PERFORMANCE & DESIGN OF TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IN RURAL AREAS

Abstract

The power distribution system management has reached a stage, where every step demands a scientific study or analysis as ad hoc decisions quite often cause substantial harm in the system in terms of increased annual energy losses, poor voltage regulation, system overloading and frequent break down of equipments, thus affecting the overall performance of transmission and distribution system and leading towards national loss. The performance of rural transmission and distribution system is finally reckoned in terms of the quality and reliability being made available to the consumers. The quality would mean that the voltage variations remain within the permissible limits and the reliability is related to the deviation and frequency of interruptions being experienced by him. There are number of factors which greatly influence the performance of transmission and distribution system especially in rural areas. These factors are, such as inadequate size and length of the conductor, poor ratio of primary high-tension (11kV HT) to secondary low-tension (LT) line lengths, poor power factor, sub optimal location and capacity utilization of distribution transformers, sub optimal configuration / routing of primary and secondary distribution feeder networks. If these factors are not taken care in design, it will result in high system energy losses and poor voltage regulation. Methodology to optimally reconfigure the existing distribution network for reducing the energy losses and improving the voltage regulation has been proposed along a real distribution network of 11kV MR-iI feeder in District Jammu of J&K state. By reconfiguration, some part of the existing distribution network is relieved of the overload. Optimal reconfiguration also reduces the feeder line ' length resulting in reduction of energy losses and an improved voltage profile. The operation transfers load from one feeder to another or few other feeders resulting out of reconfiguration of the existing feeder network. In practice, bifurcating or trifurcating the existing lengthy feeder achieves this objective.