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Field Test Procedure For Protective Relays
1. Relay Settings
At all new protective relay installations, the relays should be adjusted in accordance with the settings given in the relay data sheets, after which, tests should be made to determine if the actual operating characteristics check with the adjustments made. The Denver Office, Facilities Engineering Branch, must be advised of field changes of relay settings that become necessary from time to time as system operating conditions change to permit coordination with the Division of Design on future designs or revisions. Relays and relay settings are not to be changed from what is indicated on current issues of relay data sheets unless authorized by regional or project personnel with the proper responsibility.
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2. Applying Revised Relay Settings
It is necessary to revise relay settings upward from time to time at many stations in preparation for anticipated increased unit output or line loading. At such times it may also be necessary to make corresponding changes in backup protective equipment in order to maintain coordination. Under these conditions, the changes in the backup relays should be made first so that coordination will not be lost during the period between beginning and completion of tests. This would apply whenever increased backup relay settings accompany changes in first-line protective equipment.
One case has been brought to our attention where new settings were applied to line relays but, because of lack of time, the backup ground relay was not reset until the following day. In the meantime, a fault occurred on the line, and the entire station was interrupted because the coordination had been lost. If the backup ground relay had been reset before settings were changed on line breaker relays, this interruption would not have occurred.
In a few rare cases relay settings may be revised downward at a station; and, in such cases, the opposite sequence must be followed in order to maintain coordination. When relay settings are revised downward, apply the new settings to the line breakers first and to the backup relays last.
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3. New Installations
Before placing a new installation into operation, polarity of instrument transformers and the wiring to the relays should be checked. In some cases, the manufacturer’s polarity marking has been found to be incorrect. New relays should be inspected carefully and all blocking put in by the manufacturer removed. The test man should read instruction books furnished by the manufacturer to become familiar with construction and operating principle of the relays.
A sufficient number of initial operations should be made by manually operating relay contacts to make sure that all devices which should be operated by the relay, function freely and properly, including auxiliary contacts and targets within the relay. Breaker trip coils and other devices operated by the relay should be checked to see that proper operation is obtained at voltages considerably below normal (approximately 56 percent of normal voltage for breaker trip coils). The voltage drop in trip circuits and tripping current required should be checked. Factory adjustments on relays, other than taps, or other adjusting devices intended for customary adjustment should not be changed unless tests show that factory adjustments have been disturbed, in which case the manufacturers’ instruction books should be followed.
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4. Testing Equipment Required
A good set of testing equipment and relay tools are important. Several manufacturers now produce portable relay test sets that will provided excellent results. If not available on the project, most of the equipment necessary can be borrowed from the Denver Office for making relay tests.
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5. Testing Precautions
Before starting to test any relay on equipment in service, the person testing should become familiar with the relays and the circuits involved. Where test blocks are used, the person testing must make sure that in removing or inserting plugs that a current transformer circuit will not be opened, resulting in a voltage being built up which may be dangerous to personnel, property, or equipment, or cause an important circuit to trip out. In old installations where test blocks are not available, current transformer circuits must be short circuited by jumpers having reliable clamping devices which will not come loose, before the relay current circuit is opened.
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6. Frequency Of Testing
It is recommended that protective and auxiliary relays be given a complete calibration test and inspection at least once a year. This schedule, however, sometimes cannot be met due to existing workloads and available manpower with the result that routine calibration tests intervals of many relays are longer than a year.
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7. Test Records
A complete record should be kept of all test data and observations made during tests and inspections, including identifying numbers of test equipment used.
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8. Annual Inspection
All relays shall be given an annual inspection. This inspection should include the following:
- A visual inspection should be made of all relays on a terminal including the tripping auxiliaries and accessories. Any drawout type relay should be withdrawn from its case for a closeup examination. All other, including auxiliaries, should at least have covers removed. Included in this visual inspection should be a check for loose connections, broken studs, burned insulation, and dirty contacts. Each relay should be checked to be in agreement with its setting sheet. On some distance relays it may have been necessary to set the taps on something other than specified values in order to get proper calibration. Because of this, it may also be necessary to check the taps against the last calibration test report.
- A test trip should be made of all relay systems. All relay elements which initiate some protective function should be checked. This includes reclosing, carrier starting, or any similar type function. After proving that tripping relays will successfully trip the circuit breaker and that all reclosing schemes work, continuity checks should be used, where applicable, to complete the checkout of the circuit breaker trip circuits.
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9. Test Procedures
Tests to be performed during routine maintenance are determined by the type of relay to be tested. The following tests should be included for all electromechanical relays.
- A visual inspection of the relay cover can reveal valuable information. Any excessive dust, dirt, or. metallic material deposited on the cover should be noted and removed, thus preventing such material from entering the relay when the cover is removed. A cover glass which is fogged should be cleaned. Fogging is in most cases a normal condition due to volatile materials being driven out of coils and insulating materials, and is not an indication of a problem. However if fogging appears excessive, since most relays are designed to operate in ambient temperatures not exceeding 40EC (104EF), a further check of the ambient temperature would be in order. Voltage and current supplied to the relay should be checked and compared with the name plate or instruction book ratings. Should evidence of overheating be found, the insulation should be checked for embrittlement and, where necessary, replaced. Removal of the connection plug in drawout relays may reveal evidence of severe fault currents or contaminated atmospheres, either of which may indicate the advisability of a change in maintenance schedule. The condition of the relay contacts can be equally revealing.
- Mechanical adjustments and inspection should be made according to instructions shown following:
- Check to see that all connections are tight. Several loose connections could indicate excessive vibration which should be corrected.
- All gaps should be checked that they are freeof foreign material. If foreign material is found in the relay, the case gasket should be checked and replaced if necessary.
- All contact or armature gaps should bemeasured and values compared with previous measurements. Large variations in these measurements may indicate excessive wear, and worn parts should be replaced. Also an adjusting screw could have worked loose and must be tightened. All of this information should be noted on the test record.
- All contacts except those not recom-mended for maintenance should be burnished, and measured for alignment and wipe.
- Since checking bearings or pivotsusually involves dismantling the relay, it is recommended that such a test be made only when the relay appears to be extremely dirty, or when subsequent electrical tests indicate undue friction.
- Electrical tests and adjustments should be made according to the instructions shown following:
- Contact function.-Manually close oropen the contacts, and observe that they perform their required function; such as trip, reclose, or block.
- Pickup.-Gradually apply current or voltage to see that pickup is within limits. The current or voltage should be applied gradually in order to yield data which can be compared with previous or future tests and not be clouded by such effects as transient overreach.
- Dropout or reset.-To test for excessfriction, reduce current until the relay drops out or resets. Should the relay be sluggish in resetting or fail to reset, then the jewel bearing and pivot should be examined. A four power magnification is adequate for examining the pivot, and the jewel bearing can be examined with the aid of a needle which will reveal any cracks in it. If dirt is the problem, the jewel can be cleaned with an orange stick and the pivot can be wiped clean with a soft, lint free cloth. No lubricant should be used on either the jewel or pivot.
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10. Auxiliary Relays
In addition to tests described in paragraph 9, auxiliary relays employing devices for time delay (for example, capacitors) should have an operating time test performed (either pickup or dropout, whichever is applicable).
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11. Time Overcurrent And Time-Overvoltage Relays
All tests described in paragraph 9 should be performed for time-overcurrent and time-over-voltage relays where applicable. These types of relays should always be tested in the case in order to duplicate “in-service” conditions or to match published curves since the relay case normally acts as a shunt for flux that the electromagnetic iron circuit cannot handle due to saturation.
Testing the relay out of the case will also produce results that would not check previous tests or future tests since changes in test conditions, such as being near a steel cabinet, will change results obtained if the relay is tested out of the case. The first electrical test made on the relay should be a pickup test. Pickup is defined as that value of current or voltage which will just close the relay contacts from the
0.5 time-dial position. Allowing for such things asmeter differences and interpretations of readings, this value should be within ± 5 percent of previous data.
One or two points on the time-current curve are generally sufficient for maintenance purposes. Reset the relay to the original time-dial setting and check at two points such as 3 and 5 times pickup. Always use the same points for comparison with previous tests.
The instantaneous unit should be checked for pickup using gradually applied current. Whenever possible, current should be applied only to the instantaneous unit to avoid overheating the time unit. The target seal-in unit should also be tested using gradually applied current. The main unit contacts must be blocked closed for this test.
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12. Directional Overcurrent Relays
In addition to tests recommended for the overcurrent relay, the directional unit of the directional overcurrent relay should be tested for minimum pickup, angle of maximum torque, contact gap, and clutch pressure. A test should also be made to check that the overcurrent unit operates only when the directional unit contacts are closed.
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13. Distance Relays
When testing distance relays, tests should be made of pickup, angle of maximum torque, contact gap, and clutch pressure, in addition to the tests described in paragraph 9. (See appendix C for adjustment of Westinghouse Type KD relays).
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14. Differential Relays
A test of minimum pickup should be performed for differential relays. The differential characteristic (slope) should be checked, and where applicable, the harmonic restraint should be tested. Differential relays using ultrasensitive polarized units as sensing devices are slightly affected by previous history, such as heavy internal or external fault currents. It is therefore recommended that for this type of relay two pickup readings be taken and the second reading be the one that is used for comparison with previous and future tests.
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15. Static Relays
Static relays should be tested in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations given in relay instruction books. As there are no moving parts in static relays, there is no physical wear due to usage and no need for lubricants. Prime causes of failure in electronic components are heat, vibration, and moisture. Overheating can be caused by voltage transients, current surges, excessive power, or high ambient temperature.
Vibration can loosen or break leads and connections and can crack component casings or insulation resulting in equipment failure. Moisture can result in corrosion of metallic elements which can result in circuit discontinuities, poor contact, or shorts. Preventive maintenance of static relays should be directed toward removing causes of failure listed above by doing the following:
- Keep equipment clean by periodic vacuuming or blowing out of dirt, dust, and other surface contaminants.
- Keep the equipment dry and protectedagainst moisture and corrosion.
- Inspect to see that all connections, leads,and contacts are tight and free as possible from effects of vibration.
- Check to see that there is adequateventilation to conduct heat away efficiently.
Preventive measures should not be applied unnecessarily as this may contribute to failures. For example, printed circuit cards should not be pulled from their racks to be inspected if there is no real need. Operating test switches unnecessarily may introduce damaging voltage transients.
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16. Portable Relay Panels
Particular attention should be given to relays mounted on portable relay panels as these relays are subjected to more rough handling than those permanently installed on a switchboard. Therefore, whenever a portable panel of relays is installed, they should be thoroughly checked physically as well as electrically. If they are in bad condition, they should be repaired, or new relays installed before they are placed in service.
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17. Circuit Burden Measurements For CT’S
When CT circuits are modified such as by addition of relays, meters, or auxiliary CT’s, measurements should be taken to determine the burden of the overall CT secondary circuit. These measurements should normally be on a phase-to-neutral basis. Measurements should be made at three current levels, such as 1, 3, and 5, while recording volts, amps, and phase angle. When auxiliary CT’s are involved, additional and separate measurements should be taken on the secondary circuit of the auxiliary CT’s.
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18. Excitation Curves For CT’S
Auxiliary CT’s tend to saturate at much less secondary current and burden than large multi-ratio bushing type CT’s. Excitation curves should be available on all CT’s, especially on auxiliary CT’s used in protective relaying circuits (fig. 1). Such curves can be derived by open-circuiting the primary, and driving the secondary with a 60-Hertz source while measuring voltage and current. Readings should be taken up to two times rated secondary current or to the point where voltage applied is 1500 volts.
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19. Grounding CT And PT Circuits
The CT and PT circuits should be grounded at only one point. Relay misoperations can be caused by grounding the neutral at two points, such as one ground at the switchyard and another at the relay panel. At least once every 3 years with the primary deenergized, the known ground should be removed and the overall circuits should be checked for additional grounds and insulation breakdowns.
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20. Open-Secondary Circuits
WARNING: Secondary circuits of CT’s must not be open while primary current flows.
Extreme care should be taken to avoid breaking the secondary circuit while primary current is flowing. If the secondary is open-circuited the primary current raises core flux density to saturation and induces a high voltage in the secondary which can endanger human life, and can damage connected apparatus and leads. If it is necessary to change secondary conditions while primary current is flowing, the secondary terminals must be short-circuited while the change is being made. Caution should be exercised when working with differential circuits as shorting a current transformer in an energized differential relaying circuit could result in a relay operation.
It is recommended that the secondaries of all current transformers be kept short-circuited at all times when not installed in a circuit such as being held in stock or being transported.
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21. Tempererature Relays
Temperature relays used on bearings and for other important purposes should be checked for correct operation by placing the bulb in a pail of water with a thermometer, and gradually heating to the temperature at which the relay is set to operate. A mercury or alcohol thermometer should be used to read the temperature while the water is being stirred.
Record temperature at which the relay operates on increasing temperature and at which it resets on falling temperature. Temperature relays operating from RTD’s (resistance temperature detectors) should be checked by heating the detectors slowly in an enclosed air space since they should not be immersed in water or other liquid.
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22. Pressure Relays
Pressure relays should be checked for correct operation by comparing with an accurate pressure gage. Pressure should be increased and decreased to determine the pressure at which the relay operates and resets. The above does not apply to sudden pressure relays, which should be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
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Related articles
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Maintenance Of High Voltage Circuit Breakers
Most manufacturers recommend complete inspections, external and internal, at intervals of from 6 to 12 months.
Experience has shown that a considerable expense is involved, some of which may be unnecessary, in adhering to the manufacturer’s recommendations of in ternal inspections at 6 to 12 month intervals. With proper external checks, part of the expense, delay, and labor of internal inspections may be avoided without sacrifice of dependability.
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Inspection schedule for new breakers
A temporary schedule of frequent inspections is necessary after the erection of new equipment, the modification or modernization of old equipment, or the replication of old equipment under different condi tions.
The temporary schedule is required to Correct internal defects which ordinarily appear in the first year of service and to correlate external check procedures with internal conditions as a basis for more conservative maintenance program thereafter. Assuming that a circuit breaker shows no serious defects at the early complete inspections and no heavy interrupting duty is imposed, the following inspection schedule is recommended:
| .6 months after erection | .Complete inspection and adjustment |
| .12 months after .previous inspection | .Complete inspection and adjustment |
| .12 months after .previous inspection | .Complete inspection and adjustment |
| .12 months after .previous inspection | .External checks and inspection; if checks are .satisfactory, no internal inspection |
| .12 months after .previous inspection | .Complete inspection and adjustment |
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Inspection schedule for existing breakers
The inspection schedule should be based by the interrupting duty imposed on the breaker. It is advisable to make a complete internal inspection after the first severe fault interruption. If internal conditions are satisfactory, progressively more fault interruptions may be allowed before an internal inspection is made. Average experience indicates that up to five fault interruptions are allowable between inspections on 230 kV and above circuit breakers, and up to 10 fault interruptions are allowable on circuit breakers rated under 230 kV.
Normally, no more than 2 years should elapse between external in spections or 4 years between internal inspections.
External Inspection Guide
The following items should be included in an external inspection of a high-voltage breaker.
- Visually inspect PCB externals and operating mechanism. The tripping latches should be examined with spe cial care since small errors in adjustments and clearances and roughness of the latching surfaces may cause the breaker to fail to latch properly or increase the force neces sary to trip the breaker to such an extent that electrical tripping will not always be successful, especially if the tripping voltage is low. Excessive “opening” spring pressure can cause excessive friction at the tripping latch and should be avoided. Also, some extra pressure against the tripping latch may be caused by the electro magnetic forces due to flow of heavy short-circuit currents through the breaker.
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Lubrication of the bearing surfaces of the operating mechanism should be made as recommended in the manufacturer’s instruction book, but excessive lubrication should be avoided as oily surfaces collect dust and grit and get stiff in cold weather, resulting in excessive friction.
. - Check oil dielectric strength and color for oil breakers. The dielectric strength must be maintained to pre vent internal breakdown under voltage surges and to enable the interrupter to function properly since its action depends upon changing the internal arc path from a fair conductor to a good insulator in the short interval while the current is passing through zero. Manufacturer’s instructions state the lowest allowable dielectric strength for the various circuit break ers. It is advisable to maintain the dielectric strength above 20 kV even though some manufacturer’s instructions allow 16 kV.
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If the oil is carbonized, filtering may remove the suspended particles, but the interrupters, bushings, etc., must be wiped clean. If the dielectric strength is lowered by moisture, an inspection of the fiber and wood parts is advisable and the source of the moisture should be corrected. For these reasons, it is rarely worthwhile to filter the oil in a circuit breaker while it is in service.
. - Observe breaker operation under load.
. - Operate breaker manually and electrically and observe for malfunc tion. The presence of excessive friction in the tripping mechanism and the margin of safety in the tripping function should be determined by making a test of the minimum voltage required to trip the breaker. This can be accomplished by connecting a switch and rheostat in series in the trip-coil circuit at the breaker (across the terminals to the remote control switch) and a voltmeter across the trip coil. Staring with not over 50 percent of rated trip-coil voltage, gradually in crease the voltage until the trip-coil plunger picks up and successfully trips the breaker and record the mini mum tripping voltage. Most breakers should trip at about 56 percent of rated trip-coil voltage.
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The trip-coil re sistance should be measured and compared with the factor test value to disclose shorted turns.
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Most modern breakers have trip coils which will overheat or burn out if left energized for more than a short pe riod. An auxiliary switch is used in series with the coil to open the circuit as soon as the breaker has closed. The auxiliary switch must be properly adjusted and successfully break the arc without damage to the contacts.
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Tests should also be made to deter mine the minimum voltage which will close the breaker and the closing coil resistance.
. - Trip breaker from protective relays.
. - Check operating mechanism adjustments. Measurements of the mechanical clearances of the operating mechanism associated with the tank or pole should be made. Appre ciable variation between the value found and the setting when erected or after the last maintenance overhaul is erected or after the last maintenance overhaul is usually an indication of mechanical trouble. Temperature and difference of temperature between different parts of the mechanism effect the clearances some. The manufacturers’ recommended tolerances usually allow for these effects.
. - Doble test bushings and breaker.
. - Measure contact resistance. As long as no foreign material is present, the contact resistance of high-pres- sure, butt-type contacts is practically independent of surface condition. Nevertheless, measurement of the electrical resistance between external bushing terminals of each pole may be regarded as the final “proof of the pudding.” Any abnormal increase in the resistance of this circuit may be an indication of foreign material in contacts, contact loose in support, loose jumper, or loose bushing connection. Any one of these may cause localized heating and deterioration.
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The amount of heat above normal may be readily calculated from the increase in resistance and the current.Resistance of the main contact cir cuits can be most conveniently measured with a portable double bridge (Kelvin) or a “Ducter.” The breaker contacts should not be opened during this test because of possible damage to the test equipment.
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Table 1 gives maximum contact resistances for typical classes of breakers.
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. - Make time-travel or motion-analyzer records. Circuit breaker motion an alyzers are portable devices designed to monitor the operation of power circuit breakers which permit mechanical coupling of the motion an alyzer to the circuit breaker operating rod. These include high-voltage and extra- high-voltage dead tank and SF6 breakers and low-voltage air and vac uum circuit breakers.
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Motion analyzers can provide graphic records of close or open initiation signals, contact closing or opening time with respect to initiation signals, contact movement and velocity, and contact bounce or rebound. The records obtained not only indicated when mechanical difficulties are present but also help isolate the cause of the difficulties. It is preferable to obtain a motion-analyzer record on a breaker when it is first installed. This will provide a master record which can be filed and used for comparison with future maintenance checks.
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Tripping and closing voltages should be re corded on the master record so subsequent tests can be performed under comparable conditions. Time-travel records are taken on the pole nearest the operating mecha nism to avoid the inconsistencies due to linkage vibration and slack in the remote phases..
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Internal Inpection Guide – Lines
An internal inspection should include all items listed for an external inspection, plus the breaker tanks or contact heads should be opened and the contacts nd interrupting parts should be inspected. These guidelines are not intended to be a complete list of breaker maintenance but are intended to provide an idea of the scope of each inspection.
A specific checklist should be developed in the field for each type of inspection for each circuit breaker maintained.
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Typical Internal Breaker Problems
The following difficulties should be looked for during internal breaker inspections:
- Tendency for keys, bolts (espe- cially fiber), cotter pins, etc, to come loose.
- Tendency for wood operating rods, supports, or guides to come loose from clamps or mountings.
- Tendency for carbon or sludge to form and accumulate in interrupter or on bushings.
- Tendency for interrupter to flash over and rupture static shield or resis tor.
- Tendency for interrupter parts or barriers to burn or erode.
- Tendency for bushing gaskets to leak moisture into breaker insulating material.
Fortunately, these difficulties are most likely to appear early in the use of a breaker and would be disclosed by the early internal inspections. As unsatis factory internal conditions are corrected and after one or two inspections show the internal conditions to be satisfactory, the frequency of internal inspections may safely be decreased.
Influence Of Duty Imposed
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Influence of light duty
Internal inspection of a circuit breaker which has had no interruption duty or switching since the previous inspection will not be particularly beneficial although it will not be a total loss. If the breaker has been energized, but open, erosion in the form or irregular grooves (called tracking) on the inner surface of the interrupter or shields may appear due to electrostatic charging current. This is usually aggravated by a deposit of carbon sludge which has previously been generated by some interrupting operation.
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If the breaker has remained closed and carrying current, evidence of heating of the contacts may be found if the contact surfaces were not clean, have oxidized, or if the contact pressure was improper. Any shrinkage and loosening of wood or fiber parts (due to loss of absorbed moisture into the dry oil) will take place following erection, whether the breaker is operated or not. Mechanical operation, however, will make any loosening more evident. It is worthwhile to deliberately impose several switching operations on the breaker before inspection if possible. If this is impossible, some additional information may be gained by operating the breaker several times after it is deenergized, measuring the contact resistance of each pole initially and after each operation.
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Influence of normal duty
The relative severity of duty imposed by load switching, line dropping, and fault interruptions depends upon the type of circuit breaker involved. In circuit breakers which employ an oil blast generated by the power arc, the interruption of light faults or the interruption of line charging current may cause more deterioration than the interruption of heavy faults within the rating of the breaker because of low oil pressure. In some designs using this basic principle of interruption, distress at light interrupting duty is minimized by multiple breaks, rapid contact travel, and turbulence of the oil caused by movement of the contact and mech anism.
In designs employing a mechanically driven piston to supple ment the arc-driven oil blast, the performance is more uniform. Still more uniform performance is usually yielded by designs which depend for arc interruption upon an oil blast driven by mechanical means. In the latter types, erosion of the contacts may appear only with heavy interruptions. The mechanical stresses which accompany heavy interruptions are always more severe.
These variations of characteristic performance among various designs must be considered when judging the need for maintenance from the service records and when judging the performance of a breaker from evidence on inspection. Because of these variations, the practice of evaluating each fault interruption as equivalent to 100 no-load operations, employed by some companies, is necessarily very approximate although it may be a useful guide in the absence of any other information.
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Influence of severe duty
Erosion of the contacts and damage from severe mechanical stresses may occur during large fault interruption. The most reliable indication of the stress to which a circuit breaker is subjected during fault interruptions is afforded by automatic oscillograph records. Deterioration of the circuit breaker may be assumed to be proportional to the energy dissipated in the breaker during the interruption.
The energy dissipated is approximately proportional to the current and the duration of arcing; that is, the time from parting of the contacts to interruption of the current. However, the parting of contacts is not always evident on the oscillograms, and it is sometimes necessary to determine this from indicated relay time and the known time for breaker contacts to part. Where automatic oscillograph records are available, they may be as useful in guiding oil circuit breaker maintenance as in showing relay and system performance.
Where automatic oscillographs are not available, a very approximate, but nevertheless useful, indication of fault duty imposed on the circuit breakers may be obtained from relay operation targets and accompanying system conditions. All such data should be tabulated in the circuit breaker maintenance file.
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SOURCE: HYDROELECTRIC RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL SERVICES GROUP
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