In order to avoid the costs of repeated expensive qualification tests, to reduce the material consumption of the bus duct, it is advisable to perform numerical modeling of thermal and electrodynamic processes in the bus duct during emergency state at the design stage [1, 2]. In addition, with numerical modeling, the accuracy of determining electrical parameters increases 2-2.5 times compared to traditional (analytical) calculation methods [3]. The purpose of the study was to review published articles on heating bus ducts up to 10 kV in short circuit situation, to develop a model of a power transformer - bus duct - load system with a three-phase short circuit (three phase S/C), to conduct a comparative analysis of the simulation results obtained with experimental data. Methods: the authors used the method of numerical simulation in the three phase S/C situation, implemented with the help of related non-stationary problems of the magnetic field and heat transfer. Non-stationary magnetic field problem simulated a short circuit jump and calculated the heat dissipation capacities in the buses at each moment of time. The specific volumetric heat dissipation power obtained in the program for the bus duct was as initial data to the problem of non-stationary heat transfer. Results: the result of the work is a simulated 10 kV power transformer system - bus duct - load corresponding to the section of a real substation with bus duct. The simulation data have a good convergence with the experimental data, the error in maximum heating temperatures was 3 %. The practical significance is with using the developed model it is possible to determine the real values of currents at the considered section of the substation, real heating temperatures. Accordingly, it is possible to choose the necessary and sufficient cross-sections of the bus duct, the distance between the base insulators, without excessive stocks. Also, with the help of the developed model, it is possible to justify the need for modernization proposals.