How to Create an Electric Single Line Schematic Diagram in ArcGIS Schematics

December 5, 2012 — SSP Innovations

A couple of months ago, we did a simple proof-of-concept of what a Single Line Schematic Diagram should look like based on feedback from the user community.  To refresh your memory, the requirements for the proof-of-concept were:

  • One diagram per feeder
  • Display the source at the top of the diagram (e.g. Circuit Breaker)
  • Display three phase mains only (e.g. no single/double phase and no lateral taps)
  • Display inline and tie switches
  • Label tie switches with the feeder id of the feeder that it is tied to

The high-level steps performed in ArcGIS Schematics were:

  • Create a schematic dataset
  • Edit the schematic dataset with Schematic Dataset Editor
  • Create a new schematic diagram template using hierarchical – smart tree layout and standard schematic builder
  • Import the feature layers and properties for all participants in electric geometric network
  • Add new attributes to DynamicProtectiveDeviceBank for associating FacilityID and FeederID
  • Add new attributes to SwitchBank for associating FacilityID, FeederID, and Position
  • Create and configure feature removal rules for primary and secondary line sections
  • Create and configure node reduction by priority rules for network devices and junctions
  • Import default symbology
  • Save the new schematic diagram template

And the schematic output produced was:
ArcGIS Schematics

The proof-of-concept was a success as the following requirements were met:

  • Is there one diagram per feeder?  Yes, Feeder 9 is displayed
  • Is the source displayed at the top of the diagram?  Yes, the circuit breaker is on the top
  • Are only main three phase lines displayed?  Yes
  • Are the inline and tie switches displayed?  Yes
  • Are the tie switches labeled with the feeder id of the feeder that it is tied to?  Yes, the tie switch is tied to Feeder 8

Ok, so previously I provided the high-level steps to creating a Single Line Schematic Diagram, but let’s take a more detailed look this month on “how” the rules were configured in the Schematic Dataset Editor based on the requirements provided.
Schematic Dataset Editor
The first requirement was to “Display three phase mains only (e.g. no single/double phase and no lateral taps)”.  This is accomplished by using the Feature Removal task on the secondary and primary conductors.  For secondary, all features were removed.  For primary, all features were removed except for those having a phase of ABC.  The properties for the Remove Primary OH Except ABC are shown below.
Schematic Rule Properties
As you can see, all Primary OH except for phasing code equal to “ABC” is removed.  In addition, the orphan nodes caused by the link being removed are also being deleted.

The second requirement was to “Display inline and tie switches only”.  This is accomplished by using the Node Reduction by Priority task on all of the network devices.  All network devices except for Switch Bank were removed.  For Switch Bank, all Elbow subtypes were removed and all Switches except for those having a phase of ABC were also removed.  The properties for the Reduce Switch Bank Elbows and Non Phase Equal to ABC is shown below.
Schematic Rule Properties
As you can see, all devices were removed in the schematic output except for the circuit breaker and switches.  The nice thing about ArcGIS Schematics is that it allows the user to easily generate schematic diagrams with a minimal amount of setup and configuration.

For additional information on ArcGIS Schematics and to keep up-to-date with the product, check out the following links:

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One comment

  • Can you help me electric analysis? I want to develop a network for electricity distribution and analyze the buildings affected when some transformers break down

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