Specification, performance, testing and qualification of extra-heavy-duty connectors for high-voltage applications

Author

Lam, Louis ; Morin, Richard

Author_Institution

Hydro-Quebec, Que., Canada

Volume

12

Issue

2

fYear

1997

fDate

4/1/1997 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

687

Lastpage

693

Abstract

The reliability of substation connectors is a constant concern for electrical utilities and represents one of the weak links of Hydro-Quebec´s 735 kV power system. This paper describes some of the early findings of current-cycling tests on 4000 kcmil aluminum cable connectors and defines the need for more stringent qualification test specifications. Use of the ANSI C119.4 light-duty (125 cycles) test specification revealed a strong dependency on basic parameters such as surface roughness, dimension, type and surface finish of hardware, surface preparation, mounting techniques, etc. The first batch of test samples failed dramatically at an early stage in the current and load cycling tests. Some recommendations are formulated

Keywords

ANSI standards; electric connectors; power system measurement; power system reliability; substations; 735 kV; ANSI C119.4; current-cycling tests; dimension; extra-heavy-duty connectors; load cycling tests; mounting techniques; power system; qualification test specifications; recommendations; substation connectors reliability; surface finish; surface preparation; surface roughness; Aluminum; Connectors; Power cables; Power system reliability; Qualifications; Rough surfaces; Substations; Surface finishing; Surface roughness; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Power Delivery, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0885-8977

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/61.584345

Filename

584345