Expertise
Precise diagnosis of your equipment to ensure production reliability
Identification of air leaks
Temperature measurement by thermography
Temperature measurement by infrared sensor
Visual expertise
Dielectric and insulation tests
Contact resistance or connection measurement
Calculation
The IPBs are passive conductors but carry significant powers up to 1.8 GW.
Even with a robust design, the occurrence of problems can have catastrophic consequences ranging from simple measurement device disturbances to serious accidents that can seriously affect the safety of operators, leading to production shutdowns for several weeks.
With 75 years of experience, Simelectro P&S has developed expertise solutions to effectively assess the condition of the enclosures and prevent accidents.
Our Expertise
Visual Expertise
Maintenance should be performed at regular intervals, but sometimes IPB are overlooked in the plant’s maintenance programs. In such cases, expertise by our specialized teams is necessary.
Beyond visual inspection, which already helps identify some issues, expertise involves opening each connection, removing a braid or flexible lamination each time, and disassembling some insulators, this allows to :
- Checking the condition of sleeves and synthetic joints
- Inspecting the inside of the sleeves and ensuring cleanliness
- Checking the absence of water
- Checking the condition of connection parts (broken strands or torn flexible lamination)
- Verifying the quality of electrical contact (surface treatment condition, presence of spring washer, presence of large support washer)
- Verifying the absence of corrosion
- Checking the cleanliness and integrity of insulating parts
- Verifying torque tightening
Air Leak Identification
IPBs are mostly pressurized with a slight overpressure of clean and dry air, ensuring the absence of condensation and significantly reducing the risks of oxidation and pollution of insulating parts.
Leak tightness of the connection is crucial for the pressurization system to function correctly.
Simelectro P&S has acquired a leak detection system using ultrasound.
The device captures leaks through a directional microphone and converts the signal into an audible frequency for the human ear.
Accessories such as the parabola combined with a laser sighting help locate leaks with great precision.
The elbow stick allows the detection of leaks in hard-to-reach places.
This leak identification can be done with the plant in operation and without special access means.
It is possible to control about 80% of the link from the ground.
To reach 100%, however, access means must be installed or a lift must be used.
The ultrasound device is capable of identifying leaks from all visible parts.
Once the leaks are clearly identified, improving tightness can be done more quickly and effectively.
Temperature Measurement by Thermography
IPBs have the special feature to have an equivalent current flowing both in the enclosure and in the conductor.
The phase shift between the current in the conductor and that in the enclosure allows IPBs to cancel out magnetic fields outside the IPB, and this is the great advantage of IPB.
The drawback is that these currents can cause heating in enclosures, the grounding circuit, or adjacent metallic structures when the insulation between the enclosure and the structures is poorly executed.
Thermography helps identify these hotspots quickly and address them if necessary.
It is also very useful for power increase to have a reference point for the installation and extrapolate with other currents.
Temperature Measurement by Infrared Sensor
Thermography is useful for measuring the enclosure but provides little information on the conductor’s temperature.
It is possible to install standard inspection windows with a thermometer or even infrared inspection windows through which measurements can be taken, but high-risk areas (connections to alternators, circuit breakers, or transformers) are generally prohibited from access during operation.
Infrared sensors can be installed on the sleeves’ enclosure, aiming at specific points on the conductor.
This continuous measurement allows to detect thermal runaway of a connection and provides temperature feedbacks in the control room or triggers alarms in case of risks.
Dielectric Test and Insulation Test
In case of doubt about the state of the installation, Simelectro P&S has a dielectric test bench and devices to measure insulation.
The IPB are tested to a voltage much higher than the nominal voltage for one minute (around twice). The tests are conducted in accordance with IEC standards and ensure the safety margin regarding the dielectric strength of the connection.
For these tests, the IPBs must be disconnected from the machines.
Contact Resistance or Connection Measurement
We have a DLRO 600 test device qualified for nuclear power plants.
With its significant injection current of up to 600A and high precision, the measurement is reliable even for very low resistances of the order of micro-ohms.
Calculation
With extensive experience and dozens of laboratory tests, we know how to accurately modelize the behavior of busbars in terms of dielectric strength, operating temperatures (under different ambient conditions and different currents) and electrodynamic forces (short-circuit calculation of enclosure and frames).