Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
by Jean-Marc Biasse
Table of contents
Introduction ............................................................................................... Brief history of the technologies used in medium voltage switchgear and control gear ....................................................................... Evolution of the single-line diagrams........................................................... Future switchgear for MV consumer sites and switching substations........................................................................... 11 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 14 4 8 2
Introduction
The electricity industry is conservative. Among the reasons for this is the fact that the lifetime of medium voltage and high voltage switchgear is around 40 years. Transmission system operators (TSOs) and distribution network operators (DNOs) need stability. Maintenance and repair of such long-life devices needs to be ensured. And of course, work is easier for service crews if there is no change in technology.
Brief history of the technologies used in medium voltage switchgear and controlgear
All elements of a medium voltage installation are subject to evolution
In a substation are found all three categories of components of protection chains: sensors, protection relays and circuit breakers (CBs). Traditionally, the design of these components has evolved independently, but with some constraints at interfaces to ensure interoperability. Protection relays are particularly sensitive to the type of signal coming from current transformers. Some association are possible; others are not. For example, you may connect old technology 5A CTs to most modern protection relays, but the opposite connecting an LPCT to an old electromechanical relay is impossible.
Voltage level
Insulation medium
SF6, vacuum
Air, oil,
There are some recent variants in metal-enclosed cubicles with fixed CBs, where the insulation of busbars and all components, including CBs and connections, are made with epoxy or some other resin. These panels are generally called a solid insulation system (SIS). However, always looking for better electricity availability, utilities started to require more and more insensitivity to ambient environmental conditions. And, all AIS and SIS panels are still sensitive to environmental conditions if not properly installed in protected rooms. That was the reason for the arrival of metal-enclosed gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) in the 1990s. All components, busbars, and connections are fitted in one or several hermetically sealed tanks filled with SF6. Thanks to SF6 insulation, this type of equipment is very compact. Both AIS and GIS panels coexist today. The final choice may differ for each application, depending on the importance given to many criteria such as compactness, insensitivity to the environment, the availability of high performance, criticality of the application, power restoration mode in case of failure, ergonomy of operation, and/or ergonomy of cable testing.
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Up until the 1970s, protection relays were made using electromechanical technology. Coils and disks were parts of these relays that needed high auxiliary power to operate. Consequently, the current transformers had to supply high burden. 5A on secondary output was necessary to operate these protection relays. In the 1980s, electronic protection relays occurred with less need of auxiliary power from the CTs. They could be operated by current transformers having 1A rating on secondary winding. But the high voltage sector is very conservative and many user specifications were still asking for 5A CTs even if no longer needed. Later in the 1990s came the first digital relays. With this technology, the need of signal power from the CTs becomes very low. A new category of CTs was developed: the low power current transformers (LPCT). They deliver a voltage signal representing the primary current. In spite of the advantages in space and flexibility, their deployment has been very slow because of users conservatism, still asking for 1A or even 5A CTs to feed digital relays. This overpower in input needs adapter transformers in the protection relay to lower the input power. Now, the situation is finally going to change. Digital relays are very common and advantages of LPCT are recognized. Moreover, clear IEC standards have been published, making interchangeability of LPCTs or protection relays easier. 13. Typical line distance electromechanical relay 14. Typical overcurrent electronic relay Statimax type 15. Digital relays VIP 400 (left) and Sepam 20 (right)
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17. Single-line diagram and typical panel for primary GIS technology
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Local or remote operations are very simple. The mimic diagram is very easy to interpret. Earthing of the cables is made directly. Interlocking safety is inherent between the different positions. It is very easy to implement a cable testing device, allowing access to cable without opening the cable box nor interfering with the cable terminations.
20. Typical three-position GIS RMU diagram 21. Examples of GIS RMU
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Breaking and disconnection are made in one single operation of a vacuum interrupter. Earthing the cables is done directly, using an earthing switch having making capability. This diagram facilitates the implementation of clear mimic indications, making operations very intuitive and thus safer. Safety interlocks are built-in, short, key free, and positively driven. This diagram also allows the use of a dedicated cable testing device, increasing the safety of people and switchgear. As it is well known that MV cables are generally much older than switchgear, they will need more and more testing and conditional replacement. Prior to the cable test, opening the switch or CB disconnector and closing the earthing switch provides a double gap between cable and busbar. Then a safe and fully interlocked earth link switch may be opened to give direct access to the cable conductor. During testing, the cable box remains closed, the cable connections remain intact, and the main contacts of the earthing switch remain in the same position. This recommended test procedure ensures the highest safety for people doing the tests and also avoids any damaging of the main circuit or cable connections. To meet the same advantages of GIS RMUs, the new arrangement shall be insensitive to harsh environment. This is ensured by a complete Shielded and Solid Insulation System (2SIS) solution. Busbars and a vacuum interrupter encapsulation and earthing switch enclosure are made of solid insulation that is covered by a conductive layer connected to the earth. The equipment can support any kind of harsh environment as well as GIS RMUs. Compared to GIS RMUs, this 2SIS technology associated with this new threeposition diagram arrangement offers much better modularity as the general architecture is based on single units. Thus, it is easy to build switchboards for many kind of applications requiring a large number of units While it is obvious that this modular architecture, based on 2SIS technology using vacuum breaking, has many advantages, it is necessary to analyse whether it is completely adapted to the smart-grid deployment of today.
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it allows to have improved transformer protection at an equivalent lifetime cost, thus making transformer CB protection affordable. An MV/LV transformer generally has a very low failure rate. All faults are starting interturn faults or earth-phase faults and are located inside the primary or secondary windings or on the LV zone. Only CBs can quickly and surely detect the faults at early stage when they are of low or very low magnitude. At the same time, fuses are sometimes not able to break or have to wait until the fault has degenerated into a two-phase or three-phase fault of high magnitude to operate properly. The main advantages of the CB solution are: better discrimination with other MV and LV protection devices; improved protection performance for inrush current, overloads, low magnitude phase-faults and earth faults; greater harsh climate withstand; reduced maintenance and spare parts.
Migration of withdrawable CBs towards fixed CBs and the use of vacuum breaking make them cost-effective. Dissemination of modern highly reliable CBs was a key factor for the acceptance of fixed CBs. In this respect, the modular architecture of 2SIS, based on highly reliable vacuum interrupters, is very flexible and allows for an infinite number of combinations.
LPCTs and LPVTs will be essential for the huge development of power management and metering
Control and monitoring will increase to properly manage the real-time connections to the grid. For that purpose, more and more sensors will be used. Thanks to modern control & monitoring devices and digital protection relays, compact low power current transformers (LPCT) and low power voltage transformers (LPVT) can replace heavy traditional CTs and VTs. The introduction of digital technology for measurement and protection (Figure 26) has modified the requirements of current transformer burden. The manufacturers have developed protection devices based on low power microprocessor technology with wide range of use, low consumption and innovative current sensors that allow constituting a consistent protection chain. Perfectly adapted to these small burdens, the LPCT consists of a current transformer having a small core secondary winding connected to a integrated shunt resistor (Figure 27). The shunt resistor converts the secondary current output into a low-voltage signal. The iron core LPCT is based on the well known CT technology. LPCT technology is an optimised technology with several advantages: Simpler choice: engineering is simplified due to the wide operating range. One type LPCT can cover applications from 5A to 1250A where the traditional CTs require a range of five sizes. A single sensor is performing both measurement and protection purposes; Easy and safe installation: LPCT output is plugged directly into the protection relay with no risk of over voltage when disconnecting; Flexibility of use: easy adaptation to the power consumption changes and/or protection setting during the MV system design or operating life. High accuracy up to the short-time circuit current with low saturation; Compactness: the reduced size and weight allows for an easy integration and therefore MV switchgear dimension reduction. Figure 28 shows the size comparison between CTs 24 kV and 36 kV and LPCT, meeting the same MV network protection and measuring technical requirements. Power management will increase as it will be very important to have a real-time view of the available power. Metering equipment will need to be cost-effective, compact and integrated. As a great advantage of 2SIS architecture, it is now possible to have 2SIS LPCTs and LPVTs, making metering equipment insensitive to harsh environments. 26. One phase analog ammeter with a 1.1VA consumption and numerical power meter with a 0.15VA consumption of the current input 27. LPCT sensor principle 28. S ize comparison between LPCT (left) and CTs (right)
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Conclusion
The development of smart grids will result in the inclusion of more intelligence in MV equipment. This network evolution may be the opportunity to introduce new criteria for the choice of products, such as flexibility, insensitivity to harsh environments, compactness, optimisation of remote control, etc. In conclusion, the physics are the same but some technological points are changing as well as the way to optimise them. For all these reasons, there is a great confidence that the 2SIS modular architecture using the three-position scheme and vacuum interrupters is very well adapted for the coming deployment of smart grids. This architecture can address a large number of applications in secondary distribution but, thanks to its modularity, can also challenge some low-end applications where, traditionally, primary equipment is used. In this respect, this architecture is able to bridge the gap between secondary and primary specialised equipment.
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