Detecting contamination and deterioration in SF6 breakers to ensure longevity
BY LINDA NOWAK, Doble Engineering Company
The purpose of “Doble testing”, or power factor testing, SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) circuit breakers is to detect the presence of contamination and/or deterioration of the breaker’s insulating system. This process will allow corrective actions to be taken to ensure the integrity of the breaker.
The Doble test is completed by measuring the insulation’s dielectric-loss and capacitance and...
The power industry is undergoing a profound transformation driven by grid modernization, renewable integration, and increasing demands for resilience and efficiency. At the heart of this evolution lies the smart substation—a next-generation facility equipped with advanced sensors, digital...
How to predict field life using vacuum interrupters BY FINLEY LEDBETTER, Group CBS Utilities have widely replaced older air-magnetic and oil interrupters for circuit breakers rated at one kilovolt (kV) or higher with vacuum interrupters (VI) due to higher interrupt capability. Vacuum interrupters...
Condition testing of circuit breaker’s arcing contacts BY BUDO MILOVIC, DV-Power The preventive maintenance on a high-voltage (HV) breaker consists of several routine tests. The timing and motion tests are methods used to assess the breaker’s mechanical condition. When the timing and motion...
Solving misoperation with line parameter measurements BY WILL KNAPEK, OMICRON USA Between 80 to 90 percent of all power system faults involve ground. Many protective relaying schemes depend on ground distance protection to accurately sense and locate ground faults on multi-terminal sub-transmission...
The power industry is undergoing a profound transformation driven by grid modernization, renewable integration, and increasing demands for resilience and efficiency. At the heart of this evolution lies the smart substation—a next-generation facility equipped with advanced sensors, digital...
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Same day switching avoids the extended outages and human and equipment costs associated with inoperable and broken switches.The vast majority of air break disconnect and ground switches in electric power networks typically receive no appreciable maintenance. This invariably results in the inability...
To fully assess the functionality of medium and high voltage circuit breakers, various mechanical and electrical parameters must be tested. Gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) in particular poses unique and special challenges, including the connection of the test equipment. In today‘s world, where...
When it comes to medium and high voltage circuit breakers, there is no better electrical insulator than sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The manufactured gas is most commonly used to fill circuit breakers within utility substations to prevent and quench arcing events. SF6's impeccable dielectric...
