TESTING SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
O
OMICRON’s David Brazier explains the importance of protection testing for electrification systems. changes;
ver the last 20 years, the development of the UK’s railway electrification
systems has been significant and, with major railway projects already confirmed, the future years look very positive.
To support such major projects OMICRON strives to satisfy the requirements of local markets by providing innovative products to meet current and future customer needs.
Introduction
Protection systems play a key role in ensuring the safe and reliable operation of today’s electrification systems.
Protection devices working correctly ensure the safety of the system and safeguard assets from damage, whilst also assisting to ensure security of supply. In order to guarantee reliable operation, protection relays must be tested throughout their life-cycle, from development through to periodical maintenance during operation.
Test approach – an overview
In a classical protection test, test sets are used to measure current and voltage and evaluate the response of relays (starting and tripping). Figure 1 shows an example of such devices, in this case equipped with a front control panel. Protection testing can be either operated manually or automatically and offers the possibility to use central test documents. For automatic testing, a test document called a ‘test template’ can be used repeatedly. This test template can be re-used in future tests, which allow automatic testing.
Automatic testing
To test the multi-functional design of a modern numerical protection device usually requires the combination of different testing steps. Figure 2 shows an example of the test plan of a complex feeder protection.
When running the test plan, all the defined test functions of each operational test module are executed before the programme automatically switches to the next one. After the completion of the test, the results are automatically imported into the test plan document, thereby forming a comprehensive overall test report. After the testing process the document still contains all of the test settings (protection device parameters, test modules used, test points) and this can be re-used to repeat the test at a later date.
• calculation of currents and voltages from quantities like impedances, power and systematic components; and
• reporting.
Manual testing with front panel control
The major advantage of front panel control is the provision of instant and quick manual testing using a test set without the need for a personal computer.
Front panel control is simple to operate with limited need for training of the users. The adjustment of test quantities can be made via a control wheel, which combines innovative and modern control concepts.
A good example of such a concept is the OMICRON CMControl. The control wheel provides direct functionality and ease of control, incorporating an intuitive touch screen interface.
Figure 2: Test plan of a complex feeder protection Manual testing
In electrification facilities, protection systems are often very basic devices that only detect overcurrent and overvoltage. These simple relays can, of course, be tested with a fully automatic PC-controlled solution. Often the simplicity of the operation is more important than the automation of the test, since protection testing is just one or many tasks to be completed.
Important for every test is the ease of use and the proper documentation of the results. Many users keep a manual record of their test results whilst others prefer automatic recording of test results. This automatic recording reduces the risk of error and can be used to improve traceability of the tests.
Test solutions for manual testing Manual testing generally incorporates:
Figure 1: Three-phase protection test set with front panel control
194 | rail technology magazine Apr/May 11
• simple, intuitive operation; • pick-up testing; • time measurement based on condition
The unit has a robust design and a display, which can be read in direct sunlight due to the anti-glare screen.
Conclusion
The challenges of commissioning and routine testing are diverse and the CMC, together with the CMControl, satisfy a wide range of applications.
With the flexibility to use the unit in both manual and automatic modes users have high flexibility when testing, whether on- site or office-based.
Whichever preference the user has, OMICRON test sets can be used with relevant PC-software for automatic testing or as a manual tester. Either option provides fast and efficient testing through intuitive protection testing procedures.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 01785 251 000 or 07525 250 429 E:
David.brazier@
omicron.at W:
www.omicron.at/
The CMControl can be attached either to the CMC test set as a front panel control unit or detached and used as a handheld control device. Magnetic elements at the rear allow easy attachment to standard racks
while the built-in stand works perfectly on many surfaces.
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