Chapter 1: Principles of Maintenance

and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Introduction

A good maintenance program requires the definitions involved with process

control; of the technical aspects that must be taken into account for the success of
the activities and the electrical tests necessary to evaluate the physical conditions
of the equipment involved. These aspects are explained in this chapter.

Lesson Page
1. Basic principles. 1-3
Content
2. Electrical tests. 1-6
3. Team testing. 1-8

2 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

LESSON 1: BASIC PRINCIPLES

Electrical maintenance

Definition
They are those preventive, corrective, predictive actions that are carried out to
improve the physical conditions of electrical equipment and thus extend its useful
life.

Advantages
 It allows you to recognize the factors that cause the deterioration of electrical
equipment.
 Repairs and minimizes failures and interruptions.

Consequences
Good electrical maintenance brings benefits, among them are:
 Lower repair cost.
 Reduction of unforeseen equipment stops.
 Minimizes risks due to accidents to people and equipment.
 Increased productivity.
 Timely location of deficiency in the systems.

3 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Elements of Electrical Maintenance

Good electrical maintenance basically consists of five elements. The following

Table describes each of them.

Elementary parts Description

It refers to the levels of responsibility and functions
Responsibility that each maintenance unit or department must
execute.
It is related to the preliminary and periodic
Inspection
verification of the equipment to know how it is.
It corresponds to the installed equipment and its
Inventory
technical characteristics (plate).
It has to do with the tasks that need to be carried out
Work orders
and the dates required to carry out the maintenance.
The maintenance record itself includes
Archive documentation of the tests carried out and technical
information corresponding to each of the equipment.

Technical Requests
Technical requirements are the technical specifications recommended by the
manufacturer and/or maintenance organization, and include the following
elements:
 Equipment registration.
 Preventive maintenance plan.
 Instructions and procedures.
 Repairs.
 Failure analysis.

4 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Component Description
It is necessary to have data on the electrical system
that can include unified diagrams, short-circuit
Equipment studies, coordination of protections, installation and
registration control diagrams, as well as other data that can be
used as a reference point for future maintenance.

Important factors must be taken into account to

establish the maintenance frequency of equipment,
Electrical maintenance
such as: load conditions, own requirements and
plan
critical nature of the equipment.

The final technical function, in the development of a

maintenance program, involves the establishment of
Development of
instructions, procedures and methods that ensure
Instructions and
that equipment and system components operate
Procedures
without failure.

The failure of electrical equipment must be analyzed

to determine its cause and thus make the necessary
Failure analysis
corrections to avoid similar failures.

Corrections of electrical abnormalities must be

carried out applying work methods that ensure: a
Electrical repairs good repair, minimum execution time and that
involve the least possible risk.

LESSON 2: ELECTRICAL TESTS

5 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Maintenance Tests
They are aimed at verifying, through tests, the correct operation and nominal
characteristics of electrical equipment and instruments.

The main condition for the application of electrical tests is the condition and
availability of the electrical equipment within the installation.
The following types are identified:
 Acceptance.
 Routine maintenance.
 Special maintenance.

Acceptance Test
They are a series of tests recommended by the manufacturer, installers and
maintainers, on newly installed electrical equipment and instruments, before being
definitively delivered for normal operation. Take into account equipment
specifications and approved installation standards

The purpose of the test is:

1. Verify if the equipment meets the required specifications.
2. Check if the equipment was installed correctly and without damage.
3. Establish parameters for future testing.

The equipment involved is generators, switches, transformers, motors, auxiliary

equipment of electrical substations, among others. Tests are generally performed
at 80% of the factory applied test voltage level.
Routine Maintenance Test
They are defined tests that must be performed on equipment and instruments that
have been or are in operations; which must be executed before and after carrying

6 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

out maintenance (beginning tests and ending tests). Its purpose is to evaluate the
possible deterioration of the equipment from the last maintenance intervention, to
the present, and the improvements obtained with the new action or intervention.
This makes it easier to reschedule maintenance.

The equipment on which this type of tests are carried out are those electrical
equipment that intervene in the generation, transmission and distribution of
electricity and process plants in general. These types of tests should be performed
at voltage levels equivalent to a maximum of 60% of factory tests or less

Special maintenance test

These are tests designed and recommended for equipment and instruments that
have suffered serious failures during operation. Its purpose is to determine and
eliminate the causes and/or source of the failure.

It applies to electrical power equipment or control systems and the test voltage
levels are those recommended by the department or evaluation committee.

LESSON 3: TEAM TEST

7 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

This type of tests determine the physical integrity of the insulating materials and
the operating condition of the equipment involved. It is applied during maintenance
and evaluations due to failures or operational causes.

Types of Electrical Tests

 Operational tests.
 Test with direct current.
 Test with alternating current.
 Testing of liquid insulators.
 Testing of electrical protection equipment.
 Ground resistance test.
 Infrared inspection test.
 Closing and opening time analysis test of switch contacts.
 Switch contact resistance analysis test.

Testing solid insulators with direct current

It consists of applying a voltage (DC) to the insulating medium and determining the
leakage current. Its purpose is to determine the physical integrity of the insulating
medium of the equipment.

The equipment and instruments involved are those of the electrical power system
(generators, transformers, motors, switches, insulators, cables, etc.).

Test voltage levels take into account the nominal operating voltage levels of the
equipment.

Note:

8 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

1. Tests with direct current are more recommended than those carried out with
alternating current, because they provide more information, which allows
comparisons to be made with previous tests.
2. Tests with alternating current are generally good or bad tests, without indicating
the safety margin with which the current passes.
3. Tests with direct current are preferable in equipment where the capacitive effect
is very high, such as cables. These are considered non-destructive .

where f = 0

There is no capacitive effect current.

4. After the direct current test, the residual capacitive voltage must be carefully
discharged.

Results when applying the test

When the test voltage is applied to the solid insulator, the following leakage
currents are generated.

It is that current that decreases with time as a function of time,

therefore time must be given for its stabilization. It is calculated
with the following equation:

Capacitive
Current where:
E = Nominal voltage of the equipment.
R = Ohmic resistance of the winding.
I = Capacitive charging current.
e = Base natural logarithms.
r = Insulator resistance in .
c = Capacitance in farads.
t = Time in seconds.
Dielectric At the beginning of the test this current is high, but it decreases
absorption
over time; Therefore the test reading should be taken and
current
recorded when the current stabilizes.

9 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

This is generated on the surface of the insulating material by

Surface dust and/or humidity, which must be eliminated by carefully
discharge
cleaning the affected regions.
current

It is known as “corona current”. They originate from the

ionization of the air due to the surges that surround the
partial insulator; and originate in the acute points. This undesirable
discharge
current during the test is eliminated by placing insulating shields
current
at the mentioned points.

Volumetric It is the one that originates within the insulating material and the
charging
one that is interesting to evaluate, because it indicates its
current
physical condition.

The following graph shows the effects of the test application, caused by the use of
high DC voltage in an insulating system.

current in micro – amp

Electrical Insulation Resistance Test (with direct current)

10 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

This test is carried out by applying voltages ranging from 100 volts to 10,000 volts,
using operating instruments: manual, motorized and/or electronic, which generate
the desired voltage and measure the electrical resistance of the material in mega-
ohms.

The test may be affected by temperature, humidity, dirt or other environmental

factors. The measurements made must be corrected for the reference temperature
of 20 degrees Celsius (for transformers) and 40 degrees Celsius for motors.

With the results obtained, the degree of deterioration of the insulating material of
the machine, device or equipment is evaluated, since these are indicative of the
existing contamination and how dangerous it can be to continue using the machine
without maintenance.

short time test

It consists of applying the test and taking measurements 30 and 60 seconds from
the beginning. The values must be corrected to 20º C. This test is called dielectric
absorption index or DIA, which is calculated as follows:

IAD = Reading at 60 seconds

Reading after 30 seconds

If the index obtained is below 1.25, it warrants investigation, that is, other tests and
evaluations are carried out.

Polarization Index Test

It involves applying the test for 10 to 15 continuous minutes and taking the
readings every minute, to prepare a graph of insulation resistance behavior versus
time and analyze it.

The IP polarization index is given by:

11 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

IP = Reading after 10 minutes

Reading at first minute

If the polarization index is 1.5 or less than the equipment under test, it must be
investigated.

Spot Test

This test is very important and should be recorded each time it is performed, to
compare it with successive and previous tests.

Readings should be taken within one minute of starting the test or when the
instrument's indicator needle has stabilized. This test must always refer to 20º C for
transformers and 40º C for motors.

There are specific (international) tables and graphs of acceptance test values for
different equipment, although maintenance departments usually have their own
acceptance criteria.

For rotating machines, the minimum insulation resistance according to (IEEE) must
be 1000 for each volt (equipment operating voltage), plus 1 M .

The following table corresponds to the insulation resistance conversion factors at

20º C for transformers.

12 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Temperature Transformer
ºC In oil Dry
0 0.25 0.40
5 0.36 0.45
10 0.50 0.50
15 0.75 0.75
20 1.00 1.00
25 1.40 1.30
30 1.98 1.60
35 2.80 2.05
40 3.95 2.50
45 5.60 3.25
50 7.85 4.00
55 11.20 5.20
60 15.85 6.40
65 22.40 8.70
70 31.75 10.00
75 44.70 13.00
80 63.50 16.00

According to IEEE, in the case of electric motors it is important that the test be
corrected to 40º C. The correction is carried out according to the formula:
RC = Kt x Rt

where:
Rc = Corrected insulation resistance at 40º C (in M ).
Rt = Insulation resistance (M ) measured at temperature t.
Kt = Temperature coefficient for insulation resistance at temperature t.

The following graph gives the values of the insulation resistance coefficient Kt
according to the variation in temperature for rotating machines.

13 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Approximate variation of insulation resistance with temperature for rotating machines (ANSI/IEEE
Std 43 – 1974)

Overvoltage Test

14 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

The overvoltage test is one that is carried out with direct current, equivalent to the
nominal voltage of the equipment involved multiplied by 1.41.

The test is carried out the same as the previous one, recording the leakage
currents or the insulation resistance, depending on the instrument.

The acceptance values will be those given by the maintenance department

Testing solid insulator with alternating current

The solid insulator test with alternating current consists of applying an alternating
voltage to the sample or equipment and measuring the leakage current and/or
watts lost due to deterioration effects of the insulating material. This type of test
seeks to determine the “good or bad” condition of the insulating medium. With the
power factor test, the quality of insulation in transformers, switches, rotating
machines, dielectric liquids, regulators, insulators and cables is determined.

The equipment and instruments to which this type of tests are applied are electrical
power systems (cables, generators, transformers, bushings, switches).

Types of basic tests

Applied stress tests

Which is carried out with high voltage (higher than the nominal voltage of the
equipment involved), for a short time, normally 1 minute.

This test is of the destructive type. Its use is recommended in cases where the
equipment must be completely reliable, or where it is certain that the equipment or
sample cannot be saved through maintenance. In practice it is applied to define
failures of cables submerged in water.

15 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Power factor test

This test is performed with voltage levels ranging from 2500 volts to 12000 volts

Liquid insulator test

The test consists of the following parameters (ASTM Standards)

 Water percentage D-1533
 Dielectric strength D-1816 /D-877
 Specific gravity D-1298
 Viscosity at 40º C D-455
 Flashpoint D-92
 Color D-1500
 power factor

These tests can be carried out at the field level.

The purpose of this type of testing of equipment and instruments is to determine

the degree of contamination of the oil, caused by humidity, heat, oxygen,
decomposition of other insulating materials, ties and supports of the active parts of
the equipment.

The equipment and instruments to which this type of tests are applied are
transformers and switches immersed in oil. For power factor testing, voltage levels
range from 2500 volts to voltages that may be greater than 50 kilovolts.

Testing of Electrical Protection Devices

This type of test consists of applying voltage or injecting current to the electrical
protection devices, to verify their operability in accordance with the given settings
whose purpose is to guarantee the operation of the electrical protection relays,
when abnormal conditions exist that are above of the pre-established parameters.

16 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

The equipment and instruments to which these tests are applied are the protection
relays of electrical equipment (generators, motors, transformers, power lines,
cables); whose test voltage level and current are low; therefore they are generally
not considered.

Ground Resistance Test

This test is based on measuring the resistance of the grounding of an installation,
through tests carried out on the buried electrodes and other related accessories
and whose purpose is to ensure that the means exists to facilitate electrical
discharges to the ground, caused by: atmospheric discharges (lightning), over
voltages originated during the operations of electrical disconnectors and short
circuit to ground of electrical equipment (motors, generators, transformers, among
others).

The equipment under study are the grounding electrodes and the installation for
which the grounding was done (electrical substations, process plant equipment
such as: motors, transformations, instruments, among others). The volates applied
are low, coming from portable batteries installed in the measuring instruments.

Infrared Inspection Test

This test consists of verifying the existence or not of hot spots in energized
electrical power systems. Its purpose is to verify hot spots in energized equipment,
in order to correct abnormalities before critical situations arise.

The equipment to which the test is applied are the electrical generation,
transmission, electrical distribution and motor control center systems.

Closing and Opening Time Analysis Test of Switch Contacts

This test is based on measuring the travel time of the moving contacts of the
switch, to carry out the closing and opening action. Its purpose is to adjust the
mechanical parts, if the contacts do not have the same closing and opening time.

17 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests

Electrical maintenance

Incorporate closing and opening times into the coordination of electrical protections
and minimize damage to equipment caused by the electric arc.

The equipment to which this test is applied are power, medium and high voltage
switches; are not significant, very low voltage instruments are used.

Switch Contact Resistance Analysis Test

This test consists of measuring the resistance between the mobile and fixed
contacts, when they are in the closed position. They are carried out in order to
verify continuity and tightness of fit between the mobile and fixed contacts, to
guarantee that there will be no “hot spot”. The equipment to which this test is
applied is not significant, however very low voltage instruments are used.

18 Chapter 1. Generalities and Electrical Tests