All about substation maintenance electricians

Work in the field of electrical engineering is very important and relevant. But no matter how you want to connect your life with electrical activity, you will have to carefully study the features of a particular specialization. You also need to know everything about the work of an electrician in servicing substations, about the responsibilities of such a specialist.

Distribution plants “distribute” electricity to end users. But they are arranged quite difficult, much more complicated than any household appliance. And therefore, one cannot assume that one can “just throw the circuit breakers”, as is often believed. The smooth operation of the equipment, which costs many millions, depends on how clearly the substation maintenance electrician does its job..

Given the risk of an emergency, specialists must do everything in advance so that the technical systems operate smoothly. Problems can occur at any time, even at night or on weekends, holidays. And that's why at substations continuously, at any time of the day, in any weather, duty electricians are present. They make sure that even when a malfunction occurs, all problems are quickly resolved and the power supply restored. Although the profession of electrician is considered working, at least officially, it is still a higher status.

Some fitters work at traction substations of the railway. There, the requirements for the stability of the equipment are at least no higher than in cities. It is also worth considering that substations can operate with direct and alternating current.

Still distinguish:

• nodal distribution;
• downward;
• deep input substation;
• transformer points.

Job description prescribes:

• eliminate violationsapproved by other employees;
• to lead technical the documentation;
• report on the beginning and completion of work direct supervisor;
• check workplace for safety;
• evaluate equipment performance upon entering the post;
• conduct targeted briefings for other employees;
• control the safety of fences, protective devices, warning signs at the facility;
• check condition battery of batteries;
• track voltage, current strength, its frequency and other nuances of the operating mode;
• carry out short-term, relatively simple troubleshooting.

More substation service electricians:

• defective statements are kept;
• check the execution of work at facilities with the participation of employees of lower qualifications;
• determine the parameters of the batteries;
• monitor the adoption of additional safety measures (not prescribed in the instructions, but necessary to protect people, equipment and material values).

Fitter 3 categories can serve the equipment of substations, designed for 35 kV. They themselves also prepare their workplace. Acceptance of jobs will be carried out not only upon entering the post, but also after the emergency. Specialists of the 3rd category can work with assemblies and connections made independently, with drives of switching equipment. They also troubleshoot lighting fixtures, change fuses.

The daily routine for such a specialist is the operational imperative switching of switchgears. If an emergency occurs, the installer switches the equipment as necessary. After the disappearance of the signs of a problem, he always inspects the equipment and evaluates its characteristics, serviceability and suitability for further operation. If repairs are carried out at the substation with the involvement of full-time and emergency teams, external contractors, the electrician assists them and takes part in the work. He also makes sure that labor protection standards and environmental requirements are respected (including in his own work).

To fulfill the basic duties, substation maintenance technicians are given fairly broad rights. So, they can perform any actions that they consider necessary to maintain normal operation at the facilities or to eliminate emergency situations. There is still a legal right to demand methodological assistance from other specialists and employees, from the management of the organization.

Of course, the electrician can not do without a full knowledge of the device electrical installations and the principles of their operation. Be sure to be aware of the regulatory terms of construction, repair, normal operation and periodic verification of electrical equipment, substations themselves. Another important point is the knowledge of the job and production instructions established in a particular organization. You also need to know the basic requirements and standards for power and distribution transformers, the rules for calculating the need for electricity for specific consumers.

In addition, it is very important:

• knowledge of the purposes of application (functions) and the main features of the bench fitting, assembly tool;
• ability to use this tool;
• personal safety rules at work;
• willingness to coordinate the work of other personnel, including in emergency situations;
• the ability to use fire extinguishing systems, organize the evacuation of people and material assets;
• skills in assessing the condition of equipment and making decisions on its adjustment;
• skills of reconciliation of real characteristics of equipment with passport data and other supporting documents;
• the ability to apply reference and guidance in practice;
• skill of separation, connection, splicing and soldering of wires.

Electricians 3 categories should understand the schemes of primary connections. They also master the purpose and activity zones of relay protection, automation. We will have to study the features of telemechanics complexes, their application and everyday control. An important role is played by the mastery of the principles of substation control and the ability to apply these principles in their work.

Training in the specialty "Electrician for substation maintenance" of 5 category can be taken in the following educational institutions:

• Engineering College of Krasnodar;
• College of Welding Technologies and Energy in Krasnoyarsk;
• Industrial College of Energy and Communications in Vladivostok.

Relatively few educational institutions, as we see, conduct training on similar programs. But there is a way. It is enough to undergo training in another electrical engineering specialty, and then take retraining. Some organizations that use substations also train candidates on their own. However, it must be understood that with a small volume of production (and, accordingly, manipulations with electricity), this is not practical for the company. In this case, you will have to look for an organization that nevertheless conducts appropriate training. It will probably be inconvenient to get to it. Count on a high salary and a comfortable schedule is also not necessary. But then it will be possible to get at least minimal experience. This is exactly what is so lacking after training in all retraining centers.

A standard training and retraining program in commercial training centers takes 60 hours for a theoretical course. The total training time (with a separation from production) is 72 hours. The remaining 12 hours are left to practice the exercises on the simulators and to increase preparedness for various situations.

It is believed that professional installers can be trained only if there are no more than 16 people in the groups. When compiling programs for certain students, educational institutions have the right to change the composition (ratio) of disciplines and individual moments. But at the same time, the quality of education should not be impaired, even with amendments to the training of individual cadets. Passing a general exam is not enough to allow electricians to work. They also perform the test in conditions as close as possible to the conditions of real work.

Substation service electricians can get jobs in:

• generating and distribution companies;
• management companies;
• transport organizations (primarily railway);
• large industrial and construction companies;
• oil and gas companies (they have a lot of objects in hard-to-reach places where a stable power supply is needed);
• power structures (similarly).

Difficulties at work and the amount of work itself depend primarily on the size of the substation. At facilities that only support the activities of specific consumers, the situation is almost always calm. The situation is different at large junction stations that give current to consumers of the first category. Every day you have to fix something, repair something, control the operation of the power grid.Even in standard cases (there is no question of deviations from the norm), the restoration of normal operation of systems can take 6-8 hours.

Further careers may include positions such as:

• dispatcher
• senior dispatcher;
• dispatcher service engineer;
• master;
• head of the substation group;
• site manager;
• Head of the substation department in the organization.