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MEASURING CIRCUITS
ACCURACY AND ESTIMATION OF ERRORS
HAE FE LY Dr.Th.Praehauser
ABSTRACT
With increasing electrical stresses and further "tightening" of the construction of high
voltage apparatus nondestructive tests like the partial discharge measurement are an im-
portant help for producer and user.
Limits for pd-values are based mainly on experience during the last 30 years with radio
influence voltage (RIV) measurements in pV and widebandmeasurements of the apparent
charge in PC. Even when following standards, possible errors with RIV'measurements
are higher than with wideband measurements of apparent charge. Errors can be kept
in both cases within + 3 dB, and should even for an earlier stage of pd measurements be
smaller than + 10dB.
Exact knowledge of the data of comparable measurements is essential, therefore calibra-
tion and calibration standards are necessary.
RESUME
Avec l'augnientation des contraintes electriques ainsi que la rationalisation des cons-
tructions des apparells utilises en H.T., les essais non destructifs comme les mesures
de decharges partielles sont d'un important secours pour l'utilisateur comme pour le
fabricant.
F Les limites de d&charges partielles sont surtout basees , apr& 30 annees d'experience,
sur les mesures de perturbations radiodlectriques et sur les mesures en bande large
en PC. Les erreurs possibles peuvent Stre plus importantes avec les mesures de per-
turbations radioelectriques - m6me en appliquant les sp&iflcations donndes - qu'avec
les erreurs en PC. Les erreurs peuvent Btre comprises dans les deux cas dans une tolb-
rance de 2 3dB et devralent neanmoins i%tre plus petites que + 1OdB pour des mesures
antdrieures.
Les connaissances exactes des donnbes comparables sont essentielles, done l'etalonnage
et l'etalon sont n6cessaire.
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG
Mit zunehmenden elektrischen Beanspruchungen und kompakteren Konstruktionen der Hoch-
spannungsapparate ist eine zerstorungsfreie Priifung wie die Teilentladungsmessung eine
wichtlge Hilfe fur Hersteller und Beniltzer.
Die zullssigen Grenzwerte fiir Teilentladungswerte gehen haupts&chlich auf Erfahrungsn
der vergangenen 30 Jahre mit Starspannungsmessungen in pV und Breftbandmessungen in pC
zuriick. Fehler kdnnen bei der )1V-Messung hijher sein - selbst be1 Anwendung vorhandener
Vorschrlften - als bei der pc-Messung. Fehler kijnnen in beiden FSllen innerhalb + 3dB
gehalten werden, sie sollten aber selbst fiir weiter zuriickliegende Messungen kleiner
als + 10 dB sein.
Genaue Kenntnir aller Daten von zu vergleichenden Messungen ist wesentlich, deshalb
rind Eichung und Elchnormale unbedingt ntitfg.
4
sure the actual charges being dischar- be checked especially In cases, where the
ged and neutralized In a partial dis- test object has a high capacitance compa-
charge. In fact only the resultant red with the other elements, because dls-
changes of voltage or charge on the test charges from a low capacitance are recor-
object as a whole can be determined. ded much more sensitively than those from
RIV-instruments measure the voltage the testobject (6). After the calibration
drop caused by a pd just within a narrow across the test sample, the transfer be-
frequency band transforming it by a haviour of pd's coming from small capaci-
weighting circuit according to the sen- tances in the circuit should be checked.
sitivity of the human ear. Broad band
partial discharge detectors measure the The accuracy of instruments and pulse
maximum peak values of apparent charges calibrators is + 1dB each; if the pulse
within one half cycle of the industrial calibrator is applied at Its - 1dB to the
frequency. This gives results more in- instrument at its + 1dB point, but the
dependent of the frequency behaviour of latter changes during measurement to its
test object and measuring circuit. Such - 1dB point, then the whole error is
instruments are available on the market - 3dB. The accuracy of a correctly cali-
for the measurement of the apparent brated circuit then is + 3dB.
charqe according to IEC 270 and have an
accuracy of c. + 1dB. As the reading of
most instruments can be adjusted to the 3.3. SURVEY OF POSSIBLE ERRORS FOR DIS-
PC-input value at the test object during CHARGE MEASUREMENTS WHEN MEASURING
calibration, a separate calculation of THE APPARENT CHARGE WITH WIDEBAND
the transfer factor is not necessary in INSTRUMENTS.
most cases. see :
3.2. CALIBRATION OF THE MEASURING CIR- Accuracy of wideband
CUIT BY A PULSE CALIBRATOR. partial discharge de-
tectors + 1dB (3.1.)
The shape of discharge pulses Is far
from a pure sinewave of any frequency, Accuracy of pulse
althouth discharges may cause travel- calibrator + 1dB (3.2.)
ling waves similar to sinewaves. There- Resultant accuracy + 3dB (3.2.)
fore CIGRE recommends pulse generators
(see 2.4.) for calibration of pd-measu- Measurements from the past without ca-
ring circuits. The application of these libration across the test object and just
calibrators is less problematical for calculated transfer function may have an
everyday measurements in a test plant, error of e.g. + 10dB.
than radio frequency generators. Despi-
te that straycapacitances cannot be dis-
regarded and the connections should the- 4. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN pV and PC.
refore be as short as possible. At the For the conversion of pV to pC it is
biginning of " apparent charge " mea- necessary to know: the type of high vol-
surements only measuring instruments tage apparatus under test, the measuring
with built in calibrators were used. instrument, the measuring circuit and the
These calibrators inserted the pulses applied standard, the frequency of the
just at the input of the coaxial cable tert'voltage, the radio frequency for the
(coming from the testobject) into the RIV-measurement and the method of cali-
measuring instrument. The transferfac- bration (radio frequency generator or
tor was calculated. However checking pulse calibrator, voltage- or current
these calculated amounts suggested then comparison). The amount of measuring im-
a direct calibration by inserting the pedance is especially important, if the
calibrating pulses across the terminals current comparison method was used (see
Of the test sample. Therefore it is 2.3.).
essential for the comparison of pd-
testresults to be aware of the method IEC 270 (1) recommends a conversion
of calibration. If only the internal factor for pC/)~v of 1 (using a measuring
calibrator is applied - possibly even impedance of 150 ohm), which was adopted
without "calculating" a transfer bsha- also by the Swiss standards for instru-
viour -, an error of + 1OdB (factor of ment transformers (11). (7) gives for
3) is not unusual, which means that the transformers a margin dependent of the
recorded values are only l/3 of those pd-location and the capacitive network
found after direct calibration. The of the transformer from about 0,2 to 60,
pulse calibrators themselves available on with an average from 0,25 to 5, and for
the market should be accurate within other high voltage apparatus like
+ 1dB. switchgear, lightning arresters,
bushings c. 1 (measuring impedance 150
Generally it must always be ascertained, ohm) , (12) gives 2,6 pC/pV for 100 pul-
if the test circuit is discharge free, so ses/s and a measuring impedance of 60
that measured discharges do not come from ohm. For the actual reading in UV (wi-
other elements of the circuit. This must thout correction by the circuit RIV faC-
5
References:
tor and including a measuring impedance 1 IEC Publication 270, partial dischar-
of 60 ohm) (6) gives a margin between 5 ge measurements, 1968
and 100 for the relation pC/pV. (All ins- 2 T. Praehauser: Lokalisierung von Tell-
truments narrowband either ASA or CISPR entladungen in Hochspannungsapparaten
standard.) Bull. SEV 63(1972)16, p.893-905.
Results from a measuring circuit with (Translated paper available at HAEFELY
a 60 ohm impedance and calibrated by the Basel)
current comparison method (see 2.3.) must 3 Methods of measuring radio noise,
be calculated for a 150 ohm impedance by 1940, Edison Electric Institute, NEMA,
multiplying with a factor of max. 2,5 Radio manufacturers association
(- If the calibration was done by voltage
comparison (see 2.2.) the amounts remain 4 NEMA Publ. No. 107-1964, Methods of
unchanged (see 2.2.)). measurement of radio influence vol-
tage (RIV) of high voltage apparatus
5. CONCLUSIONS. 5 CISPR Publ. 1 1961, Specification for
Limits for permissible pd-values at ope- CISPR radio interference measuring
rating voltages of high voltage apparatus apparatus for the frequency range
are agreed upon partly on theoretical O,lSMc/s to 30Mc/s
reasons but mainly on experimental data. 6 T. Praehauser: comparison of mea-
As these data were collected during the suring instruments and circuits
last thirty years, it is essential to CIGRE report 12-10 Part B 1968
know exactly the type of measuring lnstru-
ment and its electrical characteristics, 7 R.T. Harrold, T.W. Dakin: the
the amount of measuring impedance, the me- relationship between the plcocou-
thod of calibration (radio frequency or lomb and microvolt for corona mea-
pulse generator, voltage or current compa- surements on HV transformers and
rison, connections), the industrial fre- other apparatus, Paper T72086-2 IEEE
quency of the test voltage, the measure- Winter meeting NY 1972
ment radio frequency, the characteristics
of the coupling capacitor, the data of the 8 VDE 0434 Teil 1 u. 2, 1966, Richtli-
measuring circuit and the applied stan- nien fCir Teilentladungspr3fungen an
dards or recommendations. With this know- Betriebsmltteln mit Wechselspannun-
ledge It should be possible to estimate gen bis 500 Hz
the probable error of the measured values: 9 F.H. Kreuger: Recommended arrange-
if they stay within the limits of approx. ments for the standardisation and
+ 3dB given by the used instruments, or the testing of circuits for the
if wider tolerances have to be assumed. detection of discharges. Report
More and more limits for pd-values during CIGRE 21-01, Supplement III, 1968
tests are being specified officially by
technical committees for high voltage 10 G. Mole: Basic characteristics of
equipment. As these limits are essen- corona detector calibrators, Trans.
tial for acceptance or rejection of ap- IEEE, PAS 89 (1970)2, p.198-204
paratus, it is necessary to check mea- 11 SEV(Swiss Electrotechnical Associa-
suring instruments and calibrators from tion), TE-Regeln fiir Wandler 1974
time to time. Therefore it is desirable,
that the national bureaux of standards 12 E.M. Dembinski, J.L. Douglas: Cali-
(or equivalent offices) establish cali- bration and comparison of partial
bration stations for such instruments discharge and radio interference mea-
and calibrators. suring circuits, PRCC. IEE 115
(1968)9, p.1332-1340
HAE E F LY
EMIL HAEFELY & CIE AG BASEL
C H - 4 0 2 8 EASEL
SCHWEIZ SUISSE S W I T Z E R L A N D
TELEFON 061/4118 17
TELEX 62 469 ehb ch
1.1978 1000
E 1-33 2.Edition