Managing SF6 gas leaks in Circuit Breakers - Dilo · Managing SF6 gas leaks in Circuit Breakers ......
Transcript of Managing SF6 gas leaks in Circuit Breakers - Dilo · Managing SF6 gas leaks in Circuit Breakers ......
www.dilo.com - www.dilodirect.com
Zero Emissions. No Substitutes.
DILO 2nd Annual SF6 Gas Management Seminar Tampa FL, November 2017
The true art of SF6 gas leak detection and leak
seal
Managing SF6 gas leaks
in Circuit Breakers
Steve Wickman, PE electric utility independent consultant
John Edmon TDS-Transmission & Distribution Services
November 15, 2017
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Our story for you today
SF6—what is it?
Why SF6 in electric utility apparatus?
Some history
SF6—good stuff
SF6—bad stuff
SF6 leaks—find them and fix them
Steve‘s experiences with SF6 CBs
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SF6...what is it?
Sulfur Hexafluoride
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
is an inorganic, colorless,
odorless, non-flammable,
extremely potent
greenhouse gas, which is
an excellent electrical
insulator. SF6 has an
octahedral geometry,
consisting of six fluorine
atoms attached to a
central sulfur atom.
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Some history
Why SF6 in electric utility apparatus?
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Some history
Why SF6 in electric utility apparatus?
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In the early 1950s high-voltage CBs of bulk oil
configurations were becoming the norm
These OCBs had an exemplary record but the
possibility of failure, and the risk of explosion and
oil fires existed
Systems grew & HV OCBs were located
increasingly in urban areas and the consequences
of OCB failure gained importance
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In the early 1950s the New York Consolidated
Edison Company (Con Edison) in particular started
to push for an oil-less breaker design
In response to this oil-less breaker need, the
Westinghouse Electric Company initiated a program
to develop the GCB using SF6 as the insulating
dielectric & interrupting medium, transforming the
breaker industry
Thirty years later every manufacturer of H-V
breakers adoped SF6 as the medium of choice
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Early Installations
PP&L 230kV GCB at Brunner Island substation the first SF6 CB placed in commercial service
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Early Installations
ConEdison Hellgate substation May 1960 first two installed SF6 GCBs 138kV 10,000MVA
ConEdison GCB failure February 1961, previous experience with oil CBs indicated that total or near total destruction occurred
This SF6 CB failure was repaired & the CB restored in two days and subsequently ConEdison placed their first substantial order for 138kV SF6 CBs
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The good stuff...
Higher dielectric strength than air or
nitrogen
Provides for compactness in the
design of equipment
SF6
The bad stuff...
Found to be the most potent
greenhouse gas known to date
Emitted into the atmosphere it
accumulates in an undegraded state
for centuries
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Bottom line...
Allowing it to leak freely into the
atmosphere is not a good thing
SF6
US EPA regulations...
Develop SF6 emissions reduction
strategies
Inventory of SF6 using eqiupment
Estimate current emissions
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SF6—got leaks?
SF6 leaks—find them and fix them
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SF6 Leak Detection
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SF6 Leak Detection
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SF6 Leak Detection
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SF6 Leak Survey & Sketch
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External clamp
Leak Repair Technique on SF6
Apparatus
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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External clamp
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Clamp repair concept drawing
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External clamp
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External clamp
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SF6 piping leaks in GCB control cabinet
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SF6 piping leaks—typical measurements
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SF6 piping leaks
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SF6 piping leaks
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GIS leaks
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GIS leaks
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Initial leak detection can be performed with CB in service
Detailed survey and measurements without disassembly of CB
Clamp design and fabrication performed in a day or two and air freighted to the worksite
Repairs completed in a day or two with minimal outage time and NO degassing of the CB required...depending on customer safety/work practice requirements
SF6 leaks-find them and fix them
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Steve‘s actual experience ~1980
Westinghouse SFA GCBs 765kV
SF6 leak a case study
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SF6 leak a case study
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SF6 leak a case study
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WWJD?
SF6 leak a case study
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What Would Jesus Do?
What Would Jesus Drive?
What Would Judas Do?
We Want Jack Daniels
SF6 leak a case study
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What Would John Do!!!
SF6 leak a case study
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SF6 leak a case study
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SF6 leak a case study
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SF6 leak a case study
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SF6 leak a case study
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SF6 leak a case study
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• TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, LLC28369 DAVIS PARKWAY, SUITE 401
WARRENVILLE, IL 60555
P∙775.586.8300
F∙775.586.1105
Page 53
Steve Wickman
630.853.3104
John Edmon
775.240.1319
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John Edmon…44 years in the Leak Sealing
business…starting out working for leak
seal firms working in the petrochemical
and electric power house industry. In
1988, upon the suggestion of an Electric
Utility equipment specialists John worked
with at a power plant on the west coast of
the USA, he developed his technique for
sealing low pressure leaks, initially in large
power transformers. The techniques then
flowed over to CBs initially oil CBs. As the
SF6 dielectric medium became more
prevalent in CBs in the industry, John
started applying the same techniques to
SF6 gas apparatus.
John Edmon
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Steve Wickman, PE…37 year career as aPower Engineer with CommonwealthEdison in the greater Chicago, IL area.BSEE from Iowa State University and MBAfrom Keller Graduate School ofManagement [DeVry University]. His 40+year engineering career has spanned workexperiences in substation equipmenttesting and commissioning, designengineering, substation construction andoperations management, as well asproject management, work schedulingand work controls areas. Steve is nowworking as an independent consultant inthe electric utility industry.
Steve Wickman
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Russell N. (Russ) Yeckley and R. Gerald (Jerry) Colclaser, Jr., “FirstSF6 Breaker Design, Westinghouse engineers tell the inside story”,IEEE Power & Energy Magazine, May/June 2016
references
www.dilo.com - www.dilodirect.com
Zero Emissions. No Substitutes.
DILO 2nd Annual SF6 Gas Management Seminar Tampa FL, November 2017
Presentation By: Steve Wickman and John Edmon
Created On: October 12, 2017
Transmission & Distribution Services, LLC
Suite 401
28369 Davis Parkway
Warrenville, IL 60555
775-586-8300
Managing SF6 gas leaks
in Circuit Breakers