Technical Assessment Exercise

As part of the recruitment process for this position we would like you to complete a technical
assessment. Please answer questions 1 and 2 and, depending on your strongest expertise, one from
question 3, 4 or 5.

Please hand draw any diagrams and scan or photograph them for submission (as a pdf or jpg). Please
remember that the assessment is only on your power system applications knowledge. For the written
part of the response you may use a word processing package rather than hand writing your answers
if you wish, please use full paragraphs and sentences rather than bullet points.

You have 5 days from the date you receive this document to complete the exercise. There is no time
limit, but we would like you to keep a note of how long you spend on it and submit that with your
answers.

Please answer these questions

1. A two-transformer primary substation has 2 incomers, one of which has a tee half way along to
another single transformer primary substation. The busbar is in two sections with each section
fed by a transformer, a coupler between them, and 4 outgoing feeders on each section.
The two transformers are identical 3-phase 33/11 kV 15/21 MVA ONAN/ONAF Z=12% Dy11
resistance earthed transformers with -5% to +17.5% secondary voltage tapping range at nominal
primary volts.

The substation has a Summer minimum load of 5.8 MW pf 0.95 spread across the feeders, with
a Winter maximum of 12 MW pf 0.97.

Two feeders each have a generation site (5.3 MW and 4.2 MW respectively) connected along the
feeder and both are on the same busbar section.

Draw a single-line diagram (SLD) of the substation arrangement showing typical UK

arrangements for busbars, transformers, circuit breakers, VTs and CTs and their connection to
AVC relays (protection CTs can be left out; only VTs/CTs relevant for voltage control are
required).

Include on the SLD the incoming and outgoing feeders showing other relevant substations and
the DG. Label as much as possible and show transformer winding arrangements.

2. For the purpose of this question, assume that ‘Circulating-Current’ is defined to be the reactive
current flowing between parallel transformers due to mismatches in their output voltages. For a
two parallel transformers site; where the transformers are identical, fed from the same source,
coupled at the HV and the LV sides and one tap apart:

a. Using a vector diagram draw the vectors that correspond to: the busbar voltage, the total
load, the current flowing through each of the transformers.

b. Using the vector diagram drawn in ‘a’ above, deduce a mathematical expression to
calculate the circulating current. Highlight any deficiencies you find.
Please answer one of the following questions
3. Describe any particular challenges for the transformer setup and AVC scheme for substation
described in question ‘1’, recommending and justifying the paralleling methodology, and any
enhancements which would improve the voltage regulation for connected customers.

Make some recommendations for the key settings to apply to the AVC relays.

4. An existing substation similar to that described in question 1 requires refurbishment including

the AVC scheme. The substation has a combined protection and control panel for each
transformer which includes AVC relay, OC6 relays, transformer differential protection, Buchholz
and temperature alarms and trips, backup directional overcurrent and earth fault, and standby
earth fault.

Draw a detailed SLD for one transformer which includes function blocks for all the protection
and control elements listed above, denoted using the ANSI function numbers. Show the VTs, CTs
and voltage and current inputs to each function block and the logic outputs and their flow to
circuit breakers, tap-changer and SCADA.

5. The tapchangers in question 1 are of the oil-filled bolt-on type with 19 positions and a single
resistor diverter switch, with a bridging resistor of 1.77Ω.

Describe the problems which might be encountered with such tapchangers after they have been
in service for 40 years.

Describe any limitations when applying these tapchangers to the scenario of question 1,
showing any calculations. Describe the steps you would propose to a customer to address these
limitations.