Invited review paper for the International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, London, Aug 1999

UHF DIAGNOSTICS FOR GAS INSULATED SUBSTATIONS

Brian Hampton
Diagnostic Monitoring Systems Ltd., UK
Abstract
The UHF technique of detecting partial
discharges in gas insulated substations (GIS),
has over the past 10 years or so been
developed from a laboratory curiosity into a
sensitive means of giving an early warning of
most impending failures in the substation. Its
rapid acceptance by both utilities and
switchgear manufacturers worldwide has
resulted from it being a simple, sensitive and
practical technique. In addition, utilities are
finding it necessary to drive their plant harder
and need to be assured of its reliability even
though they may have fewer staff to carry out
maintenance work. The UHF technique is now
seen by them as a cost effective means of
avoiding failures, and providing the high
quality of supply demanded by today's
customers.
The principle of the UHF technique is that the
current pulse which forms the partial discharge
has a very short risetime, and this excites the
GIS chambers into multiple resonances at
frequencies of up to 1.5 GHz or so. Although
the duration of the current pulse is only a few
nanoseconds, these microwave resonances
persist for several microseconds. They are
readily picked up by UHF couplers fitted
either inside the GIS chambers, or over
dielectric apertures, such as glass windows, in
the chamber wall. The PD signals can then be
amplified, and displayed in ways which reveal
the characteristic patterns of the defects which
have caused them.
In addition to allowing continuous monitoring
of the GIS on-line, the UHF technique is
increasingly being seen as an integral part of
the
overpotential
test
when
first
commissioning the substation. This is not
entirely new, since UHF measurements were
made during the commissioning of a 420 kV
substation in the UK as long ago as 1984;
but recent studies through CIGRE have

developed the technique significantly, and led

to the recommendation that PD measurements
should be made an integral part of the
commissioning procedure.
Utilities are increasingly seeing UHF
monitoring as an effective means of avoiding
unplanned outages of their GIS. This may be
especially important where the supply industry
has been privatised and, for example, a utility
is under contract to accept energy from a
generating station. The consequence of being
unable to do so due to the failure of the station
GIS, which in an extreme case could require
the generators to be shut down, is likely to be
penalties against which the initial cost of a
UHF
monitoring
system
would
be
insignificant.
Utilities are also under mounting pressure to
maximise their return on plant, which is a
major investment and needs to be used to its
limits for as long as possible. This has to be
achieved with the minimum of maintenance,
since this is expensive and possibly disruptive
when plant is taken out of service. The utility
must also provide the highest possible quality
of supply to customers, especially those
electronics manufacturers using processes
susceptible to dips in the supply.
All this points to the need for knowing the
condition of plant through on-line monitoring,
so that remedial actions may be taken in time
to prevent failure. Achieving this goal can
mean interpreting a large amount of data,
which is time consuming and requires the most
important and scarce resource of all experienced engineers. Clearly there is a need
for routine data interpretation through some
form of artificial intelligence, and it is
reassuring to know of the many developments
taking place in this field.

2. Principle of the UHF technique

The principle of the UHF technique is now
well known, but as a reminder the current
pulse which forms the partial discharge has a
very
short
risetime,
which
recent
measurements have indicated can be less than
70 ps. These pulses excite the GIS chambers
into multiple resonances at frequencies of up to
1.5 GHz or more. Although the duration of the
current pulse is only a few nanoseconds, the
microwave resonances persist for the relatively
long time of some microseconds. They may
readily be picked up by UHF couplers fitted
either inside the GIS chambers, or over
dielectric apertures in the chamber wall. The
latter are usually either the exposed edges of
cast resin barriers, or glass windows; and in
both cases couplers can be designed to give a
perfectly acceptable output from the UHF
signal which propagates through the apertures.
Whether external or internal couplers are used,
the UHF signals can be amplified and
displayed in ways where their characteristic
patterns reveal the nature of any defect that
might be present in the GIS.
3. Data interpretation
3.1 Discharge features
The features of the UHF discharge pulses that
are most useful for interpretation purposes are
their amplitude, point on wave, and the interval
between pulses. These parameters enable
typical defects such as fixed point corona, free
metallic particles and floating electrodes to be
identified. Other defects occur less commonly,
but have their own distinctive features.
The UHF data may be displayed in any way
which reveals the characteristic patterns typical
of the defects causing them, as, for example, in
the 3D patterns shown below. Here the pulses
detected in 50 (60) consecutive cycles are
shown, in their correct phase relationships over
the cycle. In the 3D displays, 0 degrees
corresponds to the positive-going zero of the
power frequency wave, 90 degrees to the
positive peak, and so on.

Three distinct phases in which corona develops

from a protrusion may be seen as the voltage is
raised:
Inception, where discharges occur first on the
half-cycle that makes the protrusion negative
with respect to the other electrode. Inception is
therefore on the negative half-cycle when the
protrusion is on the busbar, and on the positive
half-cycle when it is on the chamber wall. The
initial discharges are of very low magnitude
(less than 1 pC), and are centred on one of the
voltage peaks.
Streamers start at a slightly higher voltage, and
appear as a regular stream of pulses on the
peak of the positive half-cycle. At the same
time the negative discharges become larger and
more erratic. This difference between the
positive and negative discharges reveals
whether the protrusion is on the busbar or
chamber wall. Streamer discharges will not
lead to breakdown.
Leaders follow further increases of the applied
voltage, and appear every few cycles as large
discharges on the positive half-cycle. They
propagate in steps until either they become
extinguished, or reach the other electrode and
cause complete breakdown. Figure 1 shows a
typical display of PD from a protrusion on the
busbar at this stage of the discharge process.
Leaders are the precursors of breakdown, and
there is always a risk of failure when they are
present.

cycle no

Figure 1. Busbar corona, streamers and leaders

Free Metallic Particle

Corona

degrees

A particle lying on the chamber floor becomes

charged by the electric field, and if the upward
force on it exceeds that due to gravity it will
stand up and dance along the floor. This
generates a discharge pulse each time contact
is made with the floor, since the particle then
assumes a new value of charge. The pulses
occur randomly over the complete power
frequency cycle, but their peak amplitudes
follow the phase of the voltage. A typical PD
pattern for a free metallic particle is shown in
Figure 2. At higher voltages the particle will
start to jump towards the busbar, and after
several cycles may reach it. Two factors
combine to make this an especially serious
condition which often leads to breakdown: (i)
as the particle approaches the busbar it
discharges and generates a voltage transient
which increases still further the stress at its tip,
and (ii) breakdown can occur by leader
propagation well before any space charge has
had time to develop and shield the tip.

floating component, and this gives rise to the

characteristic wing-shaped patterns shown in
the plan view of Figure 3. These provide a
positive confirmation that the defect is a
floating component.
3.2 Automatic defect classification

degrees

Figure 3. Floating electrode, plan view

cycle no

degree

Figure 2. Free metallic particle

Floating Electrode
This arises if the contact to, for example, a
stress shield deteriorates and sparks
repetitively during the voltage cycle. The
sparking is energetic because the floating
component usually has a high capacitance, and
this degrades the contact further. Metallic
particles are produced, and may lead to
complete breakdown. The discharges are
concentrated on the leading quadrants of the
positive and negative half-cycles, and their
amplitude does not vary with the applied
voltage.
Often the gap is asymmetrical, and sparks over
at different voltages on the two half-cycles.
Then a different charge is trapped on the

PD monitoring systems can generate a large

amount of data, and computer-aided
interpretation and classification of defects can
be of great assistance when analysing this
information. Interpretation is based on the
analysis of statistical parameters extracted
from the data, particularly those relating to the
amplitude, repetition rate and point on wave of
the detected UHF signals. Artificial Neural
Networks are well suited to recognising the
pulse patterns generated by discharges. During
system training with a database of real PD
patterns from known types of defect, the links
between neurons in the ANNs are
automatically strengthened or weakened on the
basis of the required output. In practice it is
found that the amount of data obtained in one
second is too great to be handled by a single
ANN, and it is better to use several ANNs
optimised to recognise key parameters. The
accuracy of this defect classification can
exceed 95% [1].
A PD monitoring system is therefore able to
identify the defect type, and this automated
classification procedure is already being used
by utilities in the UK.
4. Site test procedures for GIS

The problem of how best to undertake the site

commissioning test for new GIS has been
studied in depth by CIGRE JWG 33/23.12
Insulation co-ordination of GIS: return of
experience, on site tests and diagnostic
techniques. Its main conclusion [2] is that the
recommended dielectric on site test procedure
is a high voltage AC test together with a
sensitive partial discharge measurement. For
GIS with insulation test level chosen in IEC
694, the high AC voltage test level on site has
to be linked to the LIWL rather than to the
PFWL of the GIS even if this results in the AC
on site test level being close to the PFWL.
The purpose of the test is to detect critical
defects, which are defects of a size likely to
affect the specified LIWL and PFWL voltages.
Extensive series of tests made in a number of
laboratories have shown the critical lengths of
defects to be:
Free metallic particles: 2-5 mm
Protrusion from the HV conductor: 1 mm
Particle on a barrier surface: 2 mm
All these defects produce PD before
breakdown occurs. An important part of the
CIGRE studies has therefore been to find the
AC voltage level that will cause the critical
defects to generate partial discharges of a
magnitude measurable on site. This has led to
the adoption of test voltages at which the
critical defects will produce PD levels of 1-10
pC. The highest permissible PD level during
the test has been set at 5 pC, or the equivalent
signal if the measuring system is calibrated in
other units. The proposed test procedure is:
1. Conditioning with AC according to the
manufacturer's recommendations.
2. A PD measurement at 0.8 Ut, with a
highest permissible PD level of 5 pC or
equivalent *.
3. A 1 minute AC test at Ut = 0.36 x LIWL, or
Ut = 0.8 x ACWL, whichever is higher **.
* Or, if PD cannot be measured, a LI test at
0.8 LIWL.
** Or, if the highest test voltage is less than
0.36 LIWL, an OSI test at 0.65 LIWL.
The UHF and acoustic techniques are the most
promising for use in this test procedure, and
future CIGRE work will concentrate on
developing means of calibrating them.

5. Calibrating UHF measurements

The path of the signal from the defect to the
UHF coupler, shown in Figure 4, involves the
following stages:
Excitation of resonances in the chamber - the
partial discharge in SF6 is an extremely short
current pulse, which radiates energy into the
chamber and sets up many modes of
microwave resonance. Studies have shown the
amplitude of the microwave field to be
dependent on the length of the PD current
path, its position, and its orientation in the
chamber.
Propagation of the signal - the UHF field
strength is reduced by reflections from
discontinuities such as barriers, bends,
junctions and changes in the diameter of the
vessel. It also undergoes dispersion, and to a
small extent attenuation due to the skin effect.
UHF coupler response - the coupler acts as an
antenna, producing a voltage at its output
terminal in response to the UHF field incident
upon it. The efficiency of this conversion, both
in terms of sensitivity and bandwidth, may be
measured by the technique described in the
following section.

propagation
excitation

Figure 4. The UHF signal path

response

5.1 UHF coupler calibration

height, He. This quantity can be interpreted

as
the height of an equivalent monopole probe
located on the axis of the coupler, whose
output voltage is simply its height multiplied
by the amplitude of the incident electric field.

Even before a complete system calibration is

available, it is important to be able to measure
the characteristics of the UHF couplers now
being fitted to GIS. This enables the couplers
to be designed, both in terms of sensitivity and
bandwidth, to optimise the performance of the
monitoring system fitted into the substation.

Since the coupler test aperture is located at the

mid-point of the 3 m long GTEM cell, a
reflection-free window of 10 ns is available for
the measurement before the reflection from the
open end of the cell returns. Consequently,
most of the coupler response to the step
excitation should be contained within this 10
ns period for an accurate measurement to be
obtained. This requirement has been satisfied
by all the couplers tested on the system.

A recently developed coupler calibration

system [3] is shown in Figure 5. A voltage step
of risetime < 50 ps is applied to the input of a
gigahertz transverse electromagnetic cell
(GTEM), and propagates as a step electric field
towards the open end of the cell. As the field
passes over the coupler aperture in the top wall
of the GTEM, the incident electric field is
measured using a monopole probe with a
known response. The voltage signal from the
probe is converted to the frequency domain
using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and
stored as a reference. The UHF coupler is then
fitted over the aperture, and the same step field
applied. Having measured the voltage output
from the coupler, it is again converted by a
FFT.

The signal processing used to determine the

frequency response of the coupler can extend
the measurement bandwidth beyond the
normal limits of the test equipment. The
procedure includes using identical test
equipment and cables for both the incident
field and coupler response measurements, and
a measurement system bandwidth of 2 GHz
has been achieved.

coupler test port

signal
source

incident field

launching
unit

timing
signal

septum

3 m long
GTEM cell

coupled
signal

PC
digitiser
Figure 5. Block diagram of the UHF coupler calibration system

Dividing the frequency domain signal by the

reference signal previously stored allows the
transfer function of the UHF coupler to be
calculated. The most useful measure of the
sensitivity of a coupler is its voltage output per
unit incident electric field; i.e., an effective

An important feature affecting the performance

of a coupler is its mounting configuration,
because this determines how well the coupler
responds to UHF fields inside the GIS
chambers. Couplers are normally located in
recesses, or externally on the GIS, which
makes them more remote from the UHF fields.

They should therefore be tested on ports that

replicate their mounting configurations on the
GIS.
5.2 Specifying UHF Couplers
When preparing the tender for a new GIS with
integral couplers, the user should specify the
coupler response to suit that required by the
monitoring system. A specification in terms of
the declared
effective height He over
frequency range of interest has been prepared
by The National Grid Company plc [4], and an
example is shown in Table 1. Here the
minimum effective height He min is defined as
the sensitivity that must be exceeded over at
least 80% of the frequency range, and the
mean effective height He is the sensitivity that
must be exceeded by the average value of He
over the full frequency range.

Specification, with its maximum sensitivity in

the 500-1500 MHz range. The calibration
curve in Figure 7 shows that with a mean
effective height of 9.2 mm over 100% of the
frequency range, the NGC requirements had
readily been met.
In practice, it has been found that external
couplers, whether for windows or barriers, can
be as sensitive as internal couplers. They are
particularly convenient to use with portable
monitoring equipment because they can be
moved around the substation, but have also
been proved very satisfactory in several
permanent installations fitted to existing GIS.

Table 1
NGC coupler specification for a 420 kV GIS
Frequency range
Min. effective height He min
Mean effective height He

500-1500 MHz
2.0 mm
6.0 mm

The use of two conditions rather than simply

specifying He ensures that the couplers are
broadband. If the minimum value was not
specified, the average value could be achieved
by using a very sensitive, but narrow band
coupler. The specification requires that the
calibration is carried out with the coupler
mounted on a replica of the GIS mounting
arrangement.

Figure 6. External coupler for a barrier

Case study 1 a coupler design

External couplers may be used on GIS which
have either glass windows, or cast resin
barriers where the outer edge is exposed. The
UHF signal then propagates through the
dielectric and may be detected externally,
although as mentioned above the apertures act
as high-pass filters and the lower frequencies
in the signal may be attenuated strongly.
Couplers were designed to suit the barriers of a
particular GIS. The chamber flanges and a
cast resin insert representing the barrier were
reproduced on the calibration rig, and the
coupler (Figure 6) mounted in position. The
coupler had been designed to satisfy the NGC

Figure 7. Coupler calibration

6. Service experience
UHF monitoring equipment is produced by
some European and Japanese switchgear

manufacturers, and a small number of

independent companies. However since little
information on the service experience of these
systems has been published, the author will
concentrate on the results obtained by his own
company (DMS) in the hope that they will
prove a useful guide to those considering using
the UHF technique.
6.1 Installed PDM systems
DMS has installed on-line partial discharge
monitoring (PDM) systems in a number of GIS
at system voltages from 275 to 500 kV, and
they are proving to be a valuable means of
detecting incipient failures. At present four
PDM systems are operating on GIS in the UK,
two in Singapore, seven in Korea, and one
each in Hong Kong, Malaysia and the USA.
New PDM projects, including the survey of
existing GIS using portable equipment, are
currently under way in Brazil, Canada and
South Africa. The UHF measurements are
proving their worth by occasionally revealing
defects which need to be corrected, enabling
utilities to follow any development in
discharges at present too small to be of
concern, and (occasionally) reassuring users
that their GIS is discharge free. Given in
addition the significant benefits obtained from
using the commissioning test procedure
recommended by CIGRE, there is reason to
expect that the number of UHF installations
will increase significantly as utilities recognise
the cost benefits they can bring.

where breakdown seemed increasingly likely,

the defect was located by the time-of-flight
method and a decision made to take the faulty
section out of service for investigation.
Having opened the chamber, at first no effect
of the discharge could be seen. However on
removing the stress shield covering a busbar
joint, it was found to be coated internally with
SF6 decomposition products. The busbar joint
was then dismantled, whereupon it was seen
that one of the palms had cracked between two
of the bolt holes, and was on the point of
fracturing completely. Had this happened
while in service, the busbar would have
dropped to the chamber and caused a severe
fault. Metallurgical examination subsequently
revealed that the crack had occurred because of
flaws in the casting from which the palm was
formed.
This type of fault had not been seen before,
and it was reassuring to find that a PD
completely enclosed by a metal shield was still
able to radiate UHF energy into the chamber.
In other GIS, plug and socket busbar joints
have also been known to arc to an extent where
the joint has melted. Laboratory simulations of
a faulty joint carrying a few kiloamperes show
the characteristic pattern (Figure 8) of the
numerous heavy discharges typical of this
defect.

6.2 HV commissioning tests

Case study 2 Torness 420 kV GIS

The first PDM system was installed at the
Torness substation of ScottishPower in 1994,
and considerable experience in its use has been
gained. No failures have occurred there over
the last five years, but during that time the
PDM has detected several defects. Three of
these were followed until they approached
their critical stages, when the GIS was opened
and the defects corrected. By taking this
action, an in-service failure and possible
disruption of supply were prevented in each
case.
In the latest incident, ScottishPower monitored
for several weeks a PD with a discharge
pattern characteristic of a faulty busbar joint.
When the discharge had grown to a level

Figure 8. Discharges from a faulty joint

Even prior to the publication of the CIGRE

report of February 1998, several GIS in the
UK and the Far East had been commissioned
with the aid of PDM systems; indeed the very
first UHF measurements were made during the
commissioning of Torness GIS. Such

measurements are now made much more

conveniently,
because
PDM
software
dedicated to the commissioning test enables
data from up to 12 UHF couplers in the test
section to be displayed simultaneously, and
updated every few seconds.
Should the test voltage be provided by a
variable frequency resonant test set, a lowvoltage signal from the test set enables the
PDM to lock on to the test frequency and
maintain the correct phase relationship in the
data displays. It is usual for the test voltage to
be raised in two or three stages, and held for
some minutes at these intermediate levels
before being increased to the one-minute test
level. It has been an education to see the
conditioning processes in action; bursts of
activity while a protrusion burns off, a patch of
oxide is removed, or even a dust-like particle
moving away or being destroyed. Then, after a
minute or so, the test section is usually
completely free of discharges until the voltage
is raised to the next level.
Unfortunately on occasions the defect is found
to be permanent, whereupon the test may be
suspended while the defect is removed, or the
voltage raised with the possibility of causing a
test flashover. Whatever the decision, the test
engineer makes it knowing the type of defect
present. Normally the GIS will be opened, but
not before the defect is located. This is often
done by a time-of-flight measurement of
signals arriving at couplers on either side of
the defect, but if the discharge is large enough
then using an acoustic detector is sometimes a
simpler alternative.
6.3 Sensitivity verification
A further CIGRE publication Sensitivity
Verification for Partial Discharge Detection
Systems for GIS with the UHF Method and the
Acoustic Method [5] will soon be published.
It will recommend that the following two step
procedure be adopted:Step 1: Laboratory test
A free metallic particle (typically 3 mm long)
is introduced into a test chamber, which has
been fitted with two couplers reasonably close
together. Having filled the chamber with SF6,
an increasing voltage is applied to the busbar

until the particle moves. The PD level is then

measured by both the IEC 270 and UHF
methods, thereby
giving
a comparison
between the apparent charge (IEC 270), and
the UHF signal. A 3 mm long particle is
recommended, because it gives an apparent
charge of approximately 5 pC.
The busbar is de-energised, and fast-fronted
pulses of variable amplitude injected into one
of the couplers. The UHF signal at the other
coupler is measured, and the pulse height
increased until the amplitude of UHF signal
previously produced by the particle is reached.
Injecting the same pulse into a coupler in the
GIS therefore has the same effect as
introducing a 3 mm long particle at that point,
and later will provide a convenient means of
verifying the sensitivity of PD measurement in
the substation.
Step 2: On-site test
Pulses of the set amplitude are injected into a
coupler on site, and the sensitivity verified if
the UHF signal can be detected at an adjacent
coupler. This procedure needs to be repeated
at other couplers in order to cover the whole
site.
Case study 3 UHF sensitivity verification
The CIGRE recommendations of [5] were
followed, for what is believed to be the first
time, during the factory and commissioning
tests of a GIS in the Far East. They provided a
model of how a PDM system should be used,
and the utility and switchgear manufacturer
may publish the full test details at a later date.
If so, they will provide a valuable feedback to
CIGRE, and be of interest to other utilities
currently weighing up the benefits of the UHF
technique.
However, before starting the verification tests
it was most important to fit the GIS with
couplers having adequate sensitivity and
bandwidth, as given by the NGC Specification.
For this project, DMS designed couplers to suit
the existing ports of the GIS. The outline
arrangement was discussed with the switchgear
manufacturer, who completed the mechanical
design and produced prototypes of each type.
These were calibrated, and having met the
Specification the coupler designs were released

for manufacture. This collaborative approach

is ideal, since it ensures that the couplers have
the optimum electrical and mechanical design.
Verification tests
The verification tests were carried out in a
short length of busbar containing two couplers,
and a switchgear bay which had been
assembled for its HV tests before being
shipped to site. However, the tests could not
be made in a shielded area, and this presented
difficulties:

The manufacturer quite properly decided it

was unacceptable to introduce a free
particle into equipment about to be
shipped.
At the voltage which would have been
needed to lift the particle, the background
noise in the IEC 270 circuit was much
higher than the 5 pC to be measured.

Some alternative was needed, and so use was

made of the rolling ball test cell developed
some years ago in the UK. Shown in Figure 9,
it consists of a gas-tight Perspex cylinder
between two aluminium end plates. The lower
plate carries a 2 mm diameter aluminium ball
lying in a dish-shaped electrode, while the
upper supports a metal sphere. When filled
with SF6 at 4-5 bar(g), and with a 0-5 kV AC
supply connected across the cell, the voltage is
raised until the ball hovers over the dish and
generates particle type discharges.
First, the cell was placed inside an open port of
the short length of busbar, and the UHF signal
measured at a coupler on the second port.
Then the cell was removed, and replaced by a
coupler. Pulses having a risetime of less than
1 ns were injected into it, and the pulse height
which gave the same amplitude of UHF signal
at the second coupler was found.
Next, the cell was placed in an open chamber
of the switchgear bay, and energised by leads
passed through a port. UHF signals were
recorded by couplers in the bay, and at the
same time the apparent charge was measured
using the IEC 270 method. All these
measurements were made with the busbar at
earth potential.
The advantages of this procedure were:

The test rig used when calibrating the fast

pulse for injection tests was an open
section of busbar, without bushings.
There was no risk of a free particle being
lost in the switchgear bay.
The IEC 270 tests in the switchgear bay
were made with the busbar at earth
potential, which reduced the interference
level to much less than 5 pC.
The cell gives a known and reproducible
signal, and could readily be used
elsewhere for comparative tests in different
types of GIS.

In summary, the approach taken was

straightforward in use, needed only simple rigs
with no special shielding, and gave good
results. It also calibrated the PDM system in
terms of apparent charge, and showed that
5 pC gave signals of 50% full scale, and 25 pC
gave signals of full scale.
Case study 4 portable UHF equipment

SF
6

Perspe
x

ball

Figure 9. Rolling ball test cell

UHF measurements can readily be made using

portable equipment. It is especially convenient
if external couplers can be fitted over windows
or exposed barriers, because they can be
moved from place to place and the whole GIS
surveyed. Portable equipment is also suitable
for use during the commissioning of a new
GIS.
The Laboratorio Central de Pesquisa e
Desenvolvimento (LAC) of COPEL (Brazil)

has made many measurements using a portable

UHF monitor on 500 kV GIS, particularly
those at the Foz do Areia (Figure 10) and
Itaipu Bi-National Power Plants [6]. In the
latter, many good results have been obtained
from measurements undertaken in a large test
rig of 500 kV chambers.
More recently, LAC performed the HV
commissioning tests of the 500 kV GIS at
the Salto Caxias Power Plant of COPEL.

No internal couplers had been fitted to the GIS,

because it was preferred to use external
couplers on the exposed edges of the barriers.
Typically, the measurements were made at
barriers spaced between 15 and 30 m apart. A
test sequence of voltages was applied for some
minutes up to the test level of 520 kV, and in
most cases it was established that the GIS was
in good condition. However some defects
were found, and on three occasions the test
was stopped while the GIS was opened to
rectify them. As a result the commissioning

Figure 10. Making UHF measurements at Foz do Areia 500 kV GIS

Test voltages of up to 520 kV were applied,

and LAC undertook the PD measurements
using a portable UHF monitor. Attempts were
also made to use the conventional IEC 270
method, but in the event they had to be
abandoned because of the high level of
background noise at the site.

tests were completed successfully, and without

any internal flashover.

7. Conclusions
Utilities and switchgear manufacturers are
increasingly relying on UHF diagnostics to
reveal the internal condition of their GIS, both
during the HV commissioning tests and later
while they are in service.
When used as recommended by CIGRE as an
integral part of the commissioning tests, any
defect will be detected as the test voltage is
being raised to the 1 min level. If the test is
then halted while the defect is located and
removed, the overpotential tests will in most
instances be completed without any internal
flashover. The advantages of this are that it
avoids dismantling perhaps long sections of
the GIS in order to find the breakdown site,
which the user may require; and also any
secondary breakdown caused by the fastfronted
breakdown
transient.
More
importantly, the user can be assured that the
GIS will enter service free of defects and in the
best possible condition.
In service, the UHF technique allows any
developing discharge to be detected and
located.
The development can then be
followed until it approaches a critical stage,
when plans to correct the defect are put into
operation. Experience in many countries has
shown that UHF techniques are valuable aids
in maintaining the reliable operation of a GIS,
and they are being used with increasing
confidence.
Having already proved the worth of the UHF
technique, future developments are likely to be
concentrated in two main areas:

Automatically interpreting the data more

comprehensively than is presently
possible, so that as a routine only
information will be presented to the user.
This is becoming especially important for
those utilities already monitoring several
GIS on their systems, since their engineers
do not have the time to examine in any
detail the large amount of data being
generated.

Extending the condition monitoring

system to include other plant in the
substation.
It would be especially
attractive to monitor the performance of
circuit breakers, where significant savings
could be made by adopting conditionbased maintenance systems; and there may
be benefits in monitoring bushings,
transformers and other plant items, as a
further step towards the ultimate goal of
achieving a completely smart substation.

8. Acknowledgments
Grateful thanks are given to The National Grid
Company plc, Scottish Power plc and COPEL
for their support in the preparation of this
paper.
References
[1] J. S. Pearson, O. Farish, B. F. Hampton, M.
D. Judd, D. Templeton, B. M. Pryor and I. M.
Welch, Partial discharge diagnostics for gas
insulated substations, IEEE Trans. Dielectrics
and Electrical Insulation, Vol. 2, No. 5, pp.
893-905, (1995).
[2] CIGRE Joint Working
Insulation co-ordination of
experience, on site tests
techniques, ELECTRA, No.
(1998).

Group 33/23.12,
GIS: Return of
and diagnostic
176, pp. 67-97

[3] M. D. Judd, O. Farish and P. F. Coventry,

UHF couplers for GIS - sensitivity and
specification, 10th Int. Symp. on High Voltage
Engineering (ISH), Montreal (1997).
[4] The National Grid Company plc,
Capacitive couplers for UHF partial discharge
monitoring,
Technical
Guidance
Note
TGN(T)121 Issue 1 (1997).
[5] CIGRE Task Force 15/33.03.05,
Sensitivity Verification for Partial Discharge
Detection Systems for GIS with the UHF
Method and the Acoustic Method. To be
published in ELECTRA.
[6] M. Silva, et al. PD measurements in GIS
using portable equipment, 9th Int Symp on
High Voltage Engineering, Graz, Aug 1995.