A Novel Approach to High Voltage Substation Surveillance using Radio Frequency Interference Measurement

A. Nesbitt, B.G. Stewart, S.G. McMeekin, S. Conner and J.C. Gamio

School of Engineering and Computing, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, G4 0BA, Scotland.

K. Liebech-Lien, H.O. Kristiansen and S. Krkenes

Doble TransiNor, Sorgenfriveien 9, 7037 Trondhiem, Norway
Abstract - The deployment of radio frequency interference (RFI) measurement has gained increasing acceptance as a front line, non-invasive technique to assess the condition of individual high-voltage (HV) electrical equipment items as part of a substation surveillance program. However, successful detection and discrimination of low-repetition rate discharges that typically accompany electrical deterioration is constrained by the capabilities and limitations of the field spectrum/RFI analysers used and the electro-magnetic interference (EMI) measurement techniques supported. Furthermore, it requires the practicing engineer to have expert knowledge of the nature and characteristics of RFI emissions from electrical insulation deterioration and the radio frequency environment in which the assessment is taking place. This paper presents a novel approach to RFI measurement and assessment that is more sensitive to the RFI emissions that typically accompany electrical deterioration and provides more effective discrimination of the discharge phenomena from the ambient frequency spectrum and noise. Case studies from substation surveillance are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. The technique is effective with a wide range of HV equipment and is less reliant on expert knowledge for a practicing engineer to confidently characterise and trace electrical deterioration with a high degree of confidence. Index Terms Partial discharges, Electromagnetic interference, Radio frequency interference, HV Substation surveillance.

degradation whilst the HV equipment is in service. Furthermore, the ability to gather and trend PD data over time is essential to allow the rate and severity of degradation to be monitored, and as a result, characterise and trace the state of electrical deterioration. Maintenance tasks can then be planned to prevent unexpected interruptions in equipment and avoid the inevitable loss of revenue and penalties that are incurred as a result. The development of RFI methods to detect and locate discharge phenomena has a long history. It has long been observed that corona discharge pulses and micro-gap discharges occurring on high-voltage power transmission and distribution lines could disrupt radio and television reception [2,3,4]. This noise was frequently the result of a defect in the system, which, unchecked, sooner or later could result in an outage. A skilled engineer using a commercially available RFI receiver can determine the general location of PD within a HV substation and assess its severity. Further development of the technique, aided by advances in high-speed data acquisition and the refinement of location algorithms, has enabled viable RFI location systems to be developed. These are now proving to be a useful follow on from general substation RFI surveillance [5]. RFI signals from discharge phenomena are considered to be broadband and impulsive in nature with low repetition rates [6,7]. Spectrum analysers and EMI scanning receivers are widely available and used in the detection and measurement of RFI signals. However, their use for measuring low repetition rate broadband signals presents particular challenges for reliable and repeatable detection and measurement [11,12]. The measurement process requires specific understanding of signal and instrument characteristics in order to ensure the RFI signals are accurately represented. This paper focuses on the practical issues related to the effective discrimination of discharge phenomena from ambient narrowband signals, the performance of detector types, and discusses relevant instrument settings and features a practicing engineer can use that will ensure maximum probability of detection.

I. INTRODUCTION High-voltage (HV) substation equipment is subjected to electrical, mechanical, and thermal stresses as well as environmental conditions. These stresses can act to accelerate the deterioration of the insulation and hence the electrical integrity of the HV equipment eventually leading to failure. Condition monitoring of this increasingly ageing asset base has become a growing technical priority of engineers and a growing business priority for those that set asset management policy [1]. Detection and measurement of partial discharge (PD) phenomena, which are a symptom of insulation deterioration, can provide early warning of insulation failure. Critical to this is the availability of accurate and cost effective surveillance tools that are non-invasive and can provide early recognition and location of possible sites of electrical

II. CHARACTERISTICS OF RFI EMISSIONS Surveillance of RFI emissions from PD phenomena involves the measurement of complex waveforms varying considerably, and often erratically in amplitude and time. Fig.1 shows the impulsive and broadband nature of the captured RF signal originating from a typical PD source. The derived frequency spectrum exhibits a number of distinctive broadband features and activity that extends up to 1GHz.

terrestrial TV and digital multi-carrier systems such as GSM, DVB-T, and DAB. Pulsed RF signals with a short pulse duration and a low repetition rate, such as that emitted from partial discharges, surface discharges and corona, are considered generators of broadband or impulsive signals. The classification of a signal as narrowband or broadband is defined by the occupied frequency spectrum of the signal, relative to the resolution bandwidth (RBW) of the RFI instrument. If the frequency spectrum of a detected signal has a bandwidth less than the pass-band of the RBW filter, it is classed as a narrowband signal [10]. Fig 2. illustrates the pulse spectrum of a repetitive signal with pulse width T and a pulse repetition frequency, PRF. Not all of the spectral lines are contained within the RBW filter envelope at anyone time therefore it is classed as broadband. The discrimination of these signals from the narrowband sources is crucial to the process of recognising the presence of a discharging source.

(a) Received pulse

Fig.2. Pulse spectrum.

(b) Frequency spectrum Fig. 1 Typical RF pulse from a PD related source.

B.

Signal Detection Modes

Previous measurements carried out on PD activity within oilinsulated HV equipment demonstrates that the discharges produce current pulses with rise times less than a nanosecond and therefore capable of exciting broadband signals in the VHF (30 to 300MHz) and UHF (300MHz to 3GHz) bands [7,8]. Other investigations in open-air insulation substations show that signals from PD and flashover occupy a frequency range up to 300MHz [9]. III. DISCRIMINATION AND MEASUREMENT OF IMPULSIVE SIGNALS A. Broadband and Narrowband Signals The detection and measurement of RFI emissions within the HV substation environment is unavoidably influenced by the presence of narrowband and background broadband noise signals. Narrowband signals are predominately generated by wireless broadcast and telemetry systems, local oscillators, logic circuits, etc. These include AM and FM radio, analogue

Modern scanning RFI instruments, including spectrum analysers and EMI receivers utilise a super-heterodyne front end, using one or two mixer stages to convert the RF signal frequency to a fixed intermediate frequency (IF). From there the signal is passed through the IF RBW filter stage to remove intermodulation frequencies. The filtered signal is amplified or compressed in the logarithmic scale. A detector conditions the output of the IF stage for sampling. The peak value of the response of the IF stage depends on the spectral intensity of the impulsive signal, the frequency response of the IF RBW filter, any logarithmic amplifiers used and their gain-shaping performance. EMI standards reference CISPR 16-1:1999 defines the specifications for EMI receivers. The standard specifies the design parameters for the peak, quasi-peak, rms and average detectors [16]. The quasi-peak detector is mandatory in the determination of compliance with legal national and international EMC standards [14,15]. The quasi-peak detector provides a response that simulates the human perception of radio frequency disturbances on broadcast radio receivers. The design parameters of the detector circuit are specified in the standard and are shown in Table 1. The response of the CISPR quasi-peak detector results in the weighting of broadband

impulsive signals as a function of their repetition rate. Emissions with a higher repetition rate get more emphasis than emissions with a lower repetition rate because they have a higher annoyance effect on radio reception. Fig. 3, plots the CISPR quasi-peak and average detector responses relative to peak. The response approaches the peak value for repetition rates greater than 1000Hz and is 30 40dB down at 1Hz. Provided the EMI receiver dwells on each frequency for long enough to capture the maximum signal, the peak detector will always give the maximum output level of low repetition rate impulsive signals characteristic of PD related events.
TABLE 1 CISPR DETECTOR DESIGN PARAMETERS [15] Parameter Quasi-peak charge time discharge time overload factor Peak discharge/charge General bandwidth (-6dB) sinewave accuracy Frequency Range 9 to 0.15 to 150kHz 30MHz 45ms 500ms 24dB 1.80 x 104 200Hz 2dB 1ms 160ms 30dB 1.25 x 106 9kHz 2dB 30 to 1000MHz 1ms 550ms 43.5dB 1.67 x 107 120kHz 2dB

a substantial difference in the amplitudes where the average value is considerably lower, then the signal can be considered to be broadband in nature. A value of 6dB is considered a sensible decision criterion. However a bit of latitude is sensible considering the deployment of multiple carrier modulation techniques for digital communications where the peak-toaverage power ratio (PAPR) can be greater than 6dB. For example, for terrestrial TV the following measured values of PAPR can range from 3dB for analogue TV to 9.5dB for digital-COFDM. To demonstrate, peak and average measurements were taken on a 300kV open air substation using a handheld instrument optimised for substation RFI surveillance. Fig. 4 shows the measurements acquired by the instrument. Both peak and average measurements are displayed to assess the RFI background levels prior to RFI surveillance. A 6MHz RBW filter was selected for the measurement. The reference level was set at -30dBm and the sample time or dwell time at each frequency was set at 40ms. The narrowband signals contained within the ambient RFI are easily distinguishable and identified from broadband phenomena particularly below 400MHz [17]. Fig. 5, illustrates another practical example of the effectiveness of the method this time to discriminate between the ambient narrowband RF signals and the broadband signals from a potential defect. The traces were taken in the vicinity of a regulating transformer in a 300kV outdoor air insulated substation. The relevant instrument settings selected a 6MHz RBW filter, the sample time or dwell time was set at 75ms and the reference level increased to -20dBm. The resulting traces are a result of multiple scans to achieve convergence of the pulse spectrum. The broadband features and the range of frequencies the disturbance occupies is easily distinguishable. The characteristics of the disturbance RFI spectrum is indicative of a discharge in oil, extending up to 1GHz [7].

Fig. 3. Relative output versus pulse repetition rate [15].

Average detection in an EMI instrument is intended to recover and measure the amplitudes of narrowband signals in the presence of impulsive broadband noise. Fig. 3 clearly shows the effectiveness of the CISPR average detector to suppress low repetition rate broadband impulsive signals. C. Discrimination between Narrowband and Impulsive Signals The provision of dual peak and average detectors in an RFI instrument can provide the additional information at the point of measurement to allow practical discrimination between the narrowband characteristics of broadcast RF emissions and the broadband impulsive RF emissions from insulation defects. Both measurements are preferably made synchronously using the same resolution bandwidth and measurement dwell time. If there is little or no difference in the observed amplitudes of the peak and average measurements at specific frequencies then the signal can be considered to be narrowband. If there is

Fig. 4. Identifying narrowband signals from ambient RFI.


Fig. 5. Discriminating between ambient RFI and impulsive discharge signals. Fig. 6 Effect of sample time and number of scans on trace convergence.

D. Measurement of Low Repetition Rate RFI For low repetition rate phenomena, the challenge of conducting a RFI measurement is to optimise resolution bandwidth, frequency span, sweep time and measurement duration, and the selection of detector type to ensure a high probability of signal detection and accurate measurement of their amplitude and frequency. Emissions from partial discharge events cover a frequency spectrum wider than the receiver IF bandwidth as depicted in Fig 2. Therefore the pulse spectrum is resolved by conducting a frequency sweep and constructing the pulse spectrum. Frequency resolution or step size is defined by the RBW filter. Once the receiver is tuned to a different frequency at each instant of time, there is a finite probability the signal will physically be present and therefore detected and measured. With low pulse repetition rates the pulse spectrum can be resolved as long as the total measurement time is sufficient to ensure there is convergence of the pulse spectrum. Otherwise, signals will be undetected at specific frequencies because they were not present during the measurement. To increase the likelihood of the presence of the signal at a specific tuned frequency, the receiver must dwell at each frequency for a time and apply MAX HOLD over a number of scans. Fig 6. illustrates the effect of differing sample times and number of scans on the measured RFI data from a primary bushing defect on a 300kV transformer, T3. For low values of sample time, the trace takes on a discrete line spectrum appearance highlighting that at specific frequencies the RFI signal was not present at the instant of sampling, therefore requiring more scans for trace spectrum convergence.

IV. PRACTICAL MEASUREMENTS Details of a RFI survey taken around a 40MVA, 66kV/10.5kV transformer installed in 1965, is shown in Fig. 7. The frequency spectra were taken at differing reference levels to accommodate the range of signal received. The measured frequency spectra suggest the presence of an active electrical discharge within the transformer tank. The primary route of RFI propagation from the tank is via the tap changer and drive mechanism. There was little or no activity associated with the primary and secondary bushings. The resulting traces exhibit a number of distinctive broadband features. Most of the emitted energy extends up to 700MHz but an overall increase of RFI emission of 10dB is evident up to 1GHz. This is consistent with an energetic electrical discharge in oil. Further investigation at spot frequencies using the same RFI instrument in zero span mode and producing a time resolved trace synchronised to the power cycle showed low-repetition rate energetic events confined to a narrow phase angle, varying in height and occurring on both half cycles occasional bursts of increased repetition rate. Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) taken 9 months after the RFI measurement supports the view that there is a low-energy discharge classified as D1 type internal to the transformer [18, 19]. Table 2 provides details of the results of the analysis.

the settings and features must be available without significant instrument setup or expertise on the part of the operator. RFI monitoring offers a non-invasive technique that complements and provides added value to routine thermal imaging and DGA analysis. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors are grateful to Norske Skog and Statnett for permission to use material published in this work. REFERENCES
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V. CONCLUSIONS The receiver state can directly influence the probability of broadband signal detection, and thus sensitivity to this type of signal. Proper signal detection with an RFI instrument such as a spectrum analyzer or an RFI receiver requires special attention and operator skill to select the appropriate values of instrument settings when trying to capture and analyse RFI emissions from defective HV equipment. As the practical measurements illustrated, measurements logged with an RFI instrument and optimised for substation surveillance, correlate with the results of DGA carried out on the insulating oil, providing conformation that the unit was able to assist in the discrimination and characterisation of the internal defect in the transformer. For RFI monitoring to become a front line substation surveillance tool, requires the field instrument to be optimised in terms of the information displayed and in terms of the detection circuitry and settings that influence the instruments sensitivity to PD related phenomena. Features such data logging and retrieval are essential features to allow the rate and severity of degradation to be monitored and trended. For the instrument it to be used confidently by the practicing engineer,
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