Combined RIV and PD measurements to satisfy the various needs of transformer testing

Dirk Russwurm1 and Matthias Boltze 2

1
HV Technologies, Inc., Manassas, VA, U.S.A.
2
Lemke Diagnostics GmbH, Volkersdorf, Germany

Abstract: Radio Influence Voltage (RIV) testing was safely measure the high frequency PD signals and
developed and is still heavily used in North America, a voltage divider to measure the test voltage.
while most other countries prefer Partial Discharge 4. A PD measuring instrument to measure the
(PD) testing. Transformer manufacturing becomes apparent charge according to IEC 60270 [3].
increasingly an international business, requiring For transformer testing, a wide-band PD detector
knowledge of both testing methods. with a lower bandwidth of less than 70 kHz and
An overview of the similarities and differences an upper bandwidth of less than 300 kHz is
between Radio Influence Voltage and Partial recommended [4]
Discharge testing will be given. 5. A PD calibrator for calibrating the test circuit.
A computer controlled test system that automatically This calibrator simulates a PD with a known
measures both, Partial Discharge and Radio Influence apparent charge. The response of the test circuit
Voltage, will be explained. to this known impulse is measured and used to
calibrate the measuring instrument to this test
1. Introduction setup. When applying high voltage, the calibrator
usually has to be removed.
Description of PD Testing
Partial Discharge measurement and testing aims at
detecting and characterizing the electric sparks inside
an insulation, which could be harmful for the
insulation over time.
Since it is believed that the strongest sparks are
causing the most damage to the insulation, the main
emphasis is the correct measurement of the energy of
these strongest partial discharges.

The test setup is as follows [2] [3] [4]:

1. A high voltage source is required to generate the
electrical stress over the insulation. This high
voltage source itself should be PD free. It should Figure 1 PD Test Circuit for Power Transformer [3]
be equipped with filters (6) to prevent external
noise from entering the test circuit and the PD 1: Test Object 4: PD Detector
2: HV Bushing with tap 5: PD Calibrator
signal from bypassing the measuring circuit. 3: Measuring Impedance 6: Line Filter
In testing transformers, the transformer itself can
often be used to generate its own test voltage, e.g. Description of RIV Testing
at the induced test. In this case, noise filters
should be used at the feeding site and corona Radio Influence Voltage (RIV) measurement and
shields are necessary at the bushing terminals. testing aims primarily at ensuring that the test object is
2. A means to separate the weak (mV) impulse not generating too much interference with the AM
voltages generated by the PD from the huge test radio reception in its immediate neighborhood.
voltage with several kV. A high voltage coupling Characterizing the condition of the insulation is a nice
capacitor is most commonly used for this purpose. side effect, since the partial discharge in the insulation
Its high impedance at power frequency and much is also generating the electromagnetic noise measured
lower impedance at the high frequency range by the RIV meter.
generated by the PD permits the separation. The test setup is similar to the one used for PD testing
If a transformer has capacitive graded bushings [5] [6] [7] [8]:
with a bushing tap, this bushing can be used as a 1. A high voltage source to generate the electrical
coupling capacitor. stress over the insulation. This high voltage
3. Together with the coupling capacitor a measuring source itself should be RIV free. It should be
impedance creates the power separation filter to equipped with filters (6) to prevent external noise
from entering the test circuit.
 In testing transformers, the transformer itself can This different approach explains most of the
often be used to generate its own test voltage, e.g. differences:
at the induced test. In this case, noise filters Feature PD Measurement RIV Measurement
should be used at the feeding site and corona
Measuring 70 kHz – 300 kHz 1 MHz ± 4.5 kHz
shields are necessary at the bushing terminals. Frequency (wideband) (narrowband)
2. A high voltage coupling capacitor or a capacitive
bushing with a bushing tap is used to separate the Matching 50 Ω wideband 150 Ω or resonant
Impedance
weak (µV) RIV from the test voltage with several
kV. Physical Quantity Charge Voltage
3. Together with the coupling capacitor a measuring Expressed in Pico-Coulomb (pC) Micro-Volt (µV)
impedance creates the power separation filter to
Measuring PD Detector [2] RIV Meter [5]
safely measure the high frequency RIV signals. Instrument
Since RIV-testing is a narrowband-test at a single
measurement frequency, an adjustable inductor
can be used to compensate the low-voltage Because of the much higher test frequency used in
bushing capacitance and increase the sensitivity. RIV measurements, the attenuation for signals
4. A RIV meter to measure the radio influence generated deep within e.g. the transformer winding is
voltage according to ANSI C63.2 [5]. much higher than when measured as PD.
For transformer testing, a measurement frequency The distributed stray capacitance and inductance of
at or around 1 MHz is recommended [7] the transformer winding are creating electric
5. A RIV calibrator for calibrating the test circuit. A resonance circuits. This might additionally attenuate
normal high-frequency generator can also be used signals in certain frequency bands while amplifying
if its output voltage is calibrated with the others. The narrow test band of the RIV test is more
calibrated RIV meter first. prone to such resonance effects while the wide-band
approach of the PD detector to a certain degree might
average out this effect. (Fig. 3)
Transfer Function of a Transformer (Example)
0dB= 100.0kOhm

-20dB
RIV

-40dB

Figure 2 RIV Test Circuit for Power Transformer [7] -60dB

PD
0 488KHz 0.977MHz 1.46MHz 1.95MHz

1: Test Object 4: RIV Receiver

2: HV Bushing with tap 5: HF Generator (RIV Calibrator) Figure 3 Frequency Dependent Signal Strength
3: Matching Impedance 6: Line Filter
Electromagnetic noise from the environment is a
Similarities between PD and RIV Testing problem that affect both methods. The RIV
measurement is performed within the AM radio band.
Both tests, PD and RIV testing, are used as a quality The measuring frequency has to be adjusted so that
check for high voltage insulation. Except with the AM stations are tuned out. AM radio interference can
measuring instrument, the principal test setup is very be different depending of the time of the day. PD
similar (Fig.1 and Fig.2). detectors use a different frequency range, but here also
When testing transformers, both tests are usually interference is possible. Even strong AM radio
performed during the induced voltage test. Readings stations can disturb PD detectors because the input
are usually taken at least every five minutes per filter is not steep enough to suppress everything in the
channel. AM band. Therefore Band-stop filter might be
Differences between PD and RIV Testing required to supress the radio noise. Other sources like
marine communication or airport radar can interfere
While PD testing aims at measuring the partial also. Probably the most difficult noise sources come
discharges created by insulation imperfections from within the plant itself. Welding, switching of
directly, RIV testing measures the noise voltage motors like the overhead crane and variable frequency
generated by these PD that interferes with the AM drives create pulse noise similar to the pulses created
radio reception. by PD. To avoid this noise either a screened test
chamber or noise gating facilities of the measuring
instrument have to be used.
The weighting factor for different pulse repetition
rates is vastly different for frequencies other than the
power frequency:

150
Weigthing Factor [%]

100

50

0
1 10 100 1000
Pulse Repetition Rate [Hz]

PD RIV 160ms RIV 600ms Figure 5 RIV Processing Unit Hardware Module
Figure 4 Pulse Weighting Factor vs. Repetition Rate The RIV unit is a user-swappable module. Additional
outputs can be used to monitor the signals at an
Summary oscilloscope (1), record the level with an X-Y-plotter
(2), observe the inter-frequency (IF) (3), and listen to
PD and RIV testing have a lot in common, but also the signal using a headphone or external loudspeaker
many differences. While the market in the USA (4).
prefers RIV testing, most international customers From the very beginning, this detector was designed
demand PD testing. A tendency to move towards PD as a modular system with easy expandability. The
testing in the USA can be seen [3], but it is a very basic system can take up to four processing units that
slow progress. Until everybody uses PD testing a run in parallel.
measuring system that measures both quantities Most often used is the standard wide-band processing
simultaneously without additional work for the test unit together with a noise-gating module.
technician would be useful. The RIV processing unit is the latest addition to the
This idea is not new. An experimental device was product line. It fulfills the requirements of ANSI
built by IREQ more than 20 years ago [1]. Although C63.2 [5] and CISPR C57.12.90 [6] with regards to
so far commercial products don’t seem to be very transformer testing [7], [8]. As a special feature it
successful, probably due to the increased cost of the permits to measure according to the two definitions of
test equipment and difficulty in operating it. ANSI C63.2, namely with the standard 9kHz
This is going to change. To survive in today’s bandwidth with 160ms/160ms time constants and the
competitive markets, more and more test fields need special 4.5kHz bandwidth with 600ms/1s time
to measure both, RIV and PD. New computer constants for high voltage tests. As a third, the quasi-
controlled measuring systems simplify the operation peak time constants can be switched to 440ms as
and automatically create a test report or aid in failure described in IEC 60270 for a narrow-band PD
recognition without additional work from the detector. The input frequency can be tuned between
technician’s side. Thus, the time is ripe for a 800kHz and 1.2MHz.
combined PD and RIV measuring instrument.

2. The Digital PD Detector and the RIV-Module

The digital PD detector has shown its value in
countless high voltage laboratories around the world.
Its ease of use and powerful noise suppression abilities
make it especially useful for production testing in
unshielded environments [9].

Figure 6 Settings of the RIV Unit

A multiplexer can be connected externally. It is The RIV unit runs in the background, only the RIV
computer controlled to automatically scan multiple level will be displayed.
channels, e.g. to connect the detector input to different To see and record every single RIV pulse, the RIV
bushing taps. The different calibration factors for unit can be selected as the active processing unit.
different channels are applied automatically.
To measure PD and RIV simultaneously, the wide-
band processing unit is selected in the Setup screen.

Figure 7 Combined PD and RIV measurement, no corona shield used on bushing L1

[5] ANSI C63.2 – 1996 “American National Standard for

Electromagnetic Noise and Field Strength Instrumentation, 10
3. References Hz to 40 GHz – Specifications”

[1] G. Vaillancourt, A.Dechamplain, R.Malewski “Simultaneous [6] C.I.S.P.R. Publication 16, Part 1: “Specification for Radio
Measurement of Partial Discharge and Radio-Interference Disturbance and Immunity Measuring Equipment”
Voltage”, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and
Measurement, Vol. IM-1, No. 1, March 1982 [7] IEEE C57.12.90 – 1999, “IEEE Standard Test Code for
Liquid-Immersed Distribution, Power, and Regulating
[2] IEC 60270 – 1997-06, “High-Voltage Testing – Partial Transformers”
Discharge Measurements”
[8] NEMA Standard No. 107 – 1987 “Methods of Measurement
[3] IEEE C57.113-1991 “IEEE Recommended Practice for Partial of Radio Influence Voltage (RIV) of High-Voltage Apparatus”
Discharge Measurements in Liquid-Filled Power Transformers
and Shunt Reactors” [9] User Manual “Digital Partial Discharge Detector LDS-6”,
Lemke Diagnostics GmbH, Germany, 2002
[4] IEC Standard 76-3 (1980), “Power Transformers Part 3:
Insulation level and dielectric tests”