Whitepapers | G&W Electric

Wind Farm Fault Protection Saves Upgrading Equipment Costs

January 7th, 2021

Wind Farm Fault Protection

G&W Electric

The following Case Study by G&W Electric and presented by Thorne & Derrick describes how their wind farm fault protection saves upgrading equipment costs.

Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors of Substation, Electrical Safety, Cable Jointing & Accessories to UK and international utilities and contractors providing electrical power at distribution and transmission voltage levels.

Challenge

A new wind farm was being constructed in the Central Midwest.

The design was for 240 wind turbines with the goal of 400 MW of total capacity. The project was scheduled to be done in two phases with roughly half of the capacity in each phase. When fully operational, the wind farm would provide renewable energy to almost 120,000 homes. The wind farm was designed, the work was planned, and the equipment was ordered for the first 121 turbines of the project.

Coincidentally, during that time, the utility fault current levels at the wind farm substation increased unexpectedly after the above was completed. This meant that all of the equipment on order would now be under- rated.

The developer had two choices. The first was to change the current orders for new equipment, incur the costs associated with the higher rated gear, and delay the project by several months. The second option was to determine a way to reduce the fault current to an acceptable level without delaying the project.

38kV current limiting protectors mounted at the utility grid substation protects the utility from potential wind farm faults and the wind farm from potential utility faults.

Solution

The wind farm developer chose to put a G&W Electric CLiP® on the distribution voltage side of the substation transformer. The substation designer was familiar with the concept of a triggered current-limiting fuse. The 4000A continuous current requirement of the 38kV system however, was extremely high. At the time, G&W Electric had not produced a unit of that size at that voltage level. Working with the developer however, G&W Electric was able to build a CLiP that could meet the customer’s voltage, continuous current and interrupting duty requirements.

Wind Farm Fault Protection

Conclusion

The CLiP was incorporated into the design, manufactured, and installed without delaying the project or incurring the cost of upgrading all of the equipment. The customer was able use the existing equipment to protect the first 121 turbines on the project. A secondary benefit was that the utility transmission grid was also protected from any potential faults occurring in the wind farm. The developer is considering using lower rated gear on future installations with a CLiP to save money and protect equipment from changing fault currents.

G&W ELECTRIC

Overview of G&W Cable Accessories

In 1905 G&W introduced the first disconnectable cable terminating device.

Over 100 years later, G&W continues to create technical innovations that have improved performance and reliability. With over 100 years experience, G&W is the name you can trust for quality cable accessories. With sales representation worldwide, G&W has a proven track record for success.

G&W cable accessories are designed to accommodate cables from all manufacturers and can be created to accommodate any customer cable system. The optional mechanical shrink feature offers an easier and faster installation while reducing possible damage during installation. G&W also offers installation supervision and installation training, which can be customized to suit the audience.

G&W offers a variety of transmission cable accessories for extruded dielectric cable systems. Cable terminations are available for outdoor applications to 230kV and include porcelain or composite insulator options and premolded designs. Gas insulated substation designs are available to 230kV.

Transition cable splices and cable joints are available to 138kV and include premolded designs. All cable terminations and cable joints incorporate built-in stress control and dielectric fluid. Dry type designs are also available for maximum ease of installation.

Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors to the UK and international Offshore Wind & Renewable industry to provide safe and reliable LV HV Electrical Cable & Power Distribution Systems up to 66kV – we are highly customer responsive and absolutely committed to providing a world-class service.

Contact our UK Power Team for competitive quotations, fast delivery from stock and technical support or training on all LV-HV products.

See how T&D support, supply and service the Renewable Energy industry.

MV HV Cables 11kV 33kV 66kV | Cable Joints, Terminations & Connections

Fire Mitigation For Distribution By G&W Electric

December 7th, 2020

G&W Electric

Electric Power Solutions

Achieve Quick Progress With Advanced Technology Solutions

The following Whitepaper by G&W Electric and presented by Thorne & Derrick describes strategies and technologies designed to minimise or even prevent the threat of electric power-induced fires. These solutions are focused on distribution protection equipment that can be quickly applied to high fire risk areas.

Introduction

In recent years, the electrical power system has increasingly been the source of wildfire ignition. Environmental factors (e.g., climate change, increased temperatures, dry air and land, and high winds) combined with the arcs generated by electric power system equipment significantly increase the risk of wildfire.

To ensure public safety, it is vital to plan, prepare and identify solutions for fire mitigation. Electric utilities implement fire mitigation strategies during high fire risk conditions through preventive maintenance, strategic operational practices, enhanced system protection and system hardening.

Strategic operational practices range from selective relay protection schemes to more extreme, fail-safe measures such as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) de-energization programs. Selective relay schemes may include reclose blocking, fast fuse curves and more sensitive ground fault protection, while PSPS shuts off power to the high fire risk area and sectionalizes the perimeter of the unaffected area.

Enhanced system protection reduces the likelihood of ignition through technological advancements such as fast fault clearing schemes, downed conductor detection and communications- assisted system automation.

System hardening strategies help create a more robust, fire-resistant grid by upgrading aging infrastructure to mitigate and eliminate ignitions caused by sparks.

This Whitepaper provides a comprehensive review of distribution protection technologies available today for fire mitigation. These solutions are summarized in the Appendix table.

Contents

Introduction
Scope of Fire Mitigation Strategies
Enhanced System Protection
System Hardening
Conclusion

G&W Electric

Overview of G&W Cable Accessories

In 1905 G&W introduced the first disconnectable cable terminating device.

Transition cable splices and cable joints are available to 138kV and include premolded designs. All cable terminations and cable joints incorporate built-in stress control and dielectric fluid. Dry type designs are also available for maximum ease of installation.

Substation, Electrical Safety, Cable Jointing & Accessories | 11kV 33kV 66kV to 400kV

Switchgear Solutions: Value-Engineered Metal Clad Alternative

December 7th, 2020

G&W Electric

Electric Power Solutions

The following Whitepaper by G&W Electric and presented by Thorne & Derrick discusses metal clad gear is a common choice for consultants and usually comes with a large cost for procurement, storage, installation and maintenance.

A metal clad specification typically details a rating of 25kA to 40kA symmetrical fault interrupting and 1,200A to 3,000A continuous current.

G&W Electric

Overview of G&W Cable Accessories

In 1905 G&W introduced the first disconnectable cable terminating device.

Substation, Electrical Safety, Cable Jointing & Accessories | 11kV 33kV 66kV to 400kV

Switchgear Solutions: Beyond the Standard By G&W Electric

December 7th, 2020

G&W Electric

Electric Power Solutions

Transient Recovery Voltages for Medium Voltage Switchgear

The following Whitepaper by G&W Electric and presented by Thorne & Derrick discusses system parameters like capacitance and inductance can have adverse effects on the performance of load switching mechanisms. Highly capacitive and inductive loads cause transient recovery voltage (TRV) during load switching beyond the values determined by the IEEE C37.74 standard.

G&W Electric

Overview of G&W Cable Accessories

In 1905 G&W introduced the first disconnectable cable terminating device.

Substation, Electrical Safety, Cable Jointing & Accessories | 11kV 33kV 66kV to 400kV

How Current Limiting Devices for Low-Voltage Applications Can Help Save Lives for Your Organisation

December 7th, 2020

G&W Electric

Electric Power Solutions

Are You Prepared to Mitigate Arc Flash Risk?

The following Whitepaper by G&W Electric and presented by Thorne & Derrick is written for those who specify electrical components, switchgear and power distribution equipment for utility, heavy industrial, healthcare or offshore applications, will discuss current regulations and requirements, define arc flash and its impacts, discuss arc flash mitigation and, most importantly, how current limiting devices for low-voltage applications should be seriously considered as part of an organisation’s comprehensive arc flash mitigation strategy.

Introduction

As the demand for electrical power increases, distribution systems are expanded to accommodate the increased demand. Stiffened transmission systems, increased substation capacity, and added on-site and distributed generation all contribute to increases in available fault currents.

Often these currents exceed the capability of the electrical equipment, putting the equipment and maintenance personnel at risk for a catastrophic event.

Current limitation drastically reduces the magnitude of the peak let through current and the system energy, protecting equipment from costly failure and protecting workers from dangerous arc flash.

For high-voltage and medium-voltage applications, current limitation methods have been well-established, but for low-voltage applications, other options have served as the last line of defence in the event of an arc flash incident.

Traditional methods to mitigate an arc flash are plagued by high detection and clearing times, which result in high incident energy. Any method that takes more than 100 ms will cause vaporising of metals, which can severely injure people and damage equipment surrounding the affected gear.

Finally, this Whitepaper will provide key considerations and questions that engineers, specifiers, safety officers and plant managers should ask when considering the installation of low-voltage current limiters.

Contents

Introduction
Arc Flash – A Catastrophic Event
What is Arc Flash Mitigation?
What is Arc Flash?
Current Limiting Devices vs. Conventional Devices in Arc Flash Mitigation
CLiP-LV vs. Circuit Breaker
Key Considerations

G&W Electric

Overview of G&W Cable Accessories

In 1905 G&W introduced the first disconnectable cable terminating device.

Substation, Electrical Safety, Cable Jointing & Accessories | 11kV 33kV 66kV to 400kV

Whitepapers | G&W Electric

Wind Farm Fault Protection Saves Upgrading Equipment Costs

Wind Farm Fault Protection

G&W ELECTRIC

Fire Mitigation For Distribution By G&W Electric

Electric Power Solutions

Introduction

G&W Electric

Switchgear Solutions: Value-Engineered Metal Clad Alternative

Electric Power Solutions

G&W Electric

Switchgear Solutions: Beyond the Standard By G&W Electric

Electric Power Solutions

G&W Electric

How Current Limiting Devices for Low-Voltage Applications Can Help Save Lives for Your Organisation

Electric Power Solutions

Introduction

G&W Electric

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