Text 6. Substation

Task1. Write down the words and remember them:

generating station – электростанция; to flow – течь; instead of – вместо (чего-л.); subsidiaries – филиалы, вспомогательные компании; to interrupt – прерывать; to occur – случаться, происходить; fenced enclosures – окруженные заборами места; switchgear – распределительное устройство, коммутационная аппаратура; to ground – заземлять, заземление; hazard – угроза; electrocution – удар эл. током.

Task 2. Read the text:

A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and consumer, electric power may flow through several substations at different voltage levels.

Substations may be owned and operated by an electrical utility, or may be owned by a large industrial or commercial customer. A substation may include transformers to change voltage levels between high transmission voltages and lower distribution voltages. The word substation comes from the days before the distribution system became a grid. As central generation stations became larger, smaller generating plants were converted to distribution stations, receiving their energy supply from a larger plant instead of using their own generators. The first substations were connected to only one power station, where the generators were housed, and were subsidiaries of that power station.

Substations generally have switching, protection and control equipment, and transformers. In a large substation, circuit breakers are used to interrupt any short circuits or overload currents that may occur on the network. Smaller distribution stations may use recloser circuit breakers or fuses for protection of distribution circuits. Substations themselves do not usually have generators, although a power plant may have a substation nearby. Other devices such as capacitors and voltage regulators may also be located at a substation.

Substations may be on the surface in fenced enclosures, underground, or located in special-purpose buildings. High-rise buildings may have several indoor substations. Indoor substations are usually found in urban areas to reduce the noise from the transformers, for reasons of appearance, or to protect switchgear from extreme climate or pollution conditions.

Where a substation has a metallic fence, it must be properly grounded to protect people from high voltages that may occur during a fault in the network. Earth faults at a substation can cause a ground potential rise. Currents flowing in the Earth's surface during a fault can cause metal objects to have a significantly different voltage than the ground under a person's feet; this touch potential presents a hazard of electrocution.

Task 3. Find English equivalents for the following word expressions:

осуществлять несколько важных функций; находиться в собственности кого-либо; менять уровни напряжения; здания специального назначения; высотные здания; внутренние подстанции; уменьшать шум; включающее, защитное и управляющее оборудование; регуляторы напряжения; из-за внешнего вида; условия загрязнения; значительно отличающееся напряжение.

Task 4. Answer the questions:

1. What functions do substations perform? 2. Who owns substations? 3. What is the function of transformers? 4. When did substations appear? 5. What equipment do substations comprise? 6. What equipment protects substations in case of fault? 7. Why must substation’s metallic fence be grounded?