Gas Insulated Substation Testing

and Application

Course No: E02-020

Credit: 2 PDH

Velimir Lackovic, Char. Eng.

Continuing Education and Development, Inc.

9 Greyridge Farm Court
Stony Point, NY 10980

P: (877) 322-5800
F: (877) 322-4774

[email protected]
partition is made for. Partitions will also be checked to the dielectric withstand
capability and a sensitive partial discharge measurement.

On-Site Field Verification

Commonly, a gas insulated substation is only partially assembled in the factory. Major
elements of a GIS installation are occasionally produced in various factories in
different countries, sometimes by various manufacturers, and sent directly to the job
site. The final assembly of the gas insulated substation is then done at the site, where
all the different elements that comprise a GIS installation meet for the first time. Even
if the gas insulated substation could be totally assembled in one factory, it would still
need to be disassembled for shipment, shipped, and then reassembled at the site. The
purpose of the field checks is to confirm that all the GIS elements work satisfactorily,
both electrically and mechanically, after assembly at the job site. The verifications give
a method of demonstrating that the GIS equipment has been assembled and wired
correctly and will work satisfactorily.

Gas Leakage and Gas Quality (Moisture, Purity, and Density)

After processing and filling each gas chamber to the manufacturer’s demanded
nominal rated filling density and checking the density value, the assembled gas
insulated substation has to be tested. An initial verification is done to discover any and
all gas leaks and ensure compliance with the defined maximum gas leak rate. These
gas leak tests have to include all enclosure flanges, welds of containers, and all gas
monitoring elements, gas valves, and interconnecting gas piping that have been
assembled at the job site.

The gas moisture content gas in each chamber has to be measured directly after
installation and again at least five days after final filling. These verifications are to make
sure that the moisture content does not surpass the defined maximum limits. The
second test after five days is needed to take into account the possibility of moisture
from elements internal to the GIS. The gas purity in each gas chamber needs to be
measured directly after installation. These verifications are to make sure that any gas
impurities (mostly air) does not surpass the defined maximum limits.
Electrical Verifications: Contact Resistance

Contact resistance measurements of the main current carrying circuits has to be done
on each bus connecting joint, circuit breaker, disconnect switch, earthing switch,
bushing, and power cable connection to show and check that the resistance values
are within defined requirements. Because the metallic container inhibits accessibility
to current carrying elements, it is not typically possible to assess the resistance of
individual elements. Hence, the resistance readings are obtained for few elements
connected in series. These field measurements can then be cross compared to the
expected resistance values provided by the manufacturer as a basis for checking
acceptable test results at the site.

Contact resistance measurements also need to be done on the GIS enclosure bonding
connections, in situations where an isolated (single) phase bus is being used.

Electrical Verifications: AC Voltage Withstand

The gaseous and solid insulation of the gas insulated substation has to be exposed to
an AC voltage withstand test. Due to the big capacitance variations of various GIS
installations, it is often that a variable frequency hi-pot test unit is applied. The variable
frequency high potential unit can create low frequency (30 Hz to 300 Hz) voltage
applications at magnitudes and durations defined in standards. This one-minute low
frequency voltage withstand verification is done at 80% of the rated low frequency
withstand voltage done in the manufacturer’s factory. A conditioning voltage
application sequence, with magnitude and durations determined by the manufacturer,
should precede the defined one-minute withstand test. The intention of the
conditioning verification is to drive any small particles, if they exist, to low electric field
intensity locations such as particle traps.

The objective of these high voltage verifications is to check that the elements of the
gas insulated substation have survived transport, have been assembled correctly, that
no extraneous material has been left inside the chambers, and that the GIS installation
can withstand the test voltage. The conditioning voltage application sequence and the
one-minute low frequency voltage withstand verification has to be completed after the
GIS installation has been totally installed, the gas chambers have been filled to the
manufacturer’s suggested nominal rated fill density, and the moisture content and
purity of the gas have been checked to be within defined limits.

Electrical Verifications: AC Voltage Withstand Requirements and Conditions

Voltage withstand verifications have to be done between each energized phase and
the earthed enclosure. For enclosures containing all three phases, each phase has to
verified, one at a time, with the enclosure and the other two phases earthed. Before
voltage withstand verifications are started, all power transformers, surge arresters,
protective gaps, power cables, overhead transmission lines, and voltage transformers
have to be disconnected. Voltage transformers may be tested up to the saturation
voltage of the transformer at the frequency of the test.

Electrical Verifications: AC Voltage Withstand Arrangements and Applications

When the GIS installation being checked is connected to the GIS equipment that is
already in operation, the in-service part has to be electrically isolated from the tested
part. Nevertheless, it is highly possible that the test voltage could be 180 degrees out
of phase with the in-service voltage, potentially exposing the open gap of a disconnect
switch, being used for isolation, to voltages in excess of what can be withstood. Hence,
an isolated section with suitable grounds has to be applied between the in-service GIS
and the GIS to be checked. This ensures that the test voltage cannot create service
disruptions to the electrical system nor can the service voltage create severe defects
to the testing equipment or danger to the test staff.

Due to the electrical loading restrictions of the testing equipment, it may be mandatory
to isolate GIS sections using open disconnects and test each section separately. To
achieve this, it may need that parts of the GIS equipment be subjected to more than
one test voltage application. The parts that are not being examined have to be earthed.

Isolating parts of the GIS equipment may give an extra benefit of field testing the open
gap of some disconnecting switches, even though such a field test is not a
requirement. In addition, it may be mandatory to isolate GIS sections to facilitate
location of a disruptive discharge or to limit the energy potentially discharged during a
disruptive discharge. The test voltage source may be connected to any convenient
point of the phase being examined.

Electrical Verifications: DC Voltage Withstand Tests

DC voltage withstand verification is not advised on a completed GIS installation.

Nevertheless, it may be mandatory to complete a DC voltage withstand test on power
cables connected to a GIS installation. These test voltages would, by necessity, be
applied from the end of the cable opposite to that of the GIS installation, hence
subjecting a small portion of the GIS to the DC voltage. It is suggested that the portion
of the GIS subjected to this DC voltage be kept as small as possible. The manufacturer
should be consulted before completing these verifications.

Mechanical and Electrical Functional and Operational Verifications

The following has to be checked after assembly of the GIS installation at the job site:

1. The torque value of all bolts and connections assembled at the site has to be
checked to be in line with the defined requirements.

2. The conformity of the control wiring has to be checked to be in line with the
schematic and wiring drawings.

3. The adequate function of each electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, key, or

combination of interlock routines has to be checked for adequate operation in both the
permissive and blocking condition.

4. The adequate function of the controls, gas, pneumatic, and hydraulic monitoring
and alarming installations, protective and regulating devices, operation counters,
including heaters and lights, has to be checked.

5. Each mechanical and electrical position indicator for each circuit breaker,
disconnect switch, and earthing switch has to be checked that it correctly indicates the
device’s status, both open and closed.

6. The conformity of the gas zones, gas zone identification, gas valves, gas valve
statuses, and interconnecting piping has to be checked to be in line with the physical
drawings.

7. The operating options, such as contact alignment, contact travel, velocity, opening
time, and closing time of each circuit breaker, disconnect switch, and earthing switch
has to be checked in line with the determined requirements.

8. The adequate operation of compressors, pumps, auxiliary contacts, and anti-pump

schemes has to be checked to be in line with the defined requirements.

9. The circuit breakers have to be trip-tested at minimum and maximum control

voltages to check proper operation.

10. The secondary wiring has to be checked to have adequate wire lugs, correct
crimping, tightened terminal block screws, adequate wire and cable markers, and
correct wiring in line with the manufacturer’s schemes.

11. The polarity, saturation, turns ratio, and secondary resistance of each current
transformer, including all installed secondary wiring, has to be checked to be in line
with the predefined requirements.

12. The turns ratio and polarity of each tap of each voltage transformer, including all
connected secondary wiring, has to be checked to be in line with the predefined
requirements.

13. Dielectric and adequate resistance tests have to be completed on all

interconnecting control wiring.

Connecting the GIS Installation to the Electrical Network

Once the gas insulated substation has been installed, wired, and all field testing has
been done satisfactorily, the new equipment is ready to be connected to the existing
electrical network. This effort involves another series of verifications to check
protective relay service, ability of the circuit breakers to trip on command from remote
areas, and adequate phase relationships with different transmission lines. This second
series of verifications is expected to be similar, if not exactly the same, as the
to be installed on top to get the bay connected to the substation. The container with
the GIS bay is placed on concrete basements. The three phase containerized bushing
connection is connected to the GIS bay on top of the container. The GIS bay is
assembled and routine verified in the factory so that only few weeks are needed to
connect the containerized GIS in the substation. Short installation time is a big benefit
of containerized GIS installations and also the easy accessibility during operation
under controlled indoor conditions.

To extend the containerized GIS installation only, additional containers have to be

added and to be connected to the substations air insulated bus bar. This is a common
solution for extending existing air insulated substations.

Truck-Mounted GIS Installation

GIS installation can be placed on trucks for temporary use in a substation. Lower
voltage ranges are three-phase insulated and few GIS bays find space at one truck
trailer. For bigger voltage levels bigger single-phase insulated GIS installations can be
placed on a truck trailer and assembled on site to a complete bay. The benefits of
truck-mounted GIS installation are short installation times and the possibility to move
the GIS installation from one location to another as required.

Mobile High and Medium Voltage Substation

The principle of a mobile substation concept is to have a complete substation available

in case of emergency or natural disaster to replace high and medium installations.
Hence, the substation is separated into high and medium voltage parts, which are
placed each on a trailer. The trailers are then transported to the location of need and
are connected. The AIS module contains a voltage instrument transformer, a surge
arrester, and a compensation coil and capacitor, if required. The GIS module contains
the complete GIS bay including the circuit breaker, disconnector and earthing
switches, voltage and current instrument transformers, and at both ends SF6 gas-to-
air bushings. The transformer module contains the transformer and at both ends the
transformer-to-air bushings. The medium voltage module with medium voltage GIS is
placed in a container including the protection and control devices.