Power Capacitors in Distribution Systems

Safe Application with available fault currents up to 10kA

Due to their many benefits power capacitors have been applied throughout utility
distribution systems. The application of pole top capacitor equipment along the
distribution line is particularly effective offering the localized benefits of voltage support
and power factor correction. Based on their individual system needs utilities are applying
these capacitor equipments at more and more diverse locations.

When locating the equipment on their system safe application is one of the major
considerations for utilities. These capacitors are typically group fused with an expulsion
fuse link for each phase to isolate failed capacitors preventing catastrophic failures of the
equipment. One key concern for safe application of the capacitors is the level of available
fault current at the installation point that can flow through a failed capacitor unit. This
fault current information is usually available from the utilities from their distribution
system loading profile.

In recent years capacitor equipments have been applied more and more at
locations with increased fault current levels due partly to the change of the system
loading requirements. In some applications capacitor equipments are required to be
installed at locations with available fault current of up to 10 kA. The desire of the utility
is to install without using expensive current limiting fuses for protection. This will
require that the capacitor units be coordinated with an expulsion type protective fuse to
prevent catastrophic equipment failure. A catastrophic equipment failure would be a
violent rupture of the capacitor unit case and the subsequent burning of the capacitor
internal dielectric material. Safe application requires the capacitor equipment in
conjunction with the protective fuse to absorb the available fault energy resulting from
the capacitor unit failure avoiding case rupture and subsequent burning of the dielectric
material.

In an effort to address this concern, GE has recently conducted a coordination test
between capacitor units and its protective fuse. The test was conducted to simulate the
application of the capacitor equipment in locations where available fault current of 10 kA
from the system source exists. This fault current level is chosen to reflect an actual
service condition required by more and more utilities in the load planning of their
distribution system.

The GE test was conducted on capacitor units with popular ratings commonly
used for installation in pole top capacitor equipment. These include 200 kvar, 300 kvar
and 400 kvar units with voltage ratings 7.2 kV, 7.62 kV, 9.96 kV and 19.92 kV. A total
of thirteen (13) units were tested. All test units were shorted electrically through
continuous overvoltage energization. This failure mode is intended to closely simulate the
end of life failure mode of capacitor units in service.
The source for the available 10 kA rms fault current was provided by a 1200 RPM
AC generator rated 15,000 kVA, 2300 V. Each test unit was connected to the 10 kA
short-circuit source through a standard fuse cutout with a size 80K expulsion fuse link
(size 100K fuse link was also tested for one unit). The 10 kA current level was
maintained for the duration of the test. The test sequence was recorded with a high-speed
camera and the current tracing was verified. The test units were placed in a shielded
container for safety.

In all cases, the fault current was successfully interrupted by the fuse link without
causing the capacitor case to rupture. The cases showed various degrees of distortion and
bulge after the tests indicating the absorption of the energy by the capacitor unit when the
fault current flowed through it. The coordination between the protective fuse and the
capacitor unit is such that the capacitor unit withstood the let through energy in time for
the fuse to clear the fault.

Conclusion: With proper expulsion fuse coordination, GE pole top capacitor
equipment can be safely applied to distribution systems in locations where available fault
current levels up to 10 kA exist without requiring the use of a current limiting fuse.