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UsingUltrasoundforHighVoltageInsulationTestingMaintenanceTechnology

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UsingUltrasoundforHighVoltageInsulationTesting
Ultrasoundisaneffective,lowcostmethodforevaluatingtheconditionofinsulationcomponentsonhighvoltagetransmissionand
distributionequipment.Conventionaltestingmethodsrequiretheequipmenttobeshutdown.Ultrasonictestingcanlocatefailing
insulationcomponentsinliveelectricaldistributionandtransmissionequipment.
Ultrasonictestingissuitableforoutdoorsubstationandaerialtransmissionequipment,particularlywhencoupledwithaparabolic
concentrator.Enclosedswitchgearequipmentalsocanbetested.Spectrumanalysisoftheultrasoundsignalallowstrackingtobe
distinguishedfromothersourcesofultrasoundinthegearoradjacentareas.Listeningportspermitthesafeinspectionofanytypeof
switchgear.
Overheadtransmissionlines
Thenightshiftelectricalsupervisoratapetrochemicalrefineryreceivedreportsofvisiblearcingatporcelaininsulatorsona69kV
powerpole.Thepowerlinesuppliedawastewatertreatmentfacility.Ifthefacilitylostpower,therefinerywouldbeunabletooperate.
Fromthesymptomsdescribedbythesupervisor,itwaslikelythataninsulatorwasfailing.Thefailureofinsulatorsonhighvoltage
(greaterthan4kV)powertransmissionanddistributionequipmentcanoftenresultinelectronsdischargingintotheair,a
phenomenonknownastracking,corona,orpartialdischarge.Undertherightconditions,thedischargecanfindapathtoground,
resultinginahighlydestructivegroundfault.
Theelectricalsupervisorwantedtoknowifarecentinfraredtesthadidentifiedanyproblemsattheseinsulators.Healsowantedto
knowiftheproblemshaddisappeared,becausearcingcouldnolongerbeseen.Thesupervisorwastoldthat,exceptforsevere
caseswhereacurrentpathtogroundwasestablished,infraredtestingwouldnotdetecthighvoltageinsulatorfailuresbecausethe
coronaortrackingtypicallyproduceslittleornoheat.Healsowasinformedthatthissituationmightbeextremelydangerousandthat
itwarrantedimmediateattention.
AUESystemsUltraprobe2000wasusedtoevaluatetheproblem.Theinstrumenthearsultrasound(soundabove20,000Hz)and
convertsittoaudiblefrequencies.Highvoltagedischargesthataccompanythebreakdownofinsulationcauseionizationoftheair
andtheionizationproducesultrasound.Thus,thepresenceoftrackingorcoronacanbereadilydetectedbyanultrasonicinstrument.
Theinstrumentissimplypointedattheareaofconcern.Iftrackingorcoronaispresent,abuzzingnoisesimilartostaticonaradiois
heardthroughtheinstrumentheadphones.Theinstrumentisdirectional,allowingthelocationoftheinsulationfaulttobedetermined
bylisteningfromseverallocationsuntilthehighsoundsourceispinpointed.

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Powerpoleinsulatorsattherefinerywerelocatedabout60ftaboveground.Inaddition,theareaaroundthepolehaddischarging
steamtrapsandseveralcompressedairleaks.Thetrapsandairleaksproducedhighlevelsofbackgroundultrasoundthatwould
ordinarilyoverpowertheultrasoundproducedbyinsulatorfailure.Aparabolicconcentratorwasusedtoovercometheseproblems.
Thisdevicehasasevenelementultrasonicdetectorarraymountedinthecenterofaparabolicdish.Thedishfeaturesanoptical
sightthatexpeditespinpointingthesourceofultrasound.
Theconcentratorprovidestwoadvantages:
Instrumentsensitivityismorethandoubled.Asaresult,evenlowleveldischargesoccurringatasubstantialdistancecanbe
detected.
Theconcentratorisextremelydirectional.Adjacentultrasoundsourcesarerejectedandtheprecisesourceofultrasoundis
easilydetermined.
Theultrasoundinstrumentimmediatelyindicatedthatcoronadischargewasoccurringateachoftheinsulators.TheCphase
insulatorhadaveryhighlevelofdischarge.
Inaddition,theinsulatorswerecheckedwithaninfraredimagerusinga3xtelescope.Theimagerrevealedaringofheatoneach
insulator.Theringofheatwasabout2degFaboveadjacentsurfacesanditoccurredatadifferentlocationoneachinsulator.There
werenoconnectionsnearanyoftherings.Itwasdeterminedthattheheatingprobablycorrespondedtothelocationofthedischarge
ateachinsulator.Temperaturedifferenceswereverysmallandcouldbeoverlookedeasilyduringatypicalinfraredsurvey.
Whenbothultrasoundandheataredetectedfromafailinginsulator,theproblemhasreachedapotentiallydangerousstageand
requiresimmediateshutdown.Thepresenceofheatindicatesacurrentflowtoground.Thisflowwillprecedecatastrophicfailure.
Althoughtheinsulatorsweresubjectedtoperiodicinspectionsandcleaning,theyobviouslywerefailing.Backupgeneratorswere
broughtintopowerthefacilitywhiletheinsulatorswerereplaced.
Enclosedswitchgear
Acombinationofinfraredandultrasonictestingisoftenusedonhighvoltageelectricalequipment,particularlyenclosedswitchgear.
Infraredequipmentcanlocateresistivefaultssuchasdirtyswitchcontactsorloosejoints.Theultrasonicinstrumentlocates
developinginsulationfaults.Inenclosedgear,trackingisaparticularlyseriousproblembecausethedistancefromcurrentcarrying
componentstogroundisusuallysmall.Failureofinsulatingcomponentscancauseswitchgearcomponentstovaporize.Ultrasonic
testinginenclosedswitchgearmaybemoreimportantthaninfraredtesting.
Atamultiuse1millionsqftfacility,accessdoorstoa13kVswitchwerelockedandnokeyswereavailable.Theinternalcurrent
carryingcomponentscouldnotbeinspected.Thisswitchwascriticalitslosswouldshutdowntheentirecomplex.
Becauseultrasonicsoundcanpassthroughsmallcracksatdoorsorthroughventilationopenings,anultrasonictestwasperformed.
Thetestrevealedextremelyhighinternalionization.Boltcutterswereusedtoremovethelocks.Withthelightsout,arcingwasvisible
wherethebuspassedthroughasupportingbarrierboard.
Infraredtestingalsorevealedatrackofheatleadingdirectlytoasupportbolt,indicatingthatcurrentwasalreadyflowingtoground.
Buildingtenantswerenotifiedandanorderlyshutdownwasconductedthenexteveningtocorrecttheproblem.Thecomplexwas
backonlinethefollowingmorning.
Often,whenenclosedhighvoltageswitchgearortransformersareinspected,itisdifficulttodistinguishbetweenultrasoundproduced
byinsulationfailureandultrasoundproducedbyvibrationofmechanicalcomponents.However,spectralanalysisoftheultrasound
signalcanbeusedtodistinguishtrackingandcoronafrommechanicallyproducedultrasound.
Outputfromtheultrasoundinstrumentisfedintoaspectrumanalyzer.Thespectrumanalyzercanbethesameportabledatalogger
usedformonitoringvibrationinmechanicalequipment.Mechanicalvibrationproducesaspectruminmultiplesof60Hz(electrical
fieldfrequency).Trackingandcoronaultrasoundresultsfromionizationofair.Thisprocessproducesbroadbandnoise.Theremay
bea60Hzcomponentbecausethearcwillriseandcollapsewiththevoltagecycle.However,distinct60Hzmultiplesarenot
present.
Mechanicalvibrationproducesaneasilydiscernedspectralpatternwhiletrackingorcoronaproducesanoisepattern.Thus,for
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example,spectralreadingscanbetakenatadrytypetransformertodeterminewhetheraninsulationfaultisdeveloping.
Alternatively,thespectralreadingscandistinguishbetweenpotentialtransformerorswitchgearcasevibrationandtracking.
Onmanytypesofenclosedhighvoltagegear,frontorrearpanelscanberemovedtoprovideaccessforultrasonictesting.(All
appropriatesafetyproceduresmustbeobservedduringremovalofpanelsonenergizedhighvoltageswitchgear.SeeNationalFire
ProtectionAssociation70E,StandardforElectricalSafetyRequirementsforEmployeeWorkplaces.)
However,highvoltageswitchgearisoftentotallyenclosed.Accessisthroughinterlockeddoorsthatcannotbeopenedwhenthegear
isenergized.Thistypeofgearcanbeeasilytestedforinsulationbreakdownthroughtheuseofalisteningport.
Ultrasoundeasilypassesthroughanopeningbutisreadilyblockedbyasolidsurface.Onswitchgear,alisteningportcanoftenbe
providedbyremovingafewboltsfromthehousing.Theultrasonicinstrumentisthenheldneartheopenboltholestodetectthe
distinctivebuzzofinternaltrackingorcorona.Ontotallysealedgear,a4in.diacappedholecanbecutintotheswitchgearhousing
duringanoutage.Theportcovercanberemovedforinspection.Theultrasonicinstrumentisthenpositionedattheholeand
operatedtodetectanyinternaltracking.MT
InformationsuppliedbyMidAtlanticInfraredServices,Inc.,Bethesda,MD(301)3202870.

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