How Advanced On-Line Partial Discharge Diagnostics Can Make

You a Hero


Claude Kane
Electrical Diagnostic Innovations
7308 Aspen Lane #137
Brooklyn park, MN 55428
claude@elec-di.com
Alexander Golubev
Electrical Diagnostic Innovations
7308 Aspen Lane #137
Brooklyn park, MN 55428
alex@elec-di.com
Abstract: Maintenance departments many times are considered to be a cost center, while in fact they should be looked at as a
Generator of Lost Profit Opportunity. We are all be asked To Do more with less and have fewer and shorter outages than we ever
had. Embracing technologies for on-line diagnostics and prevent forced outages can be easily justified when compared to the cost of
such forced outage.
Partial discharge technology has been applied to medium voltage rotating machines for many years. This technology can now be
applied to support on-line diagnostics of medium voltage switchgear assemblies. Partial discharge sensors have been developed, with
calibration both in the factory-test floor environment, as well as in the field under normal operating conditions. The application of
partial discharge measurement technology to MV switchgear will be presented, with actual examples of pending failures, which were
identified by on-line partial discharge measurements. This application of partial discharge technology can greatly aid in the day-to-
day reliability and life-extension of the medium voltage electrical power substation assemblies.
INTRODUCTION

In today's competitive environment, increasing demands are being placed on the management of physical assets. It has become
imperative to capitalize on advances in technology that allow new approaches to the maintenance of these physical assets. These
include reliability-centered maintenance, predictive diagnostics, condition monitoring and expert systems. Concerned customers
and suppliers are taking advantage of the convergence of these new technologies to implement proactive maintenance programs
to improve the performance and extend the life of their installed base of equipment. In process industries, this approach has also
been a significant factor in reducing unscheduled downtime, allowing scheduled preventive maintenance to prevail over costly
outages. Partial Discharge (PD) monitoring [1-4] has evolved as a reliable means of determining deterioration in insulation
systems for medium voltage rotating machines and power distribution equipment. This technology has proven very effective
when used on systems applied at 4000 volts and above.

This paper explores the following as they apply to medium voltage switchgear:

Reliability and Failure Statistics
Why the Main Bus is not inspected and tested
Several case studies of observed MV switchgear bus failure modes will be presented The recommendations of the various
maintenance guidelines
Maintenance Options
How the continuous monitoring of partial discharges can overcome these major maintenance deficiencies.

TRADITIONAL METHODS

Traditionally, PD tests have been performed on a periodic basis, approximately every 6 to 12 months. However, most standards
related to the online assessment of insulation systems recommend trending of data in order to provide the best assessment.
Setting alarms or basing judgments on PD pulse magnitudes (Q
m
) alone are not sufficient. The basis for this statement is
twofold.

1) No standard exists that clearly defines what magnitude of PD activity is considered "good" or "bad". Some suppliers of PD
technology have published data in an attempt to get to this point, but the data is conflicting, and thus controversial. Some of
the variables that exist in field measurement of PD activity include:
a) Lack of calibration. - No calibration of the system has been performed. Many less than ideal installations of coupling
capacitors at the line terminals of motors and generators have been observed. The high frequency signals produced by a
PD event attenuate quickly as the traveling wave moves through a winding. In order for the PD signal to properly
propagate, a low inductive circuit is required. Unless calibration has been performed on each and every machine,
comparison of absolute values of Q
m
is not valid.
b) In many cases, a pulse count is much more important than magnitude. In order to choose the proper parameters to
monitor, we recommended following any of the key standards related to making PD measurements found within IEEE
and IEC. We also recommend that PD power or PD Intensity be the key factor to monitor since they take into account
both magnitude and pulse count.
c) Trending is the key factor in determining the condition of an insulation system. A low level of PD increasing quickly
will signify a major defect, while a high level of PD that is stable indicates there is a major defect, but it is not getting
worse. A generally accepted "rule of thumb" in the PD industry is that a doubling of PD levels in six months will
indicate the insulation is in poor condition and is quickly deteriorating.
2) There are several external factors that may significantly affect partial discharge. The most important are voltage,
temperature, humidity or absolute moisture in the air or insulating fluid, load current and hydrogen pressure. Neglecting
these factors may produce incorrect diagnostic conclusions resulting in missing a problem or producing a false alarm. In
addition, correlating PD characteristics to these factors frequently provides valuable information that allows one to further
discriminate the type of PD failure mechanism and to plan more appropriate corrective action.
RELIABILTY AND FAILURE STATISTICS
The IEEE Standard 493-1997, IEEE Recommended Practice for Design of Reliable Industrial and Commercial Power Systems
Gold Book completed end-user surveys over two time periods. This data is relatively old, but at the same time it does represent
the majority of existing medium voltage electrical equipment in service today. [1]. Table 1 and Figure 1 show the comparable
hours of downtime per year of a variety of industrial equipment.

Table 1
Failure Rates and Average Downtime per Year for Common Industrial Electrical Equipment
IEEE Standard 493-1997
All Industry
Equipment Type
Failure
Rate/Year
Avg.
Hours/Outage
Avg.
Downtime
Hours/Year
Switchgear - Bus Only7 Sections 0.0119 261 21.7413
Large Power Transformers 0.013 1076 13.988
MV Synchronous Motors 0.0318 175 5.565
MV Induction Motors 0.0404 76 3.0704
Cables (Below Grade) - 3000 feet 0.00613 53 0.97467
Cable Terminations (3) 0.000814 284 0.693528
Small Power Transformers 0.0025 217 0.5425
MV Circuit Breakers 0.0064 89.3 0.57152
Bus Duct - 30 feet 0.0038 128 0.4864

We note that transformers are identified as highly critical assets and we also know from experience that much preventive and
predictive maintenance is completed on plant electrical transformers. This includes ongoing inspections to predictive diagnostics
such as dissolved gas analysis of the transformer oil to complete insulation and AC testing during maintenance outages. Tap
changers are also serviced during maintenance outages. [2,3].

Other items summarized in Figure 1, including cables, motors and circuit breakers are also normally scheduled for maintenance
inspections and testing. Concerning the switchgear bus, some plants may apply a high-potential test occasionally, but for the
most part, specifically the MV line-side bus that runs the length of the gear is not inspected nor provided any level of
maintenance or testing. This is further discussed in the next section.
0
5
10
15
20
25
Switchgear -
Bus Only 7
Sections
Large Power
Transformers
MV
Synchronous
Motors
MV Induction
Motors
Cables (Below
Grade) - 3000
feet
Cable
Terminations
(3)
Small Power
Transformers
MV Circuit
Breakers
Bus Duct - 30
feet
H
o
u
r
s
Figure 1 Average Downtime Hours per Year by Equipment Type
WHY THE MAIN BUS IS NOT INSPECTED OR TESTED

There are many reasons why the main bus of MV switchgear is not inspected nor tested. Listed are some typical plant conditions.
No redundancy built into the overall plant system to allow for outages of the main MV switchgear bus.
Complete outage may be required to test MV switchgear line-side bus, and this is unacceptable in most cases, even during
outages since power is required for other maintenance activity throughout the plant.
Plants do not view bus as an active piece of equipment like a transformer or circuit breaker.
And probably most importantly, this can be costly and time consuming to remove covers and inspect all the joints as
compared to testing a breaker or transformer. Basically, a complete visual inspection of non-segregated bus duct is
sometimes practically impossible without a substantial outage and extensive labor to remove many panels.

Due to the long lead time to failure of MV switchgear bus systems, some plants actually become complacent with the minor
crackling sounds they hear coming from their switchgear. To an experienced field engineer that crackling and the smell of ozone
are obvious trouble-signs, but to some less-experienced personnel this just becomes part of the switchgear operating
characteristics.

While the majority of MV switchgear bus failures are extremely catastrophic, there is a substantial time period between such
failures, which creates a false sense of security.
When switchgear bus failures occur, they typically last for a few days or longer depending on the severity of the failure.
Depending on the age of the switchgear, spare bus pieces may not be readily available and custom manufacturing requires
additional time. In the interim, cable bypasses are usually applied, which is labor intensive and this requires a second complete
outage to restore the damage bus and insulation with permanent replacement equipment.

It has been observed by the authors and other contributors to this paper that in many cases a short final bridging of medium
voltage to ground can have devastating effects. Part of this is due to the ionization of the air within the switchgear bus
compartment after the arc is initiated. This ionized air becomes a conductor without any additional help from contamination or
conductive paths to ground. The ionized air will continue to bridge other areas of MV voltage to ground.

Another factor is the inherent air-gaps which were part of the design of early MV switchgear systems. These air-gaps resulted in
high potential stresses, which caused partial discharges across the air-gaps and resulted in insulation deterioration until eventual
failure if not detected by a visual inspection.

For example, older MV switchgear internal bus consisted of squared-copper bar, within an insulation sleeve. This sleeve then
penetrated the switchgear cells through a surrounding insulating support barrier. This design contains small air gaps, or voids,
between the copper bar and the insulation sleeve, and between the insulation sleeve and the support barrier [4]. This is illustrated
in Figure 6 and by the actual observed corona at these air-gaps in Figure 7.

This sense of security with the low failure rate on MV switchgear bus systems can be deceiving. For switchgear systems ten
years or older, we most often find signs of partial discharges or corona during detailed inspections or during bus change-outs or
upgrades. By the time the switchgear reaches twenty to thirty years in life, it is very common to find pitting, active tracking and
treeing within the bus supports. Additionally, one of the weakest points within the MV switchgear are the rear compartment
barriers of draw-out type Potential Transformers (PT) or Control Power Transformer (CPT) drawers. Under normal conditions
these deteriorating components may holdup but if system conditions or environmental conditions were to change they may result
in immediate catastrophic failures.

CASE STUDIES
Case 1 Medium Voltage Switchgear Paper Mill

This case study is based on making periodic PD measurements on a lineup of 13.8 kV switchgear, consisting of 21 cubicles. The
switchgear was approximately eight years old. Since installation, no outage was taken for testing and maintenance due to budgets
and production constraints. At the time of measurement, no permanent PD sensors were installed in the switchgear. Therefore,
temporary Radio Frequency Voltage Sensors (RFVS) sensors were installed in each cubicles current transformer (CT) circuit.
This sensor uses the natural capacitance between the CT and the main bus which couples the high frequency signal generated by
a PD event to the secondary winding of the CT. The data was collected using a commercially available partial discharge
analyzer.

Little to no PD was detected until testing cubicle 13. Cubicle 13 showed definite signs of significant PD activity. The cubicle is
a bus tie breaker feeding a current limiting reactor. On August 13
th
2003 there was approximately 1,000 amps of load current
flowing through the tie connection. In making confirmation tests on the following day, approximately 100 amps were flowing.
Significant changes in PD activity were noted between the two days. Tests performed on the second day showed considerably
lower PD activity than the previous day. This is shown in the bar charts in Figure 2. The bottom chart compares the number of
pulses occurring per cycle while the top chart compares the Partial Discharge Intensity (PDI). PDI is a calculated value of the
amount of energy in the discharges in milliwatts.



Figure 2 - Comparison of PD activity in Cubicle 13 on subsequent days

Upon inspection of the switchgear, the defect shown in Figure. 3 was observed. The problem was a result of improper placement
of a current transformer. One can also observe the early stages of a defect developing on the middle phase. Although only two
tests were performed it is evident that load (most likely temperature) caused the variation on PD activity by four to five times.


Figure 3 - Defects found in cubicle 13. Improper placement of CT

During the next available outage repairs were made. The cause for the misalignment was due to improper placement of the
supporting brackets that secure the CT. They were installed upside down at the factory. During 2003 and 2004, permanent PD
sensors were retrofitted into the switchgear and are now connected to a continuous partial discharge monitor.
Case 2 Medium Voltage Switchgear Steel Mill

This case study is on a lineup of 13.8 kV switchgear that has a continuous PD monitoring system installed. The system consists
of multiple sets of 80 pF coupling capacitors (one set per three cubicles) and a 15 channel PD monitor. One PD monitor can
monitor 15 cubicles of switchgear. Figure 4 shows the long term trend on one of the channels.

Figure 4 Partial Discharge Intensity (PDI) trend from one channel of the PD monitor
In general the trend was downward and not near any alarm levels. The data was reviewed and advice was given to leave the
equipment in service. Due to many past switchgear failures before the PD monitoring was implemented, plant personnel were
nervous and planned an outage. However, prior to the outage an ultrasonic inspection was performed on J anuary 21, 2005.
Figure 5a shows the PD distribution on all 15 channels at 7:00 in the morning on the day of the inspection and Figure 5b shows
the PD distribution six hours later. Sometime between 0700 and 1300 hours, the PD activity ceased. This is the time period
when the ultrasonic inspection was performed.

(a)

(b)
Figure 5 PD distribution of all channels (a) 7:00 in the morning and (b) 1:00 in the afternoon

Figure 6 shows the results of what was found during the visual inspection. Although evidence of PD was found, they switchgear
was far from having a failure. Use of ultrasonic detection equipment in an attempt to locate defects is a valid technology, but
one must make sure the PD sites are active at the time of tests.








Figure 6 Results of visual inspection at one location
Case 3 Medium Voltage Switchgear Steel Mill

This steel mill has a continuous PD monitor on the main switchgear feeding a key process area. The contract for remote
monitoring of the gear had expired in December 2003 and not been renewed. No one at the facility picked up the responsibility
for reviewing the data stored by the monitor nor were the alarm contacts connected to a plant control/monitoring system.

At 4:35 in the morning on J anuary 2, 2005 the switchgear bus differential relays tripped the gear offline and shutdown
production. A quick visual inspection and insulation resistance tests were performed. No abnormal conditions were found and
the gear was placed back into service around 6:00 that same morning.

After the trip, the most recent stored data from the monitor was uploaded and reviewed. Figure 7 shows the long term trend of
PD activity from cubicle 1 of the lineup. The lower horizontal line represents the HI alarm point and the upper horizontal line
represents the HI-HI alarm point.


Figure 7 Long term trend of PDI on channel 1 of PD monitor
As can be seen both alarm points were activated several times over a period of months. Figure 8 zooms in to the dates
surrounding the day of the trip.
4 Hours Later

Figure 8 PD activity surrounding date of trip
Four hours later after re-energization, the PD level was still nearly at the HI-HI alarm point. On the following day, an ultrasonic
test was performed on the gear and no problems were found. In reviewing Figure 8, it can be seen that on J anuary 3
rd
, the PD
site was not active. Using ultrasonic equipment can be beneficial in locating a defect, if the defect is active at the time of the
test.





Figure 9 Results of further inspection after detailed review of the data. The picture on the right shows the most likely location of the fault that
caused the trip.
In taking a detailed look at the data and reviewing the phase resolved fingerprints, it was recommended that the client take a
closer look in Cubicle 1 on B phase. A planned outage was taken for a detailed inspection and Figure 9 shows what was found.
One can see in the picture on the right where there was an arc to ground and the most likely location of the fault that caused the
trip.
Case 4 Medium Voltage Switchgear Defense Contractor

Figure 10 shows the partial discharge growth from one channel of the PD monitor. Here the PD had started to accelerate in the
months from May to August and showed a rapid increase in September. The partial discharges are detected with permanently
mounted sensors within the MV switchgear. The sensors can be added during a scheduled outage to provide ongoing continuous
monitoring.

Figure 10 Long Term PD activity from one channel of a PD monitor. Note fast growth in September.

At this time, an outage was scheduled and the severe damage illustrated in Figure 11 was identified.
Figure 11 Results of inspection during outage
A continuous partial discharge monitoring allows for ongoing monitoring with multiple rate-of-rise, low and high partial
discharge alarm set-points as well as remote diagnostics and analysis.

Sensors are not required in every cubicle, but placing sensors only at the ends of the switchgear bus has proven to be not
effective due to the attenuation of the partial discharge signals.
DISCUSSION ON SIGNAL ATTENUATION AND TIME OF ARRIVAL PRINCIPALS IN
SWITCHGEAR

The writers have extensive experience in the measurement and monitoring of PD activity in switchgear. A great deal of
laboratory and field research has been performed on a variety of switchgear over the past 10 years. This includes calibration and
attenuation tests on switchgear in operating plants as well as on manufacturers assembly floors.

Some PD vendors are suggesting the use of only two sets of coupling capacitors per lineup of gear with one set at each end of the
main bus. Then by using time of arrival principals of the PD traveling wave, they will be able to determine the location of the
defect. In principle the theory is sound, but in actual applications it is not effective.

As a PD pulse travels along a conductor, the pulse quickly attenuates. It loses magnitude and its higher frequencies. In
switchgear there are many T connections tapping off the main bus. The PD energy will split at each junction based on the
overall surge impedance of the system. Figure 12 shows an ideal situation, with no reflection at the connections and equal surge
impedances (Z).
Z
V
P
2
=
Z
V
P
2
2 / 1 =
Z
V
P
2
2 / 1 =

Figure 12 Ideal scenario how PD energy will split at a T connection

As the PD pulse travels from the left to right the Power (P) will equally split at the T connection. The magnitude of the pulse
in Volts (V) after the T Connection will them be equal to the or 0.707 or 70.7% of the original magnitude.

In actual practice, there are reflections and not all surge impedances will be equal. The writers experience has
demonstrated that the average attenuation factor for switchgear to be in the range of 0.5 to 0.7 per cubicle or single structure
based on making measurements in the 1 to 20 MHz bandwidth. If a higher bandwidth is utilized for measurements the attention
factors will be even greater.
2
1

Let us review how a time of arrival system will respond assuming a normal Main Tie Main configuration with 8 structures
per half as shown in Figure 13.




C
2
C
1
1
2
3
4

Figure 13 Common Main Tie Main configuration with eight structures

This situation has one set of capacitors located at position C1 and another set at position C2 on the main bus. Assuming there is
a defect at location 1 that causes a PD pulse to occur. C1 will detect that signal and trigger a timer. When the pulse reaches C2,
this will stop the timer and one can determine the time difference and thus the location. In the case of Pulse 1, under the best of
circumstances the signal will attenuate by a factor of 0.6 (average real life attenuation factor) per T connection. By the time
the pulse reaches C2 it will have a magnitude of 0.028 of the original pulse. Although there are many cases where high
magnitude defects are detected, there are just as many cases where there are low magnitude, high pulse count defects. There have
been many documented pending failures of switchgear that have magnitudes in the order of 20 50 mV, with a pulse count
greater than 5,000 pulses per second.

Therefore if there is a 50 mV signal at the origin, C2 would see a magnitude at best of around 1.4 mV, which is highly unlikely
to be of large enough magnitude to stop the timer. Also, the pulse shape would be so distorted; many systems would not detect
the pulse since the pulse rise time would be in excess of six nanoseconds (common cut-off point for discrimination).

Experience has taught that pulse count and partial discharge intensity (PDI), which is the amount of energy in the pulse, to be a
more effective parameter to trend than pulse magnitude.

In the case of Pulse 2 and 3, the time of arrival system cannot differentiate between the locations of the two defects. If the defect
is at location 4, the average total attenuation at the sensors will be 13%. With a 20 mV signal (actual case that was close to
failure) the magnitude would be around 2.6 mV, which is far below the threshold required to reliably trigger the timers or even
be detectable since the pulse rise time would be in the order of 10 20 ns.
PLACEMENT OF AND HOW MANY SENSORS ARE REQUIRED

Through the extensive experienced gained in the industrial environment, it has been determined that a set of coupling capacitors
should be placed every three cubicles. For an eight cubicle layout as shown in Figure 14, it is suggested that one set of capacitors
be located in Cubicles 2, 5 and 8 (counting from the left).

Sensors
Zone of Sensitivity


Figure 14 Recommended location of sensors for eight cubicles and approximate Zone of Sensitivity.

Figure 14 also shows the relative Zone of Sensitivity for each set of sensors. The sensors are common located in the
termination area of the feeder compartments. Ideally mounting the sensors on the main bus is preferred, but space is at a
premium and many times is inaccessible. Figure 15 shows pictures of two common mounting methods.




Figure 15 Common methods of sensor installation

Figure 16 shows PD levels in a 16 cubicle lineup of switchgear that has sensors installed in nearly every cell. As can be seen
there was very little PD measured at the end cubicles, whereas substantial PD activity existed at cubicles 8 and 9. The proper
allocation of PD sensors throughout the entire line-up ensures full coverage of any potential PD activity.

Figure 16 PD levels distribution with sensors in every cell of a 16 structure system

The main purpose of a continuous PD monitoring system is to alert the end user that they have a pending problem and to provide
some historical data to assist in the diagnosis. Beyond that, an expert should be dispatched to perform additional on line testing
which may incorporate time of arrival measurements using temporary sensors in every structure, use of ultrasonic equipment or
simply pulling out a Potential Transformer drawer.

A central partial discharge monitor can normally obtain data from fifteen (15) individual PD sensors, as well as monitor other
parameters such as humidity, temperature and load currents. These parameters have been shown to greatly help pinpoint the
cause of partial discharge activity and help provide immediate recommendations for investigation and correction. The continuous
monitor can provide high and high-high alarm contacts for local indication as well as RS485 remote connection for remote
monitoring and analysis.
SUMMARY
The implementation of continuous partial discharge monitoring has been successfully applied to MV switchgear. This
technology also provides a method to properly address the long-standing maintenance requirements of MV switchgear bus. This
technology was previously been employed on MV generators and motors in utility generation stations. The expansion of this
technology to MV Switchgear Bus provides the following system improvements are:
Reliability improvements via predictive maintenance at actual operating voltages.
Reduced number of unexpected outages.
Improved outage planning and allocation of limited outage resources to investigate potential areas of excessive bus
insulation deterioration without inspection of entire switchgear bus.
Older switchgear designs can be retrofitted to include continuous partial discharge monitoring as well as new switchgear
systems containing continuous monitoring.
Remote diagnostics provides immediate expert support for analysis and corrective actions
Improvements in personnel safety due to diagnostics without access to energized equipment and reduction of the use of high
voltage test equipment to simulate operating voltages. Regardless of the preventive or predictive test methods, safety
concerns should always be given the highest priority and checked prior to any actions.

Also reviewed were the issues related to PD signal attenuation and using time of arrival principles from a PD monitor as a
method of defect location. It is evident that multiple sets of sensors need to be installed in order to provide appropriate detection
of pending defects.
REFERENCES

[1] IEEE Standard 493-1997, IEEE Recommended Practice for
Design of Reliable Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Gold
Book, IEEE Inc., New York, NY, 1998.

[2] Moubray, J , Reliability Centered Maintenance, 2nd Edition,
Industrial Press Inc, New York, NY,1997-Appendix 4

[3] P. Gill, Electrical Power Equipment Maintenance and Testing,
Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY, 1998

[4] Paoletti, G, Blokhintsev, I, Golubev, A., On-Line Condition
Assessment of MV Electrical Switchgear and Ancillary Equipment
via Partial Discharge Technology, EPRI 9th Annual Substation
Conference, New Orleans, Feb. 2000

[5] J ames E. Smith, Corona (Partial Discharge) Testing of Metalclad
Switchgear, The Association of Professional Engineers of the
Province of Ontario, 1985

[6] Paoletti et al, The Most Ignored Maintenance Electrical Item in
the Plant Power Distribution System and Practical Solutions, PIC
Europe, August 2005, Basil Switzerland