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L15-L16 Testing of CB

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37 views21 pages

L15-L16 Testing of CB

Uploaded by

Akshat Pradhan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SWITCHGEAR AND PROTECTION

L14-L15
Testing of CB
Dr. H.V. Gururaja Rao
Associate Professor
Department of E&EE
MIT, MAHE, Manipal

5-Feb-24 Switchgear and Protection 1


Testing of Circuit Breakers
Classification of tests conducted on HVAC CBs.
• Development tests:
Tests conducted on components, subassemblies and complete circuit breaker during the
development of CB. Mainly for R&D work to analyse the effect of various parameters on
the behavior of CBs.
• Type tests:
Conducted on one or few CBs from a batch of similar CBs, in specially built testing
laboratories to ascertain the correctness of the design and specifications (ratings).
Some of the important type tests conducted:
i. No load mechanical operation test: To verify the speed of contact travel, opening time
and closing time.
ii. Mechanical performance tests: 1000 close–open operations. There should not be any
distortion or wear and tear of the parts.
iii. Temp.Rise tests: Steady temp. of conducting and insulating parts are measured
at rated normal current. Temp. rise should be with in specified limits.
iv. Dielectric test: One minute power frequency voltage tests under dry and wet
conditions and impulse voltage tests are conducted. Insulation should not fail.
v. Short time current test.
vi. Breaking and making capacity tests.
vii. Duty cycle tests.
viii. Capacitive and low inductive current interruption tests.
• Routine tests:
Routine tests are conducted on each and every circuit breaker to confirm the
proper functioning of every circuit breaker. These tests reveal the defects in the
materials and construction/assembly of circuit breakers.
Important routine tests conducted are:
i. Mechanical operation tests: Five opening and closing operations.
ii. Millivolt drop test: To measure the contact resistance.
iii. Power frequency voltage tests.
iv. Voltage tests on auxiliary circuits.
Reliability tests:
These tests are conducted in specially built testing laboratories to verify the reliability of
CBs under various stresses that may occur in actual conditions like vibrations, dust,
pollution, humidity, repeated operations, variations in temperature etc.
Eg: Vibration (Earthquake) test, Salt fog test, icing test etc.
Commissioning tests:
These are conducted on the CB after installation at site to verify the operational readiness of
the CB.
Short circuit testing of CBs
Conducted in specially built testing stations.
Two types of testing stations :
Field type
 Laboratory type

Field type testing station


Power required for testing taken directly from a large power system.
Advantages:
• Large amount of power available for testing.
• Cost of installation is less.
Disadvantages:
• Power available for testing depends on the loading condition of the power system.
• Tests cannot be repeated for R&D work, without disturbing the power system.
• Controlling various parameters like fault current, Restriking voltage, RRRV, frequency, p.f. etc. is very difficult.
Laboratory type testing station:
Power required for testing generated in the testing station itself.
Advantages:
• Tests can be repeated for R&D work.
• Current, Restriking voltage, RRRV, frequency, p.f. etc. can be easily controlled.
Disadvantages:
• High cost of installation.
• Availability of limited power for testing.

Tests conducted in laboratory type testing station can be classified into:


i) Direct testing and ii) Indirect testing.

 Directtesting: Here the complete circuit breaker is tested under actual conditions that exist on the CB in
the power system.
Major equipments in laboratory type testing station
• Short circuit generator: Specially designed generator to supply short circuit current(power) required for
testing. Usually IM driven.
• Impulse exciter: Specially designed exciter to supply excitation current to generator during a very short
period.
• Short circuit transformer: Specially designed transformer to obtain various voltages required for testing.
• Master CB: A tested CB of slightly higher rating than the test CB, as a back up CB.
• Making switch: Designed to close on heavy currents, to initiate short circuit current flow.
• Reactor: To adjust the SC current to the desired value.
• Resistors: To control the value of circuit power factor, frequency of oscillations etc.
• Inductor and capacitor: To adjust RV, RRRV etc.
• Oscillograph: To record (store) current and voltage waveforms.
Circuit diagram for direct testing
Test for breaking Capacity
Procedure:
• ‘X’ isadjusted to get required short circuit current
• ‘C’, ‘R1’ and ‘R2’ are adjusted to get desired RV,RRRV and power factor.
• Short circuit transformer is used to get required voltage for testing.
• Master CB and Test CB are kept in closed position.
• Using the driving motor, the generator is run to the required speed and then the motor is switched off.
• Impulse exciter is switched on and field current is adjusted to the required value.
• Oscillograph is switched on.
• Short circuit current is initiated by closing the making switch.
• Test circuit breaker is opened; Slightly later master circuit breaker is opened.
• Exciter circuit to the short circuit generator is switched off.
All these operations might be over with in 0.2 seconds!
• From
the oscilloscope record, following measurements are done:
Symmetrical and asymmetrical breaking current
RRRV and frequency of oscillations
Recovery voltage.
Circuit breaker must be capable of breaking all currents up to its rated capacity.
Hence breaking current test is usually performed at 10%, 30%, 60% and 100% of its
rated breaking current.
Short time current test
• Current is adjusted to rated breaking current.
• Master and test CB are closed.
• Making switch is closed.
• Test CB is opened after 1 sec or 3 sec, depending on the used standard.
• Master CB is opened slightly later.
• TheCB should be capable of withstanding the associated thermal stresses and there should not be
any mechanical or insulation failure.
Test for making capacity
• Current is adjusted to the required value.
• Master CB and the making switch are closed.
• Short circuit is initiated by closing the test CB.
• Test CB and Master CB are opened.
• From the oscilloscope record, peak value of the first major loop of the short circuit current is measured.
Duty Cycle test
• Following duty cycle tests are performed at 10%, 30%, 60% and 100% of rated breaking
current.
a) For CBs not intended for rapid autoreclosure:
i) O – t – CO – T – CO or ii ) O – t´ – CO
b) For CBs intended for rapid autoreclosure
O – td – CO;
Indirect testing
• Testing of HV CBs of large capacity requires very large capacity (Power) of the testing station, which is
uneconomical.
• Indirect methods can be used to test large CBs

Methods of indirect testing:


• Unit testing
• Synthetic testing
Unit testing
• HV CBs are normally manufactured with many identical arc interruption units in series.
• Any one unit can be tested separately; Power required will be relatively very less. If necessary, each unit
can be tested separately.
• From the test results of one unit , capacity of complete unit can be determined.
Synthetic testing (Parallel current injection method)
• When a fault occurs , CB contacts open; during arcing
period, voltage is low, and current is high.
• At and near current zero point, current is low and voltage is
high (restriking voltage).
• Hence two sources of power supply are used; Motor driven
generator as the high current source and a capacitor as a
voltage source.
• Capacitor is charged before the test to 2𝑉𝑠 , Where 𝑉𝑠 is the
RMS value of the system voltage.
• L1 is used to adjust current to required value; L2 and C2 are
used to adjust RV, RRRV and frequency of oscillations to
required value.
• Initially master and test CB are kept in closed position.
• Short circuit is initiated by closing making switch. Current I1
flows through test CB.
• TestCB and master CB are opened and are fully opened by time t0.
• Spark gap is triggered at time t1, slightly before current zero point of I1.
• Current I2 flows through the test CB and restriking voltage appears across Test
CB.
• From the oscilloscope record, required measurements are made.
Short circuit Generator_1500MVA_CPRI
Reactor and resistor bank_CPRI
Icing test
Insulation test on SF6 CB

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