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Power Frequency Withstand Voltage On-site testing of 400 kV GIS

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The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

Power Frequency Withstand Voltage On-site testing of 400 kV

GIS

D. Anaraki Ardakani, A. Omidkhoda, M. Solati

High Voltage Engineering Center
ACECR
Tehran, Iran
Da_ardakani@yahoo.com
Paper Reference Number:
Name of the presenter: D. Anaraki Ardakani:

Abstract
Using Gas Insulated Substation in urban areas in the world has been widely popular. After
installation, and before being put into service, the GIS shall be tested in order to check the correct
operation and the dielectric integrity of the equipment. Since it is especially important for GIS,
the dielectric integrity shall be checked in order to eliminate fortuitous causes (wrong fastening,
damage during handling, transportation, storage and installation, presence of foreign bodies, etc.)
which might in the future give rise to an internal fault. Because of their different purpose, these
tests shall not replace the type tests or the routine tests carried out on the transport units and, as
far as possible, in the factory. They are supplementary to the dielectric routine tests with the aim
of checking the dielectric integrity of the completed installation and of detecting irregularities as
mentioned above. In this paper, a novel test set-up and the measurement results of a 400 kV GIS
has been installed for the Sheykh Bahai Substation, Tehran, Iran, are presented. The study of test
conclusion shows that it is done successfully in three phases.

Key words: Dielectric on site test, GIS, Cascade transformer, Power frequency withstand voltage test,
MATLAB

1. Introduction
Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) has been in service for more than 40 years and they have
shown a high level of reliability with extremely small failure rates even for modern GIS
showing a high compactness.GIS was first developed in various countries between 1968 and
1972. After about 5 years of experience, the use rate increased to about 20% of new
substations in countries where space is limited. In other countries with space easily available,
the higher cost of GIS relative to AIS has limited use to special cases. For example, in the
U.S., only about 2% of new substations are GIS (Bolin, 2003). Each GIS in compare with Air
Insulated Substation (AIS) with similar condition need to 10% space. In many countries the
safety of electrical installations against military and terrorist attack has prime importance.
This kind of substation is a proper choice since it can be concealed and protected easily. In
Iran, also many GISs have been installed successfully up to extra high levels of voltage such
as 400 kV and they are in use presently. Although the reliability of GIS is high, any internal
breakdown that does occur invariably causes extensive damage and an outage of several days’
The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

duration is needed to affect the repair. During this time the associated circuit may be out of
operation and the consequential losses can be high, especially if the GIS is operating at 420
kV or above. If in addition the GIS is connecting the output of a nuclear station to the
transmission network and the breakdown leads to a reactor shutdown, the financial penalties
could be most severe (A.Hadda, 2007).Therefore after installation, and before being put into
service, the GIS shall be tested in order to check the correct operation and the dielectric
integrity of the equipment. These tests and verifications comprise dielectric tests on the main
circuits, dielectric tests on auxiliary circuits, measurement of the resistance of the main
circuit, gas tightness tests, checks and verifications, and gas quality verifications ( IEC 62271-
203,2012). Because of their different purpose, these tests shall not replace the type tests or the
routine tests carried out on the transport units and, as far as possible, in the factory.
On-site high-voltage tests are required (IEC 60060-3, 2006):
1- As withstand tests as part of a commissioning procedure on equipment to demonstrate that
transport from manufacturer to site, and the erection on-site complies with manufacturer’s
specification;
2- As withstand tests after on-site repair, to demonstrate that the equipment has been
successfully repaired, and is in a suitable condition to return to service;
3- For diagnostic purposes, e.g. PD measurement, to demonstrate if the insulation is still free
from dangerous defects, and as an indication of life expectation
In this paper, the quality of performing the power frequency test in 400 kV GIS substation of
Sheikh Bahai and the measured results are demonstrated. In the following sections, we will
review the possible solutions to perform the test; the method which is used and the voltage
measurement are desired in these segments.

2. The Possible Solutions

Generally the normal laboratory testing equipment is not proper for transportation and Special
designs of portable systems are necessary. These may take the form of custom-built vehicles
containing, for example, High Voltage (HV) testing transformers and standard capacitors. It is
obvious that an important factor in test equipment design is the need for greater mechanical
strength than their counterparts in the laboratory and increased awareness regarding safety
aspects while setting up temporary test areas. (A.Hadda, 2007).
The power frequency voltage may be produced by (IEC 62271-203, 2012):
 test sets with a test transformer,
 test sets with a variable resonant reactor for constant frequency,
 test sets with a constant resonant reactor for variable frequency,
 energizing power or voltage transformers from the low-voltage side which entails
no dismantling after testing.

3. APPLIED SOLUTION: CASCADED VOLTAGE TRANSFORMERS

The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

In this test the method which is used is test set with a test transformer. High voltage
transformers are not usually proper for portable test system due to their big dimensions and
high weight. Many experiments are performed for dielectric test on GIS, and systems with
different power and energy are employed for on-site tests. In order to perform the AC test we
need a voltage source with a high power due to Load capacitances of GIS installations are
relatively high (10 or even 20 nF per bus bar). For instance, an 8 nF capacitor in 416kv
voltage needs 1 A current in output which is considered a high power. Two high voltage
transformers are made and designed for the test in this study.
3.1. The structure and components of system set
This system includes following components (Fig. 1)
1) Regulating Transformer
2) Compensating Reactor
3) Cascade Transformers
4) Voltage Divider
5) Control Panel
6) Damping Resistor
7) High Voltage Connections and Earth System
Insulating case transformers are well suited for cascade connection. These transformers are
made as the standard essentials IEC for the test. HV transformers are supplied by a Regulating
transformer. These regulating transformers are designed in different ranges. Regulating
transformer supply the desired voltage by a motor which has a standard rate. According to
standard after that voltage reaches to 75% of test voltage, it would increase by 2% of test
voltage per second. In order to compensate the reactive power made by capacitor currents of
substation, compensation reactors are used in low voltage side. These reactors are placed in
low voltage side and its preference is to need a low power for regulating transformer. In this
test, three reactors (two air core and one oil reactor) by different capacities are used.
According to every capacitance of each test level, its connections are added to the circuit
manually in parallel forms. In order to limit the current and increase short circuit impedance
of transformer when possibility of discharge occurs, the damping resistor is placed in low
voltage circuit in series mode on the regulating transformer output.
3.2. Test procedure
As regards the aim of these tests is to offer a final check before energizing. It is very
important that the chosen test procedure does not jeopardize sound parts of the GIS.
The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

Fig 1: General schematic of test circuit

1) Regulating Transformer
2) Compensating Reactor
3) Cascade Transformers
4) Voltage Divider
5) Control Panel
6) Damping Resistor
In choosing an appropriate test method for each individual case, a special agreement may be
necessary in the interest of practicability and economy, e.g. the electrical power requirements
and the dimensions and weight of the test equipment may need to be considered (James,
2007). Before the test starts, is considered the following points:
 The GIS shall be installed completely and gas-filled at its rated filling density.
 Some parts may be disconnected for the test, either because of their high charging
current or because of their effect on voltage limitation, such as high voltage cables and
overhead lines; power transformers and, occasionally, voltage transformers; surge
arresters and protective spark gaps.
 The sections which, in such cases, are not being tested, and which are isolated by a
circuit breaker or a disconnector from the section under test, shall be earthed
 For 3-phase enclosed GIS, the specified test voltage shall be applied between each
phase conductor, one at a time, and the enclosure, the other phase conductors being
connected to the earthed enclosure. The insulation between phase conductors shall not
be subjected to any other separate dielectric test on site.
 The test voltage source may be connected to any convenient point of the phase
conductor under test.
The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

It is often convenient to divide the whole installation of GIS into sections by opening circuit
breakers and disconnectors for following reasons (IEC 62271-203, 2012):
 to limit the capacitive load on the test voltage source;
 to facilitate the location of disruptive discharges;
 to limit the discharged energy if a disruptive discharge occurs.
In this test, the substation which is installed is divided to three separate sections (section1,
section2, section3) which is shown in Fig. 2. Considering that transport units have normally
been subjected to routine tests, the probability of disruptive discharges is higher for the
complete installation than for individual functional units, disruptive discharges in correctly
installed equipment shall be avoided and agreed between the manufacturer and user applied
voltage are done by the following test sequence (IEC 62271-203, 2012):
 The testing voltage is increased to 230 kV and it is kept to 15 (min).
 Testing voltage is being increased again to 416 kV and is kept to 1 (min). Then the
voltage level would return to zero as soon as possible (Fig. 3).
The switchgear shall be considered to have passed the test if each section has withstood the
specified test voltage without any disruptive discharge.

Fig 2: The GIS is divided to three parts to perform the test, which is shown in different
layouts.
 The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

(V (kV))

416

230

15 1 (t(Min))

Fig 3: Test sequence

4. Simulation
Before doing the practical test, simulation is performed with MATLAB (version 7.0.4) and
the results are used for the practical test .The simulation is according to maximum load
(capacitance of the largest sections) 6 nF, technical specification of test equipments (for
example Transformer 1 (T1):0.5/400 kV, Transformer 2 (T2):0.4/300 kV) and existing
reactors in this test that have different reactance (L1=0.5 mH, L2=1 mH, L3=4 mH). Due to
the table I the max of current in reactors is about 1260 A (L1) and the network current with
maximum 300 A and regulating transformer with maximum 400 A is needed.

5. Practical Test
According to standard it is often convenient to divide the whole installation of GIS into
sections so this substation by opening circuit breakers and disconnectors is divided in to three
sections in the test and test sequence applied to each section. In table II different current of
each reactor and secondary transformer and regulating transformer are shown. Currents are
relatively high that supplied by reactors. Without these reactors demanded power and
subsequently the reactor dimension would increase. Also the network with a high power is
needed. The reason of diversity in capacitor current of each section is the length of bus bars
and their different capacitance. Section 3 has a higher capacity according to the extra Bus duct
than other sections and thus, the longer length. Then it would have higher capacitor current
(charging current). The used transformers in the test have the transformation ratio of 400
V/300 kV, 500 V/400 kV, so we get 700 kV for the whole set.

Reactors Current (A) Secondary

Capacitor Output Network Current of
Max. of Load (nF) Current Voltage Current Regulating
L1=0.5(mH) L2=1(mH) L3=4(mH)
(mA) (kV) (A) Transformer
(A)
6 1260 630 157 0.795 417 310 407

TABLE I. CURRENT OF REACTORS , REGULATING TRANSFORME AND CAPACITOR IN SIMULATON OF TEST CIRCUIT

In order to get the final testing 416 kV voltage, the primary 238 V is needed. In sections 1 and
2 only one reactor (L1) is used according to load capacitance. As shown in table II even by
 The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

the compensation reactors, a relatively high current flowed in the secondary regulating
transformer. If the reactors didn’t use, the maximum current in low voltage side reached to
1400 A instead of 400 A, which is a high current and it actually would make the test
impossible and impracticable. Because this regulating transformer definitely would have big
dimension and volume, they cannot be moved easily and there were no low voltage network
available having these feature. So one of the essential parts of this test was to lower the
transformer current to 400 A, based on available tools and equipment. Hence, using the
reactors to meet this essential need was one of the most important parts of the test (each
reactor have different maximum current, L1=1500 A, L2=700 A, L3=600 A). The other of
essential parts of the test was power limitation of T2, according to simulation the maximum
capacitor current in section3 (the largest section) is higher than power of T2 and it could
cause problem to do the test. But, considering the short time (1 minute) of the maximum
apply test voltage, it is negligible. A capacitive divider was used in the test to measure the HV
output. In order to remove the corona and proper distribution of voltage a top electrode is
placed on its upper cover of divider (Fig. 4). The top electrode is either an aluminum toroid.
To measurement of output voltage is use Digital Peak Voltmeter (DPV). This voltmeter is
made in the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR) and measures
the output voltage. The earth connections between the elements are considered star mode. For
each element, the set is connected to the earth independently.

Fig 4: A view of HV capacitors for voltage divider (left),and cascade transformers (right)

Reactors Current (A) Secondary Current of Capacitor current

No. of Phase Output
regulating transformer (Charging current)
Sections Name Voltage (kV) L1 L2 L3
(A) (mA)
1 A 416 1080 - - 145 560
1 B 416 1089 - - 133 540
1 C 416 1089 - - 136 546
2 A 416 1080 - - 136 550
2 B 416 1079 - - 134 544
2 C 416 1050 - - 139 542
3 A 416 980 600 190 353 761
3 B 416 890 600 200 365 771
3 C 416 950 600 210 398 794

TABLE II. CURRENT OF REACTORS , REGULATING TRANSFORME AND CAPACITOR IN TEST CIRCUIT
 The 8th Symposium on Advances in Science and Technology (8thSASTech), Mashhad, Iran. 8thSASTech.khi.ac.ir

In this test tried to consider the shortest route for the earth connection especially in GIS
substation, in order to prevent the voltage differences if possible flashover happens (James,
2007). In order to apply high voltage on every Bushing’s head, an HV connection with
diameter of 8 cm is used to remove corona.
6. Test result
The test with 416 kV is indicated by cascade transformer (two transformers) with displayed
currents in table II is performed at 400 kV substation of Sheikh Bahai-Tehran. The highest
current lead to the highest power of 330 kVA. During the test no breakdown is seen. Finally
all the sections were tested in the applied voltage of 230kv in 15 (min) and 416 kV in 1 (min)
without any problems or errors.

7. Conclusion
Dielectric testing on GIS substation is one of the most important indicators to confirm the
accuracy of these systems before initiation. According to the large dimensions of the
substations it is impossible to test whole GIS before its installation. On the other hand,
because of relatively large capacitance of such systems, especially in cases where the total
length of the installed GIS exceeds some tens of meters, the high voltage source has to be
capable of delivering relatively high levels of current. In this paper, a high voltage test set is
proposed to perform in-situ insulation tests on a 400 kV GIS installed for the Sheikh Bahai-
Tehran Iran.Different solutions are discussed for the test and its results. The method used in
the test includes two cascade transformers with 1 A output current which fed by a regulating
transformer. In this method three low voltage reactors used to compensate the capacitive
current and minimize the input current of the test transformers.GIS is divided into sections
and the applied voltage of each step was 416 kV. The results show that the test was successful
and the GIS was confirmed in the dielectric test.

References
Bolin, P. (2003). Electric Power Substations Engineering. CRC Press.
Feser, k. (1980). High Voltage of Testing ofMetalenclosed,GIS on-site Oscillating switching
Impulse Voltages. HAEFELY.
Hadda, A., D. W. (2007). Advances in high voltage engineering. London: IET Power and
energy Series 40.
(2012). High-voltage switchgearandcontrolgear Part 203: Gas-insulated metal-enclosed for
rated voltages above 52 kV. Switzerland: IEC.
(2006). High-voltage test techniques –Part 3:Definitions and requirements for on-site testing.
Switzerland: IEC.
James, R. (2007). Condition Assessment of High Voltage Insulation in Power System
Equipment. IET Power and Energy.

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