Power Network

LV Network Planning and Design Course

Course summary

Are you involved in network design but would benefit from a greater understanding of what is behind the doors of an electricity substation, what the components look like and what the rules are that govern the design of UK low voltage distribution networks? It is one thing being able to use a design tool such as VisNet® Design to create low voltage (LV) network designs, it is a more valuable thing altogether to understand why it is doing what it is doing.

This network design foundation course introduces the basics of electricity distribution, the components, and the language of LV distribution networks before considering how these components are put together to produce a safe, reliable and economically viable LV distribution network. Using a series of tutorials and practical exercises, your knowledge of load diversity, thermal constraints, voltage constraints, fault level, earthing, power quality and protection will be built up in sufficient detail for you to be able, by the end of the two days, to create (and justify!) a simple compliant LV distribution network design.

Course itinerary

Fundamentals

  • Volts, Amps and Resistance
  • AC Electricity, Capacitance and Inductance
  • Real Power and Reactive Power
  • 3-Phase Electricity
  • Power Transformation

Earthing

  • Basic principles of earthing
  • CNE/ SNE – why?

LV Network Components

  • Functions types and sizes, why they look they do:
    • 3 phase cables
    • Service cables
    • Mechanical protection
    • Joints and link boxes
    • Cut-outs and fuses
    • Transformers
    • RMUs for HV connection
    • OH lines

Economic Design Rules

  • Diversity – the importance of sharing – After Diversity Maximum (and Minimum) Demands
  • Sizing and Thermal Ratings Exercise

Network Constraints

  • Network Planning Regulations
  • Thermal and Voltage constraints
  • Fault level – too much or not enough – earth loop Impedance – fuse reach
  • Power quality considerations

Representing Customers in Modelling Tools

  • Profiles
  • ACE49

The Age of Electric

  • New loads appearing on LV networks – solar generators, plug-in electric vehicles, heat pumps
  • Strategies for design to accommodate them.
  • Final exercise

Open Discussion

Programme may be subject to amendment.

The optional 1-day VisNet® Design course, booked separately via the VisNet® Design course page, will introduce you to the LV network design software, VisNet® Design. Benefiting from the knowledge gained in the LV Network Planning and Design course, you will undertake several practical exercises using VisNet® Design to design networks with different properties including PV generation and EV chargers.

Fundamentals of VisNet® Design

  • Background to the software package
  • Core standards and a brief overview of the software methodology
  • Key modelling components

Step-by-step Walkthrough of the Modelling Package

  • A complete step-by-step walkthrough of the software to:
    • Assemble a network
    • Study embedded generation
    • Assess and interpret results

Practical Sessions

  • Network design exercises of varying difficulty to put into practice lessons learnt

Questions and Answers

Programme may be subject to amendment

Why attend?

  • Understand the constraints to be managed in creating an LV distribution network
  • Use understanding of the constraints to design safe, reliable and economically viable LV networks
  • Learn to recognise when a network model output may be incorrect
  • Understand how LV network designs can be modified to cater for the uptake of new low carbon technologies such as PV generation and EVs
  • Use design software exercises and hand calculations to reinforce and apply key lessons

This course is part of a suite of courses that are relevant to the skills development of network designers, planners and connections teams. Other courses in this suite include, VisNet® Design course, HV Network Planning and Design, Distributed Generation, Substation Design, Cables for Power Systems part One, Switchgear and Transformers, Earthing and Lightning Protection, Protection for Power Systems Part One and Power Quality and Harmonics.

The course presenter was great 🙂

Johnathan, 2-4 November 2021

Very helpful to my role. Very insightful.

Gareth, 2-4 November 2021

Great trainer, very knowledgeable.

Alia, 21-23 June 2022

The course was well presented and easy to understand while also challenging.

Givette, 21-23 June 2022

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