RELIABILITY AND LIFE-CYCLE COST ESTIMATES OF 400 KV SUBSTATION LAYOUTS

This paper presents an analysis of reliability and Life Cycle Costs of two different schemes; a single busbar in two sections and a double c ircuit breaker system with double busbars. Two main questions initiate d this study: 1. Do the substations have a design of uniform strength regarding the reliability of included components and sub-systems or is there unnecessary redundancy or weak points. 2. Can improvements of r eliability and availability of the components during the last decades be taken as a justification for simplification of sub-station schemes.