Electrical Distribution Networks Training Course

Course Overview:

This course helps understand the electrical network faults, their reasons and how to mitigate them perfectly.

The participants will learn about fault characteristics, calculations, and protection against high-impedance, symmetrical, and unsymmetrical faults. Furthermore, the course includes several central themes, including the analysis of electrical grounding, voltage, power shortages and how they affect the stability of the system and the processes in the industry. 

The focus of this course is electrical system protection, restoration and safety with specific mention to the Oil & Gas sector. The participants will also understand how electrical equipment, motors, and power management systems operate, their maintenance and optimization, to imbibe the knowledge of fault prevention and efficient functioning of the network. 

This engineering course aims at engineers and supervisors of utilities and industrial networks and broadens the vision on transmission, distribution, and maintenance activities.

Course Objectives:

To know the major faults which the electrical networks encounter cause a curtail of electrical supply and how to mitigate it.  Upon the successful completion of this practical course, participants will be able to:-

·       Apply and gain in-depth knowledge of electrical fault characteristics and the fault calculation

·       Discuss the limiting fault currents and arc characteristics

·       Discover the High-Impedance Faults, the Equipment Faults, and the External & Internal Fault Causes.

·       Differentiate symmetrical faults, symmetrical components, and the unsymmetrical faults

·       Explain the grounding system of generation, transmission, and distribution networks and how it affects the electrical quantities, short circuit level, and protection system.

·       Identify the causes of voltage deviations and its effect on auxiliaries of generators, industrial loads, and the stability of electrical power systems

·       Discuss the reasons for the shortage of active and reactive power in electrical networks and its effect on the electrical quantities

·       Realize the effect of environmental conditions on the electrical equipment and the abnormal phenomena, which affect the electrical networks

·       Discuss the electrical system protection, circuit breakers, fuses and relays and the application and setting of each protection equipment within the electrical network

·       Explain the electrical system restoration (Brown-out, Black-out)

·       improve the understanding of the electrical materials and equipment used in the Oil & Gas industry,

·       Develop expertise allowing to optimize the operation, to size and assess the performances of equipment and networks,

·       Know the electrical equipment and network maintenance and prevention principles,

·       Know, apply, and set the electrical safety rules in the Oil & Gas industry.

Who Should Attend?

This course is intended for engineers & supervisors who work in transmission, distribution, maintenance, operation, control, and analysis of Utilities & Industrial Electrical Networks.

Course Outlines:

 ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION

• Gas turbine: technology used to drive the alternator.
• Alternator: constitution, functioning, control, voltage and frequency generated, protections.
• Coupling of sources and flow rate on a structured network.
• Monitoring and maintenance of the equipment.
• Troubleshooting.

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION & NETWORKS

• Electrical distribution/networks:
• Constitution and constituents of HV and LV networks, architectures and equipment.
• Distribution philosophy: design and sizing, power distribution, network stability, control of cos ρ, logical selectivity, differential protection selectivity, redundancy of sources and supply means.
• Constituents:
• HV and LV switchboards and switchgears.
• Transformers: types, main parameters, protections, auxiliaries.
• Circuit breakers, protection and isolation elements.
• Inverters/battery chargers: inverters, reversers, rectifiers.
• Batteries: types of battery, composition and functioning, charging modes.
• Earthing and neutral point treatments:
• Equipotential networks.
• Earthing on site.
• Studies of the different neutral point treatments.
• Protections: types of electrical protections, protection relays, circuit breakers, and fuses.

ELECTRIC MOTORS

• Functioning and operation of electric motors:
• Functioning and technology of AC, induction, single-phase, and three-phase motors (asynchronous motors).
• Functioning and technology of the main DC motors.
• Windings coupling, adjustment to site conditions.
• Impact of the process operating conditions and changes in the process operating conditions on the electric driving motors.
• Routine monitoring.
• Troubleshooting.
• Electric motor-related equipment:
• Starting systems.
• Variable speed systems: principle, functioning, constitution.
• Circuits and auxiliary functions: lubrication, cooling, systems for explosive area application.
• Maintenance.

PROTECTION AGAINST THE ELECTRICAL RISKS (as per the UTE C 18-510)

• Electrical risks:
• Hazards in the electrical installations.
• Voltage levels, safe approach distances, related safety devices.
• Effects and consequences of the electrical risks.
• Protection against the electrical risks: concept and protection classes.

HAZARDOUS AREAS & ATEX STANDARDS

• Definition of a hazardous area:
• Explosion mechanism.
• Explosivity and flammability limits.
• ATEX specifications and standards:
• Current standards: concept and philosophy.
• Protection and identification of the material set in hazardous areas.
• Impact for the organization (certification, accreditation, operating, and maintenance guidance).

ELEMENTS OF POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• High voltage transportation and alternative distribution: why? Advantages of direct current.
• Piloting the network: producing both active and reactive or producing active and absorbing reactive?
• Underground or submarine networks and Ferranti effect.
• Setting the network voltage: the synchronous compensators.
• Production/consumption balance: the frequency.
• Distribution network safety, smart networks.
• Practical application of the power management system on an oil production site.