Solutions

PowerLogic
Solutions
Volume 4, Issue 2 Complex PQ Problem Yields
Simple Solutions
In this issue, we Problem
present a voltage
transients problem A metal-casting plant producing ductile iron castings for the auto-
resolved through motive industry suffered catastrophic shutdowns (figure 1) of both of
comprehensive its induction melting furnaces. The furnace failures occurred within
engineering analysis. three days of each other, shortly after the plant returned to production
after Christmas shutdown. After investigating the first failure, plant
and utility personnel assumed the cause of
the first failure had been found. They
resumed the start-up procedure three days
later, only to have an almost identical
failure of their backup furnace, causing
another shutdown.
Figure 1. This
busbar, serving Plant engineers were concerned that
induction furnace recent changes in the electric utility’s
power supplies, distribution system might have initiated
failed catas- the failures. The utility denied any
trophically on
twin furnaces
relationship between the changes and the
during two failures. The discussion reached an
separate events. impasse. The plant shutdown continued
for nearly a week, while repairs were being
completed, jeopardizing the plant’s just-in-time status with its
automotive customers.

Upon completion of repairs, plant personnel had to decide whether to

start up the newly repaired furnaces, thus risking another failure. If
production could not start, the plant faced the expense and delay of
shipping patterns to its overseas sister company, to make the necessary
castings. The Thursday after the second failure, the plant determined
that, if it could not restart by Sunday, the patterns would be shipped
overseas and customers notified of the pending delay. The prospect
shook the company to its CEO. At this point, with both furnaces shut
down and three days before the deadline, the Square D Power Quality/
Energy Management (PQEM) Services team was called in.

PQEM testing pointed to switching transients associated with the

metal-casting plant’s 12-kV power factor correction capacitor banks as
initiating the failures (figure 2). These capacitors had been in service
for over a year prior to the failures, but had been operated in manual
mode. Just before the Christmas shutdown, the capacitor bank control
PowerLogic
Solutions

was changed Volts

from manual 1500
to automatic. 1000 CHB volts
This meant
500
that the
capacitors 0 CHC volts
were –500
switching CHA volts
periodically, –1000
whereas they –1500
had pre- 09:37:28.870 09:37:28.875 09:37:28.880 09:37:28.885
viously
remained Figure 2. This event waveform detail illustrates the high-frequency transients measured
online all the during the weekend. The culprit: switching of the plant’s power factor correction capacitors.
time. Failures
were linked with transients created by power was delivered from transformers to the
switching operations. SCRs through large copper busbars. These
busbars experienced the catastrophic failures
At Square D Company’s recommendation, shown in figure 1 (cover page).
the capacitor banks were turned off and
locked out, and the plant returned to full Power Factor Correction Capacitors
production before the Sunday deadline. The plant Equipped With Vacuum Switches
engineer kept the only key to the capacitor The plant operated three 12-kV capacitor banks
lock on the dresser in his home! for power factor control. These banks were
turned on or off with vacuum switches. PQEM
The immediate crisis was averted, but the full testing and analysis showed that the vacuum
extent of the problem was unclear. In breakers initiated voltage transients each time
addition, the plant would need the capacitors the capacitors were turned on, and sometimes
online by summer for voltage support and for when the banks were turned off. Vacuum
power factor correction, so the bank could not switches are commonly used on capacitor banks,
remain de-energized indefinitely. Additional and other loads that require connection or
analysis was required, and its scope was disconnection at high power levels.
2 broad: transients modeling, fuse testing,
busbar finite-element modeling, harmonics
measurements and simulation. The Square D Solution: Onsite Assessment,
team was given the assignment, and they Followed by In-Depth Modeling
found conclusive results.
and Engineering Analysis
Square D onsite testing showed that high-
frequency transients were initiated each time the
Key Concepts and Terms capacitors switched (figure 2). The transients
Induction Furnace Power Converters were large enough to cause false turn-on and
The furnaces melt scrap iron attaining a possible failure of the induction furnace SCRs.
temperature of 2600 degrees F. They operate The transients did not indicate problems with
by inducing currents in the scrap by rapidly the vacuum switches; the problems were caused
POWERLOGIC varying the magnetic field around the metal. by the particular configuration of the electrical
Solutions is produced The highly-fluctuating field is produced from distribution system.
by Square D a constant frequency ac source through use of
Company’s Power large electronic power converters. These At the end of the onsite testing, Square D
Management converters change 60-hertz ac voltage and formed a theory about the failures:
Operation. Each issue current to dc then to 200 Hz ac, through • Capacitor switching transients caused false
presents a common silicon-controlled rectifiers, or SCRs. turn-on of induction furnace SCRs and a
power system
short circuit through the converter’s dc bus.
problem, and offers The induction furnaces were served by twin
guidance on how to 12-kV to 575-V transformers. The furnaces • Fast-acting fuses blew to clear the short-circuit.
solve it. each had an electrical capacity of 8 MW. AC
• The fuse blowing event “chopped” current
in the supplying transformer, creating huge
transient voltages across the busbars.
• Transient voltages were sufficient to jump
the air gap between the busbars and cabinet.
• Deficiencies in fuse coordination allowed
the resulting short-circuit to burn until the
busbars separated.
Additional engineering analysis, fuse testing,
and computer modeling was required to test
each phase of the theory.
Fuse Testing at Square D High-Power
Laboratory
PQEM obtained fuses from the metal-casting
plant to test their response to high-current short
circuits. The fuses were tested at 39,525 peak
amperes at the Square D high-power test lab.
The results clearly eliminated the fast-acting
fuses as the cause of the bus failures. Voltage
developed across the fuses was limited to only
about 1,500 V (figure 3), much less than the
20,000 V required to jump the air gap between
busbars and the furnace cabinet. PQEM’s initial
current chop theory was abandoned.
Computer Modeling of Transients
Capacitor switching normally causes
transients, but these transients rarely cause
catastrophic switchgear failures. PQEM
suspected that the plant’s electrical system
was amplifying transients due to its unusual
response characteristics. The only way to
investigate this theory, short of turning
capacitors on and off with the induction
furnaces energized and at risk of failure, was
to model the power system’s response to high
frequency events.
1544V
39,525A
Voltage, across fuses
Current
Figure 3. Induction furnace fuse testing at Square D’s High-Power Test Lab eliminated the current
chop theory.
PQEM’s Comprehensive Power
Management Capabilities
Onsite power quality testing of high-
frequency transients, quick and effective
troubleshooting under extreme pressure,
fuse testing in a high-power test
laboratory, computer modeling of
transients, harmonics and
electromechanical forces during short
circuits, remote monitoring and data
collection — all completed with a single
source of accountability — with
successful results. This study
demonstrated Square D Company’s
unique power quality offering. It is
spearheaded by a team of power
system experts headquartered in
LaVergne, Tennessee. And, it is
supported by components experts in
virtually every aspect of power
distribution, monitoring, control, and
automation. Our engineers have at their
disposal resources unique in the power
system community. Our assistance is a
toll-free call away: 1-888-PWR-MGMT.
This modeling was performed with the
Electromagnetic Transients Program
(EMTP) by Electrotek Concepts, Inc., a
longtime Square D partner. The model
included both the plant’s 12-kV capacitors,
and the utility’s four separate 34-kV
3
capacitors, assessing the effects of all the
possible combinations of the seven banks.
Modeling showed that capacitor switching
transients were severe enough to cause false
turn-on, or even failure, of the furnace SCRs.
Further analysis showed that the transients
could be reduced by converting the
PowerLogic
Solutions

capacitors to harmonic filters with the

addition of line reactors. In fact, the
capacitors had originally been selected to
accommodate line reactors in a harmonic
filter arrangement. This proved useful, as
the next section describes.

Remote Measurements of Power

System Harmonics
The process of converting ac power to dc
and back to ac generates harmonic currents.
Power factor correction capacitors do not
produce harmonics, but can create
conditions that worsen harmonics on the
power system. During the onsite assessment,
Square D connected the plant’s
Figure 4. Busbars were modeled to determine if
POWERLOGIC Circuit Monitors to a they had moved during the disturbance events.
telephone modem, so that harmonic data
could be uploaded from POWERLOGIC
headquarters in LaVergne. This data revealed
that voltage distortion at the plant was
slightly higher than the IEEE 519
Faulted
recommended level of 5%. Although Phases
harmonics had not contributed to the
failures, voltage distortion levels were high
enough to warrant further action.

Capacitor modeling had shown that Busbar

adding line reactors to the existing Contact

capacitor banks reduced the magnitude of

transients. Harmonic measurements
indicated that harmonic filters were
4 required to meet IEEE 519 recommen-
dations. Converting the existing banks to
harmonic filters solved both the switching
problem and reduced excessive harmonic
distortion levels as well.
Computer Modeling of Busbar
Movement
The location of the busbar failures indicated
that current had either jumped the air gap
between the busbars and cabinet, the busbar
structure had moved during the fault and
touched the cabinet, or the busbars from
different phases had touched during the
event. Fuse testing eliminated the first
theory. The Square D Advanced Technology
and Analytics Group then performed
computer modeling of the busbars to
determine if they moved or touched.
Fault currents flowing through busbars or
wires create large mechanical forces. These
forces act to repel conductors on different
Figure 5. Modeling proved that adjacent busbars
had touched due to short-circuit current and
inadequate bracing.
phases. The analysis work first required that
a finite-element computer model of the
busbars be created (figure 4). This model
was then analyzed to determine the amount
of mechanical force generated during
various kinds of faults. Once the mechanical
forces were determined, the amount of
deflection, or movement, of the busbars
could be predicted.
Figure 5 shows the results of the modeling.
Clearly, mechanical forces generated by the
short-circuit current were sufficient to cause
busbars to touch. Once the busbars touched,
the fault current flowed until busbars
burned in two.
 12 kV Switch
3-2000A
Circuit fuses/phase
Line isolation transformer interrupter
1
12,470V 575V 2
Induction
Power bus bar Furnace
Power
3 Supply

➀ Capacitor bank switches on 12-kV system.

➁ SCRs falsely gate, causing short circuit.
➂ Mechanical forces from short circuit cause busbars to touch.
√ Resulting arc burns until busbars melt and separate.

Figure 6. Analysis revealed a simple cause of the failures: busbars were inadequately braced to withstand the
forces generated during a short circuit.

Conclusions The benefits were significant:

As figure 6 shows, the final results of our • Eliminated cause of catastrophic failures
extensive analysis revealed a simple cause of that had cost $500,000 in repair and restart
the failures: busbars were inadequately • Preserved the just-in-time status and saved
braced to withstand the forces generated millions in potential lost sales
during a short circuit. The short circuits • Exonerated the electric utility, and improved
resulted from unintended SCR conduction plant and utility understanding of the
due to capacitor switching transients, but the intricacies of their shared power system
short circuits would have caused little damage characteristics
if the busbars had been adequately braced.
5
Square D inspected the induction furnace Square D’s
repairs and found that the furnace manu- Power
facturer had installed additional bus bracing Management
after the first failures, indicating that perhaps Operation
the vendor suspected the real problem from offers complete
the beginning. power quality consulting services to
ensure that power problems do not
In addition to the bus bracing, Square D impact your operation. Contact our
recommended that the busbars be equipped power management experts for
with transient voltage surge suppression information about the following:
devices. These devices limit the magnitude
• Power Quality Consulting
of voltage transients and provide additional
• Energy Management Consulting
protection.
• Harmonic Filters
Finally, the power factor correction capacitors • Power Factor Correction
are being converted to harmonic filters. This • Power Management Training and
conversion helps to limit the magnitude of Technical Support
voltage transients, and removes some of the • Digital Simulation Studies
harmonic currents produced by the furnaces. • Remote Monitoring Services
• Data Collection and Analysis

Our number is 1-888-PWR-MGMT.

 Test Your PQ — Power Quotient
Refer to previous editions of POWERLOGIC
Solutions, in addition to this issue, for answers
to the following questions. Answers are to the
right.
1. Harmonic distortion is caused by turning
on power factor correction capacitors.
2. Electrical conductors must be supported
and braced because of electromechanical
forces generated during short-circuits.
3. Capacitor switching transients occur only
during unusual system conditions.
4. Harmonic voltage distortion and current
distortion are constant for a given
electronic load.
5. Power factor correction capacitors offer
other benefits besides reducing power
factor penalties.
6. Induction furnaces heat metal indirectly, by
use of highly-fluctuating magnetic fields
usually produced by electronic power
converters.
6
POWERLOGIC, SQUARE D, and are
Registered Trademarks of Square D Company.
Bulletin No. 3000HO9802 10M DL 8/98
(this issue)
current to produce the fluctuating fields.
to variable frequency ac voltage and
constant frequency ac voltage and current
6. True. The electronic converter changes
(volume 1, issue 4)
heating losses in cables and conductors.
improve voltage regulation, and reduce
5. True. PFC’s also release system capacity,
issue 1)
according to source impedance. (volume 1,
4. False. Voltage and current distortion vary
equipment. (this issue)
cases, these transients are not destructive to
power system. In the great majority of
connected to or disconnected from the
component, including a capacitor, is
3. False. Transients occur anytime a circuit
(this issue)
conductors to repel and can be destructive.
2. True. The electromechanical forces cause
issue 4)
conditions due to resonance. (volume 1,
distortion, but can worsen harmonic
1. False. PFCs do not cause harmonic
Answers
 1998 Square D All Rights Reserved