DD and IRC Test
DD and IRC Test
DD and IRC Test
BY ENGR. MOHAMMED HANIF ABB Electrical Industries Co. Ltd Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Email: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
This paper describes the common insulating materials, their application and desirable properties. In addition basic initiators of insulation degradation, causes and effects of insulation failure as well as type of insulation tests and principles and applications of insulation testing are discussed. Finally paper focuses on testing insulation quality with DC and various types of DC insulation tests performed worldwide are reviewed.
INTRODUCTION
nsulation is the isolation between parts of an electrical power system. It may be solid, liquid, gas or vacuum. No insulation is perfect, therefore, a certain magnitude of current does flow through it. Such a current may be insignificantly small for most practical purposes but it is the basis of insulation testing. Insulation degrades over a period of time because of various stresses imposed upon it during its normal working life. The insulation of electrical equipment is designed to withstand these stresses during the working life of insulation. Abnormal stresses can cause an increase in the natural aging process that can severely shorten the working life of the insulation. For this reason, it is a good practice to perform regular testing to identify the increased aging if
taking place, the cause of aging and also to identify the most appropriate actions to correct the insulation. Most electrical equipment in the utilities, industries, and commercial power systems use either 50 or 60 Hz AC. Because of this, the use of an AC source to test insulation seems to be the logical choice. However, insulation systems are extremely capacitive and AC test equipments are bulky and costly, DC has considered more suitable than AC. The DC test equipment is almost trivial in size compared with AC test equipment. For example, a one-mile length of cable being tested at 50 kV AC would require test equipment with a capacity of between 400 kVA and 500 kVA. A DC test at 50 kV would require a capacity of 50W using test equipment that is significantly smaller and easier to use.
substance through which conduction of electric current does not take place or is negligible, and in which an electric field can be maintained with a minimum loss of energy is called dielectric or insulating material. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyethylene (PE) and Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) are solid insulating materials used for cables and conductors. Epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resins (with 60-70% filler) and polyurethane resin (with 60-70% filler) are used for cast
resin mouldings. Ceramic insulating materials are used for post insulators, insulators and bushings. Silicone rubber is used for cable terminations and corona-resistant insulation tubing. Kraft paper, pressboards, laminated wood and insulating tapes are used for transformers, generators and motors. The important properties of solid insulating materials are density, bending strength, tensile strength, impact strength, linear thermal expansion, maximum temperature, tracking resistance, breakdown field strength, dielectric constant and resistivity.
Mineral oil, silicone liquid, HKT mineral oil and Synthetic ester are liquid insulating materials. Their important properties are density, viscosity, pour point, thermal conductivity, coefficient of expansion, dielectric constant, flash point, fire point, breakdown strength, dissipation factor, spontaneous ignition temperature and flammability. Air (Dry) and SF6 are gaseous insulating materials. Density of air at Normal Temperature and Pressure (NTP) is 1.205 and its breakdown field strength is 2.1 kV/mm (50
Hz). It is used as insulating and arc-extinguishing medium in air-break circuit breakers at atmospheric pressure. While in air blast circuit breakers, pressurized air is used as an insulating and arc-extinguishing medium. SF6 is an inert gas, colourless, odourless, non-inflammable and nonpoisonous. At NTP, SF6 gas has a dielectric strength and density equal to 2.8 and 5 times those of air at the same conditions. SF6 is chemically stable and it is used as insulating and arc-extinguishing medium in switchgear.
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stresses, particularly sustained over voltages or impulses can lead to discharges in voids, which may thereby expand and can initiate electrical treeing. The aging of insulation is a slow process of degradation as these factors interact with each other in a gradual spiral of decline. At some point, dependent on both original and operating conditions the decline may speed up significantly.
a. Type Test: Type tests are performed to the first unit manufactured by a vendor to a given specification. It is presumed that every such equipment would also comply with the type test, since its design is unique. Insulation type tests are: full wave impulse withstand test, 1.2/50 s wave and switching impulse withstand test, 250/2500 s wave. Switching impulse test is applicable for system voltages 220 kV. b. Special Tests: Special tests correspond to particular service conditions or investigations.
Chopped impulse wave withstand test and partial discharge test are insulation special tests. c. Factory Routine Test: Routine tests are carried out on every equipment without exception before shipment. Insulation routine tests are: measurement of insulation resistance (spot test and time-resistance), power frequency voltage withstand test and induced over-voltage withstand test. d. Pre-commissioning Test: These tests are conducted at site in accordance with an approved method statement before commissioning. Insulation pre-commissioning tests are: measurement of insulation resistance and polarization index, DC HiPotential Test and power frequency voltage withstand test at 80 % of the values as indicated in IEC 60298, Sub-clause 7.1 (refer IEC 60298, Annex DD) or at 75 % as per ANSI standard. It is recommended that utilities, industrial and
commercial clients should review and replace DC Hi-Potential test with VLF Hi-Potential test. e. Preventive Maintenance Test: As an old age saying goes A stitch in time saves nine, a regular periodic preventive maintenance may correct the situation in time and can eliminate the need of consequent major repair. For example, with good preventive maintenance and proper loading, a power transformer gives a service life of over forty years.
f. Predictive Maintenance Test: It is a development of Stitch in time philosophy that uses data from testing and monitoring to adjust the maintenance activity in such a way that it is carried out at appropriate time whenever it is required instead of after a fixed interval of time.
1. Sudden application or removal of the voltage creates a very large dV/dt, and causes an abnormal amount of stress. The test voltage should be applied and removed gradually.
2. If a large over-voltage of the order of 2 or more times normal is applied to some insulation systems, the smaller air voids in the insulation will become charged. If the insulation is then suddenly reconnected to the power system, it may fail due to the addition of the system voltage to the still charged voids. Even if the insulation does not immediately fail, it will be stressed and may lose life. It may happen during pre-commissioning and field maintenance. To avoid this problem, insulation should always be drained off DC test voltage for one to five times the length of time that the test voltage was applied before it is re-energized. 3. Test leads must be in good condition. 4. Accuracy of megger must be checked by performing zero and infinity checks. 5. During test, Guard terminal and test leads are never touched. Also test lead should not be pressed under feet. 6. Test leads should not be allowed to touch each other or any other object because this will induce leakage paths. 7. Sharp points at the test lead connections should be avoided to prevent corona discharge.
8. Instrument test jacks should be deep so that unwanted leakage does not occur between the terminals. 9. For precise readings, Guard terminal should be used. 10. Proper testing sequence should be followed. 11. Approved epoxy stick should be used for discharging the test object. 12. After completion of test, all readings should be corrected at 20oC. Tables of correction factors or field rule of thumb may be used that the insulation resistance will halve for each 10oC rise and vice versa for apparatus containing immersed oil insulations. For apparatus containing solid insulations, the insulation resistance will halve for every 15oC rise in temperature and vice versa. In oil-immersed transformers, temperature of the top oil and in dry type transformers, ambient temperature is taken as the insulation temperature. 13. Humidity will not generally affect on insulation resistance unless the temperature is very low close to the dew point and condensation forms on or in the insulation.
ts application include testing of switchgear, transformer, generator, motor, CTs, VTs, cable, wiring, lighting circuit, control equipment, appliances, meters
and relays. Each type of equipment requires its own unique testing procedure, conforming to different test standards.
INSULATION DC TESTS
here are numerous tests for assessing the insulation quality. This paper discusses diagnostic insulation DC tests.
Spot Test
The spot test is the simplest insulation test. It is performed for go / no go testing and historical records. It is temperature dependent and has humidity effect. The test voltage is applied for a short, specific period of time; typically 60 sec as Ic and Ida will have decayed by this time and a reading is taken. (Insulation Resistance) IR = Vdc/ Idc IRinitial = Vdc / (Ic + Ida + Ilc + Ils) and IR60sec = Vdc / (Ilc + Ils) or where Ir = Ilc + Ils IR60sec = Vdc / Ir For large, HV and EHV transformers, reading after 10 minutes is recorded. Values of insulation resistance less than manufacturers minimum or rated voltage + 1kV in megaohms should be investigated. Commonly used DC test voltages for routine maintenance are as follows:
Table 1: DC Test Voltages Equipment AC (Rating) 24 50V 50 100V 100 250V 251 600V 601 5000V 5001 12,000V > 12,000 Volts Recommend DC (Test Voltage) 50 100V 100 250V 250 500V 500 1000V 2500V 5000V 10,000V
Time-Resistance Test
1. Polarization Index (PI)
The ratio IR60sec / IR15sec or IR10min / IR1min is called Polarization Index. This test determines the elasticity of the ground insulation. When placed in an electric field, molecules of the good insulation should align with that field (see Figure 3). If the insulation is aged, hard, and brittle, no polarization can occur. PI is fairly independent of temperature and often can give conclusive information without records of past tests. Successive readings at specific time be taken and differences in the readings be noted. IEEE STD. 43-2000 recommends following minimum acceptable values for the various thermal classes of motor insulation: Class A: 1.5, Class B, C, F and H: 2.0
measures the flow of current through the insulation. If the current is in excess of a preset level, a failure conditions is signaled. The DC Hi-pot test can uncover insulation weaknesses that might not necessarily be detected in an IR or PI tests. In addition to measuring overall insulation resistance to ground, it provides information on insulation dielectric strength. In this sense, it can detect insulation weaknesses that are likely to fault to ground if subjected to the high transient voltage surges that commonly occur on industrial power systems. This test is ideal for detecting workmanship errors, design problems as well as component spacing problems. The areas where Hi-pot tests are typically used include: production line, research and development labs, incoming inspection areas, pre-commissioning and maintenance and repair. In Hi-pot testing of cable, the DC test voltage is applied in a minimum of four steps (each step approximately equal to the rated r.m.s voltage of the cable) of one minute each except for the final test voltage that shall be maintained for fifteen minutes. Max. Hi-pot test voltages for cable are as below. Equipment Rated Voltage (KV) 2.5 5.0 15.0 35.0 Test Voltage AC DC 6.0 10.0 14.0 24.0 27.0 46.0 60.0 102.0
3. EDA Test
This test was developed for motors and generators, but it has much wider applicability than the simple Dielectric Discharge test. The EDA test also monitors currents, voltage and capacitance and the software calculates a wider range of parameters from both charging and discharging cycle at two voltages, to give enhanced information on insulation condition. The EDA test therefore, combines attributes of Polarization Index, Step Voltage and Dielectric Discharge tests to give the broadest diagnostic information possible. The software also takes information on insulation type and motor operation history to assist with the diagnosis.
The maximum recommended value of field DC test voltage for cables is: 1.7[0.75(2 x equipment maximum voltage + 1kV)]
Surge Test
It is the only test that looks at inter-turn winding insulation condition of motors. It is performed to detect insulation damage between turns within a motors winding. The surge test consists of applying a short, fast rise time, and high current impulse to a winding. This high-rise time impulse will induce a voltage difference between adjacent loops of wire within the winding. If the insulation between the two loops of wire is damaged or somehow weakened, and if the voltage difference between the wires is high enough there will be an arc between the wires. The arc is detected by observing a shift to the left in the surge waveform. The voltage or amplitude of the surge wave pattern is also reduced due to the decrease in inductance of a coil with a fault between turns.
CONCLUSIONS
he insulation of an electrical power system is tested for system performance, system safety, system reliability and economic asset management. The insulation degradation cannot be eliminated but minimized if the basic initiators are controlled, causes of aging are
identified and appropriate corrective actions are taken in time. There are variety of test methods and testing equipment that can be used for assessing the condition of electrical insulation. One test by itself does not provide conclusive
proof that insulation under test is defective. Normally, several dielectric tests are performed on the same insulation and each test provides additional information that should be evaluated before the insulation is determined to be serviceable or suspect. Testing sequence is very important and it should be considered for adequate testing. For example, the suggested testing sequence for a motor is: (1) Winding resistance, (2) Insulation resistance, (3) *** Date: 20th June 2004
Polarization Index, (4) Step Voltage and finally (5) Surge test. During dielectric test, improper application and removal of test voltage may deteriorate the insulation and increase its aging. It is very important that only qualified personnel perform testing. All the diagnostic tests mentioned in this paper except surge test see the major insulation. The surge test is the only test that looks at the turn-to-turn insulation.
REFERENCES
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Switchgear Manual, ABB Calor Emag, Tenth edition, 2001. Transformers, Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd., Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, Sixth Reprint, 1994. Power Transformers and Special Transformers, S. Rao, Delhi, Second Edition, 1991. Testing, Commissioning, Operation and Maintenance of Electrical Equipment, S. Rao, Delhi, Fifth Reprint, 2001. A Guide to Diagnostic Insulation Testing above 1kV, David O. Jones, Jeffery R. Jowett, S. Graeme Thomson and David S. Danner, Megger Ltd, Second Edition 2002. Diagnostic Insulation Testing, Stephan Drennan, Megger Ltd. Sub-station Maintenance Training Manual, Technical Services Group, WAPDA, Lahore. Understanding the Tests that are recommended for Electric Motor Predictive Maintenance, Curtis Lanham, Baker Instrument Company. IEC 60076-3, Power Transformers- Part 3: Insulation levels, Dielectric tests and External clearances in air. IEEE STD. 43-2000, IEEE Recommended Practice for Testing Insulation Resistance of Rotating Machinery.