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FAULT FINDING
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Table of Contents
21 Depth measurement using null method 49 Arc reflection and differential arc
with antenna at 45-degree angle . . . . . . . .11 reflection methods of HV radar . . . . . . . . . .27
24 TDR reflections from perfect cable . . . . . . .13 52 Acoustic surge detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
L RS
HV
Test
Set
Z0 Capacitance Parallel Z0
C Resistance
RP
Figure 1: Good insulation
mAmps
Spark Gap
G Phase Conductor
HV
Test Fault Fault Resistance
Set
RF
Shield or Neutral
LOCATE FAULTS IN BURIED PRIMARY CABLE At end A, connect the instrument between each
After all clearances have been obtained and the of the other phase conductors, if any, and
cable has been isolated in preparation for cable ground and record the insulation resistance
fault locating, it is strongly recommended that a readings.
fixed plan of attack be followed for locating the After connecting a short between the phase and
fault. As in diagnosing any complex problem, fol- neutral at end B (Figure 8), do a loop test for
lowing a set step-by-step procedure will help in continuity at end A using the ohms or continuity
arriving at the solution or, in this case, pinpointing range on the instrument. If a reading of greater
the fault efficiently. than 10 ohms is obtained when the cable has a
At the very start, it is a good idea to gather as concentric neutral, test the conductor and neu-
much information as possible about the cable tral independently by using a nearby good cable
under test. Information that will help in the fault as a return path. This will help to determine
locating process is: whether it is the conductor or neutral that is
the problem. A reading in the hundreds of ohms
Cable type is it lead covered, concentric neu- is a good indication of corroded neutral if work-
tral (bare or jacketed), tape shield? ing on a bare concentric-type cable. If no nearby
Insulation type is it XLPE, EPR, Paper? good cable is available, use a long insulated con-
ductor to complete the loop from end B. If a
Conductor and size is it CU, AL, stranded, reading of infinity is measured either the phase
solid, 2/0, 350 MCM? conductor or the neutral is completely open
Length of the run how long is it? between end A and end B which could be
caused by a dig-in or a fault that has blown
Splices are there splices, are the locations open the phase conductor.
known?
Repeat all tests from end B and record all
T-taps or wye splices are there any taps, are readings.
the locations known, how long are branches?
After obtaining the cable description the acronym
TALL can help you remember the procedure for
finding cable faults in buried cable.
TDR Tests
End A End B
Refer to Section IV for details on the use of the
Time Domain Reflectometer.
TDR
At end A, connect a TDR or DART Cable
Fault
Analyzer (use the TDR mode) between the fault-
ed conductor and neutral or shield as shown in
Figure 9. Look for an upward reflection from the
open end of the cable and measure the length
to the open using the cursors.
Figure 9: TDR test for cable length
After connecting a short between phase and
neutral at end B (Figure 10), look for the down-
ward indication of a short circuit at the cable
end on the TDR. If the TDR shows an alternating End A End B
open and short when alternately removing and
applying the ground at the end of the cable, the TDR
7 MEGGER
Fault Finding Solutions 7
Cable Route Tracers/Cable Locators
SECTION III
BIDDL
R
TM
BIDDL
R
TM
Keep in mind that the best technique is to connect If all else fails and in a very congested area, com-
the isolated far end of the target cable to a tem- plete the current loop by using a long insulated
porary ground rod beyond the far end of the jumper wire connected between one side of the
cable. This will reduce the loop resistance, increase transmitter and the far end of the cable under
the transmitted current flow, and maximize the test. This technique has limitations as to length
strength of the signal to be detected by the receiv- but will definitely limit current flow to the target
er. See previous Figure 14. cable. See Figure 18. Remember to keep the route
of the return wire well off to the side to avoid
When the far end is parked and isolated, loop cur-
interference.
rent is entirely dependent upon capacitive cou-
pling through the insulation or jacket of the cable Direct buried concentric neutral cable can be
and through any faults to ground that may be traced by connecting the transmitter to the con-
present. See previous Figure 15. ductor or the neutral. Remember that when con-
nected to the neutral, the signal can more easily
bleed over to other cables and pipes that
may be connected to the ground. A
stronger tracing signal can sometimes be
developed when the transmitter is connect-
Transmitter ed to the neutral. This is particularly true
when using a current clamp or coupler as
shown previously in Figure 16.
Figure 18: Use of return wire to improve current loop In the peaking mode of operation,
a maximum signal level is obtained
when the receiver is positioned
directly over the target cable. In the
nulling mode, a minimum signal is
detected when directly over the
target cable. Some units provide a
simultaneous display of both
TM
R
BIDDL
E
R L1070 Locator
Portable
modes. In general, if the object of
tracing is simply to locate the
approximate path of the target
Transmitter cable, the peaking mode is recom-
mended. If a more accurate trace is
required such as prior to secondary
Figure 19: Circling path with receiver fault locating or splice locating, the
nulling mode may be the better
METHODS OF OPERATION The radar set, other than the electronics to pro-
Cable analyzers provide a visual display of various duce the pulses of radio frequency energy, is basi-
events on electrical cable and may serve as the cally a time measuring device. A timer starts count-
control center for advanced cable fault locating ing microseconds when a pulse of radio frequency
test systems. Displays include cable traces or signa- energy leaves the transmitting antenna and then
tures which have distinctive patterns. Signatures stops when a reflection is received. The actual time
represent reflections of transmitted pulses caused measured is the round trip, out to the target and
by impedance changes in the cable under test and back. In order to determine simply distance out to
appear in succession along a baseline. When the target, the round trip time is divided by two. If
adjustable markers, called cursors, are moved to the speed of this pulse as it travels through the air
line up with reflections, the distance to the imped- in microseconds is known, distance to the target
ance change is displayed. When used as a TDR, can be calculated by multiplying the time meas-
approximate distances to important landmarks, ured divided by 2 times the velocity.
such as the cable end, splices, wyes and transform- Distance = Vp time
ers can also be measured. 2
Time Domain Reflectometry The speed or Velocity of Propagation (Vp) of this
pulse in air is nearly the speed of light or approxi-
The pulse reflection method, pulse echo method
mately 984 feet per microsecond.
or time domain reflectometry are terms applied to
what is referred to as cable radar or a TDR. The This same radar technique can be applied to cables
technique, developed in the late 1940s, makes it if there are two conductors with the distance
possible to connect to one end of a cable, actually between them constant for the length of the run
see into the cable and measure distance to and a consistent material between them for the
changes in the cable. The original acronym, length of the run. This means that a twisted pair,
RADAR (RAdio Detection And Ranging), was any pair of a control cable, any pair of a triplex
applied to the method of detecting distant aircraft cable, or any coaxial cable are radar compatible.
and determining their range and velocity by ana- When applied to underground cable, 10 to 20 volt,
lyzing reflections of radio waves. This technique is short time duration pulses are transmitted at a
used by airport radar systems and police radar high repetition rate into the cable between the
guns where a portion of the transmitted radio phase conductor and neutral or between a pair of
waves are reflected from an aircraft or ground conductors. A liquid crystal or CRT display shows
vehicle back to a receiving antenna. See Figure 23. reflections of the transmitted pulses that are
caused by changes in the cable impedance.
Any reflections are displayed on the screen with
elapsed time along the horizontal axis and ampli-
tude of the reflection on the vertical axis. Since
the elapsed time can be measured and the pulse
velocity as it travels down the cable is known, dis-
tance to the reflection point can be calculated.
Pulses transmitted through the insulation of typi-
cal underground cable travel at about half of the
speed of light or about 500 feet/s. Movable cur-
sors when positioned at zero and a reflection
point provide a measurement of distance to that
point in feet.
The TDR sees each increment of cable, for example
each foot, as the equivalent electrical circuit
Distance impedance as shown in Figure 24. In a perfect
length of cable, all of the components in every
D = Velocity of Propagation (Vp) X Time (s) foot are exactly like the foot before and exactly
2 like the next foot.
DART Analyzer or
low-voltage TDR Open End
BIDDLE DART R
R
R
ANALYSIS SYSTEM
Figure 25: TDR used to measure length of cable with far end open
DART Analyzer or
low-voltage TDR Shorted End
BIDDLE DART R
R
R
ANALYSIS SYSTEM
Figure 26: TDR used to measure length of cable with far end shorted
The units of velocity can be entered into the DART Velocity of Propagation Table
Analyzer or TDR in feet per microsecond (ft/s),
meters per microsecond (m/s), feet per microsec- Insulation Wire Vp Vp Vp Vp
ond divided by 2 (Vp/2) or percentage of the speed Type kV Size Percent Ft/s M/s Ft/s
of light (%). EPR 5 #2 45 443 135 221
The values in the Velocity of Propagation Table are EPR 15 #2 AL 55 541 165 271
only approximate and are meant to serve as a
guide. The velocity of propagation in power cables HMW 15 1/0 51 502 153 251
is determined by the following: XLPE 15 1/0 51 502 153 251
Dielectric constant of the insulation XLPE 15 2/0 49 482 147 241
Material properties of the semiconducting XLPE 15 4/0 49 482 147 241
sheaths
XLPE 15 #1 CU 56 551 168 276
Dimensions of the cable
XLPE 15 1/0 52 512 156 256
Structure of the neutrals, integrity of the neu-
trals (corrosion) XLPE 25 #1 CU 49 482 147 241
Propagation characteristics of the earth sur- XLPE 35 750 MCM 51 502 153 251
rounding the cable PILC 15 4/0 49 482 147 241
With such a large number of variables and a num- XLPE 0.6 #2 62 610 186 305
ber of different manufacturers, it is impossible to
predict the exact velocity of propagation for a Vacuum 100 984 300 492
given cable. Typically, utilities standardize on only
a few cable types and manufacturers and have soil
conditions that are similar from installation to
installation. It is highly recommended that fault
location crews maintain records of propagation
velocities and true locations. Using this informa-
tion, accurate, average propagation velocities can
be determined.
DART Analyzer or
low-voltage TDR Open End
BIDDLE DART R
R
R
ANALYSIS SYSTEM
Gain Zoom
Gain changes the vertical height or amplitude of When you have set the cursor at the reflection of
reflections on the display. It may be necessary to interest, the distance to that point on the cable
increase the gain on a very long cable or a cable run will appear in the distance readout. When a
with many impedance changes along its path to zoom feature is provided, the area centered
identify the end or other landmarks. Gain adjust- around the cursor is expanded by the zoom factor
ment has no effect on measurement accuracy. selected: X2 (times 2), X4 (times four), etc. It is
often possible to set the cursor to a more precise
Cursors position when the zoom mode is activated and the
reflection is broadened.
For all TDR measurements, the cursor is positioned
at the left side of the reflection, just where it
Pulse Width
leaves the horizontal baseline either upward or
down. Move the right cursor to the reflection of The width of the pulses generated by the TDR typ-
interest just as it leaves the base line so that the ically ranges from 80 nanoseconds up to 10
TDR can calculate its distance. If the left cursor is microseconds. As range is changed from shorter to
set to the left of the first upward-going reflection, longer, the pulse width is automatically increased
its zero point is at the output terminals of the in width so that enough energy is being sent
instrument. If you do not recalibrate, it will be down the cable to be able to see some level of
necessary to subtract your test lead length from all reflection from the end. The wider the pulse the
distances measured. Remember, the TDR measures more reflection amplitude but the less resolution.
every foot of cable from the connector on the The narrower the pulse the more resolution but
instrument to the reflection of interest. less reflection amplitude. For the best resolution or
in order to see small changes on the cable, a nar-
row pulse width is required and in order to see the
DART Analyzer or
low-voltage TDR
BIDDLE DART R
R
R
ANALYSIS SYSTEM
end a wide pulse width may be required. The Location of the third marker (stake 3), the actual
pulse width may be changed manually to override fault, may be found by using the proportionality
the automatic selection. An effect termed pulse that exists between the fault distances, d1 and d2,
dispersion widens the pulse as it travels down a and their error distances, e1 and e2. To locate
long run of cable so resolution may be worse stake 3, measure the distance d3 between stakes 1
toward the end of a long cable. and 2 and multiply it by the ratio of distance d1 to
the sum of distances d1 and d2. Stake 3 then is
DISTANCE MEASUREMENTS placed at this incremental distance, e1, as meas-
ured from stake 1 toward stake 2.
Three-Stake Method
e1 = d3 d1
Measurements to a fault using a low-voltage TDR
are strictly a localizing technique. Never dig a hole d1 + d2
based solely on a TDR measurement. There are too
many variables that include:
Alternatively, stake 3 can be placed at the incre-
The exact velocity
mental distance, e2, as measured from stake 2
The exact cable route toward stake 1.
The accuracy of the TDR itself e2 = d3 d2
The three-stake method is a means to get a rea- d1 + d2
sonably accurate fault pinpoint using only the
TDR. The method consists of making a fault dis-
tance reading from one end (terminal 1) of the This third stake should be very close to the fault.
faulted line and placing a marker (stake 1) at that
A practical field approach (with no math involved)
position as shown in Figure 32. With the TDR con-
is to make a second set of measurements from
nected at the other end of the line (terminal 2),
both ends with a different velocity. If the distance
find the fault distance for a second marker (stake
between stakes 1 and 2 was 50 feet, by adjusting
2). In actual practice, stake 2 may fall short of
the velocity upward the new distance measure-
stake 1, may be located at the same point, or may
ments may reduce the difference to 30 feet. With
pass beyond stake 1. In any case the fault will lie
enough tests at differing velocities the distance
between the two stakes. It is important that the
can be lowered to a reasonable backhoe trenching
same velocity setting is used for both measure-
distance.
ments and the distance measurements are made
over the actual cable route. This may mean tracing
the cable.
DART Analyzer or
low-voltage TDR Open End
BIDDLE DART R
R
R
ANALYSIS SYSTEM
Splice
Open End
Fault
d3
d1 e1 e2 d2
end. This also applies if the cable is faulted but the Surge
voltage doubling only occurs between the fault In the surge mode, the internal capacitor is
the open isolated end of the cable. charged up to the level selected with the voltage
When surging at 15 kV, the cable between the control and then discharged into the cable. This
fault and the end is exposed to a shock wave of 30 process can be automatically repeated on a time
kV peak-to-peak. A hint for fault locating on a basis by adjusting the surge interval control or
cable that has several splices and has been worked manually by push-button on some models. A surge
on from the same end is to look for the current of current from the discharging capacitor travels
fault past the last splice. That section of cable was down the cable, arcs over at the fault, and returns
exposed to voltage doubling during the previous back to the capacitor on the neutral or sheath.
fault locate with a high probability that the pres- This rapid discharge of energy causes an audible
ent fault is at a weak spot in that length of cable. explosion and the sound created travels out
through the earth and is used to pinpoint the fault
BASIC SURGE GENERATOR OPERATION location. See Figure 37. It is assumed that the
sound travels in a straight and direct path up to
Proof/Burn the surface of the earth. Sometimes the soil condi-
A proof test is performed to determine whether or tions are such that the sound travels away in a
not a cable and accessories are good or bad. The downward direction or is absorbed and cannot be
result of a proof test is on a go/no-go basis. The heard. In this case, some type of listening device or
voltage is increased on the cable under test to the surge detector may be needed to assist in pin-
required voltage level and held there for a period pointing. If the surge of current sees a high resist-
of time. If there is little or no leakage current and ance path back to the capacitor, as is the case
the voltage reading is stable, the cable is consid- when the neutral is corroded, the sound level cre-
ered to be good. If a voltage is reached where the ated at the fault will be minimal. This current flow
reading becomes unstable or drops with a dramat- back through the earth can also cause a rise in
ic increase in current, it is considered to be bad. potential of any metallic structures mounted in the
This test should be done initially as described in ground and a difference in potential on the sur-
Section I to help establish that the cable is actually face.
bad and then to gain some information on the
fault condition. A quick check can also be done Ground
after repair to be sure there is not another fault If the surge generator safety ground is connected
and to check workmanship on the splice. properly, the ground mode absolutely and posi-
tively grounds and discharges the surge genera-
The burn mode is used when the fault will not tors capacitor and the cable under test. After
flashover at the maximum available voltage of the turning the main power switch off, which dis-
surge generator. This condition is due to the elec- charges the capacitor and cable through a resistor,
trical characteristics of the fault that may be always move the mode switch to ground before
altered by applying voltage to the cable until the removing test leads.
fault breaks down and then supplying
current flow. This causes conditioning
or additional damage at the fault loca- Surge Generator
tion that in turn decreases the fault
resistance and reduces voltage
required for breakdown.
When applied to paper-insulated
cable, the insulation actually burns Shock Wave
and becomes charred, permanently
altering the fault characteristics. As
applied to XLPE cable, heat produced
by arcing at the fault can soften the
insulation but when arcing is stopped
the insulation returns to a solid condi- Fault
tion without changing its characteris-
tics drastically. Burning can be effec- Figure 37: Acoustic shock wave from arcing fault
tive on a splice failure or a water filled
fault.
SINGLE POINT GROUNDING A signal coupler must be added to the surge gen-
For safety, always use the single point grounding erator to provide the additional capability of using
scheme as shown in Figure 38 when using a surge the surge pulse reflection method of prelocation.
generator. When making or removing connections See Figure 39. The coupler can be an inductive or
to a cable always follow your companys safety capacitive type that is used to pick up reflections
rules and regulations. on the cable and send them to the DART Analyzer.
Both types of couplers work effectively and the
Check the isolated cable for voltage and ground it. only difference is that the captured wave shapes
Connect the surge generator safety ground to the vary slightly.
ground rod at the transformer, switch cabinet or
pole. Next, connect the high-voltage return lead to An arc reflection filter is necessary to provide the
the shield or neutral as close as possible to the capability of using the arc reflection method. This
high-voltage connection. Leave the neutral filter allows a TDR developing 10 to 20 volt pulses
grounded at both ends of the cable. Finally, con- to be connected to the same cable that is also
nect the high-voltage test lead to the phase con- being surged at 10,000 volts. The filter also does
ductor. When removing test leads, use the oppo- some pulse routing to make sure both high- and
site sequence by removing the high voltage, high low-voltage pulses are sent down the cable under
voltage return and lastly the safety ground. The test. The primary purpose of the filter is to allow
local ground is only required if company safety the TDR or analyzer to look down the cable while
procedures demand it. The safest and lowest resist- it is being surged and, of course, to allow this
ance safety ground connection is system neutral while not destroying the analyzer in the process.
which will keep the equipment at zero volts in the The filter may also contain the coupler necessary
case of a backfeed. to provide surge pulse capability.
There are two types of arc reflection filters, induc-
ARC REFLECTION FILTERS AND COUPLERS tive and resistive. Both types are placed in the cir-
In order to reduce the cable exposure to high volt- cuit between the surge generator and the cable
age surging and thereby avoid the possibility of under test. The inductive filter, as shown in Figure
setting the cable up for future failures, some 39, uses a choke that slows the surge generator
method of fault prelocation should be used. The pulse down, extending it over time. This makes the
surge pulse and arc reflection methods of preloca- arc at the fault last longer and reflects more TDR
tion have been used for many years. In order to pulses, providing a higher probability that a down-
use either method, additional equipment is ward going reflection will be captured. The induc-
required including a DART Analysis System as dis- tance of the choke also blocks the TDR pulses from
cussed in detail in Section VI.
High voltage
High-voltage return
Safety ground
Local ground
(supplemental)
Arc Reflection
Analyzer
When it is assumed that the resistance of a uni- mostly on network lead paper cables. Electromag-
form conductor is linear and proportional to its netic detection methods are used with a surge
length, and the total length of the cable section generator which provides the impulse of current
under test is L, the distance to the fault, Lx, is cal- necessary to produce the strong electromagnetic
culated as follows: field required to make the method practical.
Lx = 2L RB1/RB2 Since the current impulse is polarized, the field is
also polarized which gives the method much of its
When using the Murray Loop method the series
usefulness. An iron core sheath coil with a second-
resistance and length of the good phase and fault-
ary winding will induce a polarized output when
ed phase must be identical. If the resistances are
subjected to this field. When a zero center
different, as would exist if one phase contains a
microammeter is connected to the sheath coil sec-
splice and not the other, the resulting accuracy is
ondary winding, the direction of the net electro-
drastically affected. This is a localizing method not
magnetic field can be determined. This characteris-
a pinpointing method. Figure 44 illustrates the
tic allows a determination of whether the fault is
practical application of an instrument that
ahead of or behind the detector. See Figures 45
combines a TDR and Murray Loop Bridge in one
and 46. Since the sheath coil is polarized, and to
instrument.
maintain consistent information, always place the
coil with arrow on top pointing toward the surge
Electromagnetic Surge Detection generator.
Electromagnetic surge detection techniques have
been used to localize faults on power cable for Single Phase, Coaxial Power Cable with Neutral
more than 50 years. Theoretically, the methods can Bridges Over the Splices
be used to locate faults on many types of power
Electromagnetic detection methods can be used to
cable but they are generally used only to identify
locate faults on coaxial cable systems with access
faulted sections of cable in conduit or duct and
points such as manholes, cabinets, and
pull boxes as shown in Figure 45. When
the cable system is designed with neutral
bridges over the splices, the pickup coil is
placed directly on the cable under the
Shorting neutral. The current impulse produced
Jumper
by a surge generator will produce a
Fault strong polarized indication as it passes
through the phase conductor and the
direction of the current impulse can be
determined. As long as a strong positive-
ly polarized electromagnetic field can be
sensed, the fault is located in the portion
Figure 44: Application of Bridge/TDR of cable still ahead. Since the phase con-
ductor is isolated at the far end, the cur-
rent impulse flows through the fault and
-
then back to the surge generator
- 0
+ 0
+
through the neutral. Either a weak or no
electromagnetic field will be sensed past
Access #1 Access #2 the location of the fault. Therefore, it is
Strong Field Weak Field possible to determine in which direction
the fault is located.
If the sheath coil is placed over the neu-
tral, the electromagnetic field produced
by the current impulse in the conductor
Fault is balanced exactly by the return current
back through the neutral and the meter
provides no indication and stays at zero.
Figure 45: Coaxial power cable with neutral bridges over the When bonded grounds are present in a
splices
system such as usually found in paper-insulated, phase cable will generate a stronger magnetic
lead-covered cable (PILC) construction, it may be field at the cable surface closest to the faulted
possible to use a fault locating technique involving phase. When the detector is placed at various posi-
electromagnetic detectors, even though the pickup tions around the cable ahead of the fault, the
coil must be placed over the leaded neutral. readings will vary in magnitude. When the detec-
tor is placed at various positions around the cable
Single-Phase PILC Cable with Bonded Grounds in in the first manhole past the fault, all readings will
Conduit be the same. Note that almost all of the current
As shown in Figure 46, this method only applies to pulse returns to the surge generator through the
circuits with good bonded grounds at every man- neutral at the fault site. A small amount of surge
hole location as commonly provided in network current passes through the neutral past the fault
systems. Without bonded grounds, the surge cur- and out of the next bonded ground. This small
rent through the phase conductor is exactly the current finds its way back to the surge generator
same magnitude as the return surge current from earth through the bonded grounds ahead of
through the neutral. With bonded grounds, the the fault.
current impulse through the phase conductor
is slightly greater than the returning surge
current in the neutral. This differential is
Surge current to Thumper
caused by the small amount of surge current First manhole in system First manhole after fault
that flows through the neutral beyond the
fault and into earth through the bonded
Fault
ground at the next manhole and back to the
surge generator through the bonded grounds
before the fault. See Figure 46. No current
flows through the second bonded ground
after the fault. When relative readings are
taken with the sheath coil placed on the Surge Current from Thumper
cable both before and after the fault, they
will all be positive. Readings taken on the Figure 46: Electromagnetic detection in single-phase PILC
conductor before the fault will almost always cable with bonded grounds
be noticeably higher in magnitude than those
after the fault. However, the difference is
often too small to instill confidence
in the cable fault location. More
importantly, readings taken on the Cross section of cable at last Cross section of cable at first
bonded grounds before the fault manhole before the fault manhole after the fault
will become progressively higher as
the faulted section is approached. Sensor position 1 (Strong) All Detector positions
Fault to detect the same strength
Also, the reading taken on the neutral
Phase 1 being surged
bonded ground in the first manhole
after the fault will also be high.
Readings taken on the bonded
ground in the second and succeed-
ing manholes after the fault will be
zero. This process allows the faulted
section of cable can be identified.
Three-phase PILC
Sensor position 4 (Weak)
Strange as it may seem at first, it is First bonded ground after fault
Sensor position 3 (Weak)
usually easier to locate a fault in Sensor position 2 (Strong) First bonded ground in system
three-phase PILC coaxial cable than
in single phase. See Figure 47. The
current pulse from a surge genera- Figure 47: Electromagnetic detection of faults on three-phase power
tor through one phase of a three- cable
DART ANALYZER/HIGH-VOLTAGE
RADAR R
BIDDLE R DART R
ANALYSIS SYSTEM
BIDDLE R DART R
ANALYSIS SYSTEM
Tee splice
down the cable. High Resistance Fault to Neutral
Open End
Current Coupler
HV dc
Test Set
Distance to Fault
Fault
Fault
produced at the fault to travel to the acoustic phones are no longer necessary and the measure-
pickup and is displayed in milliseconds. As the ments will lead the operator directly to the fault.
fault is approached, this time interval decreases to The receiver also measures and displays a digital
a minimum directly over the fault and increases value of the sound level, which typically increases
again as the fault is passed. The time never goes as the fault is approached. By using the Save func-
to zero because there is always the depth of the tion in the unit, two sets of time and sound level
cable between the pickup and the fault. This tech- values can be saved and displayed while observing
nique relies on the elapsed time between the two the current values which confirms that the direc-
events, not simply the loudness of the sound and tion being taken is correct.
thereby eliminates the problems of accurate pin- The SD-3000 provides information on its liquid
pointing even under difficult conditions. crystal display, which will efficiently and quickly
If two acoustic pickups are used, the receiver guide the operator to within inches of the exact
makes dual measurements and indicates with an fault location:
arrow on the display which direction to move Intensity of the surge impulse.
toward the fault. As the fault is approached, the
tail on the arrow becomes shorter until the fault is Elapsed time between the impulse and thump.
passed when the direction of the arrow reverses.
Magnitude of the sound.
At this point, small movements of the pickups are
made. When they actually straddle the fault, two Direction and relative distance to the fault.
arrowheads appear pointed toward each other.
Figure 55 shows typical displays of the SD-3000.
Once the instrument hears the thump, head-
MUTE MUTE
TM
MUTE
SURGE DETECTOR SURGE DETECTOR
Fault
Impulse
Elapsed Time 1. 9ms 2. 5 3. 9 1. 0ms 1. 5 1. 9 1. 9ms 2. 5 3. 9
Sound 29 25 19 59 39 29 29 25 19
Direction & Distance
Transmitter
450 850 000 400
DC 0 0 0 0
Transmitter
L1070 Locator
BIDDLE
R
R
Portable
TM
Voltage Drop
Voltage Drop
Current Flow
Current Flow
Megger offers solutions for finding cable faults with its comprehensive line of Power Fault Locating
(PFL) systems designed specifically for performing maintenance on underground residential
distribution systems (URDs). Each Megger PFL System includes a power fault locator with your choice
of mounting options and capabilities, and an advanced control device (the DART Cable Analyzer)
featuring many useful improvements. In addition to Power Fault Locating systems, Megger offers test
equipment for various telecommunications applications.
An overview of the various products available is described below. For more information on these and
the many other Megger products, please contact us at (800) 723-2861. Or visit our web site
www.megger.com for the most up-to-date news, product and service information24 hours a day.
UNDERGROUND UTILITY LOCATING AND Split Box Pipe and Cable Locator
TRACING EQUIPMENT Energized or de-energized lines tracing
FAULT FINDING
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