Measurements, Models, Systems and Design

531 s.

Simulation and Analysis of High Voltage Engineering in Power Systems

This book address important issues regarding the modelling and simulation tools and techniques that are applied in high-voltage engineering in modern power systems. The presented conceptual, constructive, empirical, experimental, and theoretical results are obtained in the area of high-voltage engineering. Special attention is given to protection methods against direct lightning strikes, partial discharge tests, discharges’ influence on different structures, cable screening, and induced voltages, among others

Design of a fast computer-based partial discharge diagnostic system

Partial discharges cause progressive deterioration of insulating materials working in high voltage conditions and may lead ultimately to insulator failure. Experimental findings indicate that deterioration increases with the number of discharges and is consequently proportional to the magnitude and frequency of the applied voltage. In order to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms of deterioration produced by partial discharges, instrumentation capable of individual pulse resolution is required. A new computer-based partial discharge detection system was designed and constructed to conduct long duration tests on sample capacitors. This system is capable of recording large number of pulses without dead time and producing valuable information related to amplitude, polarity, and charge content of the discharges. The operation of the system is automatic and no human supervision is required during the testing stage. Ceramic capacitors were tested at high voltage in long duration tests. The obtained results indicated that the charge content of partial discharges shift towards high levels of charge as the level of deterioration in the capacitor increases

Integration of conventional and unconventional Instrument Transformers in Smart Grids

In this thesis the reader will be guided towards the role of Instrument Transformers inside the always evolving Smart Grid scenario. In particular, even non-experts or non-metrologists will have the chance to follow the main concepts presented; this, because the basic principles are always presented before moving to in-deep discussions. The chapter including the results of the work is preceded by three introductive chapters. These, contain the basic principles and the state of the art necessary to provide the reader the tools to approach the results chapter. The first three chapters describe: Instrument Transformers, Standards, and Metrology. In the first chapter, the studied Instrument Transformers are described and compared with particular attention to their accuracy parameters. In the second chapter instead, two fundamental international documents, concerning Instrument Transformers, are analysed: the IEC 61869 series and the EN 50160. This has been done to be completely aware of how transformers are standardized and regulated. Finally, the last introductive chapter presents one of the pillars of this work: metrology and the role of uncertainty. In the core of the work Instrument Transformers integration in Smart Grid is distinguished in two main topics. The first assesses the transformers behaviour, in terms of accuracy, when their normal operation is affected by external quantities. The second exploits the current and voltage measurements obtained from the transformers to develop new algorithm and techniques to face typical and new issue affecting Smart Grids. In the overall, this thesis has a bifold aim. On one hand it provides a quite-detailed overview on Instrument Transformers technology and state of the art. On the other hand, it describes issues and novelties concerning the use of the transformers among Smart Grids, focusing on the role of uncertainty when their measurements are used for common and critical applications

Overload protection for AC-DC transfer measurement standards

Abstract: Electrical transient overloads (ETOs) are inherent to electrical and electronic systems, especially those that are composed of semiconductor materials. However, as the subject has received research attention since the mid-1900s, design engineers are familiar with this class of electrical or electronic disturbance. Thus, in most electrical and electronic applications, ETOs are compensated for through the implementation of an ETO protection device(s). Nevertheless, more work is still to be done to develop efficient techniques to mitigate this class of disturbance. The work presented in this dissertation identifies the most probable sources of ETOs in the alternating current-direct current (AC-DC) transfer measurement system. The AC-DC transfer measurement system is used to provide electrical calibration services to the national industry and national and regional standardisation bodies, thus complementing the metrological traceability of the international (SI) units of AC current, voltage and power. Thermal converters (TCs), which serve as the main elements of the AC-DC transfer measurement system, are most susceptible to damage and destruction from ETO events, which may arise during the measurement process or be caused by human error. This work also presents a conceptual ETO protection solution for thermal converters, developed through mathematical and simulation analysis...M.Phil. (Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Measurement Techniques for Impulse Puncture Testing in Air

Impulse voltage puncture testing (IPT) in air, as per IEC-61211, is used to assess the withstand strength of class B ceramic/glass insulators primarily against very fast front voltage transients (VFFTs) in power systems. This method uses short HV impulses of front times as low as 100 ns, therefore, adequate execution and reproducible results are not ensured because no standard impulse shape exists for VFFTs, no calibration service exists for such systems below 0.84 μs and the measurement system gets affected by many factors e.g. proximity effects, interferences, clearances and stray capacitances and inductances. This study focuses on investigating the testing practices and measurement techniques, for IPT in air as per IEC-61211, to find suitable testing methodologies. Based on the results of a research survey done to know practices and capabilities of HV labs in this regard, testing was performed on a cap and pin insulator, mounted on a metal plate using ball-socket and stressed with steep front HV impulses. A 500 mm wide copper sheet was used for grounding. Measurement system comprised of a fast resistive divider, a 50 tri-axial cable, a 10:1 attenuator of 50 input resistance and a 200 MHz, 8 bit, 2.5G S/s digitizer. The dependency of results on factors like divider-insulator distances, extra cable shielding, various target test voltages, HV damping resistor and different generation circuits was studied. No puncture of insulation happened. The divider showed high overshoot in step response and low bandwidth in impulse results. Due to these reasons, along with its damage during testing, a new divider design is proposed for 500-600 kV that is modular in structure and aims to solve the problem of low bandwidth by allowing its HV arm to be placed in direct contact with insulator. A novel algorithm is also proposed to analyse the linearity of front chopped impulses. It also revealed that following exact definition of Tc in IEC-60060-1 could result in it’s wrong determination from measurement software

DFT-based Synchrophasor Estimation Algorithms and their Integration in Advanced Phasor Measurement Units for the Real-time Monitoring of Active Distribution Networks

The increasing penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) at the low and medium-voltage levels is determining major changes in the operational procedures of distribution networks (DNs) that are evolving from passive to active power grids. Such evolution is causing non-negligible problems to DN operators (DNOs) and calls for advanced monitoring infrastructures composed by distributed sensing devices capable of monitoring voltage and current variations in real-time. In this respect, Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) definitely represent one of the most promising technologies. Their higher accuracy and reporting rates compared to standard monitoring devices, together with the possibility of reporting time-tagged measurements of voltage and current phasors, enable the possibility to obtain frequent and accurate snapshots of the status of the monitored grid. Nevertheless, the applicability of such technology to DNs has not been demonstrated yet since PMUs where originally conceived for transmission network applications. Within this context, this thesis first discusses and derives the requirements for PMUs expected to operate at power distribution level. This study is carried out by analyzing typical operating conditions of Active Distribution Networks (ADNs). Then, based on these considerations, an advanced synchrophasor estimation algorithm capable of matching the accuracy requirements of ADNs is formulated. The algorithm, called iterative-interpolated DFT (i-IpDFT) improves the performances of the Interpolated-DFT (IpDFT) method by iteratively compensating the effects of the spectral interference produced by the negative image of the spectrum and at the same time allows to reduce the window length up to two periods of a signal at the nominal frequency of the power system. In order to demonstrate the low computational complexity of such an approach, the developed algorithm has been subsequently optimized to be deployed into a dedicated FPGA-based PMU prototype. The influence of the PMU hardware components and particularly the effects of the stability and reliability of the adopted UTC-time synchronization technology have been verified. The PMU prototype has been metrologically characterized with respect to the previously defined operating conditions of ADNs using a dedicated PMU calibrator developed in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). The experimental validation has verified the PMU compliance with the class-P requirements defined in the IEEE Std. C37.118 and with most of the accuracy requirements defined for class-M PMUs with the exception of out of band interference tests

Design and Implementation of New Measurement Models and Procedures for Characterization and Diagnosis of Electrical Assets

The measurement is an essential procedure in power networks for both network stability, and diagnosis purposes. This work is an effort to confront the challenges in power networks using metrological approach. In this work three different research projects are carried out on Medium Voltage underground cable joints diagnosis, inductive Current Transformers modeling, and frequency modeling of the Low power Voltage Transformer as an example of measurement units in power networks. For the cable joints, the causes and effects of Loss Factor have been analyzed, while for the inductive current transformers a measurement model is developed for prediction of the ratio and phase error. Moreover, a frequency modeling approach has been introduced and tested on low power voltage transformers. The performance of the model on prediction of the low power voltage transformer output has been simulated and validated by experimental tests performed in the lab

Absolute calibration of radiometric partial discharge sensors for insulation condition monitoring in electrical substations

Measurement of partial discharge (PD) is an important tool in the monitoring of insulation integrity in high voltage (HV) equipment. Partial discharge is measured traditionally using galvanic contact techniques based on IEC 60270 standard or near field coupling [1]. Freespace radiometric (FSR) detection of PD is a relatively new technique. This work advances calibration method for FSR measurements and proposer a methodology for FSR measurement of absolute PD intensity. Until now, it has been believed that absolute measurement of partial discharge intensity using radiometric method is not possible. In this thesis it is demonstrated that such measurement is possible and the first ever such absolute measurements are presented. Partial discharge sources have been specially constructed. These included a floating electrode PD emulator, an acrylic cylinder internal PD emulator and an epoxy dielectric internal PD emulator. Radiated signals are captured using a wideband biconical antenna [1]. Free-space radiometric and galvanic contact measurement techniques are compared. Discharge pulse shape and PD characteristics under high voltage DC and AC conditions are obtained. A comparison shows greater similarity between the two measurements than was expected. It is inferred that the dominant mechanism in shaping the spectrum is the band-limiting effect of the radiating structure rather than band limiting by the receiving antenna. The cumulative energies of PD pulses in both time and frequency domains are also considered [2]. The frequency spectrum is obtained by FFT analysis of time-domain pulses. The relative spectral densities in the frequency bands 50 MHz – 290 MHz, 290 MHz – 470 MHz and 470 MHz – 800 MHz are determined. The calibration of the PD sources for used in the development of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is presented. A method of estimating absolute PD activity level from a radiometric measurement by relating effective radiated power (ERP) to PD intensity using a PD calibration device is proposed and demonstrated. The PD sources have been simulated using CST Microwave Studio. The simulations are used to establish a relationship between radiated PD signals and PD intensity as defined by apparent charge transfer. To this end, the radiated fields predicted in the simulations are compared with measurements. There is sufficient agreement between simulations and measurements to suggest the simulations could be used to investigate the relationship between PD intensity and the field strength of radiated signals [3]