What Is A Substation Transformer?

By Author: Cyrus Joseph
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A Substation Transformer is the location where the electric power is being converted from bulk power to a local power and vice versa. These are drab gray stations that sit right at the center of various electrical wires, both below and above the ground. The substation generally contains several different kinds of electrical equipment, including the Power Transformer itself, as well as some enclosed systems. The equipment’s main task is to transform the electrical current in order to allow the current to keep on moving all throughout the bulk power system and then to move it towards a local grid before it goes through consumers.

What Substation Means

In the olden times, power is not on a nationwide grid. It is just supplied by a single company that owns and maintains all the lines within an area. During that time, there are power stations that generate electricity and substations which later convert it for consumer use. Basically, the term “substation” refers to the place where the act of transforming the “power” takes place. The Substation Transformer is also often connected to one ...
... single main station. With the help of the modern electricity grid, a single substation could be possibly connected to various power stations, although its name remains the same.

What’s Taking Place in the Substation

Whenever the power plant would generate electricity, the electricity will go out in the form that most electrical devices are not able to use. This type of power format is also called bulk power and is ideal for the movement of the current and nothing else. The bulk power will move through high voltage transmission lines and will later on enter a transformer substation. The Substation Transformer will convert the bulk power to a premium power and then distributes it to commercial establishments and residences.

What Else can a Substation Do

Aside from transforming power to be used by the consumers, the substation is also in charge in sending out bulk power back to the system. Since it is not possible to store electricity of this kind, the transformer will take excess power out of the local Power Transformer and then convert it back to the bulk power. Furthermore, whenever the local power system will have enough power, it the Substation Transformer will send any bulk power that it gets back out towards the grid.

Different Capabilities

Not all Substation Transformer have the same capabilities. Others do not only convert power for local use, they retransmit power as well. This procedure gives the power company the ability to lessen the amount of its machinery to any one spot and then lessen any occurrences of accidents that could disrupt the entire local power system.

Each of the Substation Transformer comes with specialized functions. There are those collector substations that connect to a power generation system which relies entirely on sporadic and uneven factors, like wind and water power. These types of stations will take the power generated in these systems and then later on convert it for transmission of bulk power.

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