What is a feeder in the power system context??

Question

What is a feeder in the power system context??

Answer 1

Electric utilities use the term "feeder" for a distribution circuit that runs through the town.  Usually on poles along the street or underground cable buried in the neighborhood.  The feeders start at a  substation with a circuit breaker or reclosing device.  Depending on the size of the substation, there can be anywhere from one to several dozen feeders.

The typical feeder will be designed for loads in the range of 300 to 600 amps.  In some areas utilities will load feeders  up to 900 amps.

The typical feeder voltage is in the range of 4 kV to 25 kV.  In the US the most common feeder voltage is around 12 kV.  Older systems have 4 kV feeders.  In rural applications many utilities have feeders of 25 kV or even up to 34 kV.

Distribution transformers (usually hanging on poles or sitting on pads) are used to step the voltage down to the customer utilization voltage.