Cable Diagnostics TD (tan delta) on MV Cables

Barriers for customers to apply diagnostics

Arguments for using cable diagnostics

- Improve wide scale system reliability

- Reduce hours lost/user/per year

- Condition based maintenance (medium cost)

- Preventive maintenance (very high cost)

- Replacement, decisions on partial replacements (high potential for saving costs)

- Reliable system for life time considerations and system assessment data
evaluation

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VLF Diagnostics

tan delta
Integral insulation condition

Diagnostics
non-destructive

PD
Localization of singular source of
discharges

3
Methods to assess the cable’s quality

 After new installations / repairs / periodically cable assessment

 Reliable, non-destructive (Test voltage range up to max. 2*U0)

? ? ? ?

Status: Increasing acceptance, standards and

recommendations available, gaining experience in the market

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VLF tan delta measurement

tan delta
Integral insulation condition

Diagnostics
non-destructive

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VLF tan delta measurement

To detect the aging effects / insulation defects

after

 Commissioning of new cable lines

 Repairs

 Regular inspection of the cable condition

Cable condition becomes „readable“

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What is tan delta measurement?

tan delta of an ideal cable: R = ∞ Phase diagram:

VLF
 
Source

IC I

With R = ∞, tan δ = 0

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What is tan delta measurement?

real cable – non ideal insulation system: R ≠ ∞ Phase diagram:

VLF
 
Source

IC I
Insulation damage:
• Water trees
• Moist joints U
• Aging
• Partial discharges

tan δ increases when

insulation resistance
decreases

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Digression:
Water Trees and other Problems?

Water tree growing inside the XLPE insulated cables.

1mm
1mm 500µm
1mm

A) Cable S6, B) Cable S6, C) Cable S1, D) Cable S10,

21 years old 21 years old 17 years old 11 years old
Digression:
Water Trees and other Problems?

The final stage of a water tree.

Water tree developing to electrical tree.

Electrical tree:
• Partial discharges
• Final stage before BD

Water tree:
• No partial discharge
• Leakage current
Digression:
Water Trees and other Problems?
tan delta measurement sequence
TD(2xUo)>2,2

TD(2xUo)<1,2 TD(2xUo)>1,2

U Continuous evaluation of 3 criteria

against pre-defined limits.
TD graph: Cable in good condition, <1.2E-2 @ 2 Uo, IEEE

1.5*Uo Tan delta stability (SDTD)

Mean tan delta (MTD)

Tan delta stability (SDTD)

1.0*Uo
Mean tan delta (MTD)
Delta tan delta (ΔTD)
Tan delta stability (SDTD)
0.5*Uo
Mean tan delta (MTD)

t
6-10 measurements per voltage step
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tan delta measurement sequence

U[kV] Continuous monitoring of

1.5*U0
3 criteria (MTD, SDTD, ΔTD) against
defined threshold values
1.0*U0
MTD []
Voltage Ramp-up
0.5*U0
Calculation
t 3.0E-3 of ΔTD:
Action required
TD []

3.0E-3
2.0E-3 Further study

1.0E-3
2.0E-3 Good
U
0.5*U0 1.0*U0 1.5*U0
1.0E-3
t SDTD 0.05 0.06 0.1 E-3

6-10 tan delta measurements:

 Calculating the TD mean value (MTD) and presentation of MTD vs. test voltage
 Calculation of standard deviation (SDTD)
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What information do the
tan delta measured values provice?

Indicator Calculation Information

tan δ stability (SDTD) Standard deviation of 6- Partial discharges

10 measurements at U0 Wet joints

delta tan δ (ΔTD) Difference of the MTD at Water trees

1.5 U0 and 0.5 U0 Partial discharges
Vaporization effects

mean tan δ (MTD) Average value of 6-10 Water trees

measurements at U0 Aging effects
(thermal, chemical)
Comparison Compare L1, L2, L3 Same condition =>
same TD graph

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What can be detected with
1. TD measurement – Trend of stability

Std. Deviation (Stability)

 stability as indication for reasons of
degradation
           

Definition of Standard Deviation

The standard deviation is defined as the average amount by which
scores in a distribution differ from the mean, ignoring the sign of the
difference.
What can be detected with
1. TD measurement – Trend of stability

Std. Indication Required Required action Comment

Deviation measurement

< 0,010 - Cable in good condition TD No immediate action, DTD normally low
good condition
- Water trees PD No PD, no intensive PD
- only few PD´s

0,010 to Water trees + PD TD Moderate water tree Moderate water tree aging => no
0,100 aging if no PD; immediate action
Only PD PD
PD concentration to be Replacement of joint if PD concentrated
analyzed

0,100 to water ingress in joints TD Only TD shows this effect Sheath fault location might indicate the
0,500 location of the joint w/ water ingress.
PD may not PD results to be
Water in – leakage current out; joints
show high PD considered as damped
indicating low PD have to be
values due to water. PD value
investigated even the PD value is low
criteria can not be
applied

> 0,500 Very high water ingress in TD Only TD shows this effect Sheath fault location might indicate the
joint location of the joint w/ water ingress.
PD are widely PD does not show any
Water in – leakage current out
eliminated in weak point; immediate
affected joints replacement of joint

values referring to experience sources

 High tan-delta precision required (accuracy 1E-4, resolution 1E-5)

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What can be detected with
1. TD measurement – Trend of stability

Trend as indication for the reason of high

Std. Deviation / Stability
           

TD 0.5Uo 1.0Uo 1.5Uo 0.5Uo 1.0Uo 1.5Uo

TD

Δ0.25
U/Uo U/Uo

TD
0.5Uo 1.0Uo 1.5Uo 0.5Uo 1.0Uo 1.5Uo
TD

U/Uo U/Uo
What can be detected with
1. TD measurement – Trend of stability

skirt

- L2, L3 Indication of tracking in one - L2, L3 stable condition

joint
- L1 water ingress in a joint,
- L1 stable condition
Ref. 8444CM decreasing trend
Ref. 2215CM
What can be detected with
2. TD measurement – Delta TD

DTD (Delta TD)

[2 Uo] – [Uo] …. Defined in IEEE

 PD activity

 Water trees
TD(2xUo)>2,2

Cables actually are still in good condition:

TD(2xUo)<1,2 TD(2xUo)>1,2
[tan d (2 Uo) - tan d (Uo)] < 0,6 ‰

Cables with high operating risk

[tan d (2 Uo) - tan d (Uo)] > 1,0 ‰
TD graph: Cable with high operating risk,
DTD (2Uo – Uo) > 1.0E-3, IEEE 400.2
Reference: IEEE 400.2-2001
What can be detected with
2. TD measurement – Delta TD

Water tree detection

Sensitive indication
most response and
at 0.1Hz
sensitive detection
at 0.1 Hz Sinewave

No indication
at 50 Hz
and higher frequencies

Reference: G.Voigt CIRED 2008, Malaysia

What can be detected with
3. TD measurement – absolute value

Absolute TD value:
Acc. To IEEE 400.2-2001 … up to 2Uo

Acc. to Neetrac, IEEE 400.2-2012,

for service aged cables .. up to 1,5Uo

Cables actually are still in good TD(2xUo)>2,2

condition, do not have to be replaced:
tan d (2 Uo) < 1.2 ‰ TD(2xUo)<1,2 TD(2xUo)>1,2

Cables with high operating risk:

tan d (2 Uo) > 2.2 ‰
TD graph: Cable in good condition, <1.2E-2 @ 2 Uo, IEEE
Reference: EWE, acc. to IEEE 400.2
What can be detected with
4. TD measurement – comparison
TD(2xUo)>2,2

TD(2xUo)<1,2 TD(2xUo)>1,2

Comparison of L1, L2, L3

same condition in all phases  same TD graph TD graph: Cable in good condition, <1.2E-2 @ 2 Uo, IEEE

TD(2xUo)>2,2

TD(2xUo)<1,2 TD(2xUo)>1,2

TD graph: Cable with high operating risk,

DTD (2Uo – Uo) > 1.0E-3, IEEE 400.2
tan delta limits

TD limits in IEEE 400.2-2013 are higher, than the so far applied limits:

XLPE- TD Condition IEEE 400.2 Europe

Parameter assessment (New)
TD Mean No Action <4E-3 <1.2E-3
required
Further 4.0-50.0E-3 1.2 – 2.0E-3
Study
Action >50.0E-3 >2.0E-3
required

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Different limit´s in different regions – how comes this?

1. tan-delta limits in Europe are based on many practical results

and are established in the market  experience is available
2. In the IEEE standard, limits have been defined with less
experience and measurement results. The Pareto principle was
chosen to define limits (80/20 principle)
3. Relative tan-delta values (TD-STD, ΔTD) are getting more
important! TD-STD are the same for North-America and outside
North America

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Pareto principle & cumulative distribution
How IEEE defined their limits

95%
80%

4E-3 50E-3
tan delta limits

How to generate tan-delta limits?

- Recording of measurement values at

different cable types  Gaining experience
1

• Analyzing of the measurement data(e.g.

cumulative distribution)
2

• Classification: Definition of (company-

specific) limits: What is meaningful for the
3 specific utility?

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Application:
Benefit

• As integral measurement method enables a

differentiation between new, weak and
old cable systems

• Recognition of losses in cable insulation

through water trees, thermic overload,
moisture in cable joints and terminations.

• Long-term comparison of the tan delta

measurement value in addition is giving
trend statements
Application:
TD measurement with BAUR frida TD

Measurement without VSE-Box

I_Test + I_Earth

I_Earth

I_Test
 IEarth (leakage current of terminations) affects tan delta measurement
 Especially critical with XLPE, cables (with small tan delta values), open
terminations
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Application:
TD measurement with BAUR frida TD

Measurement with VSE-Box

 Eliminate influence of termination surface current!

 Only BAUR offers an integrated TD measurement
unit with VSE-compensation!!
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Application:
Consideration of termination surface currents: VSE connection

Influence of surface current can

be
remarkable
 In open substations
 high humidity
 guard ring required

Influence in many cases can Influence of surface current can be remarkable!

be widely eliminated

• by proper cleaning of
termination Simple connection
• at enclosed terminations without guard rings
• at indoor substations
 No guard ring required
Summary tan delta

 To detect the aging effects / insulation defects

after commissioning, repairs, regular inspections
 Integral cable measurement
 Delivers helpful measurement values
 Mean tan-delta
 Delta tan-delta
 tan-delta standard deviation
 Indicator for different insulation defects
 Water trees within the isolation material
 Wet joints
 Partial discharges
 Vaporization effects
 Ageing effects (Thermal, chemical)
 BAUR offers the equipment with required precision and
application know-how
 High tan-delta precision
 Integrated tan-delta
 VSE-Box
 Easy application: Automated measurement
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Thank you for your attention!

Questions?

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