Training Program Description

BEST PRACTICES IN DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEMS OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE (O&M)

Place and Date: APSPDCL, TIRUPATI, 10 – 14 July 2006

Training Program Facilitators Central Institute for Rural Electrification

Training Program Venue APSPDCL, Tirupati
Training Program Duration 5 days
Target Audience Junior and Middle Management (Executive Engineer, Assistant Engineer, and Junior Engineer or their equivalent)

Training Program Description
The objective of this course is to create awareness amongst the junior and middle management officials of the distribution utilities to the importance of adopting best practices in operation and maintenance of distribution system. The course will provide useful information on various types of maintenance, viz., routine, preventive, planned, predictive, break down, and emergency maintenance techniques. A spotlight will be on essential tools and tackles required for quality operation and maintenance job to be carried out by the utilities.

Learning Objective

1. Revisiting the safety procedures, accident prevention practices to be adopted
2. Latest tools and techniques for better operation and quicker and efficient maintenance
3. Exposure to new technologies that help in quick fault location detection
4. Learning maintenance philosophy and benefits of preventive and predictive maintenance vis-à-vis break down maintenance
5. Exposure to best practices in operation and maintenance of all the equipment and gadgets in distribution system
6. Learning to enhance the reliability and accuracy of energy meters by adopting better maintenance practice
7. Customer confidence building by promptly attending the break down and reducing the break downs through preventive and predictive maintenance


Training Program Modules
No. Module Items to be Covered Faculty
0.

Day 1 Inauguration
(Keynote address on Managing Change in Power Distribution
(1 period) Topics to be covered in keynote address:
• Why change?
• Impact of reforms and unbundling
• Role of Electricity Regulatory Commissions – Setting standards
• Electricity Act 2003 provisions
• Attitudinal and working style changes
• Need for a comprehensive training policy
2.

Day 1 Lecture: Concepts and Principles of Distribution Loss (2 periods) • ATC losses definition and assessment
• Technical losses
• Commercial losses
• Principal cause of technical losses
• International and national standards of technical loss in distribution equipment
• Best Practices in Distribution O&M to minimize technical losses KV Surya Prakash Rao
3.

Day 1 Lecture: Safety procedures, accident prevention and disaster management (3 periods) • Understanding safety procedures and incorporating them in daily routine
• Techniques for accident prevention
• Response to accidents
• Disaster Preparedness and management
• Role of engineers, managers and technicians
• Interface with other public utilities V. Padmaiah
4.

Day 1 Exercise: Case Study
(1 period) • Introduction of the International / national case study highlighting the development and implementation of better maintenance practices to meet the customer expectation
5.

Day 1 Lecture: Quality of Supply and Service (3 periods) • Quality of supply – definitions and indices
• International standards of quality of supply and service
• Faults - Ensuring speedy response: fault detection and correction
• Customer interface
• Trouble call centers Meda Ram Mohan
6.

Day 2 Sharing of Best Practices: Interactive session – Methods and Procedures Practiced in Different Utilities by participants (2 periods) • International best practices in O & M by faculty

• Presentations from the participants of each of the utilities represented Dr. R. Mohd. Nafi
7.

Day 2 Lecture: Best Practices in Operation and Maintenance of Sub-station Equipment, and auxiliaries (3 periods) • Load scheduling
• O & M breakers
• O & M isolators
• O & M auxiliary devices
• Sub-station earthings
• Capacitors
• Layout of distribution sub-stations KV Surya Prakash Rao


No. Module Items to be Covered Faculty
8.

Day 2 Lecture: Energy Audit and Energy Accounting of Distribution System (2 periods) • Electricity flow diagram in a distribution utility
• Power distribution equipment
• Energy accounting to assess losses
• Energy audit to identify measures to reduce losses ADV Saibaba Rao
9.

Day 2 Lecture: Best Practices in Distribution Engineering and Automation (3 periods) • Standards
• Specifications
• Distribution system and network design
• Use of GPS in distribution network design
• Layout of Sub-station
• Recent trends in Distribution Engineering
• Automation of distribution System
• Application of Computers Meda Ram Mohan
10.

Day 3 Demonstration: Field Visit (8 periods) • Objective is to show case the use of latest techniques and technologies on i. how preventive maintenance in planned and executed, and ii. how a break down maintenance is handled by the distribution utility
11.

Day 4 Lecture: Best Practices in Design and Maintenance of Distribution Lines and Cables (2 periods) • Poles, stays, insulators, etc.
• Cable-types, joints, etc.
• Load balancing
• Hot line maintenance, etc.
• Length of LT lines, HT:LT ratio and impact on losses and voltage
• Overhead lines vis-à-vis cables – comparative analysis V. Padmaiah
12.

Day 4 Lecture: Best Practices in Operation and Maintenance of Distribution Metering and Billing System (3 periods) • Metering technologies and techniques
• LT meters types and selection, installation, testing, and commissioning
• HT meters type and selection, installation, testing, and commissioning
• Bill generation and distribution
• Computer application in billing system KV Surya Prakash Rao
13.

Day 4 Lecture: Best Practices in Operation and Maintenance of Transformers (Sub-station and Distribution) (3 periods) • Transformer selection (technology, size etc), and placement
• Ways of enhancing transformer life and efficiency
• Causes of transformer failure
• Testing of insulation
• Testing of insulating oil KV Surya Prakash Rao
14.

Day 5 Lecture: Maintenance Philosophy, Types, Planning, and Implementation (3 periods) • Types of maintenance: preventive, predictive, and break-down
• Pre-monsoon maintenance system
• History card ADV Saibaba Rao


No. Module Items to be Covered Faculty
15.

Day 5 Lecture: Best Practices in Protection Systems in Distribution Network (2 periods) • Fault analysis
• Relay coordination
• Protection circuits KV Surya Prakash Rao
16.

Day 5 Case Study: Better maintenance practices (4 periods) • Detailed discussion and interaction on the case study introduced on first day (item 4)
17.

Day 5 Exercise: Exercise on preparing list of items for implementation to introduce best practices in O and M (4 periods) • Complete details of an action plan for adopting best practices in O & M Dr. R. Mohd. Nafi
Note:
1. Total 49 periods and available is 40 periods in 5 days. Thus TIs in consultation could pick and choose or combine modules by shortening them to cover in 5-days.
2. One period would be of 40 minutes duration. There would be 8 periods in a day with lunch break after 4 periods and three breaks (two comfort breaks of 10 minutes each and one tea/coffee break for 20 minutes) in each half, i.e., forenoon and afternoon.