The awareness of engineers to the effects of electric corona PD & arcing on assets’ reliability led to the proliferation in the use of DayCor® daytime corona cameras. As non-destructive testing equipment (NDT), DayCor® cameras provide information on the condition of HV & MV infrastructure without damaging the tested elements so that these can keep on functioning. As a result, DayCor® cameras are attractive for testing during commissioning, after assets’ construction, and throughout their entire lifetime.
Seeing corona discharges means awareness of existing faults, both structural and electrical. Awareness of defects serves maintenance teams and asset managers in scheduling corrective activities. But, during commissioning, while systems are energized and yet not loaded and contractors are on-premises, corrective operations are done under warranty and are easy to accomplish. Moreover, at that stage, no damage is expected. The main purpose of this test is to confirm that various system components are correctly installed, and check if the system can sustain the rated voltage. During the test, the charged voltage is slowly increased from the low voltage level to the rated voltage level while testing the general operation performance of critical components. If the applied voltage exceeds a certain level corona starts flashing.
Corona and arcing on high and medium voltage apparatuses accelerate aging, leading to the degradation of material and to energy loss. Local partial discharges are also the source of audio noise and electromagnetic interference and must be repaired without any delay or litigation will follow. Corona and arcing result from local high electrical stress caused by design errors, sharp edges, misplaced corona rings, improper installations, bad workmanship, wrong selection of conductors’ radii, and more. During commissioning these issues are usually depicted by the DayCor® as soon as the cameras are turned on and aimed at. The information provided is pinpointed and immediate as no other technology can provide.
The DayCor® Bi-spectral cameras meet the request for a means that can reliably and rapidly locate corona and arcing in full daylight. Utilities use Ofil’s for preventive and predictive and condition-based maintenance.
Ofil develops and manufactures UV Bi-spectral optical and digital inspection systems with embedded proprietary patented Solar Blind technology. Ofil aims at providing precise solutions for science, industry and environmental wellness. Ofil owns the brand name DayCor® that stands for Daytime Corona detection.
Australia | New Zealand
