Power Factor 15kV Vac Breakers

[deloye4]

In the NETA ATS and MTS power factor testing for a medium voltage vac breaker is an optional test. I don't believe it is a recognized test by manufacturers. Does anyone have any documentation to back this up? Is it a typical test done by others?

[SecondGen]

In the NETA ATS and MTS power factor testing for a medium voltage vac breaker is an optional test. I don't believe it is a recognized test by manufacturers. Does anyone have any documentation to back this up? Is it a typical test done by others?

The Doble book mainly talks about the bushings for this test, I took a quick look through a few VCB manuals and none of them mentioned PF testing as part of maintenance. I don't know that this is a standard factory test either, other than maybe the bushings which I imagine are PF tested individually at production? As far as I know we've never done this for a customer at our shop as part of any standard service.

[deloye4]

The Doble book mainly talks about the bushings for this test, I took a quick look through a few VCB manuals and none of them mentioned PF testing as part of maintenance. I don't know that this is a standard factory test either, other than maybe the bushings which I imagine are PF tested individually at production? As far as I know we've never done this for a customer at our shop as part of any standard service.

These are for 15kV breakers. Manufacturers may not call it power factor tests, but that's the naming in the NETA book.

308

[jwdrowe]

In the NETA ATS and MTS power factor testing for a medium voltage vac breaker is an optional test. I don't believe it is a recognized test by manufacturers. Does anyone have any documentation to back this up? Is it a typical test done by others?

We have had customers that required it for all vac bottle breakers, we showed they where it was listed as optional but they still wanted it. Doble has standards set for most Vac breakers however we have found that very few actually pass by doble standards.

[CEBrighton]

Had this happen a few days ago, Power factored a medium voltage vac breaker and the test set could not recognize the leakage current because it was so low. Pretty much a pointless test.
-Justin

[Kalbi_Rob]

These are for 15kV breakers. Manufacturers may not call it power factor tests, but that's the naming in the NETA book.

308

Hence the reason NETA always states test per "MANUFACTURER'S PUBLISHED DATA." I have only seen manufacturer's call for withstand and vacuum bottle integrity tests.

Unfortunately, some customers want what they want and don't listen to reason.

[baccuskt]

In the NETA ATS and MTS power factor testing for a medium voltage vac breaker is an optional test. I don't believe it is a recognized test by manufacturers. Does anyone have any documentation to back this up? Is it a typical test done by others?

Most manufacturers do not recommend power factor on vac or sf6 breakers. Most just high pot vac breakers but there is specialty equipment that use magnetic fields to measure vacuum.

[NBatson]

The only breakers I have used power factor testing for is oil field breakers. On vacuum breakers we just use the over potential test for vac integrity and insulation integrity. Things like this are interesting though. I'll have to do some research now.

[Zog]

In the NETA ATS and MTS power factor testing for a medium voltage vac breaker is an optional test. I don't believe it is a recognized test by manufacturers. Does anyone have any documentation to back this up? Is it a typical test done by others?

We have some customers that require it on Magneblast bushings but usually not the norm.

[Zog]

Most manufacturers do not recommend power factor on vac or sf6 breakers. Most just high pot vac breakers but there is specialty equipment that use magnetic fields to measure vacuum.

The MAC test is now an optional test in both the ATS and MTS. Several utilities require it , we do it on every VCB we touch.