October 2013

Cable Diagnostics with IEEE 400 Omnibus (2012) and IEEE 400.2 (2013)
The IEEE has published its latest revision of its guide for the FIELD testing of SHIELDED cables from 5kV to 69kV http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/ mostRecentIssue.jsp?punumber=6517852. This is a very useful document to assist test engineers to most effectively and efficiently diagnose the condition of and test medium and high voltage cables and is supported by the recently released Omnibus guide IEEE 400 (2012). Much of the data used to determine diagnostic criteria and to support the advice contained in the IEEE guide was based on research conducted by the cdfi, a project of Neetrac, Georgia Tech http://www.cdfi.gatech.edu/. The final report as well as all the interim papers and presentations provide a wealth of unbiased information for cable diagnostic practitioners. The use of DC is strongly advised AGAINST in the guide. The low efficacy of the test and the potentially harmful effects of DC on service aged cables are re-iterated. Withstand testing still has a prominent place in the guide and the benefits of properly performed withstand testing are clearly explained. No risks to healthy insulation have been advised and indeed there is no evidence nor is there plausible reason to suspect that this is a risk. Test voltages for withstand tests have been extended to 69kV. The voltages that are suggested are not a multiple of the phase-ground operating voltage (Uo) but have been derived in order to provide uniform test insulation stresses for the varying insulation thicknesses of different voltage cables. There is a comment regarding the test voltage that can be used if the test equipment cannot produce the test voltage specified on the table. Test times are recommended now at a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 60 minutes for critical cables. HVDSA has produced an excel tool to help interpolate for cable voltages between those on the table (see below). The concept of a monitored withstand test has been introduced whereby a diagnostic measurement is performed during to escalation to the test voltage and thereafter during the withstand test. This has advantages in that the condition of the cable can be diagnosed to some extent prior to voltage elevation in order to reduce the occurrence of inconvenient failure of the cable. The diagnostic data can also be used to optimise the test times by reducing test times when the diagnostic measurement indicates such or lengthening test times when the diagnostic shows deterioration during the test. Monitoring of a relevant diagnostic parameter during a test can also provide higher resolution data about the condition of the insulation to facilitate trending and phase comparisons. Diagnostic testing techniques are compared and there is a very useful table in IEEE 400 Omnibus Appendix where the applicability of different test and diagnostic techniques are compared. IEEE 400.2 now includes detailed and justified VLF Tan Delta criteria that can be used to make decisions regarding action to be taken after a diagnostic measurement is made. Previous tables were found to be too conservative and their origins could not be determined. A more rigorous approach was adopted to determine the values used in the latest revision and this approach is documented in an appendix.

THE WORLDS ONLY SIMULTANEOUS VLF TD AND PD MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

Full SIMULTANEOUS diagnostic testing is possible only with HVDSA systems and not with any other vendor. When our HVA 60/90 systems are used together with our PD60-2/TD or our PD90-2/TD hardware, it is possible to simultaneously record the VLF TD diagnostic data as well as performing a PD diagnostic measurement. There are numerous benefits to this process not the least of which is a saving on test time. Download our latest datasheets from : http://www.cablediagnostics.com
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DID YOU KNOW ????? The HVA60 can be used for ALL installation and
maintenance testing of 33kV cables according to IEEE 400.2 values. The HVA28/HVA28TD can be used for all maintenance testing of 22kV cable networks (up to 1.5 Uo) and all testing up to Uo on 33kV cables. The HVA94 can be used for all maintenance testing on 66kV networks and the HVA120 can be used for ALL diagnostic and withstand testing on 66kV networks. Download our IEEE calculation tool : https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/ 101802469/HVDSA/Software/IEEE%20Voltage%20tool.xlsx

E&OE

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