Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fist3 16 PDF
Fist3 16 PDF
VOLUME 3-16
CONTENTS
Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page
1
the breaker rated continuous current maintenance of low-voltage air circuit
to each pole. The significant part of breakers:
this test is the automatic opening of
the circuit breaker and not tripping a. An initial check of the breaker
times as these can be greatly affected should be made in the TEST position
by ambient conditions and test condi prior to withdrawing it from to enclo
tions. sure.
2
I. Inspect wiring connections for d. Do no lay tools down on the equip-
tightness. ment while working on it as they may
be forgotten when the equipment is
j. Check after servicing circuit breaker placed back in service.
to verify the contacts move to the fully
opened and fully closed positions, 4.3. MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES
that there is an absence of friction or FOR MEDIUM-VOLTAGE AIR CIRCUIT
binding, and that electrical operation BREAKERS.- The following suggestions
is functional. are for use in conjunction with
manufacturer's instruction books for the
SECTION 4 - MAINTENANCE OF maintenance of medium-voltage air circuit
MEDIUM-VOLTAGE CIRCUIT breakers:
BREAKERS
a. Clean the insulating parts including
4.1. FREQUENCY OF MAINTENANCE.- the bushings.
Medium-voltage circuit breakers which
operate in the range of 600 to 15,000 b. Check the alignment and condition
volts should be inspected and maintained of movable and stationary contacts
annually or after every 2,000 operations, and adjust them per the
whichever comes first. The above manufacturer's data.
maintenance schedule is recommended
by the applicable standards to achieve c. See that bolts, nuts, washers, cot-
required performance from the breakers. ter pins, and all terminal connections
are in place and tight.
4.2. SAFETY PRACTICES.- Maintenance
procedures include the safety practices d. Check arc chutes for damage and
indicated in the ROMSS (Reclamation replace damaged parts.
Operation & Maintenance Safety
Standards) and following points that e. Clean and lubricate the operating
require special attention. mechanism and adjust it as described
in the instruction book. If the operat
a. Be sure the circuit breaker and its ing mechanism cannot be brought
mechanism are disconnected from all into specified tolerances, it will usually
electric power, both high voltage and indicate excessive wear and the need
control voltage, before it is inspected for a complete overhaul.
or repaired.
f. Check, after servicing, circuit
b. Exhaust the pressure from air re- breaker to verify that contacts move
ceiver of any compressed air circuit to the fully opened and fully closed
breaker before it is inspected or re positions, that there is an absence of
paired. friction or binding, and that electrical
operation is functional.
c. After the circuit breaker has been
disconnected from the electrical
power, attach the grounding leads
properly before touching any of the
circuit breaker parts.
(FIST 3-16 1/92)
3
4.4. MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES are tightened properly to prevent leak
FOR MEDIUM-VOLTAGE OIL CIRCUIT age.
BREAKERS.- The following suggestions
are for use in conjunction with the 4.5. MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES
manufacturer's instruction books for the FOR MEDIUM-VOLTAGE VACUUM
maintenance of medium-voltage oil circuit CIRCUIT BREAKERS.- Direct inspection
breakers: of the primary contacts is not possible as
they are enclosed in vacuum containers.
a. Check the condition, alignment, The operating mechanisms are similar to
and adjustment of the contacts. the breakers discussed earlier and may
be maintained in the same manner. The
b. Thoroughly clean the tank and following two maintenance checks are
other parts which have been in con suggested for the primary contacts:
tact with the oil.
a. Measuring the change in external
c. Test the dielectric strength of the oil shaft position after a period of use
and filter or replace the oil if the can indicate extent of contact erosion.
dielectric strength is less than 22 kV. Consult the manufacturer's instruction
The oil should be filtered or replaced book.
whenever a visual inspection shows
an excessive amount of carbon, even b. Condition of the vacuum can be
if the dielectric strength is checked by a hi-pot test. Consult the
satisfactory. manufacturer's instruction book.
4
the modification or modernization of cuit breakers rated under 230 kV.
old equipment, or the replication of Normally, no more than 2 years
old equipment under different condi should elapse between external in
tions. The temporary schedule is spections or 4 years between internal
required to Correct internal defects inspections.
which ordinarily appear in the first
year of service and to correlate 5.2. EXTERNAL INSPECTION GUIDE-
external check procedures with LINES.- The following items should be
internal conditions as a basis for more included in an external inspection of a
conservative maintenance program high-voltage breaker.
thereafter. Assuming that a circuit
breaker shows no serious defects at a. Visually inspect PCB externals and
the early complete inspections and no operating mechanism. The tripping
heavy interrupting duty is imposed, latches should be examined with spe
the following inspection schedule is cial care since small errors in
recommended: adjustments and clearances and
roughness of the latching surfaces
may cause the breaker to fail to latch
6 months after erection Complete inspection properly or increase the force neces
and adjustment sary to trip the breaker to such an
12 months after Complete inspection
extent that electrical tripping will not
previous inspection and adjustment always be successful, especially if the
tripping voltage is low. Excessive
12 months after Complete inspection "opening" spring pressure can cause
previous inspection and adjustment
excessive friction at the tripping latch
12 months after External checks and and should be avoided. Also, some
previous inspection inspection; if checks extra pressure against the tripping
are satisfactory, no
internal inspection
latch may be caused by the electro
magnetic forces due to flow of heavy
12 months after Complete inspection short-circuit currents through the
previous inspection and adjustment breaker. Lubrication of the bearing
surfaces of the operating mechanism
should be made as recommended in
5.1.2. Inspection schedule for existing the manufacturer's instruction book,
breakers.- The inspection schedule but excessive lubrication should be
should be based by the interrupting avoided as oily surfaces collect dust
duty imposed on the breaker. It is and grit and get stiff in cold weather,
advisable to make a complete internal resulting in excessive friction.
inspection after the first severe fault
interruption. If internal conditions are b. Check oil dielectric strength and
satisfactory, progressively more fault color for oil breakers. The dielectric
interruptions may be allowed before strength must be maintained to pre
an internal inspection is made. vent internal breakdown under voltage
Average experience indicates that up surges and to enable the interrupter
to five fault interruptions are allowable to function properly since its action
between inspections on 230 kV and
above circuit breakers, and up to 10
fault interruptions are allowable on cir (FIST 3-16 1/92)
5
depends upon changing the internal should trip at about 56 percent of
arc path from a fair conductor to a rated trip-coil voltage. The trip-coil re
good insulator in the short interval sistance should be measured and
while the current is passing through compared with the factor test value to
zero. Manufacturer's instructions state disclose shorted turns.
the lowest allowable dielectric
strength for the various circuit break Most modern breakers have trip coils
ers. It is advisable to maintain the which will overheat or burn out if left
dielectric strength above 20 kV even energized for more than a short pe
though some manufacturer's riod. An auxiliary switch is used in
instructions allow 16 kV. Detailed series with the coil to open the circuit
instructions for oil testing are found in as soon as the breaker has closed.
FIST Volume 3-5. The auxiliary switch must be properly
adjusted and successfully break the
If the oil is carbonized, filtering may arc without damage to the contacts.
remove the suspended particles, but
the interrupters, bushings, etc., must Tests should also be made to deter
be wiped clean. If the dielectric mine the minimum voltage which will
strength is lowered by moisture, an close the breaker and the closing coil
inspection of the fiber and wood parts resistance.
is advisable and the source of the
moisture should be corrected. For e. Trip breaker from protective
these reasons, it is rarely worthwhile relays.
to filter the oil in a circuit breaker
while it is in service. f. Check operating mechanism
adjustments. Measurements of the
c. Observe breaker operation under mechanical clearances of the operat
load. ing mechanism associated with the
tank or pole should be made. Appre
d. Operate breaker manually and ciable variation between the value
electrically and observe for malfunc found and the setting when erected or
tion. The presence of excessive after the last maintenance overhaul is
friction in the tripping mechanism and erected or after the last maintenance
the margin of safety in the tripping overhaul is usually an indication of
function should be determined by mechanical trouble. Temperature and
making a test of the minimum voltage difference of temperature between
required to trip the breaker. This can different parts of the mechanism
be accomplished by connecting a effect the clearances some. The
switch and rheostat in series in the manufacturers' recommended
trip-coil circuit at the breaker (across tolerances usually allow for these
the terminals to the remote control effects.
switch) and a voltmeter across the trip
coil. Staring with not over 50 percent g. Doble test bushings and breaker.
of rated trip-coil voltage, gradually in
crease the voltage until the trip-coil
plunger picks up and successfully
trips the breaker and record the mini
mum tripping voltage. Most breakers (FIST 3-16 1/92)
6
Table I - Maximum Contact Resistance
Air circuit breakers Oil circuit breakers
kV Amperes Microhms kV Amperes Microhms
7
Time-travel records are taken on the Fortunately, these difficulties are most
pole nearest the operating mecha likely to appear early in the use of a
nism to avoid the inconsistencies due breaker and would be disclosed by the
to linkage vibration and slack in the early internal inspections. As unsatis
remote phases. factory internal conditions are corrected
and after one or two inspections show the
5.3. INTERNAL INSPECTION GUIDE- internal conditions to be satisfactory, the
LINES.- An internal inspection should frequency of internal inspections may
include all items listed for an external safely be decreased.
inspection, plus the breaker tanks or
contact heads should be opened and the 5.5. INFLUENCE OF DUTY
contacts nd interrupting parts should be IMPOSED.-
inspected. These guidelines are not
intended to be a complete list of breaker 5.5.1. Influence of light duty.- Internal
maintenance but are intended to provide inspection of a circuit breaker which
an idea of the scope of each inspection. has had no interruption duty or
switching since the previous
A specific checklist should be developed inspection will not be particularly
in the field for each type of inspection for beneficial although it will not be a total
each circuit breaker maintained. loss. If the breaker has been
energized, but open, erosion in the
5.4. TYPICAL INTERNAL BREAKER form or irregular grooves (called
PROBLEMS.- The following difficulties tracking) on the inner surface of the
should be looked for during internal interrupter or shields may appear due
breaker inspections: to electrostatic charging current. This
is usually aggravated by a deposit of
a. Tendency for keys, bolts (espe- carbon sludge which has previously
cially fiber), cotter pins, etc, to come been generated by some interrupting
loose. operation. If the breaker has
remained closed and carrying current,
b. Tendency for wood operating rods, evidence of heating of the contacts
supports, or guides to come loose may be found if the contact surfaces
from clamps or mountings. were not clean, have oxidized, or if
the contact pressure was improper.
c. Tendency for carbon or sludge to Any shrinkage and loosening of wood
form and accumulate in interrupter or or fiber parts (due to loss of absorbed
on bushings. moisture into the dry oil) will take
place following erection, whether the
d. Tendency for interrupter to flash breaker is operated or not.
over and rupture static shield or resis Mechanical operation, however, will
tor. make any loosening more evident. It
is worthwhile to deliberately impose
e. Tendency for interrupter parts or several switching operations on the
barriers to burn or erode. breaker before inspection if possible.
If this is impossible, some additional
f. Tendency for bushing gaskets to
leak moisture into breaker insulating
material. (FIST 3-16 1/92)
8
information may be gained by equivalent to 100 no-load operations,
operating the breaker several times employed by some companies, is
after it is deenergized, measuring the necessarily very approximate
contact resistance of each pole although it may be a useful guide in
initially and after each operation. the absence of any other information.
9
SECTION 6 - MAINTENANCE OF SF6 GAS pressure for a given electrode
CIRCUIT BREAKERS spacing. The dielectric strength
increases with increasing pressure;
6.1. PROPERTIES OF SF6 (SULFUR and at three atmospheres, the
HEXAFLUORIDE) GAS. dielectric strength is roughly
equivalent to transformer oil. The
a. Toxicity.- SF6 is odorless, colorless, heaters for SF6 in circuit breakers are
tasteless, and nontoxic in its pure required to keep the gas from
state. It can, however, exclude oxy liquefying because, as the gas
gen and cause suffocation. If the liquifies, the pressure drops, lowering
normal oxygen content of air is re the dielectric strength. The exact
duced from 21 percent to less than 13 dielectric strength, as compared to
percent, suffocation can occur without air, varies with electrical configuration,
warning. Therefore, circuit breaker electrode spacing, and electrode
tanks should be purged out after configuration.
opening.
e. Arc quenching.- SF6 is approxi
b. Toxicity of arc products.- Toxic mately 100 times more effective than
decomposition products are formed air in quenching spurious arcing. SF6
when SF6 gas is subjected to an elec also has a high thermal heat capacity
tric arc. The decomposition products that can absorb the energy of the arc
are metal fluorides and form a white without much of a temperature rise.
or tan powder. Toxic gases are also
formed which have the characteristic f. Electrical arc breakdown.- Because
odor of rotten eggs. Do not breathe of the arc-quenching ability of SF6,
the vapors remaining in a circuit corona and arcing in SF6 does not
breaker where arcing or corona dis occur until way past the voltage level
charges have occurred in the gas. of onset of corona and arcing in air.
Evacuate the faulted SF6 gas from SF6 will slowly decompose when ex
the circuit breaker and flush with fresh posed to continuous corona.
air before working on the circuit
breaker. All SF6 breakdown or arc products are
toxic. Normal circuit breaker operation
c. Physical properties.- SF6 is one of produces small quantities of arc
the heaviest known gases with a den products during current interruption
sity about five times the density of air which normally recombine to SF6. Arc
under similar conditions. SF6 shows products which do not recombine, or
little change in vapor pressure over a which combine with any oxygen or
wide temperature range and is a soft moisture present, are normally re
gas in that it is more compressible moved by the molecular sieve filter
dynamically than air. The heat trans material within the circuit breaker.
fer coefficient of SF6 is greater than
air and its cooling characteristics by 6.2. HANDLING NONFAULTED SF6.
convection are about 1.6 times air. The procedures for handling nonfaulted
SF6 are well covered in manufacturers'
d. Dielectric strength.- SF6 has a di
electric strength about three times
that of air at one atmosphere (FIST 3-16 1/92)
10
instruction books. These procedures recommended for use when re-
normally consist of removing the SF6 from moving solid arc products; how-
the circuit breaker, filtering and storing it ever, regular coveralls can be
in a gas cart as a liquid, and transferring worn if disposable ones are not
it back to the circuit breaker after the available, provided they are
circuit breaker maintenance has been washed at the end of each day.
performed. No special dress or
precautions are required when handling b. Hoods.- Hoods must be worn
nonfaulted SF6. when removing solid arc
products from inside a faulted
6.3. HANDLING FAULTED SF6.- dead-tank circuit breaker.
11
12