The Advantage and the disadvantage of radial and ring distribution systems

Advantages of the radial distribution system 

• Simplest as fed at only end.
• The initial cost is low.
• It is useful when the generating is at low voltage.
• Preferred when the station is located at the center of the load.
• More economical for some areas which have a low load requirement
• Require less amount of cables
• It has a low maintenance

Disadvantages of the radial distribution system 

• The end of distributor near to the substation gets heavily loaded.
• When load on the distributor changes, the clients at the distant end of the    distributor face serious voltage fluctuations.
• As users are dependent on single feeder and distributor, a fault on any of these two causes interruption in supply to all the users connected to that distributor

Advantages of the ring distribution system

• In ring power is supplied from both ends as compared to radial
• In case of a fault in the radial circuit the entire system goes off unlike in ring where by incase one end gets a fault the other end still keeps on supplying power
• Compared to the radial system, the voltage drop is less along the distribution line
• More subscribers can be installed to the system than the radial system
• Less voltage fluctuations can be seen at client’s terminals. Voltage  fluctuations in high loaded areas can be reduced using a tie line

Disadvantages of the ring distribution system

• Ring is very expensive n requires more materials than radial
• Radial circuit is more economical
• High maintenance cost
• It is not usable when the client is located at the center of the load