Averting Failure of Pre-Insertion Resistor in Circuit Breaker Through Preventive Maintenance

Abstract

Pre-insertion resistor (PIR) is an important component of circuit breaker. The healthiness of the circuit breaker (CB) depends upon that of PIR contact. With the increasing demand of uninterrupted power supply, failure in major equipment like CB may incur huge loss to the utility. The existing study reveals that mechanical failures are more dominant than other types of failures. Thus, many industries prefer to undertake preventive maintenance of equipment rather than break down maintenance. This paper describes the actual problem detected in PIR contact of North Eastern Regional Transmission System, having a 400 kV, 3000 A, SF6 CB through testing and rectification thereafter. The results obtained from the graph helped in detecting mechanical dis-alignment of the connecting link in the link arm and the tubular contact of the PIR. Furthermore, a model has been developed to show the possible threat that would have occurred, had the problem been not rectified. This paper will help the utilities to emphasize on detecting the problem by undergoing preventive maintenance and thereby saving unprecedented failure of equipment.

KEYWORDS:

• AC circuit breakers
• Power system maintenance
• Pre-insertion resistor (PIR)
• Switchgear

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges Power Grid Corporation of India Limited North Eastern Regional Transmission System for providing necessary data for analysis. The views expressed in this paper are of the authors and not necessarily that of the POWERGRID organization.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Devaprasad Paul

Devaprasad Paul was born in Silchar, Assam, India in 1985. He received his BTech degree from National Institute of Technology Silchar, Silchar, Assam, India in 2009. Since then he is working in Power Grid Corporation of India Limited and looking after the Department of Asset Management of North Eastern Regional Transmission System. He has vast experience of testing and commissioning EHV equipments and operation and maintenance of the EHV system. At present he is pursuing PhD in the Department of Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Silchar, Assam, India. His research area includes power quality, condition monitoring of EHV equipment, power system protection. E-mail: [email protected]

Arup Kumar Goswami

Arup Kumar Goswami was born in Medinipur, West Bengal, India in 1975. He received the BTech degree from the Regional Engineering College Kurukshetra, Haryana, India in 1997, the M.E. degree from the Birla Institute of Technology Mesra, Ranchi, India in 2005 and the PhD degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India in 2010. He joined National Institute of Technology Silchar as assistant professor in May 2010. He was Summer Research Faculty Fellow at Indian Institute of Science Bangalore in 2013.

He was visiting scientist under international collaborative/exchange programme during June 2015 sponsored by Indian National Science Academy for doing research at Middle East Technical University Turkey.

He is a Member of IEEE, Life Member of IE(I), Life Member of SESI, Life Member of CBIP. His main research areas include power quality and renewable energy, power system planning and reliability, energy management and smart grid, electric vehicle and congestion management.