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Background
In preparation for the coming economic climate within the Electric Utility industry, it will be more desirable to maintain substation equipment on-service for as long as possible while maximizing its output capacity. Increasing the intervals of periodic testing with existing timebased preventive maintenance programs expands the risk of disruptive failures in substation equipment due to High Voltage (HV) equipment insulation breakdown. Present insulation testing techniques are periodic, labor intensive, and require the equipment to be taken out of service. Insulation deterioration dur ing intervals between scheduled testing is typically undetected, introducing a significant risk element, particularly in an aging infrastructure. Further, the off-line testing is performed at lower voltages and at no load conditions. The reliability and accuracy of the measurements taken in this manner is questionable given that this technique doesnt fully duplicate the operational conditions of the HV equipment. A study completed by the Maintain Electric team at PSE&G found that new on-service Monitoring and testing techniques for HV insulation systems can have an impact on future condition-based maintenance programs. To this end it champions the concept of the On-Line Monitoring Systems (OMS) for transformer bushings and CTs. The main benefit of these systems will depend on the interest and expertise in studying the data, extracting behavioral patterns, and adopting maintenance policies that will enhance the life and reliability of the substation HV equipment. After considerable research and discussions with manufacturer representatives and other user utilities, the On-Line Monitoring Inc. SOS Tan Continuous Monitoring Sys tem was selected for field evaluation.
The SOS Tan System Overview The SOS Tan system estimates deterioration in insulation of the on- line equipment by measuring the relative tan value of the monitoring equipment. It calculates the tan of a unit as a relative value compared with a reference voltage from another unit that it is grouped with. Since the system uses relative measurements, there is a minimum requirement that at least three (3) units be grouped for each phase of an evaluation. The tan is a measure of the dielectric losses, which are caused by capacitive leakage current in the dielectric material used to make a bushing core and are generated within the paper insulation of the core. One of the symptoms of insulation deterioration is its increased sensitivity to changes in temperature and voltage, which manifests itself in the form of relative increased dielectric loss.
Tan d and capacitance are properties of the bushing core design and the dielectric material used in the core as demonstrated in the dielectric loss equation: Pd = 2 f C V2 tan d, watts
Where
f C V Tan d
= = = =
Applied frequency, Hz Capacitance of bushing core (C1), farads Applied voltage, rms volts Dissipation factor, p. u.
Monitoring and measurement of the tan d gives an indication of the quality of the insulation and its sensitivity to temperature and voltage changes.
System Hardware
The SOS Tan monitoring system was installed at a PSEG switching station and monitors 500kV & 230kV bushings of nine (9) single -phase transformers in addition to 18 CTs in the 500kV yard. The system collects, evaluates, and displays information from the a total of 36 monitoring points. The system is intended to provide an early warning of bushing/CT insulation breakdown. It provides real time information on the operational condition locally and remotely at PSE&G home office in Newark, NJ through dedicated modem lines.
C o n t r o l H o u s e
Set o f t h r e e C T s -1 1 x
S e t o f T h r e e CTs - 21x
S e t
o f
t h r e e
C T s
S e t
o f
t h r e e 1 2 x
C T s
S e t
o f
t h r e e
C T s
S e t o f t h r e e C T s 3 2 x
Computer
Junction Box
HH-34 *
* For 2TRX2 use HH-35 For 3TRX use HH-36 ** For 2 TRX use HH-46 / 47/ 14 For 3TRX use HH-1/ 2 /3 Measurement Tap Unit (MTU)
Connecting cable Cap-Divider Unit (CDU) Multipair cable Direct burial Junction Box 2nd Bank of CT's Measurement Tap Unit (MTU) Multipair cable s in trench
Multipair cable Direct burial Junction Box Single screened twisted pair wire
Concrete trench
System Software
The system is based on the principle of a conventional Schering bridge under software control to measure the tan of the insulation. The system has been optimized using software with minimal hardware. The deterioration of insulation is gauged on its sensitivity to changes in the on-line operating conditions. The versatility of the system installed at substations has allowed for continuous accumulation of data. The SOS Tan software optimizes the performance to measuring parameters with existing hardware. Data extracted from measurements are manipulated in matrix operations to present normalized condition values for each unit being monitored. The signals are sampled and the data processed under software control to calculate the capacitance and dissipation factor changes. Since a second unit of equipment is used as a reference standard instead of a standard capacitor, the values are relative to that unit. This principle is extended to several units within the substation. With specific configurations, relative measurements eliminate common mode effects, such as ambient temperature, operating voltages and load conditions, and accentuate the differences, such as design and sensitivity to changes in insulation. For this reason, the system requires a minimum of nine monitoring points that must be on-line. A maximum of 120 points can be monitored in the same substation.
An SOS monitor screen is shown above. The monitor screen is displayed on the host PC located in the substation, and gives visual indication of the status of the units being monitored.
The graph shown above is a relative Tan graph from a PSE&G substation. The Tan and relative capacitance values are displayed in the center of the graph, with the scale on the lefty axis. Temperature and humidity are also displayed on this graph, and use the scale on the right y -axis. Temperature is displayed at the top of the graph, and humidity is at the bottom.
Reporting
Shown above, is a report sent via FAX to the PSE&G Newark office. This report can also be sent via E-Mail if network access is available. The system can also send a message to a numeric phone pager as well. The reporting and alarm levels are configurable by the user. Monitoring and reporting services may also be contracted.
Case Study
This case study is presented to illustrate the analysis and the decision making process undertaken to remove a suspected CT from service at one of PSE&Gs substation using the On-Line Monitoring SOS Tan system In March 1997 the On-Line Monitoring System (SOS) was installed configured to monitor the condition of 500 kV & 230 kV bushings and EHV Current Transformers. It monitors bushings of nine (9) single-phase transformers in addition to 18 CTs. The system collects, evaluates, and displays information from a total of 36 monitoring points. The objective is to provide an early warning of the bushing / CT insulation breakdown. During the first weeks of March, 2000 the system provided indications that the insulation integrity of one of the monitoring EHV CTs was under stress by progressively exhibiting higher and higher tan d numbers. The screen below portraits the condition of that CT, is #8. Finally on March 14, 2000 the system issued an Alarm condition.
This CT was saved by SOS Tan Monitoring System The Alarm was received via FAX at PSE&G. A similar FAX was also sent to the vendors FAX server, which also monitors SOS sites. At PSE&G, this development was expected, as the device had been under continuous surveillance for several weeks, as the system had notification that the condition value of the insulation was increasing, indicating that the insulation quality of the CT was slowly degrading. The graph (shown left) shows that the insulation condition of the CT changed radically on March 3, 2000 and then settled down 24 hours later. This change caused a warning alarm at that time, which cleared when the condition value decreased. On March 4, the condition value again changed causing warning alarms until March 15, when the CT was taken out of service after an on-site inspection. The Oil gauge on the CT was pegged at LOW, indicating that the oil levels were low enough to compromise the insulation quality of the CT. After the appropriate measures were taken and an insulation test was performed the CT was put back in
service.
A FAX report from March 14 is shown at the right. This FAX shows the status of all 36 monitored devices in the substation, and indicates that there is an alarm condition for the 500KV CT, CT #8 with a condition value of 99. This report can also be sent via E-Mail if a network connection is available. Due to the diligence of the SOS Tan system and the foresight of PSE&G, the loss of the CT, a power outage, the possible injury to personnel, and collateral damage were On-Line Monitoringided. The system indicates status of monitored devices by using a simple green, yellow, red visual indication (shown below.).
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The On-Line Monitoring System is viewed as an important cost driver holding the promise for equipment maintenance cost reduction, improvement of substation equipment performance and enhancement of safety.
Grand Total system cost per point = COST OF FAILURE A CT failure will had cost: a) CT replacement cost $26,000 b) Labor cost for: i) removal of failed CT, ii) Installation of the new one and iii) testing (for i & ii assume 64 Mhrs, a crew of 4 man for two days) 64MhrsX$50 = $3,200 Testing = $670 Total = $3,870
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Other ancillary factors that may be consider: Clean-up cost, Collateral Damages, Losses from down time, Inconvenience/PR.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion emerging from this case is that if the cost per monitoring point is to be compare vs. the cost of a CT replacement then such a system is very attractive, even when you factor in the cost of that particular monitoring point from the start of the monitoring process. It is reasonable then to justify the cost of all other no event monitoring points as insurance you bought against the non-materialized failures. On the other hand, if you compare the Cost of failure of $29,870 with the $103,650 total system cost it appears that the system becomes cost effective if it successfully provides warnings resulting in the saving of at least four (4) CTs over the depreciation period. Taken in consideration that the system also monitors transformer bushings you can extrapolate to a scenario that can include not only the cost of bushing failure but also the added cost of transformer damage. Adding up any cost associated with the type of the outage the failure of the particular equipment can create and you improve the argument for the adoption of an OMS strategy at least for the most critical installations.
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