Testing of high-voltage

equipment

Ir. S. Kuivenhoven
KEMA TDT - PDI

Experience you can trust.

Contents

• Introduction to high-power testing

• High-power testing vs pulsed power
• Power sources
• Testing examples
– Reactor testing
– Internal arc
– Synthetic break
– Synthetic make

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Why high-power testing….?

… because this is what we want to avoid

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What is high-power testing?
• Expose test objects to real life fault conditions and
prove that (for example):

• Circuit breakers are able to interrupt or switch on a

short-circuit current
• Very high currents (up to 80 kArms in a HV grid,
up to 200 kArms for generator CBs)
• High overvoltages after interruption (TRV)

• Transformers, line traps, surge arresters, … are able

to withstand a short-circuit current

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Characteristics of High power testing

• Testing according to international standards like IEC

and ANSI or by client instructions
• Test duration: usually 100 ms … 3 s
• Simulate real life conditions: generation of high
current & high voltage
• Cosine phi at testing mostly ~ 0 only apparent
power needed for testing
• Test station must be able to supply huge amounts of
(apparent) power; for example: testing of a 145 kV,
50 kA, Circuit Breaker requires 7250 MVA

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High-power testing vs. pulsed power
Power vs. Time

1E+15

1E+12 Sandia Petawatt Program

Power (W)

1E+09
Sandia Z-Beamlet Laser
500 MW Power Plant
1E+06
KEMA HPL
1E+03

1E+00
100E-15 100E-12 100E-9 100E-6 100E-3 100E+0

Time (s)

High-power testing is not really pulsed …

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High-power testing vs. pulsed power
Energy vs. Time

1E+12

1E+09 Sandia Petawatt Program

Energy (J)

Sandia Z-Beamlet Laser

1E+06 500 MW Power Plant
KEMA HPL
1E+03

1E+00
100E-15 100E-12 100E-09 100E-06 100E-03 100E+00

Time (s)

… but high energy!

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Power sources (test methods)

• Direct Testing (one source)

- On the grid
- Generator fed
- Capacitor bank fed

• Synthetic testing (multiple sources)

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 Direct Testing
Laboratory supplied by the power grid

• pros
– simple
– cheap
– representative
– high-power available
– low maintenance

• cons
– poor flexibility
– difficult to adjust
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EDF
 Direct Testing
Generator supplied laboratory

• pros
– adjustable
– flexible
– no influence on
local grid

• cons
– huge investment
– lots of
maintenance KEMA High-Power Laboratory
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Generator supplied laboratory (KEMA)
• Using the kinetic energy of rotating machines

• Slowly speeding up a large short-circuit generator

(synchronous machine) by a grid powered motor;
power drawn from grid is relative low and constant.
• When the generator runs at desired speed, the grid
is disconnected and generator keeps on spinning.
• Excitation is switched on
• Machines are synchronised (if using more than one)
• Making switch is closed short-circuit current flows
• Master breaker interrupts current immediately if test
object fails
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KEMA’s High-Power laboratory in NL

• KEMA Arnhem since

1937
• World market leader
• 8400 MVA installed
power (largest in
world)
• Testing of circuit
breakers up to 800 kV
- 100 kA
• 50 employees
• 300 test shifts/year

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KEMA’s power sources

• Four 2100 MVA short-circuit generators

– Energy per generator @ 50 Hz: 300 MJ
– Maximum 100 kArms, 260 kApk per generator
• Total power @ 50 Hz (all generators in parallel):
– 5000 MVA single phase / 8400 MVA three phase
– If 10% speed reduction allowed: 900 MW

• Double 720 kV 5.3 PF synthetic stage (each 1.4 MJ)

– Needed if breaker power exceeds laboratory’s
direct power

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Examples of HP testing

• Reactor
• Internal Arc
• (Synthetic) Break
• (Synthetic) Make

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Testing of a reactor (coil)

• Testobject: 2 mH reactor, 50 kA, 50 Hz

• Optimum power transfer if Zsupply = Zload

• Total apparent power: 3142 MVA

• If test object fails total impedance halves fault

current doubles (while supply voltage unchanged)

• Apparent power at fault: 6284 MVA !

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Example of a reactor test

KEMA High-Power Laboratory

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Internal arc test

• Simulate a short-circuit in a switchgear enclosure.

• Example: 20 kA, 3 sec

– Power: 100 MW
– Energy: 300 MJ (!)

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Example 1 of an Internal Arc test

KEMA High-Power Laboratory

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Example 2 of an Internal Arc test

Prof. Damstra Laboratory

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 Circuit breaker testing: break
• Short-circuit current interrupting (breaking) capability
of a Circuit Breaker
• Grid modelled by lumped elements (R, L & C)
Lv
Test Object

• Before breaking: G Ig
– Contacts closed Ug
R

– High current C
TO ITO

Oscillation: TRV
Lv

G
R
• After breaking:
Ug – Contacts open
TO UTRV
C – High Voltage (TRV)
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 Transient Recovery Voltage
50
UTO [kV]
Contact ITO [kA]
40
Seperation Ugen [kV]

30

20

10

-10

-20

-30
“Current Zero”:
-40
moment of
interruption
-50
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time [ms]

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“Problem”: increase of capacity per break

KEMA direct
power

electra 2003

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 example: short-circuit test of a CB (three-phase)
420 kV - 63 kA - 50 Hz
necessary power: 45830 MVA

this exceeds any laboratory's direct power

(KEMA: 8400 MVA)
other methods must be sought:

- single phase test: necessary power 45830/3 = 15277 MVA

this still does not match the power-voltage characteristics of
the most powerful labs.

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 Solution
before interruption a sufficiently large power must be available to
maintain the full (arc) current at moderate voltage (< 60 kV)
- from generators

contact separation after interruption there is only

the need for a sufficiently high
voltage
- from precharged capacitor

arcing time

short-circuit current transient recovery voltage synthetic testing

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 Synthetic testing
Triggered spark gap

Generator circuit Synthetic circuit

Lv AB Ls G

G Ig Ii
R
UTRV +
Ug Uh0 Ch
-
TO
C
TO

Ii
Ig

Ug Ui

UTRV

Current circuit Voltage circuit

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 Synthetic testing
• Synthetic circuit (parallel current injection)

Lv aux Ls G

G Ig Ii
R
+
Ug UTRV Ch
-
TO C

Ig+Ii

Ui
UTRV

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Close-up around current zero
40
IAB [kA]
Gap Synthetic Isynth [kA]
35 installation ITO [kA]

fires
30
Current
through test
25
object
20
Equal dI/dt
Generator
15 current

10

Injected
5 current

-5
28.5 29 29.5 30 30.5 31
Time [ms]
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Complete synthetic break
300

200

100

-100

-200

UTO [kV]
-300 Isynth [kA]
ITO [kA]

-400
15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time [ms]

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Synthetic test facilities at KEMA

+
-

KEMA High-Power Laboratory

2 x cap. bank
720 kV - 1.4 MJ

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Make test
• Goal: show that a switch is capable of making
(switching on) a short-circuit current (faulted circuit).
Lv

• Before making: G

– Contacts open Ug
TO UTO
– High voltage between contacts
Lv

• After making: G Ig

Ug
– Contacts closed TO

– High current
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Make test
Fixed contact Moving contact

Contacts
closing

Pre-strike:
full current

Contacts
closed

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Synthetic make

• Synthetic make needed if breaker power exceeds

laboratory’s direct power
– Voltage circuit to initiate pre-strike
– Current circuit to supply short-circuit current

• At the moment of pre-strike, the current circuit must

be switched on immediately (the voltage circuit can’t
deliver the short-circuit current)
– Requires a high speed high current making device

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Synthetic make circuit
1. TO closes and 2. If contact distance
High Speed synthetic gap fires between contact
Make Device HV AC becomes too small:
between contacts dielectric beakdown
pre-strike
Lv Ls G
R
MD
G Ig Ii 3. MD detects
+
Ug Ch pre-strike and
Lp -
switches on short-
TO
circuit current

Current circuit Voltage circuit, L and C

tuned to generator
frequency

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 250
UTO [kV]
ITO [kA]
200
Ugen [kV]

150
CB pre-strikes
100

50

-50

-100
Firing of Start of short-
-150
voltage circuit circuit current

-200
Oscillating
Voltage circuit
-250
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time [ms]

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Make Device

• Trigatron principle, air

gap
Trigger
contact

Main
contacts

• Max 63 kA in 70 Ps
• 80 kA in development
KEMA High-Power Laboratory
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The end

Thank you for your attention!

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