Experiences with

Commissioning
Testing of HV & EHV
Cable Systems: The
Influence of Voltage
Level and Duration for
Identifying Life
Limiting Defects

Mark Fenger
mark.fenger@kinectrics.com
 INTRODUCTION
For the past two decades, thousands of km of HV & EHV
Cable Systems have been subjected to AC Withstand
Acceptance Tests
For the past decade and half partial discharge testing has
gained ground as a component of an acceptance test
Data used here acquired from 2004 onwards.
Variable Frequency or Variable Inductance Test Sets
Non-conventional (e.g. broadband) PD monitors
Closer look at influence of test voltage, test frequency and
test duration
Acceptance Methodologies

Test Voltage supplied by resonant test set

Voltage level and duration according IEC 60840 & IEC 62067
Terminal PD Measurement
Distributed Measurements
Periodic (sequential) or Continuous
During AC HiPot & After AC Hipot
Sensors
External Sensors
Integrated Sensors
Typically use ultra wideband PD monitors
10kHz to 30 MHz
10kHz to 50 MHz
10kHz to 400 MHz
 Test Methodologies
START Evaluate PD Results END
+ AC HiPot +
250kV (On-Site)
END

YES Notify CLIENT of

+ PD PD Activity, PD
NO Activity Level, PD Stability
PROC. C2
YES PROC. A
Increase
Voltage to Cont.
250kV AC HiPot
NO Internal MAYBE
END OF ACTION Additional Testing
YES NO PD
Cont. Lower AC
Remaining YES
Voltage by
AC HiPot 500v/sec +
END PROC. B

Repeat START Meas Evaluate PDIV, PDEV

Adjacent PDEV Evaluate PD Stability
Joints PDIV Evaluate Pattern

PD Meas. Notify Client of Kinectrics

@ PDEV- o PDIV & PDEV Deliver to Client)
Memo
5kV o PD Level Report
PD Meas.
@ PDEV-
5kV Increase
Voltage to DECISION:
PDIV + CLIENT
5kV

PROC. C1

+
HV Test Setup
PD Sensors

PD Testing: Sensors
 Preliminary Results
Testing of 66kV up to 400kV Cable Circuits
More than 2,100 km
828 terminations
3,113 joints
418 individual phases

Rat. PD But No PD But No

AC HiPot Only AC HiPot & PD No of Failures
Voltage Failure Failure
Failures
[kV] Phases Term. Joints Phases Term. Joints Term. Joint Phases Joints Term. Joint
66/69/72 0 0 0 54 108 0 0 1 0 0.0% n/a 0.9% 0.0%
110/115 12 12 69 25 62 48 1 0 0 2.7% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0%
132/138/161 67 134 333 44 76 161 2 1 1 1.8% 0.4% 1.3% 0.6%
220/230 15 30 210 153 270 1,338 14 13 11 8.3% 0.9% 4.8% 0.8%
345/400 12 24 60 36 112 894 1 4 0 2.1% 0.1% 3.6% 0.0%
ACCESSORIES VS. VOLT. CLASS

Distribution: No. Phases, Terminations & Joints

100%
11% 16%
31%
80%
40%
36% 345/400
60%
220/230
50% 132/138/161
40%
27% 25% 110/115

20% 66/69/72
9% 9%
16%
13% 13%
0% 4%

Phases Terminations Joints

Terminations: Good representation 132kV and above

Joints: Good representation 220kV and above
 Preliminary Results

1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Cable Rating [kV] 220.0 220.0 220.0 230.0 230.0 138.0 138.0 400.0 230.0 220.0 132.0 225.0 225.0 225.0 220.0 230
Rated Volt. U0 [kV] 127.2 127.2 127.2 132.9 132.9 79.8 79.8 231.2 132.9 127.2 76.3 130.1 130.1 130.1 127.2 132.9
Test Level [kV] 216.0 216.0 216.0 180.0 180.0 128.0 136.0 260.0 226.0 216.0 130.0 221.0 221.0 221.0 221.0 226
Test Level [U0] 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7
Test Current [Amp] 109.2 109.5 n/a n/a n/a 41.5 33.2 140.5 126.0 n/a 53.8 n/a 110.6 76.4 84.8 118.7
Test Freq. [Hz] 38.87 38.77 n/a 84.10 84.10 30.32 40.30 23.81 35.24 n/a 23.75 n/a 39.26 39.31 43.15 37.41
Failure Volt. [kV] 216 216 216 180 180 128 136 260 226 171 103 171 221 151.2 186.8 128
Failure Volt. [U0] 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.7 1.2 1.5 .99
Time to Failure [sec] 70 367 n/a 1,260 8 1,260 1,851 n/a 38 n/a 9 n/a 3,480 n/a n/a n/a
No of Cycles 1
2,721 14,229 n/a 105,966 673 38,203 74,595 n/a 1,339 n/a 214 n/a 136,625 n/a n/a n/a

Failure ID [Cable, Bulk Bulk Bulk

Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint
Joint, Termination] Cable Cable Cable

All failures occurred at over voltage with exception of one

 Preliminary Results

1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Cable Rating [kV] 220.0 220.0 220.0 230.0 230.0 138.0 138.0 400.0 230.0 220.0 132.0 225.0 225.0 225.0 220.0 230
Rated Volt. U0 [kV] 127.2 127.2 127.2 132.9 132.9 79.8 79.8 231.2 132.9 127.2 76.3 130.1 130.1 130.1 127.2 132.9
Test Level [kV] 216.0 216.0 216.0 180.0 180.0 128.0 136.0 260.0 226.0 216.0 130.0 221.0 221.0 221.0 221.0 226
Test Level [U0] 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7
Test Current [Amp] 109.2 109.5 n/a n/a n/a 41.5 33.2 140.5 126.0 n/a 53.8 n/a 110.6 76.4 84.8 118.7
Test Freq. [Hz] 38.87 38.77 n/a 84.10 84.10 30.32 40.30 23.81 35.24 n/a 23.75 n/a 39.26 39.31 43.15 37.41
Failure Volt. [kV] 216 216 216 180 180 128 136 260 226 171 103 171 221 151.2 186.8 128
Failure Volt. [U0] 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.7 1.2 1.5 .99
Time to Failure [sec] 70 367 n/a 1,260 8 1,260 1,851 n/a 38 n/a 9 n/a 3,480 n/a n/a n/a
No of Cycles 1
2,721 14,229 n/a 105,966 673 38,203 74,595 n/a 1,339 n/a 214 n/a 136,625 n/a n/a n/a

Failure ID [Cable, Bulk Bulk Bulk

Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint Joint
Joint, Termination] Cable Cable Cable

All failures occurred at over voltage with exception of one

7 failures occurred while ramping up
10 failures occurred during the withstand test
Distribution of Failure Voltage

Distribution of Failure Voltage

1.00

0.90

0.75
Percentile

0.50

0.25

0.00
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8
Time [minutes]
 FAILURE & PD STATISTICS

Rat. Voltage Avg. Test Level % Population Failures PD But No Failure

[kV] [U0] Phases Term. Joints Phases Joints Term. Joint
66/69/72 1.73 13% 13% 0% 0.0% n/a 0.9% 0.0%
110/115 1.90 9% 9% 4% 2.7% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0%
132/138/161 1.60 27% 25% 16% 1.8% 0.4% 1.3% 0.6%
220/230 1.69 40% 36% 50% 10.1% 1.1% 4.8% 0.9%
345/400 1.11 11% 16% 31% 2.1% 0.1% 3.6% 0.0%

Rat. Voltage Workmanship Issue

[kV] Phases Accessory
66/69/72 1.9% 0.9%
110/115 2.7% 0.5%
132/138/161 3.6% 0.6%
220/230 25.0% 2.3%
345/400 10.4% 0.5%
TIME vs. CYCLE TO FAILURE

10,000 1,000,000

100,000
1,000
10,000
Time to Failure [Sec]

Cycles to Failure
100 1,000

100
10

Sec to Failure 10

Cycles to Failure
1 1
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Test Frequency
TIME vs. CYCLE TO FAILURE

10,000 1,000,000

100,000
1,000
10,000
Time to Failure [Sec]

Cycles to Failure
100 1,000

100
10

Sec to Failure 10

Cycles to Failure
1 1
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Test Frequency
 TIME vs. CYCLE TO FAILURE
1.1
Percentile: Time-to-Failure [Sec]
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
1.1
0.2 Percentile: Cycles-to-Failure
1
0.1
Time-to-Failure [sec] 0.9
0
0 300 600 900 1,2001,5001,8002,1002,4002,7003,0003,3003,6003,900 0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
Cycles-to-Failure
0
0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000120,000140,000160,000
Time to PD Occurrence
(Constant PD Monitoring Only)
On-Set of PD During HV Commissioning Testing
1.00

0.90

0.75
Percentile

0.50

0.25

0.00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time [minutes]
PD Inception Voltage
(Constant PD Monitoring Only)
Distribution of PDIV During HV Comm. Testing
1.00
Percentile
0.90

0.75

0.50

0.25

0.00
0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.00 1.10 1.20 1.30 1.40 1.50 1.60 1.70 1.80 1.90 2.00
Partial Discharge Inception Voltage (PDIV) [U 0 ]
 Conclusions
Data shows the importance of using a combination of
withstand testing and diagnostic testing
Data suggests that the time duration of the tests should be
linked to the frequency. If testing at lower frequencies, the
test time could be prolonged.
The PD occurrence rates for joints is similar across the
132kV to 230kV rated cable systems
Acceptance test levels for 345kv/400kV cable systems are
not be sufficiently high (often 1.25U0/1.12U0)
PD occurrence rates for this study likely understated.
 Field Tests
Apparent Charge at
discharge location VPD
R
Measured Apparent
Charge

Attenuation Attenuation

C iPD
VPD
iPD VPD
1 Corresponding Attenuation
R

R
(Normalized) Measured Apparent
Charge
0.1

Length [feet]
0.01
0 2000 4000 6000 8000
Kinectrics