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Positron Composite Insulator Tester

Model # 3782101C/50 & 3782101C/60

Composite (Polymeric) Insulator Tester

For 25kV Electric Railway Systems

User Manual

Description and Operation Guide

Disclaimer Notice: Although Positron Inc. has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of
the information contained herein, this document is subject to change.

Summary of Contents for 3782101C/50

Page 1: ...Composite Polymeric Insulator Tester For 25kV Electric Railway Systems User Manual Description and Operation Guide Disclaimer Notice Although Positron Inc has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein this document is subject to change ...

Page 2: ......

Page 3: ...work in those environments Although this instrument does not make electrical contact with the high voltages IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THIS INSTRUMENT IS USED COUPLED WITH A SUITABLE HIGH DIELECTRIC STRENGTH HOT STICK THAT HAS A VOLTAGE RATING EQUIVALENT TO OR GREATER THAN THE VOLTAGE ON THE DEVICES OR LINES BEING TESTED NOTE To be used on AC lines only ...

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Page 5: ...Adjustments 15 3 5 Placement of Probe on the Insulator Sled 15 3 6 Tablet Laptop 16 3 6 1 General 16 3 6 2 Separating the Tablet while in the Field 16 4 0 Windows based Insulator Tester Software 21 4 1 Insulator Tester Software Description 21 4 2 The Bluetooth Serial Adaptor 22 4 3 Instant Graphical GO NO GO Reporting Capability 22 5 0 Using the Composite Insulator Tester Software 25 5 1 BEFORE Te...

Page 6: ...Graphed Results 51 6 1 Understanding the Graphs 51 6 2 Linear and Log Graph Options 52 6 3 Using the COMPARE function to Compare Historical Graphs 53 6 3 Using the COMPARE function to Compare Historical Graphs 53 6 4 Composite Insulator Tester Results Healthy Insulators 54 6 4 1 Creating a Reference Graph of a Known Good Clean Insulator 54 6 4 2 Defects 55 6 4 3 Floating Defects 57 7 0 Specificati...

Page 7: ...1 Chapter 1 General Information ...

Page 8: ...General Information 2 ...

Page 9: ...HE INSULATOR Product names other than Positron s mentioned herein may be trademarks and or registered trademarks of their respective companies Confidentiality Notice The information contained in this document is the property of Positron Inc Except as specifically authorized in writing by Positron Inc the holder of this document 1 shall keep all information contained herein confidential and shall p...

Page 10: ...ngs of 10th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering Montreal Canada August 25 29 1997 6 G H Vaillancourt P Bilodeau Diagnostic Testing of Composite Insulators Used on Series Compensation Platforms in Hydro Quebec Conference Proceedings of 11th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering London England August 22 27 1999 7 G H Vaillancourt S Carignan C Jean Experience with the de...

Page 11: ...5 Chapter 2 Overview ...

Page 12: ...Overview 6 ...

Page 13: ...The graph displaying the E Field of the insulator is clearly displayed on the Tablet Laptop while in the field enabling GO NOGO decision making on the spot The skirts or sheds of Polymeric or Composite insulators are counted by the field Probe s two integrated infrared detectors referred to as IR1 and IR2 see Figure 1 and the E Field of each insulator is recorded Defective insulators are easily id...

Page 14: ... of rail traffic as well as minimizing danger to any maintenance crew whether working underneath the high voltage lines per their routine schedule The Tester will act as a Health detector of the insulators tested in advance of any failure Whether or not the insulators are cleaned the Positron Tester will detect conductive defects whether due to an internal defect in the insulator or due to surface...

Page 15: ...Overview 9 2 3 Overview Model 3782101C xx Figure 1 Composite Insulator Tester C Tester Model s 3782101C 50 50Hz 3782101C 60 60Hz ...

Page 16: ... Railway Insulator tester 50 Hz standard 10 sled 3782101C 50 220Vac 120Vac cable charger replacement 378126 Rechargeable battery pack replacement for the Probe 378127 12Vdc auxiliary automotive power cable charger replacement 378128 RS232 Long range Bluetooth adapter replacement 378325 3 Replacement standard sled kit for 378210 xx 378610 50 Hz GO NO GO E field Probe for Composite Insulators no sle...

Page 17: ...11 Chapter 3 Composite Insulator Tester Elements ...

Page 18: ...Composite Insulator Tester Elements 12 ...

Page 19: ...Insulator Tester Data Processing Software installed Plug in wall transformer 120Vac 220Vac input 12Vdc output includes international wall plug adaptors Spare switch cover The Tester Operator Interface see Figure 2 consists of a push button a Status LED An ON OFF switch is located to the left of the RS 232 connector underneath the Power Switch Cover Remove the Power Switch Cover and slide the switc...

Page 20: ...ger are equipped with an LED status to report on the charging status When first plugged in to charge the LED will glow red After 9 hours on charge the LED will glow green indicating that the charging time is completed The battery should be recharged overnight the day before a testing session The battery charge will last one day with the power switch in the ON position The battery can be recharged ...

Page 21: ...led skids require adjustment See Figure 6 3 5 Placement of Probe on the Insulator Sled The Composite Insulator Probe attaches to the companion sled via four key hole openings on the insulator sled Note that the Probe is skewed when attached to the sled to make the skirt thickness larger as seen by the IR detectors See Figure 7 Figure 7 Figure 6 GO NOGO Insulator Tester 3782101C x ...

Page 22: ...r establishing relative safety for live line work The transfer of data to the Tablet on site also avoids the risk of data loss should the tester be switched off after testing The Tablet Laptop should not be used by the same technician performing the tests on the insulators for safety reasons The Tablet Laptop is to be operated by a member of the Ground Team Tablet Operator 3 6 2 Separating the Tab...

Page 23: ...intensity of the Tablet s screen display is factory adjusted to its maximum setting If this setting was changed by a user it is important to adjust the intensity of the screen back to the maximum Select 100 after selecting the small battery icon The use of polarized sunglasses may make it difficult to see the display on the Tablet screen in Landscape mode long edge of the Tablet screen is horizont...

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Page 25: ...19 Chapter 4 Windows Based Software ...

Page 26: ...Windows Based Software 20 ...

Page 27: ...nication between the Tablet and the Insulator Tester To set up a working folder B DURING the testing session To remotely download the data scanned by the insulator tester To identify last scanned insulator from the list To display the graphic representation of the E field along with the identification of the insulator To make on site GO NOGO decisions based on the severity of the defects detected ...

Page 28: ... showing any floating or connected defects A decision emergency replacement or establishing safety levels for live line work can then be made During the scanning of a railway insulator the Insulator Tester Operator manipulates the Insulator Tester with a hot stick while the Tablet Operator uses the Tablet Laptop Once the scan is done the Tablet Operator can immediately download the data to get the...

Page 29: ...23 Chapter 5 Using the Composite Insulator Tester Software ...

Page 30: ...Using the Composite Railway Insulator Tester Software 24 ...

Page 31: ...the scanned insulator on the screen of the Tablet Laptop and the relative health of the insulator can be assessed while in the field Using the Tablet Laptop the Tablet Operator can choose to Accept or Reject the scan In both cases once a choice has been made by the Tablet Operator the data in the Insulator Tester is erased If the choice is made to Accept the scan the data is stored on the Tablet L...

Page 32: ...ulator Identification List you have 3 choices Select Edit Insulator Identifications and type in the list on the tablet PC Install the Positron Tester Software on any Windows based Desktop and type in the list This part of the software is not copy protected no Software Activation Key is required for this operation The file created has the suffix ID This file can then be copied from the Desktop to t...

Page 33: ...ist Editor will open Edit a field by clicking into it and move to the next field using the TAB key on your keyboard The ENTER key will bring you to the field immediately beneath With the list completed select Save and Close This will open the Save this Identification List dialogue box Note that number shown in the upper left corner of the Identification List Editor corresponds to the number of ent...

Page 34: ...are activated After communication has been established the Insulator Tester and Bluetooth adaptor can be switched off again before going out into the field 5 1 5 Switching the Probe On To switch on the Insulator Tester remove the Power Switch Cover and move the power switch to the right toward the DB 9 connector as shown in Figure 10 The Insulator Tester will first enter the Power On Self Test POS...

Page 35: ... the 2 IR receivers detect the absence of infrared The operator should manually interrupt the Infrared beams immediately after the start of the sound to make sure the 2 states of the Infrared are verified Otherwise only the presence of infrared state will be verified Once the infrared beams have been broken or after flashing 10 times the LED and the tone will turn off Once the Insulator Tester has...

Page 36: ...th connectivity between the Tablet Laptop and the Insulator Tester prior to going into the field The Check Bluetooth Serial Port dialogue screen will appear Select the COM Port used by the Tablet Laptop to communicate with the Bluetooth adapter Select the RED ON OFF button The button will turn YELLOW and Wait will appear until Bluetooth communication is established and then it will turn GREEN ...

Page 37: ...d with the Bluetooth Adapter This COM port will need to be reconnected once the unit is taken to the field for a scanning session It is important not to transport the Insulator Tester to the testing location with the Bluetooth Adapter inserted in the DB9 connector This is to avoid possible physical damage during transport The buttons in the Insulator Tester Software turn GREEN once each software f...

Page 38: ...nsulator Tester is established Ensure that the Probe is in Awake Mode by pressing the push button of the Insulator Tester Probe See Figure 11 If required select BEEP after the Probe is awakened The Probe will respond with a BEEP tone This step verifies that the Tablet Laptop can communicate with the Probe Once Bluetooth connectivity and functional communication are verified the Probe can be switch...

Page 39: ...e right toward the DB 9 connector as shown in Figure 12 The Probe will first enter the Power On Self Test POST as described in 5 1 5 1 Ensure the slide switch on the Bluetooth adapter is in the DCE position Insert the Bluetooth Serial adapter into the DB 9 Serial port of the Insulator Tester Probe The Bluetooth Serial adapter is powered by the battery of the Insulator Tester It is important to avo...

Page 40: ...ond with an annunciating tone With communication confirmed the Insulator Tester Operator can now proceed Once in position the Insulator Tester Operator should press the Insulator Tester s button to ensure it is in Awake Mode If not the Tablet Operator will be unable to signal the Insulator Tester Ensure that the LED of the Probe is flashing GREEN After 8 minutes of no communication the Insulator T...

Page 41: ...tage end of the insulator A tone will sound each time a reading is taken at each insulator skirt shed 3 Remove the Insulator Tester from the insulator and wait for the download initiated by the Tablet Operator The Tablet Operator will Download the scanned data to the Tablet Laptop PC to view the resulting graph and will Accept or Reject the scan In either case the data is wiped from the Insulator ...

Page 42: ...nsulator A tone will sound each time a reading is taken at each insulator skirt shed 3 Remove the Insulator Tester from the insulator and wait for the download by the Tablet Operator The Tablet Operator will Download the scanned data to the Tablet Laptop PC to view the resulting graph and will Accept or Reject the scan In either case the data is wiped from the Insulator Tester leaving the Insulato...

Page 43: ...ure 18 Operator A maintains a slight pressure required to maintain the tester s contact with the low voltage end of the composite insulator Operator A draws the tester down along the skirts of the insulator towards the high voltage end of the composite insulator A tone will sound each time a reading is taken at each insulator skirt shed 3 Remove the Insulator Tester from the insulator and wait for...

Page 44: ...no data in the Insulator Tester to download The Download button will still turn GREEN indicating that the Windows based Insulator Tester Software is able to communicate with the Insulator Tester but that no data was resident A successful Download will be confirmed by a system message stating Data received successfully and the TAG button will turn GREEN The Download from the Probe dialog box will o...

Page 45: ... can select and open the Insulator ID List created before the testing session Select the Insulator just scanned from the list created earlier and select TAG Select Graphic to see one or more graphs of the E Field from scans of the last tested insulator If more than one scan was done on the last tested insulator click or touch the displayed graphic to see the next graphic ...

Page 46: ...nough pressure on the hot stick Curves don t match If two scans have been performed the two curves should be almost identical Practice session The first time it is recommended to perform some dummy scans to get used to the manipulation of the hot stick If the scan is rejected a system message will be returned asking if you are sure you want to delete the downloaded data If rejected the data is era...

Page 47: ...this was the last planned scan the Tablet Operator may elect to select A Select Sleep Mode to put the Insulator Tester into sleep mode The Insulator Tester can be awakened by pressing the Push Button of the Insulator Tester B Optionally select Close button to close the current window The Bluetooth will disconnect to save power If during the process any of the software interface buttons turns RED w...

Page 48: ...eld curves would therefore not be included within the database for future use Advantage of using the Tablet PC with Bluetooth The use of the tablet enables the manager to download or type in a list of the structures and railway insulators to be tested so that the Tablet Operator has an assigned task list for the field work The Tablet Operator and Tester Operator can work together without having to...

Page 49: ...Connect the Bluetooth adapter to the probe Ensure the slide switch on the adapter is in the DCE position 2 Press the push button on the probe 3 Start the Positron software on the Bluetooth enabled Tablet Laptop PC select the folder by pressing the Set Default Folder button then press Connect to probe Main Menu ...

Page 50: ...Using the Composite Railway Insulator Tester Software 44 4 Select the COM port and press Download 5 After receiving the message Data received successfully press the TAG button ...

Page 51: ...c close the graphic displayed press Accept then press Close 8 The E field data is stored in the database located into the previously selected folder The database consists in two ASCII files Date PRN and Date LOG 9 Press on the Graphics button on the Main Menu to display the graphics The Graphics will not have any insulator identification into their title ...

Page 52: ...tabase for a given insulator in the database to evaluate its degradation over time See Section 6 6 for a description of superimposed graph comparison To search for an insulator Browse and select the Search button from the menu of the Insulator Tester Software Select the folder and optionally all its subfolders then choose an insulator display the chosen insulator select the next insulator display ...

Page 53: ... the charger cable to the Insulator Tester and plug the universal wall transformer to a 120 220 Vac source 50 or 60 Hz If the battery is completely discharged No light on power up switch the Insulator Tester OFF while the battery is recharging Under normal circumstances it is not necessary to turn the Insulator Tester OFF during a recharge Switching the Insulator Tester OFF will erase all data in ...

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Page 55: ...49 Chapter 6 Interpreting Graphic Results Electric Railway Application ...

Page 56: ...Interpreting Graphic Results Electric Railway Applications 50 ...

Page 57: ...ester C Detailed information of the scanned insulator taken from the user s insulator list D t 48731 indicates the number of seconds since midnight In this case this represents approximately 14 32H local time E This pull down menu allows the selection of an insulator identification dependant on how the data is entered when creating the Insulator Identification List See Section 5 1 3 i 25kV identif...

Page 58: ... readings from the Probe on a linear scale The Log display mode is used to amplify the small variations in the lower voltage portion of the curve for greater detail to be shown This is particularly useful when the insulator has floating defects Floating defects have a lesser impact on the surrounding E Field so viewing the results in the Logarithmic scale will show greater detail than the Linear s...

Page 59: ...Compare Historical Graphs Graphs can be superimposed for comparison using the Compare function Refer to Figure 20 which is used as a reference graph Place one graph over the other and reduce the opaqueness down from 100 until one graph is visible through the other Figure 21 Example of an Energized C5 insulator with a connected 2 skirt conducive defect Curve from Figure 21 Curve from Figure 22 Figu...

Page 60: ...r The reference graphs should be preserved to be used as a future reference when performing insulator testing On the reference graph if the test was performed from the high voltage end toward the ground end or from the ground end to the high voltage end the maxima of the curve on the resulting graph will shift as a result See Figures 24 and 25 below for an example The comparison of the shapes of t...

Page 61: ...tor Reference Graph and a C5 Insulator with a 2 skirt connected defect using the Compare function See Section 5 4 2 The maxima of the curve shifts to the right due to the connected defect Curve from Figure 27 Curve from Figure 26 Log scale Linear scale Figure 25 Example of a Reference Graph of a Known Good Energized C5 Insulator shown in both Log and Linear scaling Figure 26 Example of a Reference...

Page 62: ...skirt connected defect shown in Log scaling Figure 30 Second Example of a Reference Graph of a Known Good Energized C5 Insulator shown in Log scaling Curve from Figure 30 Reference Curve from Figure 31 Figure 32 Second Example of a Reference Graph of a Known Good Energized C5 Insulator shown in Log scaling superimposed using the Compare feature over a graph of an insulator with a serious connected...

Page 63: ...t shown using the Logarithmic Scaling Logarithmic Scaling exposes more detail than the Linear Scaling The impact of the floating defects can be much more clearly seen using the Logarithmic Scaling The reference curve for a known good clean C5 composite polymeric insulator should be used to evaluate the curves displaying floating defects Figure 34 Figure 33 Reference curve from Figure 35 Curve from...

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Page 65: ...59 Chapter 7 Specifications ...

Page 66: ...Specifications 60 ...

Page 67: ...ulative use between charges 12 hours Maximum period between battery charges 1 day Operating temperature range Probe Bluetooth Adapter 40o F to 167o F 40o C to 75o C 4o F to 167o F 20o C to 75o C Composite Tester Dimensions Skirt shed diameter 12 x 11 x 6 30 5 cm x 28 cm x 15 cm 4 3 to 6 7 10 9 cm to 17 cm Weight Composite Tester 2 4 lbs 1 kg Humidity 95 Factory calibration User recalibration is no...

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Page 69: ...63 Chapter 8 Important Information ...

Page 70: ...Important Information 64 ...

Page 71: ...tomer Support TCS at 1 888 577 5254 Option 1 Option 3 US and Canada or 1 514 345 2220 Option 1 Option 3 International Or email scarbonaro positronpower com Skype calls can be arranged 8 3 Customer Training Full customer training courses on the operation and results interpretation of Positron Insulator Testers are available For information contact Positron 8 4 Repair Service All warranty repairs ar...

Page 72: ... breach of warranty breach of contract or for any other liability in any way connected with or arising out of the equipment or any services performed by Positron shall be as follows In all situations involving performance or non performance of the equipment or any component thereof the customer s sole remedy shall be at Positron s option the repair or replacement of the equipment or said component...

Page 73: ...o and does not cover all details usages or methods of use of this equipment and such information is not intended to discuss all situations or contingencies which might be encountered with respect to the operation maintenance or use of the equipment This information is provided for purposes of description only and is not to be relied upon or utilized by any purchaser as instructions warranties spec...

Page 74: ...tions Porcelain Tester The Porcelain Tester is used for Porcelain and Glass insulators Composite Tester The Composite Tester is used to detect floating or connected defects for Composite or Polymeric insulators Universal Substation Insulator Tester The Universal Substation Insulator Tester has been specifically designed for use in fully energized equipment in substations to test bushings and insul...

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