On-Line Partial Discharge Testing of In-Service Rotating Machines in Ex Hazardous Environments by Employment of Central Monitoring Solutions

Lee Renforth Steven Goodfellow Marc Foxall HVPD

Ltd Manchester, UK marc.foxall@hvpd.co.uk David Clark Roger Shuttleworth University of Manchester Manchester, UK david.clark2@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk

Abstract Carrying out the on-line partial discharge (OLPD) testing of in-service high voltage (HV) rotating machines can be an effective technique to understand any insulation degradation mechanisms that may be present within the stator windings. Interpretation of OLPD measurements performed on rotating machines can be difficult due to the presence of noise and interference from variable speed drives (VSDs) and/or motor exciter systems. The new PD measurement and monitoring techniques outlined in this paper are carried out at the switchgearend of the machines feeder cable, at distances of up to 2km from the machine under test. It has been shown that this remote monitoring technique eliminates much of this high-frequency interference which can be seen at the mac hines terminal box. This is due to the effect of the high voltage power cable between the switchgear and the machine, with the cable acting as a low-pass filter, stripping out higher frequency signals whilst retaining lower frequencies. Also, most importantly for operators with motors located within Ex hazardous gas zones such as in the oil & gas industry, the remote monitoring technique allows these motors to be monitored without the need to enter the Ex zone to install sensors or monitors. The authors present case studies from two oil & gas companies showing how the technique has been used for monitoring PD of in-service motors located in Ex zones. Keywords - Rotating Machine, Wideband, On-Line PD Testing, Ex Motor, Hazardous Gas Zone.

example, a break in production caused by an unplanned outage of an HV motor can lead to lost revenue running into several millions of $s per day. For this reason PD monitoring of these essential HV motor assets is becoming more widespread in these high-revenue petroleum process industries [1]. The central monitoring technique discussed in this paper has been developed due to restrictions imposed by BS60079 [2] on personnel entry into the hazardous area (Ex) locations of the plant, and also physical limitations within the motor termination boxes which can make it difficult to install PD sensors in them. The central monitoring technique described in this paper avoids much of the constraints that exist on entering Ex hazardous gas zones as the PD measurements are performed at the switchgearend of the motor feeder cable, a non-hazardous zone. The paper discusses how OLPD measurements on rotating machines can be carried out and interpreted, the various PD sensors that can be used, and how the knowledge of PD pulse propagation within rotating machines and feeder cables can be used to make reliable assessments of PD activity measured on rotating machines. Examples of PD signals recorded during preliminary test projects are also presented. PD Testing of Rotating Machines On-line partial discharge measurements on HV rotating machines have traditionally been carried out with the use of preinstalled high-voltage coupling capacitors [3]. The frequency response of such sensors makes them capable of detecting the short duration, high-frequency content PD pulses originating from the machines stator winding. It has

Introduction On-line partial discharge (OLPD) testing and monitoring of rotating machines can help to reduce unplanned outages by using the PD test data to interpret the general condition of the stator winding insulation. PD activity within a rotating machine can be effected by operational, manufacturing or third party damage/defects. If left un-diagnosed, such PD activity can potentially cause a catastrophic insulation failure either through a phase-to-phase or a phase-to-earth fault. The OLPD condition assessment of in-service HV plant and cables is now considered an essential part of any structured Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) scheme. To ensure continued, reliable HV plant operation it is important that asset owners and managers direct preventative maintenance activities towards those items of plant and machinery most in need of this. Rotating machine PD measurements can thus help to ensure that such maintenance is suitably coordinated by identifying any incipient insulation faults in advance before they cause an un-planned failure which can greatly 978-1-4673-0487-0/12/$31.00 2012 IEEE 565 effect production and revenue. The ability to sustain production in the oil & gas industry rests heavily on the HV motors which drive the processes. For

also been shown that PD measurements on rotating machines can be performed with the use of ferrite-cored high frequency current transformers (HFCTs) and Rogowski coil (RC) type sensors [4]. Reliable measurements of stator winding PD activity comprise only part of the PD activity interpretation, as much of the work involves analyzing the PD activity and attempting to relate the distribution and features of the PD signals to a possible location within the stator winding and thus the root cause of the PD activity. Over the years various different methods of interpreting PD measurements performed on rotating machines have been developed. The comparison of PD test results between similar machines, under similar operating conditions is generally considered as being the most statistically significant method of making an accurate assessment of the condition of the stator winding insulation. Another reliable method of PD activity assessment is to monitor the PD activity over time, and to attempt to identify any trends in the PD activity [3]. Trending of PD activity over time is considered the most reliable method to evaluate PD activity with respect to loading and environmental factors. Seasonal PD activity issues can also be observed with trending techniques. To date, the majority of testing has involved annual, short duration, OLPD spot test measurements on the rotating machines which, whilst considered as being useful for observing general stator winding insulation degradation, can suffer from missing intermittent or seasonal activity. In all cases it is important that enough is known about the time and frequency domain characteristics of the PD signals and a suitable database of previous PD test results is available for direct comparison. Permanent PD monitoring of rotating machines is now becoming more popular as plant owners throughout the world begin to adopt Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) schemes. The advantage of continuous monitoring is that this provides the operator with the highest degree of confidence of the insulation condition of the machine, including the detection of environmental, operational and seasonal variations in PD activity. With the application of web-based monitoring technology, it is now possible for the operator to view the PD activity data from a remote location. Interpretation of PD measurements has long been a discussion within published papers and a number of PD pulse parameters have been put forward to help assess stator winding insulation condition. The method used by the authors is in keeping with the general consensus of using a PD Energy Density function, conventionally referred to as a Normalized Quantity Number (NQN) value, along with a PD peak magnitude measurement (mV). The new wideband measurement technique applied by the authors is in keeping with this convention and uses a measurement of total charge across the power cycle (in nC/cycle) for the Energy Density measurement along with a PD peak measurement based on the charge content of the PD pulses (measured in picoCoulombs, pCs). Sensor Options Engineers often argue that a system is only as good as the sensors used and this is no exception for PD measurements. obviously, the most suitable sensor depends upon the cable/plant/machine under test, where physical dimensions, voltage/current rating and the possible points of attachment (POAs) on the network are all of vital importance. The key 566 sensors available for oLPD detection in HV cables, switchgear,

transformers and rotating machines include; HV Coupling Capacitors (HVCCs), ferrite-based High Frequency Current Transformers (HFCTs), air-cored Rogowski Coil (RC) sensors, Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs), Stator Slot Couplers (SSCS) and Transient Earth Voltage (TEV) sensors. Four of these sensors were used in this test project, as summarized in Table I. Note the relative sensitivity at 10MHz for each sensor, where the HVCCs are most sensitive, followed by the ferrite HFCTs, the TEV sensors and finally the RC sensors. Another important point to note is that these sensors have different wideband frequency responses across the frequency range from 100 kHz up to 100 MHz. This frequency response has an important bearing on which sensor is used for each type of plant item to be monitored. A brief description of the four main types of sensor used for the oLPD detection of in-service HV cables, switchgear, bus duct, transformers and rotating machines is given below. A. High Voltage Coupling Capacitors High Voltage Coupling Capacitor sensors are recommended for PD monitoring of all types of HV rotating machines and are now widely employed to monitor PD activity in generators and larger motors. A typical installation of permanent HVCC sensors in a generator cable box is shown

Table I: PD Sensor Options

in Fig. 1. One HVCC sensor is galvanically connected to each phase of the machine, with the PD signal outputs from each sensor taken to an external termination connection box, along with the voltage synchronization output, as depicted in Fig. 2.

machines. This requirement involves permanent HF CT sensors being installed inside the cable box (as shown in Fig. 3) to intercept either the PD current on the conductor of each phase (i+) or the PD current on the earth drain/ shield wire (i-). As with the HVCC sensors, the PD signal from each HFCT sensor is taken to an external connection unit, therefore allowing PD testing to be conducted without an outage. Further developments in the use of HFCT sensors for PD detection in rotating machines, has involved the use of these sensors located at the central switchboard, up to =2km away from the rotating machine under test (in XLPE cables), as shown in Section V, Fig. 5 of this paper. This method takes advantage of the HFCT sensors wideband, low frequency response and long fall time to detect PD pulses (down to frequencies of around 200 kHz). This good low frequency response allows for the detection of PD pulses which originate deeper in the windings of large machines. The installation of a single HFCT sensor around a belted cable at the switchgear-end of a 6.6kV motor feeder is shown in Fig. 3 below.

Figure 1: Permanent HVCC installation in a Generator Cable Box

Rotating Machme HV Coupling Capacitors

As shown in Table I, the HVCC sensor provides the greatest measurement sensitivity at 10MHz in comparison to all the PD sensor options, when installed in the machines cable box. However, on smaller motors (<5MW), which are often supplied with belted 3-core cables, it is sometimes difficult to fit the HVCC sensors due to the smaller cable boxes. In this instance HFCT sensors are often the preferred sensor solution due to
To Termination Box

Figure 3: Permanent Installation of a HFCT Sensor C.

Rogowski Coil Sensor Air-cored, Rogowski Coil (RC) inductive sensors have been utilised in the UK North Sea offshore oil and gas industry and the UK power generation and petro-chemical industries to monitor PD in rotating machines for many years. They were originally adapted for the application of monitoring PD activity in large generators by scientists at the UKs CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board) in the 1960s and a number of designs have become ATEX-approved for installation within motors located in Ex hazardous gas zones

their smaller physical size. High Voltage Coupling Capacitors of different voltages and capacitances are available in the marketplace ranging from 3.3kV to 36kV in voltage with typical capacitance ratings of
Figure 2: HV Coupling Capacitor sensor connection schematic

80pF, 500pF and 1nF. In order to detect lower frequency PD signals (<5MHz) from PD sources deep into the machine windings on larger rotating machines (>10MVA), higher capacitance coupling capacitors (i.e. 500pF/1nF) are increasingly being utilised. A. High Frequency Current Transformer (HFCT) Sensor Inductive HFCT sensors provide a means of accurately measuring net (common mode) RF PD current signals, flowing in either the earth connection (earth shield or drain) or along the cables core. Due to their low-profile design and split-ferrite core, they are now the preferred sensor of choice for the OLPD testing of in-service MV and HV cables. Increasingly, due to new high current (1000A+) designs of these sensors, HFCTs 567 are also being applied to the PD monitoring of HV rotating

where they are permanently installed inside motor and and generator cable boxes, one per phase around each conductor. Whilst proven to have a very low spark-risk, the main drawback to the RC sensor is their very low sensitivity to PD signals, due to their low transfer impedance (typically 0.08Q to 0.15Q at 1MHz). Therefore RC sensor sensitivity is typically around 20x to 100x less than the HFCT and HVCC sensors respectively. Subsequently, significant levels of PD activity are required (typically >5,000pC) before they can be detected by the RC sensors. This means that the early indications of increasing PD activity through trending is limited, in addition to the poor signal-to-noise ratios. D. Transient Earth Voltage Sensors Transient Earth Voltage (TEV) sensors are electromagnetic sensors which can be attached to the outer or inner surfaces of metal-clad plant to detect internal PD activity, via coupling by mutual capacitance. Predominantly these sensors are utilised on medium voltage switchgear, in particular on the switchgear feeder panels to rotating machines. These aerial sensors have a wideband frequency response to detect close to source, highfrequency PD pulses in the range of 1 - 100MHz. Upon occurrence of PD within metal-clad plant, a high-frequency voltage pulse is induced onto the inner metal surfaces of the metal-clad plant. This electromagnetic energy (the Transient Earth Voltage) emerges onto the outer skin of the metal-clad housing through gaps, such as at joints, seams, gaskets and vents. Handheld PD screening devices which utilise the TEV sensor are now used as the first line of defence for the detection of PD in switchgear by engineers worldwide. Most of the handheld devices available in the marketplace incorporate TEV sensors which, as discussed above, are widely considered very useful in the identification and location of PD activity in MV switchgear panels (and bus ducting). An example of a handheld PD screening device is shown in Fig. 4. It is also important to note that handheld devices are now also available for the testing of HV rotating machines which have permanently installed PD sensors (e.g. HVCC, HFCT or RC sensors).
Figure 4: A handheld PD test unit with TEV sensor technology

restrictions are not in place. However the centre frequency and bandwidth of the HVCC sensor typically allows a true measurement of any PD pulses. For the technique of central monitoring at the switchgear-end, the HFCT type sensors are suitable as the frequency content of the PD pulses has been severely altered due to the effects described in section IV below. I. PD Pulse Propagation in Cables and Rotating Machines Much work has been carried out to understand the physics of PD pulse propagation in both rotating machines [5] and cables [6]. When monitoring PD activity remotely, from the switchgear-end of the machine, allowance for the effects of attenuation and dispersion of the PD pulses as they pass along the cable must be made to obtain a reliable, remote interpretation of the PD measurement. At the point of creation a PD pulse can be viewed mathematically as being similar to an impulsive burst of energy, quite often being represented by a Gaussian-type curve or a Dirac function. The electron transit time involved with the formation of PD pulses gives rise to impulse pulses with a very rapid rise time (typically <1ns) and a pulse that is rich in high frequency content. However, as a PD pulse propagates away from its site of origin its characteristics alter due to the nonlinear effects of pulse broadening. The frequency content of a PD pulse can range from DC (0Hz) up to tens of MHz, depending on the location within the machine, the sensor location and the PD mechanism driving the process. However as the PD pulse moves further away from the PD site, the higher frequencies (approximately >10MHz) tend to attenuate by the time the pulse reaches the machines terminals. Experience from PD testing of power cables has also shown that the low-pass filter effect of a power cable means that only the low frequency spectra (approximately <10MHz) is retained after travelling some distance along a power cable. Pulse broadening theory helps to describe how a pulse travelling in a medium alters due to the effects of attenuation and dispersion, parts of which were outlined here. It is known that the velocity of PD pulse propagation is related to the frequency of the pulse [5]. However a PD pulse is composed of a range of frequency components and the pulse is said to possess a group velocity which describes the velocity of the peak amplitude of the pulse as a function of frequency. Thus for a PD pulse beyond its point

E. Summary of Sensors The four sensors discussed here

CTIM

were all used in the pilot project to assess their performance and relative sensitivity. Despite the greater sensitivity of the HVCC sensor, its application can be limited to larger machines where space within the machines termination cable box is not so restricted, and also environments where hazardous environment 568

of creation it can be assigned a group velocity which essentially describes the phase shift interaction between different pairs of frequency components. This well-known phenomenon is termed pulse dispersion and describes how the pulse broadens as a function of frequency. The technique of central monitoring relies on the knowledge of how a PD pulse alters as a function of propagation along the HV cable. Such knowledge is being used in-conjunction with time-domain parameters of PD pulses to employ the use of HFCT sensors at the switchgear-end of a machine feeder cable to make reliable assessments of machine stator winding insulation. The nonlinear effects of pulse broadening can be incorporated into the analysis of the switchgear-end captured PD signals by applying a scalar multiplier, termed the PD Pulse Retention Factor (PPRF) that allows for the different modes of propagation of the pulse frequency components and the energy lost during propagation to be taken into account. II. Central Monitoring of PD Activity Central monitoring of PD activity in rotating machines is a technique that may be used to measure the PD signals originating in the stator winding of a rotating machine, from a position located some distance away, at the switchgear- end of the machine feeder cable. The use of wideband (~100kHz 25MHz) HFCT type sensors ensures that the attenuated PD signals from the machine winding in the sub- 10MHz frequency band can be captured at the switchgear- end of the feeder cable, and furthermore distinguished from noise and interference by means of time-domain separation. Fig. 5 depicts how the technique is applied.
Non Hazardous Area

coupling mechanisms. At present, allowance for pulse attenuation, and dispersion (as outlined in Section IV) is incorporated into the analysis of the PD activity by studying how the parameters of an artificially injected PD pulse alter as it reflects from the machine, thus providing an indication of how much of the energy is lost in the PD pulse propagating from the stator winding to the switchgear. Development work is being undertaken in the area of PD localization to ensure that the PD activity measured at the switchgear-end originates from the machine stator winding, and not the feeder cable or switchgear. Localization of PD activity is performed with instruments that allow the synchronous, highresolution (200MS/s) capture of PD pulses, thus enabling phase-to-phase (end-winding region) and phase-to-earth (slot discharge) PD activity to be identified based on experimental work presented in [8] and visual inspections carried out by plant personnel, examples of these types of PD activity are shown in section VI. III. Case Studies To demonstrate the effectiveness of the central monitoring technique some results from preliminary test projects are presented. An aging oil processing facility consisting of over 100x 10kV motors required a PD monitoring solution for a number of high-priority, HV motors which were nearing the end of their design life of 30 years. As with many such facilities of this type the motors are located within Ex hazardous gas areas. Although a number of the generators at the facility had HVCC sensors installed, the motors had physical space limitations within the cable box for attaching these sensors. The method suggested was to employ the central monitoring technique, as the switchgear- end of the motor feeder cable was situated within a non- hazardous zone. Two 10kV, 4-pole induction motors formed part of this initial test project, rated at 2400kW and 800kW. Work permits were arranged to allow motor-end PD measurements to be made to allow comparison between the machine-end and the switchgear-end PD measurements to be made. The two motors had PVC-insulated cables of lengths of around 350 metres from the switchboard. The measurements showed both motors had PD activity, one within the endwinding region of the stator winding and the other within the slot section. Fig. 6 shows a PD signal recorded from the motor with slot section PD activity. The characteristics of this discharge pulse is typical of a phase- to-earth PD event, with a dominant pulse present on the blue-channel, and limited crosscoupling to the other phases. oscillations post-peak of the pulse on the blue-channel are considered to be due to the superposition of the different frequency components and multiple reflections.
Segment Wveform

Figure 5: Representation of the Central PD Monitoring Technique

The central monitoring technique depicted in Fig. 5 is reliant on a few key features: distinguishing between stator winding PD activity from the machine, PD from the feeder cable and PD from the switchgear, in addition to separation of PD activity from noise and interference. Monitoring from the switchgearend of the machine feeder cable generally ensures that much of the high-frequency content of the PD pulses is attenuated making the HFCT sensor suitable for detecting the PD pulses, whilst the knowledge-based rules ensure that noise is separated from PD activity. The technique can also prove advantageous for making PD measurements on Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) and inverter-fed drives, as any PWM switching pulses are typically attenuated by the motor feeder cable, thus allowing an improved SNR at the remote end of the cable.

Much of the software for automatic classification of the various PD types was developed for distinguishing between PD activity occurring at the switchgear, within the cable or simply just Figure 6: Phase-to-Earth PD from a 10kV Motor measured at the Machine Terminals noise [7]. Building on the core Knowledge- Based Rules it is now becoming feasible to distinguish between a number of PD Measurements carried out on the adjacent 10kV motor types, including PD that originated from the stator winding of a rotating machine, given a good understanding of PD pulse 569 provided the waveforms shown below in Fig. 7 which show PD activity within the end-winding region, a phase-to-phase propagation, minimum acceptable attenuation levels and phase

PD event. The polarity, and magnitude association between the signals is due to cross coupling between the phases and described mathematically by Kirchhoffs loop equations as outlined in [8].
Available Waveform Display 0.06 0.04 0.02 0 -0.02 -0.04 -0.06

Rotating Machines Operating in Gas Groups B, C & D?, IEEE - PCIC, Toronto 18-20 September 2011. [2] [3] British Standards Institution. BS EN: 60079-11, Explosive Atmospheres. Equipmentprotection by intrinsic safety i, London, 2012. V. Warren, G. C. Stone and M. Fenger, Advancements in Partial

Time (uSec) ^^^Chan 1 Chan 2 Chan 2 Curs 1^^^ ~~~ Curs 2^

Discharge Analysis to Diagnose Stator Winding Problems, in IEEE International Symposium on Electrical Insulation, Anaheim, CA USA, April 2-5, 2000. [4] Y. Asiri, A. Vouk, L. Renforth, D. Clark and J. Copper, Neural Network Based Classification of Partial Discharge in HV Motors, IEEE Conference and Exhibition on Electrical Insulation, Annapolis, MD, USA, 5-8 June 2011, pp.333-339. C. Zhou, I. J. Kemp and M. Allan, The PD Pulse Behaviour in Rotating Machine Stator Windings, in Proceedings Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena, 1995. P. Wagenaars, I. Tigchelaar, P. Wouters, P. van der Wielen and E. Steennis, 2007, Partial Discharge Propagation through Cable Systems with Cross-bonding Joints, Proceedings 20th Nordic Insulation Symposium (Nord-IS 07), pp. 119-121. R. Mackinlay, New Methods in On-line PD Detection for HV Plant, UHVnet, Cardiff, UK, 2005. G. C. Stone, S. R. Campbell and H. G. Sedding, Characteristics of Noise and Interphasal PD, in IEEE Electrical Insulation Conference, Annapolis, MD USA, June 2011

Figure 7: Phase-to-Phase PD Activity measured at the switchgear-end of a 10kV Motor

Fig. 8 below shows an example of a stator winding of a 10kV motor where an insulation fault has occurred at the position where the end-winding starts as a result of prolonged PD activity.

[5]

[6]

[7] [8]

Figure 8: End-Winding Damage to a 10kV Motor Stator Winding

The results from this trial project have demonstrated the use of HFCT sensors at the switchgear-end of a motor feeder cable as a viable alternative to using HVCC sensors at the machine terminal box. It is proposed that this remote PD monitoring technique will be very attractive to those plant operators who have high-priority HV motors located in Ex hazardous gas zones, where access to the motors is limited. VII. Conclusions This test project has shown the effectiveness of using wideband HFCT sensors located at the switchgear-end of a rotating machine feeder cable to carry out oLPD measurements. The good low frequency response of the HFCT sensor (in the sub 10MHz band), combined with the advanced PD/noise separation software allows PD occurring within the stator winding of the motors to be distinguished from noise. It is also possible to show the differences between different types of PD activity occurring within the end-winding region and within the slot section using this technique. This is an important diagnostic when it comes to carrying out remedial maintenance as end winding discharges can be remedied relatively easily, whilst slot discharges require the removal of the machines rot or. Further work is being conducted to establish possible relationships between PD site locations, time, and frequency domain parameters of PD pulses in an attempt to provide a localization scheme for central monitoring of PD activity. References
[1] S. Haq, B. Mistry and R. Omranipour, How Safe is the Insulation of

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