shields, stainless steel nuts & bolts, no-oxide grease, exothermic weld molds, mechanical connectors, etc.

1969 2009

Case Study: Wind Farm Control House Application

Attributes:

Collector Station (34kV-230kV) yard adjacent to transmission switching station Transmission switching station has microwave tower for Primary relaying channel, SCADA, and internal voice communications Copper leased entrance cable, with isolation, at Transmission control house Transmission control house has PRIMARY and SECONDARY rooms Communications racks and telco isolation equipment in PRIMARY room PA System in place to cover the switchyard (copper connections to yard corners)

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Grounding-Bonding Communications Tower & Outside Facilities

Wireless communications for Smart Grid Requires lightning protection @ top Proper bonding along feedline route Bond @ antenna Bond prior to horizontal transition Bond prior to CH entry Center conductor protection just inside CH Driven rods @ tower & feedline entrance

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STATION GROUND GRID

Case Study Substation

Overall Communications Elementary

Control House Floor Plan

Ice Bridge Detail

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Inside Wall Elevation

Cross Section Elevation

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Control House Bonding Connections

Grounding-Bonding Inside The Control House

Key Design Features: Single Point Ground Bus (no ground loops) Discrete (insulated preferred) home-run bonding connections to all equipment connections: Cable tray & rack taps AC System Neutral @ AC Panel Telecom Reference Ground point Substation ground grid connection Building steel Microwave feedlines Departure From Telecom Practice Racks directly bolted to floor and each other without isolation Cable trays may not be bonded across joints Grounding conductors not insulated

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A Few Images

SCADA Master 900 MHz Transceiver

900 MHz SCADA Remote 900 MHz Transceiver Indoor Mount

Smart Recloser

Master Tower

Tower Leg Bonding

Halo Ground

Simple Feedline Entrance

Outdoor Main Ground Bus Mounting

Insulated Stand-Off

Feedline Entrance

Ground Bus Bar Example

1. Main Ground Bus

Producers and Absorbers Separated Clear separation of power, grounding, and data cables

DC (+) Ground Reference

A and B Battery Strings Separately Grounded

Isolation pads under rack Anti-Static floor tiles

Look-Ahead Other Opportunities

Cable Management

Low Voltage Serial Connections: RS-232/485, GPS Ethernet Fiber Optic Entrance and Patch Cables

Non-Substation Hardened Equipment Security (card access, surveillance, etc.) Working with teams outside Transmission Engineering

Summary

Communications Grounding-Bonding practices require safety, but also reliability Control House equipment connects to a single point ground bus bar to which all metallic elements are bonded Soft radius bends for all grounding and bonding connections Minimize or eliminate ground loops

THE ROAD TO THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR POWER AND SMART GRID COMMUNICATIONS Are you ready?