Case Studies on Power Cables

Case study - 1

Quality Management of Distribution Cables

Professor Charles Q. Su
( PhD, Fellow IET, SM IEEE, CIGRE A2 )

The Petroleum Institute

Prof. Charles Q. Su

About the workshop instructor

- Prof. Charles Q. Su
Industrial experience 1970-1973 Operations engineer 1974-1978 HV testing engineer 2002-2006 Chief Technologist, Singapore Power (SPPG) Ltd Research & teaching experiences 1985 Research Associate, University of Western Australia 1990-1991 Lecturer at University of NSW, Australia 1992-2001 Senior Lecturer & Associate Professor, Monash University 2007-now Professor, Chair of Research Committee (EE) Petroleum Institute, UAE Membership of professional organisations Fellow of IET, Senior Member IEEE (91), member of CIGRE SC A2 (Transformer)

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Ron E James & Q. Su Condition Assessment of HV Insulation in Power System Equipment - IET Power and Energy Series No.53, April 2008

The Petroleum Institute

Prof. Charles Q. Su

Some important issues in distribution cable management

Causes of distribution cable failure:
1. Damages (road digging, land movement etc) 2. Manufacture defects (material of quality control problems) 3. Poor workmanship (cable joints and terminals)

4. Insulation ageing (water seepage, water treeing etc)

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Condition assessment of distribution cables

Criterion of condition assessment:
1. The total failure rate. 2. Frequency of a type of failure warrantees root cause analysis. 3. The consequences of failures.

4. Costs of repair or replacement.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Cable insulation ageing in the life span

Bathtub curve - Determined from the failure rate change (a number of
the same insulation samples)

Ran dom or slowly increa sing fa ilure ra te Failure rate

Ts 0

Tw Ope rating life

Bur n-in period

Use ful life period

We arout period

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Background
There are over 3,700 km of 6.6kV cables in a utility. The average failure rate from 2000 - 2004 was 30 cables per year. Serious consequences: 1. In-service failures of 6.6kV cables cause local blackout. 2. Due to the time of failure (e.g. at mid-night) and the possible bad weather conditions at failure (e.g. thunder storm), restoration of power supply is difficult and could take many hours. There was an urgent need to reduce the in-service failures.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

AGE PROFILE OF DISTRIBUTION CABLES (2004)

21 25 yrs 22kV Cable Length : 4,948.379 km 16 20 yrs 11 15 yrs 6 10 yrs < = 5 yrs

6% (288.551 km) 13% (668.678 km) 25% (1,218.271 km) 34% (1,694.035 km) 22% (1,078.844 km)

19% beyond the age of 15

> 30 yrs 0.07% (2.682 km) 26 30 yrs 6.6kV Cable Length : 3,768.647 km 21 25 yrs 16 20 yrs 11 15 yrs 6 10 yrs < = 5 yrs 15% (583.758 km) 0.35% (13.109 km) 9% (323.093 km) 14% (541.152 km) 25% (954.976 km) 36% (1,349.877 km)

27% beyond the age of 15

20

40

60

80

100 (%)

How to reduce the in-service failures of 6.6kV cables?

A. Cable replacements according to their designed life time? B. HV tests on all cables to flash out incipient faults? (using DC, AC or VLF) C. Replace the type of cable joints of high failure rate?
Which one would you prefer if you are the asset manager?

The Petroleum Institute

Prof. Charles Q. Su

Categories of 6.6kV Cable Failures

( 2000-2005 )
80 70 60 50

Year

40 30 20 10 0 Cable (XLPE) Cable (PILC)

39 25% 45 28%

76 47%

Joint

* Total 160 failures

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Age Profile of Failed 6.6kV XLPE Cables

( 2000-2005 )

35.0 30.0 25.0

Average age is around 20

Year

20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35

Implication: XLPE cable insulation is generally reliable within 15 years.
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Age Profile of Failed 6.6kV Cable Joints

( 2000-2005 )

Average 28 years

Implication: Cable joint can fail at any time due to mainly poor workmanship, as well as bad quality of materials and insulation ageing
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EXISTING MAINTENANCE TESTS for 6.6kV cables Megger measurement

- Resistance - Comparison between phases

Polarization index (R10/R1)

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Effectiveness of Megger Test Detect the leakage caused by terminal contamination (surface crapping resistance) Water seepage to the joint Insulation deterioration (ageing), especially paper/oil cables

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Megger Test Alone Is Not Conclusive

For example:
Water tree contamination (before electric tree is established)
Bubbles and unbridged cracks in XLPE or epoxy insulation

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Failures of cables with high megger readings Case (1)

For example, cable A:

Megger readings 1G/1G/1G on 16 Nov 2005 The circuit failed on 17 Nov 2005 at 6:14am

Also, in this utility a number of 6.6kV cables of high megger reading failed in the past.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Case (2)

A 66kV XLPE cable under a bus stop failed; It was found that the failure was due to an early damage caused by sinking an earthing rod; Lost about 1/3 of the XLPE insulation

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

A close look

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

A surprise

It was found that the bus stop was built five years before the failure. So, after the bad damage, the poor cable survived five more years before its insulation broke down;

More surprisingly .
Its insulation resistance was measured three times during the five years, always giving high megger readings!

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Why megger tests could not detect the incipient fault (damage)?

XLPE insulation has a very large volume resistivity of 1016 .cm. The damage did not bridge the insulation. Water trees do not affect insulation resistance before electric treeing is established across the electrodes.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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How to use megger tests effectively?

Comparison of megger readings between phases; Trend analysis; Stability of insulation resistance reading under dc high voltage. Add polarisation index measurement in the analysis (PI = R10min / R1min)

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

ACTION PLAN VLF tests on selected cables Selection criteria

Cables with seram joints (more frequent failures) First leg feeders (important) Megger readings VLF test is carried out if :
1. M < 50 M or 2. 50 M < M < 200 M and K > 1.5 or 3. 200 M < M < 1000 M and K > 5 Where M is the minimum megger reading for the three phases and K the ration between the maximum and minimum phases.

Prof. Charles Q. Su

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VLF tests voltage and time duration

For cables less than 10 years old, 2Uo for 15 minutes For cables older than 10 years, 1.7 Uo for 20 minutes

These test voltages and time are in line with the new IEEE Standard on VLF tests IEEE Std 400.2TM 2004. The IEEE/EPRI/CEA and other world engineering bodies recommended test level for MV extruded cables is two to three times line to ground voltage for 15-60 minutes.

Prof. Charles Q. Su

Initial VLF Test Flowchart

Note: M is the minimum megger reading of the three phases

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Incipient Faults Averted by VLF Tests

(May 2003 Dec 2005)

50

Number of failures

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2003 2004 2005

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

VLF Tests on 6.6kV Cables

(May 2003 to Dec 2005)

Total Circuits Tested

Failed During VLF Tests (incipient faults averted)

540

97

100%

18%

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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Statistics of 6.6kV Cable Failures between 2000-2005

( Total 160 cable and joint failures )
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Number of failures

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1999 2000 2001 2002 Year

Before 2004, the cable failure rate was around 30 per year.
In 2005, it dropped to 12, about 1/3 yoy

2003

2004

2005

2006

Why Cable Still Fails after Passing VLF Test? Total Circuits Tested Failed During VLF Tests Failed in Service after VLF Tests

540

97

20

100%

18%

3.7%

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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Profile of the 20 Cables Failed After VLF Tests

18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 XLPE
2 1 17

PILC

Joint

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Age Profile of XLPE Cables Failed After VLF Test

(Average 19.5 Years)

25 20

Year

15 10 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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Why Cable Fails After VLF Test? ...

The possible causes:

More than one defects.

Bad water tree contamination.

VLF test time is too short.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Electrical Tree Grow During VLF Tests

(In case of two large water trees)
1. Star VLF test at 1.7Uo which may initiate electrical treeing on some large water trees. No electrical treeing is triggered on small water trees. 2. The electrical trees start to grow until the largest one bridges across the insulation and causes flashover.

Cable sheath

Electrical trees are initiated at large water trees

XLPE insulation

Conductor

No electrical tree is initiated on small water trees and defects

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Initial and Modified VLF Test Criteria

Note: M is the minimum megger reading of the three phases

Electrical Tree Growth under Different Voltages

(IEEE Standard)

Voltage
50Hz 0.1Hz Cos-rectangular 0.1Hz Sine

Tree Growing Speed

( mm/hour )

1.7 7.8 12.3

Implication: The VLF test time should be sufficiently long.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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6.6kV Cable Failures in 2005

40.0 35.0 30.0 25.0

Year

20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0

5 PILC

4 XLPE

3 Joints

Ave Age = 30

Ave Age = 22

Ave Age = 6

HV Oscillating Wave Tests

Energise cable by DC voltage source. After the voltage reaches a certain level, discharge through an inductor to ground. A damped oscillating voltage is established which may last for a few mini-seconds. Detect partial discharges and dielectric dissipation factor during OW tests. Locate PDs using PD mapping techniques.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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PD mapping under OW tests.

Some defects, especially those in cable joints, could be detected by PD mapping Detector sensitivity is not better than 100pC at site in noisy environment Not suitable for the detection of defects in XLPE insulation (very low PD level, normally <50pC) Cannot detect water tree if no electrical tree is triggered

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

PD MAPPING TEST RESULTS

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PD MAPPING TEST RESULTS

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

PD MAPPING TEST RESULTS

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TEST VOLTAGES FOR 6.6KV AND 22KV XLPE CABLES Selection consideration: Recommended by standards From utilities experiences

Prof. Charles Q. Su

Test Standards for 6.6kV and 22kV XLPE Cables

IEC Standard 60502-2: 2005 Power cables with extruded insulation and their accessories for rated voltages from 6 kV up to 30 kV European Standard CELENEC HD 620 S1 and HD 621 S1 IEEE Standard 400.2-2004 IEEE guide for field testing and evaluation of the insulation of shielded power cable systems using VLF EPRI report RP 3392-01/CEA 200-D-780A (1996) Trial guide for high voltage 0.1Hz tests on power cable systems in the field

Prof. Charles Q. Su

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IEC RECOMMENDED ELECTRICAL TESTS

( For new 22kV cables after installation )

AC 50/60Hz 1.7 Uo for 5 minutes or 24 hours under system voltage *

AC 50/60Hz test voltage and time are determined by agreement between the purchaser and the contractor

Other test methods (VLF, OW etc) are under consideration

*
IEC Standard 60502-2: 2005 Prof. Charles Q. Su Power cables with extruded insulation and their accessories for rated voltages from 6 kV up to 30 kV

EUROPEAN STANDARD
(for PE and XLPE cables from 6kV to 36kV)

Frequency 0.1 Hz 50 Hz

Test voltage
(rms)

Test time 60 minutes 60 minutes

3 x Uo 2 x Uo

European Standard for cable after laying test CENELEC HD 620 S1 AND 621 S1 15 European countries signed the harmonization document 620 S1 and 621 S1 in 1996

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VLF test voltage and duration adopted by some utilities in North America
Age of cable Test voltage (RMS) 6.6kV Newly installed 1~10 years old 10~30 years old 12kV (3.1Uo) 9.5kV(2.5Uo) 6.5kV(1.7Uo) 22kV 38kV (3.0Uo) 32kV (2.5Uo) 22kV (1.7Uo)

Note:

1. Test duration is always 15 minutes. 2. The data is from HV Inc, America.

IEEE Standard 400.2-2004

IEEE guide for field testing and evaluation of the insulation of shielded power cable systems using VLF

System Voltage rms in kV

Acceptance Test rms or (peak)

Maintenance Test rms or (peak)

5
8 15 25 35

10 (14) - 3.5Uo
13 (18) 2.8Uo 20 (28) 2.3Uo 31 (44) 2.15Uo 44 (62) 2.2Uo

7 (10) 2.4Uo
10 (14) 2.2Uo 16 (22) 1.85Uo 23 (33) 1.6Uo 33 (47) 1.6Uo

Test duration : 60 minutes

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RECOMMENDATIONS
(for 6.6kV and 22kV cable after laying tests) Insulation resistance test at 5kV - Purpose: detect poor workmanship and joint/terminal insulation leakage VLF tests at 2Uo RMS for 60 minutes - Purpose: flush-out insulation defects. If failed during VLF test, after repair the cable should be VLF tested again regardless of the insulation resistance. If necessary*, oscillating wave and PD mapping tests could be carried out at the following peak voltages: 1 Uo, 1.5 Uo and 2 Uo. - Purpose: detect and locate defective joints and insulation weakness
* Criteria of PD level to be determined

Prof. Charles Q. Su

VLF and OW PD mapping tests flow chart

Prof. Charles Q. Su

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NEW DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

( maintenance tests )

DC component in AC leakage current - water tree detection Propagation characteristic spectroscopy - LV pulse attenuation versus frequency - For insulation ageing detection - Can apply to in-service cables AC superposition test (101Hz) - Detect the 1 Hz component - Detect water tree

Prof. Charles Q. Su

SUGGESTIONS
Apply VLF tests to old PILC cables (age>20) For XLPE cables
if 200M<M<1000M and the ratio between the highest and lowest phases is <5, dont do VLF test. If M>1000M, dont do VLF test. If age > 15, dont do VLF test.

PD mapping may be used on important cable circuits to detect joint defects

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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CONCLUSIONS
VLF Test has been successful in reducing 6.6kV cable failures and should be used according to the total insulation condition of the cable and joint assets. Review the test procedure and failures every two years. Some defects, especially those in cable joints, could be detected by PD mapping, during either VLF or OW tests.
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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Training Course for Continuous Education

Case study - 2

Failure Analysis of a 230kV/200MVA Transformer-Cable Termination

Professor Charles Q. Su
( PhD, Fellow IET, SM IEEE, CIGRE A2 )

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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Background
A new installation of transformer and cable termination The failure of yellow phase terminal occurred only 10 days after commissioning The failure caused an explosion and fire The transformer/cable terminal box was destroyed The transformer was significantly damaged About a quarter of the city was blackout

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Training Course for Continuous Education

Case study - 3

Three 230kV Cables Failed After Only 3 Years Operation - Caused by a Design Problem
Professor Charles Q. Su
( PhD, Fellow IET, SM IEEE, CIGRE A2 )

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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Background
230kV 2000 mm2 XLPE cable, circuit length 7.2 km Installed in the middle of 2000 by a consortium of three manufacturers

Loading was around 40% of rating

F1 failed on 12 September 2003
Only three years new Serious impacts to customers due to voltage dips Investigators of OEM insisted that the cable was damaged

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Background

cont

On 6 June 2004, another cable F3 failed Again, serious impacts to customers

In June 2004, off-line PD measurement was carried

out on feed 2 (F2)
Large partial discharges (>100pC) were detected and located A 10m long cable was cut and sectionised Burnt damages to water swellable tape and semicon screen were found.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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Questions

Are the failures due to mechanical damage? Are they isolated failures? If not due to cable damages, what are the possible root causes? How to prevent the recurrence of the type of failures

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

Training Course for Continuous Education

Case study - 4

230kV Cable Joint Failures Due to Poor Workmanship

Professor Charles Q. Su
( PhD, Fellow IET, SM IEEE, CIGRE A2 )

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

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Background
Failures of two 230kV XLPE cable joints during HV ac commissioning tests. The cable and joints were made by different manufacturers. The cable joints were rubber pre-moulded joints. Cable Joint A: circuit I, Red phase, joint bay 5/6: PDs were detected under 1.1Uo, PD inception voltage 120kV (0.9 Uo). In Red phase, circuit II, joint bay 2/3: The joint failed at 27kV (0.2 Uo) during HV ac tests.

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Prof. Charles Q. Su

The mark on the internal wall of EPR rubber moulding

Wrong position the gripping shield is shifted out of the semi-conductive electrode, as shown by the corresponding mark left on the internal wall of the rubber moulding

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