What are the key rooms commonly located inside a substation control building?
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The Substation Control Building houses the equipment & facilities required for monitoring, protection, control, communication and operation of the electrical substation.
The exact room arrangement depends on the voltage level and substation size, but the following rooms are commonly found:
- Control Room
- Protection Relay Room
- Battery Room
- Battery Charger Room
- Communication/SCADA Room
- UPS Room
- Metering Room
- Cable Basement/Cable Gallery
These rooms form the backbone of substation protection, control, monitoring, communication and reliable operation.
1. Control Room
Main operating room of the substation.
Contains:
- SCADA workstations
- HMI systems
- Annunciator panels
- Control desks
- Mimic panels
Used for monitoring and controlling all substation equipment.
2. Protection Relay Room
Houses protection relay panels.
Contains:
- Distance relays
- Differential relays
- Overcurrent relays
- Transformer protection relays
- Bay control units
3. Battery Room
Contains station batteries.
Common battery systems:
- 48 V DC
- 110 V DC
- 220 V DC
Provides backup power for:
- Protection systems
- Circuit breakers
- Emergency lighting
- SCADA equipment
4. Battery Charger Room
Contains battery chargers and DC distribution boards.
Maintains battery charging and DC supply continuity.
5. Communication Room
Houses communication equipment which includes:
- RTU panels
- Communication gateways
- Fiber optic equipment
- Ethernet switches
- Teleprotection equipment
- Modems and routers
6. SCADA / Automation Room
Dedicated room for automation systems that contains
- SCADA servers
- Data historians
- Engineering workstations
- Network servers
7. Metering Room
Contains energy metering equipment that includes:
- ABT meters
- Revenue meters
- Energy monitoring systems
- Meter test facilities
8. AC Distribution Room
Houses ACDB panels which supplies:
- Lighting
- HVAC systems
- Socket outlets
- Auxiliary loads
9. DC Distribution Room
DC Distribution Room contains
- DC distribution boards
- DC feeder panels
- Protection and control supply circuits
10. PLC / RTU Room
PLC / RTU Room used in modern automated substations that contains
- PLC panels
- RTUs
- I/O modules
- Automation controllers
11. Engineering / Maintenance Room
Used by engineers and technicians which stores:
- Relay testing equipment
- Laptops
- Drawings
- Maintenance records
12. Cable Basement / Cable Gallery
Located below the control building.
Used for routing:
- Control cables
- Protection cables
- Fiber optic cables
- Power cables
13. Store Room / Spare Parts Room
Stores:
- Relays
- Fuses
- Lamps
- MCBs
- Circuit breaker spares
- Testing accessories
14. UPS Room
Contains UPS systems.
- Provides uninterrupted power to
- SCADA
- Communication systems
- Computers
- Critical control equipment
15. HVAC / Utility Room
Houses:
- Air-conditioning units
- Ventilation systems
- Fire suppression controls
16. Fire Protection Room
Contains:
- Fire alarm panels
- Fire suppression controls
- Smoke detection systems
17. Operator Office / Meeting Room
Administrative area for:
- Shift operators
- Engineers
- Operational meetings
Typical Layout of a Modern 110 kV / 33 kV / 11 kV Control Building
| Control Room | Relay Room | SCADA Room |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Room | Metering Room | PLC / RTU Room |
| Battery Room | Battery Charger Room | UPS Room |
| Store Room | Maintenance Room | HVAC Room |
| Cable Basement / Cable Gallery Below Building |