Cable Diagnosis

(predictive, non destructive)

Cable Testing
(preventive, destructive)

Cable Fault Locating

(reactive)

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 1

 Cable Fault Location

■ Cable Fault Location Overview and Basic Principles

■ High Voltage Prelocation Methods (ARM , ICE , Decay , ARM Plus,

Decay Plus)

■ Cable Fault Location Portable Systems and Test Vans

(Applications and Specifications)

■ Cable Fault Location Tools (digiPHONE + and CI Set)

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 2

 Cross Section of a Power Cable

Armouring Sheath/Jacket
Steel tape PVC or PE protection overall

Shield/Screen
Leakage current
Conductor/Core

Semiconductor

Inner Semiconductor
Insulation/Dielectric

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 3

 Fault Locating in Power Cables
- Causes of Faults -

Fault
In Operation
 External damage
Fault Identification
 Poor Workmanship
 Aging

Prelocation
Acceptance Test
 after installation
Cable Tracing  after repair

Pinpointing Periodic Maintenance

Test

Cable Identification  DC hipot

 VLF 0.1 Hz

Repair

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 4

 Fault Locating in Power Cables
- Fault Identification -

Low resistance < 100 Ohm,

continuity, cable length,
Fault interruption
TDR Time Domain Reflectometer
“Cable Radar”
Fault Identification “Impulse Echo”
“Reflectometer”

Prelocation
Identify affected phase,
fault resitance, High resistance > 100 Ohm
breakdown voltage
Cable Tracing  Insulation Tester
Which phases are affected?
 “Megger” 0 … 10 kV
 Phase – to – Phase  DC Tester
Pinpointing
 Phase – to – Sheath  VLF Tester
 Phase – to –Soil
 Sheath – to – Soil
Cable Identification Sheath to soil (0 … 10 kV)
 Insulation Tester
 DC Tester
Repair
© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 5
 Fault Locating in Power Cables
- Prelocation -
Low resistance < 100 Ohm
TDR
“Cable Radar”
Fault “Impulse Echo”
“Reflectometer”

Fault Identification High resistance > 100 Ohm

 ARM Arc Reflection Method
Prelocation ARM, ARM Plus, Decay Plus
 ARM Burning with burner
 ICE Impulse Current with SWG
Cable Tracing  Decay with HV DC-tester

High resistance, wet fault

Pinpointing
Burning permanent conversion

Cable Identification to earth (soil)

Sheath fault
 HV Bridge
Repair  Voltage Drop Method
© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 6
 Fault Locating in Power Cables
- Cable Tracing -
Connection
Passive (no transmitter):
 50 / 60 Hz,

Fault  RF radio frequency

Active:
 Direct galvanic, with conn. cables

Fault Identification  Inductive Clamp on energized cables

 Inductive Antenna terrain survey

Prelocation Method
 Minimum (Null)
 Maximum (Peak)
Cable Tracing  SuperMax
 SignalSelect
current direction indication
Pinpointing
Frequency

Cable Identification  RF radio frequency

 50 / 60 Hz power frequency
 400 … 1000 Hz: low coupling, long range
Repair  1 kHz … 10 kHz: coupling, low interference
 10 kHz … 80 kHz: high coupling, water pipes
© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 7
 Fault Locating in Power Cables
- Pinpointing -

Fault

Fault Identification Low resistance

Audio Frequency:
 Twisted – Field – Method (core – core)
Prelocation
 Minimal Turbidity (core – sheath)

Cable Tracing High resistance

SWG Surge Wave Generator

Pinpointing and Digiphone

to earth (sheath fault)

Cable Identification
Step – Voltage – Method with
 DC step voltage
Repair  Audio frequency step voltage

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 8

 Fault Locating in Power Cables
- Cable Identification -

Fault Single Phase Cable

Pulse Method
Fault Identification Audio frequency signal direction ident.
with inductive clamp connection

Prelocation Multi Conductor Cable

Pulse Method
Cable Tracing  Pulse direction
 Pulse intensity
Audio Frequency
Pinpointing  Twisted – Field – Method

Cable Identification Energized Cable LV

Pulse Method for energized Cables
Audio frequency signal direction ident.
Repair with inductive clamp connection

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 9

 Fault Locating in Power Cables
- Cable Test after Repair -

Fault

Fault Identification

Prelocation

Cable Tracing
Acceptance Test

Pinpointing  Insulation test (Megger)

 DC test (PILC)
 Short DC Test max. 5 min. (XLPE)
Cable Identification  VLF 0.1 Hz (60 min, 1.7 … 3 Uo)
 Soak test (24 h energized at Uo)
 Resonant test
Repair  Sheath test
 PD Measurement

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 10

Principles of the reflection technology (TDR technology)

 The TDR works on the same principle as a radar unit.

 The pulse travels down the cable. The pulse is reflected at each changing
of the impedance and travels back to the TDR.
 The TDR then translates this travel time to the distance.

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 11

 Propagation Velocity of the Electrical Pulse

Propagation velocity v/2 (m/µs):

■ PILC 80 m/µs (77-82 m/µs)

■ PVC 78 m/µs (70-80 m/µs)
■ XLPE 85 m/µs (82-86 m/µs)
■ mixed line 83 m/µs
■ Telecom cable 95 – 120 m/µs
■ Overhead line 147,5 m/µs

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 13

Reflection factor – Shunt and Series fault resistance

Fault resistance
Fault resistance
Series faults
Shunt faults

Rshunt = 0 Ω Rseries = ∞
Rshunt = 100 Ω Rseries = 100 Ω
Rshunt = 250 Ω Rseries = 10 Ω

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 14

 Typical Reflections (Overview)

Cable without fault

RF Shunt fault

RF Short

RF Series fault

Break, ,open end

Joint

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 15

 Overview HV-Prelocating Methods

Teleflex TDR Reflectometer-Measurement (TDR impulse 6 to 160 V)

IFL Intermittant Fault Locating (TDR impulse 6 to 160 V)

ARM up to 32 kV ARM – Arc Reflexion Measurement (TDR impulse up to approx. 160 V)

ARM Plus up to 32 kV ARM Plus – Reflection Measurement (TDR impulse up to approx. 1500 V)

DECAY Plus up to 80 kV Decay Plus – Reflection Measurement (TDR impulse up to approx. 1500 V)

ARM Power Burning ARM Power Burning – up to 20 kV

DECAY up to 80 kV DECAY – capacitive coupling

ICE up to 32 kV ICE – Impulse Current Equipment

3 Ph ICE up to 32 kV 3 phase ICE – current coupling for branched MV networks (T-joints)

ICE Plus (for LV networks) current coupling for branched networks

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 16

Prelocation ARM – Arc Reflection Method

■ Reflection trace without the burning

arc (Reference trace) is in “red”

■ Reflection trace taken while the arc

was burning at the fault location
(Fault trace) is in “blue”

■ The point of divergence of the two

measured traces ( position of cursor )
is the position the arc, which
corresponds to the fault location

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 17

 Arc Reflection Method (ARM)

Passive coupling ARM – Expert Mode

203.52 m

Reflecto- Fault
Voltage level meter trace
Reference
trace
with ARM:

Up to max. 32 kV with
stand-alone units M 219 (inductive)
or
LSG 300 (resistive)
Up to max. 50 kV in a
test van (depending on Filter Faulty cable
equipment)
Coupling
SWG Unit
surge wave generator

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 18

 Arc Reflection Method (ARM)

Active arc stabilisation ARM – Expert Mode

203.52 m

Reflecto-
meter Fault trace
Reference
Voltage level trace
with ARM:
Filter
Up to max. 32 kV with
stand-alone units LSG 3-E
2 kV-source
and coupler
Up to max. 50 kV in a
Test van (depending on Faulty cable
equipment)
SWG
surge wave generator

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 19

 Test Setup ICE (Impulse Current Equipment)
- Current decoupling -

SWG
surge wave generator

Faulty
cable
Teleflex
Reflecto-
meter
consider length of
cable reel !

ICE - Mode
0.00 m
1957 m

first period
and
ignition
delay time

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 20

 Field Test – ICE (Prelocation)

Fault distance = lenght of an

oscillation / peroid minus test
lead

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 21

 Test Setup - Decay Method (Prelocation)
- Voltage decoupling -

Teleflex
Reflecto- Travelling wave display
meter

Faulty cable
Coupling
DC Unit
Tester

consider length of
cable reel !

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 22

 Field Test – Decay method

Fault distance = lenght of

an oscillation / peroid
minus test lead

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 23

 Comparison of HV-Prelocating Methods
ARM ICE Impulse Current
most common HV-fault good for long lead cables
locating method and faults in wet joints
most details visible up to SWG-voltage
(joints, cable end, ...) (typically 32 kV)
up to SWG-voltage set TDR range to 5 or 10
(typically 32 kV) times cable length
connecting cable measure length of one
automatically period
subtracted
don‘t consider first period
set TDR range to cable (includes ignition delay
length time)
measured length may be
7 to 15 % too long due to
varying v/2, depending on
pulse ignition and shape
subtract connecting cable
© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar
Decay
good for HV-fault locating
at higher voltages
(Centrix up to 80 kV,
Variant up to 130 kV)
faulty cable has to be
“chargeable”, failing with
a flash-over. Leakage
current faults cannot be
located
set TDR range to 5 or 10
times cable length
measure length of one
period
subtract connecting cable
24
 Prelocation - ARM Plus

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 25

 Prelocation - Decay Plus

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 26

 Measuring Sequence Decay Plus

Step 1
– Measurement of the good trace with a test
impulse of 1500 V (reference trace)
Step 2
– Flashover of the fault at test voltages from 32 kV
up to 80 kV
Step 3
– Surge with 4 kV into the existing flashover
Step 4
– Measurement of the fault trace with a test impulse
of 1500 V into the flashover

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 27

 Any Questions??

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 28 28

 Fault Pinpointing

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 29

 Compass Function

The „Compass“ function of the digiPHONE+ recognises from the data,

especially from the difference time measurement, if the user is moving
towards the fault. This is indicated by the arrow in the display. The user
follows the arrow and appoaches automatically the fault position

If the digiPHONE+ detects an increase of the difference time, it means,

that the user has passed the fault already.
In this case a bent arrow indicates this and requests the user to move
backward.

Before the fault: After the fault:

The new value is The new value is
lower than the old higher than the
difference value old difference value

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 30

 Cable Identification

Safe Selection of one cable from a group of cables Online or Offline

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 31

 Cable Identification

100 %

+ 40 % 60 %

10 %

- 20 % 10 %

10 %

- 20 % 10 %

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 32

 Questions?

Thanks for your attention.

© 2015 – Cable Fault Location Webinar 33