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Document Title : GTI HIGH VOLTAGE ON-SITE TESTING OF GIS

Document No. : VD-EL001-022

PROJECT LOCATION : JAFURAH, SAUDI ARABIA

COMPANY (OWNER) : SAUDI ARAMCO
JOB ORDER NO. : 10-14329-0003
CONTRACTOR PO NO. : JUS&ICS-EL-PO-0001
SAUDI ARAMCO PO NO. : ABIK-861-16-B067-DA
EQUIPMENT / MATERIAL TAG NO. : 861-GIS01-SG-7001
NMR CODE : NMR601

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vendor from full compliance with contractual obligations.
REVIEW DATE: . .
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0 15-AUG-2023 ISSUED FOR CONSTRUCTION PRABU SULAIMAN

C 07-MAR-2023 ISSUED FOR REVIEW SANKAR SULAIMAN

B 29-JAN-2023 ISSUED FOR REVIEW SANKAR SULAIMAN

A 31-OCT-2022 ISSUED FOR REVIEW SANKAR SULAIMAN

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HITACHI ENERGY LTD.

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HIGH VOLTAGE PRODUCTS, SWITCHGEAR

High-voltage on-site testing

The quality of our products is established by 1. Introduction

design, type and routine testing. However, to
ensure that the complete gas-insulated This paper explains the purpose and methods for high-voltage on-
site testing of gas-insulated metal-enclosed switchgear.
switchgear has the dielectric integrity and to
detect potential irregularities, it tested after Recommendations are based on:
the installation. ● IEC 62271-203 [1]
● Experience gained on GIS plants during more than 50 years in
all voltage levels
● Technical, economical and practical aspects of field testing

2. Purpose of on-site testing

The purpose of on-site testing (field testing) is well defined in [1] as
summarized below:

After installation, and before being put into service, the gas-insu-
lated switchgear shall be tested with the aim of checking the di-
electric integrity of the completed installation and of detecting ir-
regularities. Such irregularities might include wrong fastening,
damage during handling, transportation, storage and installation,
presence of foreign bodies, etc. and might in the future give rise to
 2/8 HITACHI ENERGY | GENERAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION | HIGH-VOLTAGE ON-SITE TESTING

an internal fault. Normally the dielectric test shall be made after the For these reasons it is often convenient to divide the whole installa-
gas-insulated switchgear has been fully installed and gas-filled at tion of gas-insulated metal enclosed switchgear into sections by
the rated filling density preferably at the end of all site tests. opening switching devices.

Having this specific purpose, these tests do not replace the type The sections which, in such cases, are not being tested, and which
tests or the routine tests carried out on gas-insulated switchgear are isolated by a circuit-breaker or a disconnector from the section
transport units in the factory. They are supplementary to the dielec- under test, shall be earthed. Unless dismantled after routine test, no
tric routine tests. dielectric test across the open switching devices need to be carried
out on site.
Carrying out such site tests is not always practicable and deviations
from the standard tests may be accepted. In the case of extensions, the preferred procedure is to perform the
high-voltage test before connecting the extension to the existing
Since the aim of these tests is a final check before energizing, it is gas-insulated switchgear. If the coupling is done before the high-
very important that the chosen test procedure does not jeopardize voltage test, the adjacent existing part of the switchgear must be de-
sound parts of the switchgear. energized and earthed during the dielectric test.

In choosing an appropriate test method and procedure for each indi- After minor repair or maintenance work, for technical or practical
vidual case, a special agreement may be necessary in the interest reasons, dielectric tests on site may be carried out with reduced
of practicability and economy, example the electrical power require- voltage values (example with service voltage, applied through the
ments and the dimensions, the weight and the interface of the high- largest possible impedance in order to reduce damage caused by a
voltage test equipment may need to be considered. possible disruptive discharge; the test period should be at least 30
min).
A detailed test program for the dielectric tests on site, as recom-
mended in this paper, shall be agreed between customer and man-
ufacturer. 4. Test procedures
One of the following test procedures are recommended by IEC
3. Test arrangement
62271-203:

Before testing the gas-insulated switchgear shall be installed com- ● PROCEDURE “A” (recommended for the rated voltage of 170 kV
pletely and gas-filled at its rated filling density. and below)

Some parts shall be disconnected for the test, either because of – Power-frequency voltage test for a duration of 1 min
their high charging current or because of their effect on voltage limi- ● PROCEDURE “B” (recommended for the rated voltage of 245 kV
tation, such as: and above)
● High-voltage cables and overhead lines – Power-frequency voltage test for a duration of 1 min
● Power transformers – Partial discharge measurements
● Surge arresters ● PROCEDURE “C” (recommended for the rated voltage of 245
kV and above, alternative to procedure “B”)
The inductive voltage transformer can be tested together with the
gas-insulated switchgear. For this purpose a minimum permissible – Power-frequency voltage test for a duration of 1 min
testing frequency is given by the voltage transformer suppliers. Only – Lightning impulse tests with three impulses of each polarity
in case, that the minimum testing frequency cannot be fulfilled, the
voltage transformer has to be disconnected, in order to avoid core Manufacturer recommends using test procedures “A” or “B” as
saturation and damage shown on page 6 in table 1 “Procedures for on-site testing accord-
ing IEC 62271-203”.
The choice of the gas-insulated switchgear section to be tested and
connection of the test source should take the following factors into
account:
● Facility of localizing electric discharges
● Limitation of the capacitive load on the test voltage source
● Limitation of the disruptive energy in case of a flashover
● Limitation of the overvoltage amplitude due to reflections in case
of a flashover

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 HITACHI ENERGY | GENERAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION | HIGH-VOLTAGE ON-SITE TESTING 3/8

Normally a resonant AC generator (see fig. 1) will be used for this

5. Test voltages
test, with operating frequency of 10 to 300 Hz. The natural fre-
quency is determined by the inductance of the high-voltage reactor
The test voltages for dielectric tests on site shall be according to Ta-
(L) and the capacitance of the respective gas-insulated switchgear
ble 7 of IEC 62271-203, as shown on table 1 in section References
section (CP) and is calculated by the following equation:
[} 5].

5.1 Short-duration power-frequency withstand tests

1
Power-frequency voltage tests are especially sensitive in detecting
f
2
contaminations (example conducting particles), and are, in most
cases, also sufficient in detecting abnormal dielectric field configura- L . CP
tions.

With very small installations (below 2000 pF) or for plant extensions
a power frequency operated test transformer may be used, however
the possible saturation of connected voltage transformers should be
considered.

C1
L

Cp

C2
50/60 Hz

ITr FC ETr
I Vm

Fig. 1: Example of resonant frequency circuit for high-voltage on-site testing

ITr Insulating transformer FC Frequency converter

ETr Exciter transformer L Reactor unit
D Damping resistor C1 HV capacitor
C2 LV Capacitor CP Test object / gas-insulated switchgear
I Resonant circuit current Vm AC peak voltmeter

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 4/8 HITACHI ENERGY | GENERAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION | HIGH-VOLTAGE ON-SITE TESTING

5.2 Impulse voltage tests - Oscillating lightning impulse 6. Partial discharge detection
(OLI)
Partial discharge measurements combined with AC testing may be
Tests with lightning impulse voltages are effective for detection of helpful in detecting certain kinds of faults like voids in insulating ma-
sharp protrusions and abnormal field configurations (example dam- terials, damages of shield electrodes and presence of particles. Par-
aged electrodes). tial discharge measurements are therefore a useful complement to
dielectric tests on site but are often difficult to perform because of
Based on the existing experience oscillating lightning impulse volt- ambient disturbances.
ages with front times up to about 15 µs are suitable [1].
Partial discharge measurements on site per-formed according to
However, it must be emphasized, that in case of a flashover there IEC 60270 (conventional method) are not recommended for high-
may be reflections resulting in significant over voltages and subse- voltage gas-insulated switchgear as this method is especially sensi-
quent dangerous secondary flashovers. Therefore, the amplitude tive to electrical disturbances and it is difficult to keep the noise level
chosen for the lightning impulse must be sufficiently low in order to below 5 pC as required by IEC.
avoid secondary flashovers at all times; maximum 90 percent of BIL
(basic insulation level). Instead, electrical VHF/UHF or acoustic methods are recommended
for partial discharge detection on site. Both methods are less sensi-
Normally, tests with lightning impulse voltages should be selected tive to noise than the conventional method. However, with both
only when an AC voltage test with partial discharge measurement is methods calibration is not possible as the sensitivity depends on the
not applicable. distance between the defect and the sensor. Instead a sensitivity
check must be performed on site (IEC 62271-203, Annex C.7.5),
Oscillating switching impulse (OSI)
verifying that any defect causing 5 pC or more will be detected [1,
Tests with switching impulse voltages are useful to detect the pres- 5].
ence of contaminations as well as abnormal field configurations with
Therefore normally partial discharge detection is performed on site
relatively simple test equipment, but they are not as sensitive as AC
by applying UHF narrow band measurements (see figure 2) com-
voltage tests.
bined with acoustic partial discharge detection for the localization of
Based on existing experience, switching impulses with oscillating partial discharge sources. Suitable UHF sensors are integrated into
waveforms and with a time to crest in the range of 150 µs to 10 ms the earthing switches and, where needed, additional UHF sensors
are suitable. are installed in busduct elements.

Test voltage should be 80 percent of switching insulation level (SIL)

as shown in table 1 in section References [} 5].

Switching impulse testing should only be chosen if AC voltage or

lightning impulse tests cannot be applied.

5.3 DC voltage tests

Tests with DC voltages are not recommended. The voltage distribu-

tion across the insulators differs from that under power-frequency
voltage stress and does not represent the condition in service cor-
rectly.

Manufacturer therefore only allows very restricted use of DC test

voltages, example when insulators are unavoidably involved during
testing of joined cables.

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 HITACHI ENERGY | GENERAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION | HIGH-VOLTAGE ON-SITE TESTING 5/8

fast digital
oscilloscope

Pre-
Input amplifier RF spectrum PRPD display
GIS with 50 Ω
PD sensor protection cables analyzer device

multi-
plexer

Fig. 2: Schema of partial discharge measurement with UHF Narrow Band Method

7. Assessment of the test

The switchgear shall be considered to have passed the test if each
section has withstood the specified test voltage without any disrup-
tive discharge.

In the event of a disruptive discharge occurring during dielectric

tests on site, a repetition test should be done. Recommendations
are given in Annex C.6 of IEC 62271-203.

In the event that this repetition test is successfully withstood, it is as-

sumed that the disruptive discharge was self-restoring.

However, if further disruptive discharges occur at considerably lower

voltage levels, the solid insulation involved has to be inspected and
replaced (if necessary) and the test shall be repeated.

8. References
● [1] IEC 62271-203, High-voltage switchgear and control gear –
Gas-insulated metal-enclosed switchgear for rated voltages
above 52 kV
● [2] IEC 60060-3, High-voltage test techniques –Part 3: Definition
and requirements for on-site testing
● [3] 1HC0021804, General Technical Information, Partial dis-
charge concepts for GIS type ELK
● [4] 1HC0021805, General Technical Information, On-site PD de-
tection using UHF techniques
● [5] CIGRE WG D1.25 TB 654; UHF Partial Dis-charge Detection
Systems for GIS: Application Guide for Sensitivity Verification;
April 2016

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PROCEDURE “A”
AC voltage test Uds Test voltage

(for 170 kv and below)

Conditioning

(15 to 20 min)

1 min

Voltage
Duration (min)

PROCEDURE “B” Test voltage

AC voltage test + PD measurement Uds
Conditioning
(for 245 kv and below) (15 to 20 min)

PD measurement

1 min
Voltage

Duration (min)

Fig. 3: Procedures for on-site testing according IEC 62271-203 as recommended from manufacturer

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 HITACHI ENERGY | GENERAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION | HIGH-VOLTAGE ON-SITE TESTING 7/8

Rated voltage for On-site short dura- On-site switching On-site lightning
equipment tion power fre- impulse impulse
quency with-stand
Ur withstand voltage withstand voltage
voltage
kV (r.m.s.) Uss Ups
Uds
kV (peak value) kV (peak value)
kV (r.m.s. value)
(1) (2) (see note 1) (3) (4)
72.5 120 - 260
100 165 - 360
123 200 - 440
145 235 - 520
170 270 - 600
245 380 - 840
300 380 680 840
362 425 760 940
420 515 840 1140
550 560 940 1240
800 760 1140 1680

Table 1: On-site test voltages according Table 7 of IEC 62271-203

and as recommended from Manufacturer

NOTE 1: Values of column (2) are only applicable for SF6 insulation or when SF6 is a major part of the gas mixture.

For other insulation refer to tables 1 and

2 of IEC 62271-1, applying a factor 0,8 on column (2).

NOTE 2: The on-site test voltages have been calculated as follows:

Uds (on-site test value) = Up × 0,45 × 0,8 (column (2))

Uss (on-site test value) = Us × 0,8 (column (3))

Ups (on-site test value) = Up × 0,8 (column (4))

All values have been rounded up to the next higher modus 5 kV.

NOTE 3: If other insulation levels than the preferred values of tables 2 and 3 (example the lower insulation levels of

tables 1 and 2 in IEC 62271-1) are specified,

Then the on-site test voltage should be calculated according to note 2.

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