Wind Farm Fault Protection Saves Upgrading Equipment Costs
Published 07 Jan 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.
Key Product Categories: Duct Seals | Cable Cleats | Cable Glands | Electrical Safety | Arc Flash Protection | Cable Jointing Tools | Cable Pulling | Earthing | Feeder Pillars | Cable Joints LV | Joints & Terminations MV HV
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