Abstract:The main transformer is simplified as a volume source,area source and point source respectively to analyze the attenuation characteristic based on a 500 kV substation in Sichuan province. The result indicates that the calculated noise levels of software Cadna /A highly tally with the theoretical formulas,and the difference among three kinds of simplified noise sources at the same distance is as small as just 0. 9 dB( A) .In the near sound field,attenuation rate of volume source is the slowest, the following is area source ( L≤5m) ,and the fastest is point source,so that the sound pressure level of volume source is the highest,the following is area source,and the lowest is point source when L ( distance from the source) is the same from the sources. However,in the far sound field ( L≥35m) ,three noise sources perform accordantly in terms of attenuation discipline,and the sound pressure level of point source is the highest,the following is area source,and the lowest is volume source.The divergence of simplified noise sources is explained form the mechanism,which is highly instructive for substation noise prediction.