Monitoring and Diagnostics of Gas-Insulated Switchgear –

Development Trends and Range of Applications

Uwe Riechert, Andrija ur i , Matthias Kudoke, Michael Stanek
ABB Switzerland Ltd.
Gas Insulated Switch Systems
Brown-Boveri Strasse 5, CH - 8050 Zurich / Switzerland

Abstract
The demand for reliable and economic medium- and high-voltage installations is increasing due to the present
rapidly changing conditions in the power substation and distribution markets. As a result, the diagnostics of gas-
insulated switchgear (GIS) has also generally acquired importance. The available technology for monitoring and
diagnostics of GIS covers a broad avenue. Circuit breaker drives, contacts, gas quality and gas density and
partial discharges could be measured or monitored on-site with different sensitivity and operational reliability.
The paper gives a review of the development trends and the range of applications of monitoring and diagnostics
for GIS particularly with regard to gas density and partial discharge measurements.
The behavior of different types of SF6 gas density sensors used for gas density monitoring in GIS was
investigated. The test setup exposed to different climatic and operating conditions with attached sensors was
used to gather gas density readings that coincide to those in real field conditions. The test results are expected to
help in assessing and fine-tuning of leakage measurement algorithms for gas-density monitoring.
Moreover, the paper will illustrate the possibilities and limitations of partial discharge measurements associated
with the application of UHF (Ultra High Frequency) method and location methods.

1 Introduction The application targets affect the development trends

of monitoring systems. There are different reasons for
More than 25 years of experience shows that modern using a monitoring system:
GIS are highly reliable and require little maintenance A. On-line condition monitoring and diagnostics
(see Fig. 1). The Utilities need the knowledge about the condition
of all electric power devices to reduce the risk of
sudden failures and subsequent penalties for not
delivering electric power and possible endangering of
human lives during equipment failures. Some of the
advantages of on-line condition monitoring systems
are:
• Extension of equipment lifetime,
• Decreasing number of power interruptions,
• Lower penalties,
• Increased public reputation,
• Maintenance cost reduction and
• Lower hazards for maintenance personnel.
B. On-line over-load capacity of power equipment
and load forecast
Fig. 1 420 kV GIS C. Economic asset management and optimum
maintenance scheduling algorithms
Nevertheless continuous monitoring and periodic Manufacturers and users of high voltage switchgear
diagnostics of switchgear is supposed to provide have long been interested in finding the most common
valuable information for maintenance management. causes for failures in their equipment. An ongoing
Maintenance management systems, which already survey “Reliability of HV-Equipment” by CIGRÉ
exist, are expected to address the following subjects: about the failures of GIS in service has shown that
• Condition of each circuit breaker, most failures are related to the circuit breaker drive or
• Condition of circuit breaker support and control other secondary components. About 35 % of all minor
functions and facilities, failures have their mechanical origin in operating
• Optimized maintenance activity, mechanism and about 38 % in small SF6 leakage [1].
• Understanding of condition of a larger population of The application of appropriate diagnostic techniques
circuit breakers under similar circumstances. and continuous monitoring systems may lead to a
decreasing number of major failures (MF) and minor knowledge of the breaker design to understand the
failures (mf). Based on information received from reason behind a change. Operators may be worried if
monitoring systems it will be possible to take some the shape of the travel curve looks different, e.g.
preventive maintenance tasks before a failure occurs. during fault current interruption, and trigger
unnecessary maintenance.
Other sensor quantities have been proposed and tested
2 Circuit Breaker Drive but have not gained universal acceptance so far. Many
users ask for no more than a reliable three-stage
Reliable breaker operation is critical to the power (“traffic light”) condition assessment of good (green) /
system. Due to its complexity, the greatest potential maintenance recommended (yellow) / urgent problem
for mechanical damage is in the drive. Only a small (red). For the mechanical system, this can be provided
portion of all failures (below 20%) were found during based on the signals listed above. Furthermore, all
regular maintenance [2, 3]. To make matters worse, these signals are already available in the breaker
almost 3% of the failures were attributed to incorrect control and do not require extra sensors to be applied
maintenance, i.e. most likely they would not have to the drive.
occurred in the first place, had the circuit breaker been
left alone!
These facts, combined with the figures above, pose a 3 Contact Erosion in HVCB
strong argument for online condition monitoring of
breaker drives. Arcing in circuit breakers is vital for its functionality
On the other hand, a principal difficulty with but it also leads to material erosion of the contacts and
condition monitoring of a high voltage circuit breaker the nozzle. During development of HVCB and during
(HVCB) is that most of the time there is not much to the type tests phase, many switching experiments are
monitor! A breaker may be sitting in closed or open carried out in power laboratories. All relevant
position for months, sometimes years, before called electrical and mechanical parameters are measured
upon to operate. The quantities that can be measured and stored from these tests.
during that idle time, such as SF6 gas density or To get data for erosion during short circuit tests more
temperature, give no information on the condition of than 300 short circuit interruption tests have been
the moving parts. This lack of data between processed. These tests have been performed in 18
operations precludes absolute certainty of the different test series for different purposes and with
breaker’s condition. material from different suppliers. After each test
More critical, however, are switching operations. series, the mass loss of pin, tulip, nozzle and auxiliary
When a breaker is triggered, high forces and nozzle have been measured. The mass loss was taken
accelerations are applied to the moving parts in order as an integral measure for erosion and compared to
to change the primary contacts from conducting to electrical current loads. The process of data evaluation
isolating state or vice versa within a few ten is shown in Fig. 2 [5].
milliseconds. The pump motor will also run for Evaluation to derive erosion factors
several seconds. During an operation, many ∆mnoz = 0.116 ⋅ 2 i 2 dt + 6.46
Adapt data Calculate arc Comparison ∆mnoz = anoz ⋅ Σ i dt + bnoz
interesting quantities can be measured and allow to (voltage zero, energy, current with mass loss
∆mnoz,del = 0.152⋅ 2i2dt + 4.02
∆manoz = aanoz ⋅ Σ i dt2 + banoz
∆manoz = 0.042 ⋅ i dt + 7.36
draw conclusions on the integrity of the components. skaling,...) loads data
∆m = a pin ⋅ Σ i 2 dt2
∆m pinpin= 0.051 ⋅ i dt
When the breaker is operated regularly this allows
t ( i=0)
di ∆m ∆mtul = atul ⋅ Σ i 2 dt2
U arc = U m − Lm − Rm ⋅ i Earc = U arc ⋅ i(t ) ⋅ dt ∆mtul = 0.067 ⋅ i dt
dt ix dt
t =t c

trend analysis of motion-related parameters and may

give an indication of developing problems. Therefore,
breaker condition monitoring is most relevant with Fig. 2 Calculation procedure for erosion factors
frequently operated breakers, e.g. on capacitor banks from prepared test data
or shunt reactors.
Literature (e.g. [2, 4]) and experience suggest The electrical values available from most erosion tests
monitoring the following quantities in the operating are current through the breaker and measured voltage
mechanism of a HVCB: across the breaker. The measured voltage was taken to
1. Timing and velocity of primary contacts during calculate the arc voltage by subtracting voltage drops
operations, from auxiliary contacts; on the circuit impedances. The arc voltage also shows
2. Continuity of trip and close circuits, or trigger coil the exact time of contact separation. This information
operating current; have been used to calculate the following “current
3. Current of pump motor; load” values as a measure for erosion: i dt, i2 dt,
4. Number/frequency of starts and charging time of i1.5 dt (all integrals calculated over arcing time), Earc,
the pump motor (for pneumatic or hydraulic drives). ipeak,LHW , ipeak2,LHW.
In some applications the travel curve of the primary The mass loss was then compared to the resulting
contacts or of the drive is monitored as well. current loads for each test series to see, if some simple
However, interpretation of the curve requires detailed dependencies can be derived. It turned out, that the
mass loss for all components shows a good linear Lately, gas-density monitoring systems using analog
dependence of i2 dt. An example for a trend line of gas-density transducers are gaining ground. These
tulip and pin is shown in Fig. 3. All other systems are not only providing the user with
dependencies don’t show a clear trend. continuous measurements of gas-densities in all GIS
70 gas compartments but also with leakage rates and
% ∆mpin estimated time until the warning and alarm levels are
60 % ∆ mtulip to be reached with the current leak rate.
∆mpin
Due to environmental phenomena like sun radiation
50
wind impact and constant change in GIS load, thermal
40 conditions within gas compartments are changing
causing thermodynamic currents of SF6 gas and thus
30 changes in measured gas-densities. Efficiency,
∆mtulip accuracy and determination of leak measurement and
20
warning and alarming time estimation is directly
10 dependant on environmental conditions but also on
i2 dt [(MA)2 s] quality and accuracy of gas-density transmitters used.
0 The test setup shown in Fig. 4 had the purpose to
250 350 450 550 650 750 quantify the changes in gas-density readings during
Fig. 3 Trend line for ablation of tulip and pin different environmental and load conditions of GIS
under test.
A comparison of all data for different suppliers of the
material shows, that the data points for each supplier
are spread on both sides of the trend lines. It can
therefore be concluded, that there have been no
significant differences in the material suppliers.
The last step for an application of this erosion
algorithm is, to specify the permissible maximum
mass loss of each component. That has to be declared
by the manufacturer based on the experiences in
ablation in dependency of switching limit. However,
these limits will depend on the required performance
for the “last” breaking event. Therefore, this question
is to be answered by standards and – if necessary – Fig. 4 Test setup
the acceptable mass has to be found by another The gas-density transducers used are of two types.
specific test series. The first type consists of one pressure and one
temperature sensor and it internally calculates the gas-
density. The other type contains direct gas-density
4 SF6 Gas Density sensing element in form of an oscillating quartz fork.
Five sensors were placed on a horizontally mounted
SF6 is 23.600 times more potent greenhouse gas then GIS component on different angular positions 0°, 45°,
CO2 and although its gross share in green house effect 90°, 180° and 270° on a cross-section. Channel 1 to
is insignificant, its great stability makes it practically Channel 4 sensors were of quartz oscillator type while
indestructible in the atmosphere. This means that the Channel 5 sensor was temperature compensated
released quantities of SF6 are accumulating and can, pressure sensor. In order to be able to simulate
in perspective, cause more problems. In this sense it is different environmental conditions the test setup was
recommended to all countries and electric utilities to placed within a thermal tent inside of which the
form emission reduction partnerships with the aim of temperature can be relatively good regulated.
reducing the release of SF6 into atmosphere. On top of For purpose of simulating different load conditions,
all it’s extraordinary isolation properties as well as GIS gas compartment under test was inserted into GIS
current interruption properties makes SF6 practically current loop (see Fig. 4) with the possibility of having
irreplaceable by any other, less dangerous, gasses as up to 4 kA of continuous AC run through the inner
shown in CIGRÉ investigation [6]. conductor.
Nowadays, usual gas-density monitors have two or Additionally, readings from four temperature sensors
more electrical contacts signalizing events when the were taken. Measurements correspond to enclosure
measured gas density falls below given thresholds. temperatures on places where first four sensors were
However, this method does not give information mounted (channel 1 to channel 4).
about the possible SF6 leaks before the actual density It can be noted that ticks shown in Fig. 5 are
drops below threshold. corresponding to days and are caused by normal
day/night temperature variations. The gas density
waveforms are somewhat shifted to one another due caused by normal day/night temperature variations or
to different sensors absolute accuracies. Measured by external heating. Here, it is also interesting to note
temperatures from temperature sensors, on the other that the bottom sensor (Channel 4) reports the biggest
hand, fit nicely to one another (Fig. 6). density increase comparing to all other sensors of the
26 same type (Day 21 and 22), quite in contrast to
variations (the smallest comparing to other sensors)
during Day1 to Day 11 (Fig. 5).
Some conclusions about the two sensing principles
can also be made. First conclusion is that the quartz
25.5
oscillator sensor type (Channel 3) shows less
Channel 1
day/night but also load/no load variations comparing
Density kg/m 3

to pressure/temperature sensor type mounted on

equivalent position (Channel 5). Quartz oscillator
25 Channel 4 Channel 3 sensor type shows less average density changes
corresponding to daily average temperature changes
than its pressure/temperature opponent. These
Channel 2
changes, although not easily seen from figures above,
24.5 can be calculated by extracting daily averages for both
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Sample Nr . measured densities and temperatures.
Fig. 5 Gas density readings – Channel 1-4 25.6 50

(sampling interval 30 min)

density
60
25.4 40
55

Temperat ure °C
Density kg/m3

50

45
25.2 30
Temperature °C

40
temperature
35

30
25 20
940 950 960 970 980 990 1000
25
samples 947.. 993
20
Fig. 7 Data segment Channel 1, 3 kA load for
15
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
7 hours
Sample
Variations in measured gas-densities have direct
Fig. 6 Temperature readings Channel 1-4 impact on accuracy and determination of SF6 leakage
(sampling interval 30 min) measurement. The test results are expected to help in
assessing and fine-tuning of newly developed and
When only the outside temperature changes the gas-
existing leakage measurement algorithms for gas-
density measured at the walls of gas vessel changes in
density monitoring.
opposite direction. This was expected. If, for example,
environment temperature rises during the sunny day,
gas molecules move to colder regions of the gas
vessel (to the inner conductor) and the sensor reads 5 PD Measurement
lower gas-density. It is interesting to note that the
bottom mounted sensor (Channel 4) reports the Insulation imperfections in GIS can cause dielectric
smallest changes comparing to all other sensors of the breakdown during operation. Most insulation
same type. Quite opposite situation happens when the imperfections produce detectable partial discharges
inner conductor of GIS conducts the current. The gas (PD) activity long before they are causing insulation
temperature in the vicinity of conductor raises and the faults. Various methods as the electric, acoustic PD
SF6 molecules migrate to colder regions and sensor measurement or chemical methods for detection of
reads higher densities (Fig. 7). PD activities in GIS are available. They differ in
It can be also very clearly noted that the variations in sensitivity for certain types of defects and
gas density readings are much more sensitive to GIS applicability to different design and production stages.
load changes then to external temperature changes. Beside others, PD measurements are a major tool for
This is due to the fact that in our test case gas vessel testing the dielectric integrity of a GIS during various
temperature variations caused by maximum GIS load design and production stages [8].
of 3 kA or 4 kA were much larger than variations
Commissioning tests are performed to confirm that no measures: for example, whether and when the
defects have been introduced in transport and installation must be disconnected from the grid.
erection, i.e. between the time factory testing is Moreover, there are no or statistically only a few
carried out and installation at the customer site, which reliable statements that are possible to make with
could lead to a failure in service. Vibrations, shocks respect to predicting the remaining lifetime of
and pollution may impact the insulation system during individual components or even that of the complete
transport and erection. The normal high voltage installation.
commissioning tests may be augmented with PD tests In general, further investigations of the quantitative
at customer request. For on-site PD testing, the description of flashover risks from various faults in a
electrical method (UHF) is especially recommended GIS are required. In addition, these include further
according to IEC 62271-203. statistical analyses of fault rates, as well as work in
In recent years, UHF sensors and the applied UHF the area of remaining lifetime of components or even
measurement method have reached sufficient larger units, since a future decision on the beneficial,
sensitivity and a good signal-to-noise ratio, provide i.e. economical, introduction of PD measurement will
the possibility to locate the defect and have only be possible on the basis of reliable data. In this
demonstrated their suitability in practice. respect, the CIGRÉ Task Force D1.03.09 "Risk
The electromagnetic signals, which are emitted from a Assessment for Defects in GIS by PD Diagnostics"
PD source, propagate within the GIS as line would like to make a concrete contribution.
conducted waves (TEM Mode) and depending on the The real risk i.e. the probability of a breakdown is
diameter of the GIS housings also as free moving strongly dependent on the location and the type of
higher wave modes (TE or TM modes). Using defect. The most practical methods to locate the
suitable field sensors, as shown in Fig. 8, these defect are based on sectionalizing, electrical time-of-
signals can be fed out of the GIS. By means of the flight measurements, acoustic measurements and a
appropriate design, the sensor has almost the same combination of electrical and acoustic methods.
sensitivity or divider ratio over a wide frequency A newly developed method allows a cost-effective
range. A sensitive sensor also forms the basis of a localization of PD by using interference phenomena
practicable PD measurement. in the frequency domain.
The interference phenomena of two sensor signals
give information about the time delay between the
signals. The location by the interference method is
based on the time shift property of a Fourier-
Transformation of the measured signals and is
described in detail in [7]. Because of dispersion
effects of higher modes in GIS it is only possible to
use the TEM-mode. Moreover, the correct
interpretation of these signals is in some cases a
complex procedure.

6 Integration
Fig. 9 shows a general block diagram of a monitoring
and diagnostic system. Not every system necessarily
includes all components. Furthermore, each block
may be physically placed in a different location or
Fig. 8 Different types of PD couplers for GIS may even be distributed over several units. For
example, some data processing may be performed by
the data acquisition unit while more sophisticated
Presently more and more utilities are interested in the analysis is done in a PC that also holds the
status quo of their GIS installations. Therefore PD Human/Machine Interface (HMI).
measurements in service are requested more widely. In high voltage switchgear, the most common
Due to the fact that earlier GIS installations do not configuration is this: Sensors on the switchgear, a
have build-in UHF sensors, a monitoring in that case separate stand-alone data acquisition unit in the local
requires a modification of the GIS. As an alternative, control cabinet (or similar location near the
a periodical inspection by using the acoustic PD switchgear), and a central data processing and storage
measurement can be done. At the moment there is computer in the substation control room. On the latter,
however no system which, apart from an automatic a local user interface is implemented; the monitored
interpretation and location of the PD source, can also data can also be accessed remotely via LAN or other
make a decision regarding the necessary corrective digital communication channels.
 Sensors
Data
Acquisition
Data
Processing /
User Interface
(HMI)
8 Literatur
Analysis

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