Using Infrared Techniques for the Condition

Assessment of Isolated Phase Bus Duct

Mark N. Theyerl
Substation Maintenance Consulting LLC

ABSTRACT
The normal application of isolated phase bus duct is to make the connection between large generators and its
associated generator step up transformer. The bus also is used to make connections to auxiliary, reserve
auxiliary, potential, and excitation transformers, the purposes of which, are used for metering, relaying, and
auxiliary power. The bus is a vital link in maintaining the integrity of a generation facility. Isolated phase bus
is perhaps the most ignored or forgotten piece of equipment in a generation plant. The maintenance of the
bus assembly must be done on a regular basis. Infrared technology is the best tool to identify significant
problems with the isolated phase bus. This paper will discuss the differences between continuous and non-
continuous bus duct, as well as a perspective from an operational sense, what the infrared thermographer
can expect to see.

INTRODUCTION
The basic concept of how isolated phase bus operates is to have each phase conductor surrounded by a
conducting metal enclosure so that a failure of a conductor support insulator results in a phase to ground fault
only and does not evolve into a phase to phase fault. Non segregated and segregated phase bus is not as
reliable as isolated phase bus because of a greater probability of phase to phase faults. Careful checks of the
conductor joints and the heating profiles of the enclosures, using infrared technology are keys to the isolated
phase bus duct condition assessments.

DESIGN METHODOLOGY
Induced currents circulating in the phase enclosures provide forces that oppose the short circuit forces on the
conductor. These forces tend to return the conductor to a neutral or zero force point within the enclosure.
This takes the mechanical stresses away from the conductor during fault conditions. This also allows for
single bus support insulators to support the bus resulting in fewer leakage paths due to contamination such as
coal dust and moisture (see Figure 1).

CONDUCTING METAL
ENCLOSURE

PHASE CONDUCTOR

BUS SUPPORT
INSULATOR

Figure 1. Sketch of bus, insulator and bus enclosure.

InfraMation 2008 Proceedings ITC 126 A 2008-05-14

Induced currents circulating in the phase enclosures also provides magnetic shielding which will reduce the
short circuit forces on adjacent phase conductors and will reduce the heating in adjacent metal structures due
to induced circulating currents caused by the external field. The paths followed by the enclosure currents
must be carefully controlled or overheating in the enclosures or adjacent metal structures will occur.

NON-CONTINUOUS DESIGN
The early designs used a system of non-continuous metal enclosures. These types of designs resulted in
limited circulating currents in single enclosure sections. Each one of the enclosure’s sections was insulated
from all other enclosures and from ground with the exception of a single ground point. The insulation
prevents the currents induced in the enclosure from finding a return through the ground system or any
adjacent enclosure. This precludes any adverse heating effects and localized hot spots.

CONTINUOUS DESIGN
Later designs used a system of continuous and all welded enclosures which allow the circulating currents in
the enclosures to reach a maximum value. Each of the enclosure’s sections is electrically continuous from
start to finish. Conducting plates are welded to form an electrical connection between all three phase
enclosures at the terminations. These terminals or end plates must be insulated from the generator or the
generator step up transformer flanges so the induced currents cannot turn around or flow in these members.
Most of the higher current bus ducts use aluminum conductors. The joints can be welded or bolted. These
bolted joints can be comprised of rigid plates, flexible laminations, or flexible copper braids. Ratings below
10,000 amperes are usually self- cooled. Ratings above 10,000 amperes can be either self-cooled or forced
air cooled (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Continuous Isolated Phase Bus Duct Examples

ENCLOSURE CURRENTS
These bus ducts are designed to carry heavy enclosure currents. The induced enclosure currents flowing
may be at a magnitude as high as 95% of the conductor currents. For example: a 10,000 ampere bus may
have enclosure currents of 9,500 amperes. The benefits of these high currents are the shielding provided
and the reduction of short circuit forces on the conductors. The external magnetic field is only 5% of the load
current which prevents localized hot spots and adverse heating effects on adjacent steel support structures or
conduits.

CONDUCTOR JOINTS
Welded aluminum conductor joints are the most reliable and require no maintenance. Most designs have
painted conductor surfaces. Aluminum has poor emissivity and a painted conductor can run as much as 7°C
cooler than a bare aluminum conductor. If the paint flakes off at any point it should be replaced. This is
particularly true at the joints.

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Joints with welded or bolted laminations provide for expansion and contraction during a thermal cycle. These
laminations should be inspected on a regular basis looking for cracked outer laminations due to fatigue (see
Figure 3). If they do crack, it is usually in the heat affected zone adjacent to a weld. This is particularly
important in neutral tie connections where machine vibration can accelerate the fatigue failure process. If
there is a failure of a bolted laminated connection, then a flexible braid connection should be considered.

Figure 3. Bolted Lamination Failure

Bolted joints are the most prone to failure. Early bus ducts used unplated joints with penetrating type grease
on the mating surfaces. The conducting particles in the grease pierce the highly resistive aluminum oxide
when the bolts were torqued properly. The grease surrounding these particles prevents the further formation
of the aluminum oxide. This type of joint is limited in temperature rise by ANSI standards (C37.23) at 30°C
rise. In order to take advantage of a 65°C rise over a 40°C external ambient, the joints must be plated. The
plating material can be silver or tin. Silver is preferred because of its higher melting point and therefore higher
short circuit capabilities.

Most manufacturers use aluminum with a 60% conductivity rating for the bus duct. These aluminum alloys
have a low yield point. The original aluminum bus alloys have a conductivity of 55% but have the advantage
of much higher yield strength and have a reduced tendency to cold flow. Bolted joints should use conductors
of the bus bar alloy type to reduce the tendency for the aluminum to flow and the joint to become loose.
There are many bus ducts in service that have used the 60% material at the bolted joints. These joints should
be checked carefully as the soft aluminum will cold flow under the pressure of the bolting hardware resulting
in a thermally unstable joint after 10 to 20 years of service. Infrared surveys of these types of joints is the
best way to detect problems (see Figure 4).

InfraMation 2008 Proceedings ITC 126 A 2008-05-14

Figure 4. Thermally unstable bolted joint.

If the joint is retightened during annual maintenance then examination of the joint will reveal that the head of
the bolt is being pulled very deeply into the conductor as the aluminum is flowing out of the highly stressed
area. These are the joints that will cause problems. If there is evidence of thermal problems through an IR
survey, the termination area should be removed and replaced with new plated terminations comprised of the
bus bar alloy and welded back in place. Any time maintenance is performed on these bus ducts a baseline IR
survey should be performed after the load is ramped up to confirm proper repair. This will give an indication if
the joint is starting to run hot.

CONTROL OF ENCLOSURE HEATING

For non-continuous enclosure designs each enclosure section must be grounded at one point only. A quick
way to check this is to do an IR survey with infrared thermal imaging equipment while the bus is under load. If
there are localized hot spots,these are the sections that should be checked for more than one ground point
(see Figure 5). The induced voltages in the enclosure are probably less than 10 volts resulting in low stress
of the insulation under bolts and at the flanges.

Figure 5. Heating at the couplings caused by faulty grounds.

For continuous enclosure designs, they can be grounded anywhere along their length and at multiple points
with the exception that the terminating end plates must not have more than one ground point. These end

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plates are the turnaround conductors for the circulating current in each phase enclosure. A second ground at
the end point will allow some of these currents to go through the ground system and cause excessive heating.

Forced air cooled systems require periodic maintenance. The filters should be changed, coolers checked and
cleaned, motors lubricated, control dampers checked for operation and fit. Adjustment of the dampers that
control the air flow between phases can best be accomplished with a thermal imaging camera. With the bus
under load a scan should be performed to establish reference temperatures of the various enclosures and
then either open up the dampers controlling the air to the hottest phase or dampen down the flow to the
cooler phases which will cause a greater flow in another parallel phase. Re-scan the enclosures and continue
adjusting the dampers until an equal temperature profile is attained for all three enclosures.

HEAT SIGNATURES
On non-continuous enclosures, the enclosure losses in the center phase are 60% of the total losses. The
losses in the outside phases are 20% each. The circulating currents flow primarily down the sides of the
enclosures and back up over the ends and the hottest points will be at the sides and the ends. Some older
designs used heavier conductor or enclosure materials in the center phase to equalize the temperatures in
the three phases.

On continuous designs, the current density in the enclosure is relatively uniform around the perimeter of the
enclosure and is equal in the three phases. Some designs use bolted joints to join the enclosures together
and these should be treated in the same manner as the joints in the conductor.

Some manufacturers use a combination of continuous and non-continuous designs. Shipping sections of
enclosures have plates joining the phases to make these sections continuous and then split covers joining
these sections are insulated from the enclosures and each other as if they were a non-continuous design.

In these cases, the split covers (see Figure 6) in the center phase will have 60% of the losses and will run
hotter than the split covers of the outside phases.

Figure 6. Split covers combination style bus duct.

SUMMARY
Isolated bus duct is a most vital link in maintaining the integrity of a power station. Therefore the maintenance
of the bus assembly must be done on a regular basis. Infrared scans checking the conductor joints, grounding
points and the control of enclosure heating profiles must be included in any maintenance planning. It is also
important to perform a complete thermal scan of the bus duct from the generator inside the plant to the GSU

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transformer out side the plant. Understanding isolated bus duct from an operational stand point is crucial to
the thermagrapher’s accurate assessment of its condition.

ACKNOWLDGEMENTS & REFERENCES

Richard Bjornson, Seabrook Nuclear Power Station, Seabrook, NH.
Ed Didychuck of Manitoba Hydro.
Robert H. Rehder and Louis Doucet of GE Canada Inc.
Gary Orlove of Infrared Training Center.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark N. Theyerl is currently the Owner and Operator of Substation Maintenance Consulting LLC. He is also a
Substation Maintenance Specialist with Alliant Energy.

He is starting his twenty fifth year with Alliant and prior to the merger with two Iowa utilities, Theyerl worked
for Wisconsin Power and Light CO. in the fields of substation construction, maintenance, and testing. In 1996
he was involved with the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI) startup of the Substation Predictive
Preventative Maintenance initiative. He played a major role in the predictive preventative maintenance
program at Alliant Energy. Responsibilities included the field-testing of new technologies implemented in the
PDM program, the analysis and generation of reports for all dissolved gas samples taken in the Northern Area
of Alliant Energy. Also included in his duties were the interpretation of all the data collected in the PDM
surveys, which includes vibration and acoustic readings, infrared scans, transient analysis, and sound levels.
He was also a member of the transformer condition assessment team for the Northern Region. He has
authored a feature article in Transmission and Distribution World Magazine and Co- Authored an article in
Platt’s Power Magazine. He also authored papers on vibration analysis, transient analysis related to power
transformers, and transformer risk management. He also has served as a moderator for infrared panel
discussions.

Disclaimer:
All of the above information in this paper is the opinion of the author’s experience and not Alliant Energy.

InfraMation 2008 Proceedings ITC 126 A 2008-05-14