Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Session 11:
Application of Australian Standards to HV Switchgear
Routine Testing
Gabriel Ojeah
Consulting Engineer, Gadian Electrical Engineering Services
Abstract:
Though the AS 62271 series standards have been around, the existing AS
2067-2008: Substations and High Voltage Installations Exceeding 1 kV ac does
not explicitly mention the AS 62271 series standards as the Standards to apply
when dealing with high voltage switchgear. This has now been addressed in
the next version of AS 2067 (expected to be released in 2015) by updating
Clause 5.4.1 to include “Factory-built, type-tested high voltage switchgear shall
be manufactured and tested in accordance with relevant standards such as AS
62271.1, AS 62271.200, AS 62271.201 and AS 62271.203.”
Introduction
Standards are put in place for various purposes including specifying minimum
design requirements, specifying legislative requirements, providing purchasing
specifications, providing technical conditions for contracts, providing guidance,
etc.
With the continuity of the main circuit assured by closing the switching devices
(circuit breakers and disconnectors), the test voltage is applied to one phase at
a time with the other two phases earthed. Test duration is 1 minute and the test
is deemed successful if no disruptive discharge occurs.
Rate of increase of test voltage, test duration and acceptance criterion are
specified in subclause 6.3.1 of IEC 60060-1 (High-voltage test techniques –
Part 1: General definitions and test requirements. Requirements of the
measurement system are specified in IEC 60060-2 (High-voltage test
techniques – Part 2: Measuring systems)
This test is based on AS 62271.1 subclause 7.2 and consists of the following;
Functional tests
Dielectric tests
A visual inspection of the auxiliary and control circuits would include looking out
for such items as physical damage, quality of the individual components, quality
of the assembly, mounting, wiring termination, adequacy of terminal strips,
adequacy of cable ducts, protection of wiring from heat & sharp objects, etc.
The General Arrangement (GA) drawings are checked in detail against the
physical installation and updated as necessary. The Schematic drawings are
checked in in detail against the physical installation to verify continuity of the
physical wiring, cable numbers, wire numbers, device details, types of contacts,
functional correctness, etc. The Schematic drawings are updated to reflect as-
built condition.
Functional tests are conducted to verify the proper functioning of auxiliary and
control circuits in conjunction with the other parts of the switchgear. The
functional tests would include verification of voltage switching through individual
MCBs, mechanical/electrical operation of switching devices, status of switching
device auxiliary contacts, anti-pumping device operation, under-voltage relay
operation, reduced voltage operation of circuit breaker open & close coils, etc.
Tightness check is based on leakage rate of the fluid (gas or liquid). This test is
based on AS 62271.1 subclause 7.4. Methods for measuring or calculating the
leakage are provided.
This test is subject to agreement between the manufacturer and the user. A
test procedure is provided in Annex B of this Standard.
The switching devices are operated several times to ensure that they open and
close correctly within the specified limits of the supply voltage and pressure as
well as to ensure that the mechanical interlocks work properly. Withdrawable
parts are inserted and removed several times to verify satisfactory operation.
The electrical, pneumatic and other interlocks together with control devices that
have a predetermined sequence of operation are tested five times in
succession at the most unfavourable limit (upper or lower) of the auxiliary
supply. An example would be attempting to close a circuit breaker with the
close release coil disabled and making another attempt with the close release
coil energised at a voltage just above the lower limit. This test differs from
functional test because it is conducted repeatedly under adverse conditions.
The ease of operation is practically the same before and after the tests.
The same operational tests conducted during the factory routine test would be
beneficial.
For fluid-filled compartments, the condition (pressure, volume, etc.) of the fluid
is determined in order to verify compliance with the manufacturer's
specification.
AS 62271.200 deals with the switchgear in general but not specifically with
individual components such as the circuit breakers, disconnectors, contactors,
earth switches, current transformers and voltage transformers which are dealt
with in other standards. Routine testing of these major components are taken
care of as follows;
Summary
Though Standards on their own have no legal status and no requirement for
compliance, they become mandatory when called up in government legislation
and as a result can be subject to the scrutiny of the courts.
The relevant Australian Standards and other documents for routine testing of
HV switchgear and its major components are summarised in Figure 4.
Switchgear:
AS 2067
AS 62271.200
AS 62271.1
Protection Relay:
System functional design
specification
IEC 60255 series
Standards
Circuit Breaker:
AS 62271.100
Contactor:
AS 60470
Earth Switch:
AS 62271.102 (also for
Disconnector)
Current Transformer:
AS 60044.1
Voltage Transformer:
AS 60044.2
References