Air Insulated Substation Design – Part 3
Air Insulated Substations (AIS) are the most common type of substation in power systems because they are cost-effective, reliable, and relatively simple to build and maintain. In this Air Insulated Substation Design – Part 3 course, you dive deeper into advanced features that make modern substations safe, controllable, and highly dependable.
This part of the series focuses on protection and control panels, DC systems, control cabling, interlocking systems, current transformers (CTs) and voltage transformers (VTs), and how all these elements work together to keep the grid secure and operational even during faults or AC supply failures.
🎥 Watch: Air Insulated Substation Design – Part 3
What You Will Learn
- What types of panels are used in a substation and what goes inside them.
- How substation DC systems are designed, operated, and why they are critical for reliability.
- How current transformers (CTs) and voltage transformers (VTs) work in normal and fault conditions.
- How to implement advanced interlocking systems to protect equipment and personnel.
- How control cabling links all the protection and control elements together.
Course Structure & Lectures
This course includes around 2.5 hours of on-demand video and is organized into 14 focused lectures:
- Introduction – 03:29
- Panels Part 1 – 08:35
- Panels Part 2 – 09:40
- Control Cabling Part 1 – 11:14
- Control Cabling Part 2 – 12:16
- Control Cabling Part 3 – 17:10
- Control Cabling Part 4 – 15:30
- Substation DC Systems Part 1 – 12:20
- Substation DC Systems Part 2 – 13:12
- Advanced Interlocking Part 1 – 10:43
- Advanced Interlocking Part 2 – 10:52
- Current Transformer Theory – 10:47
- Current Transformer Installation – 11:57
- Voltage Transformers – 09:23
You also get 3 downloadable resources, closed captions, and full access on mobile and TV, plus a quiz section with 18 questions to test your understanding.
Substation Panels: The Brain of the System
Protection and control panels are at the heart of any substation. They house relays, meters, communication devices, and control equipment used to monitor and protect the network. In this course, you will:
- See what types of panels are typically installed in air insulated substations.
- Understand how panels are arranged and wired internally.
- Learn about the special equipment that appears only in protection systems.
Control Cabling: Connecting the Entire Substation
Control cabling forms the nervous system of the substation, linking field equipment to protection and control panels. The course explains:
- The role of control cables in signaling, measurement, and command functions.
- How control cables are routed, terminated, and labeled.
- Best practices for designing reliable and maintainable control wiring systems.
Substation DC Systems: Keeping Protection Alive
Most substations rely on a dedicated DC system to power protection, control, and automation. This ensures that when the main AC supply fails, the substation can still be monitored, controlled, and safely switched. In this section, you will learn:
- Why DC is preferred for critical protection and control loads.
- The main components of a DC system: batteries, chargers, distribution boards, and fuses.
- How DC systems are sized, monitored, and maintained in transmission-level substations.
Advanced Interlocking Systems
Interlocking systems prevent unsafe switching sequences that could endanger personnel or damage equipment. After covering basic interlocking in Part 2 of the course series, Part 3 introduces advanced interlocking concepts:
- How complex interlocking logic is implemented in modern substations.
- How mechanical, electrical, and logical interlocks work together.
- Realistic scenarios that show why correct interlocking is essential for safe operation.
Current Transformers (CTs)
Current transformers are crucial for protection and metering, as they step down high currents to measurable values. This course covers:
- CT operating principles and how they behave during normal and fault conditions.
- Key parameters found on a CT rating plate, and what they mean.
- Installation practices and how CTs are connected to the secondary protection system.
Voltage Transformers (VTs)
Just like CTs for current, voltage transformers provide scaled-down voltages for protection and measurement. You will learn:
- How voltage transformers operate in air insulated substations.
- How they are connected to protection and metering circuits.
- Important considerations for rating, accuracy, and safety.
📌 Watch the Full Air Insulated Substations Part 3 Course
To see all these concepts explained step by step with diagrams and practical examples, watch the complete course here:
Who This Course Is For
- Anyone interested in the power industry and substation engineering.
- Students and graduates in electrical engineering.
- Technicians and operators who want a deeper understanding of substation systems.
- Professionals who work with protection, control, or grid operation and want to refresh their knowledge.
Requirements
- No pre-requisites are required for this course.
- General interest in electrical power systems is helpful.
- Basic familiarity with substations from Parts 1 and 2 is a plus, but not mandatory.
Conclusion
By the end of Air Insulated Substation Design – Part 3, you will have a stronger appreciation of how panels, DC systems, control cabling, interlocking, CTs, and VTs work together inside a modern air insulated substation. These are the systems that keep the grid safe, protect high-value equipment, and ensure operators can control the network even when conditions are far from ideal.
If you are serious about understanding substation design at a deeper, more practical level, this course is an excellent step toward building that expertise.