Arc Detection and Localization Testing at a 400 kV GIS Substation
Finding Arc Faults in Sealed Gas-Insulated Switchgear Has Always Required Manual Inspection—Until Now
When an arc fault strikes inside Gas-Insulated Switchgear, finding it becomes a costly problem. The sealed compartments that make GIS reliable also hide the fault location. Traditional methods require opening multiple compartments, visually inspecting each section, and hoping you find the problem before time and money run out.
For a 400 kV substation with long busbar sections and multiple bays, this manual process extends outages, increases costs, and puts technicians at risk in high-voltage environments. Every hour spent searching for the fault source means prolonged power interruptions, mounting labor expenses, and potential secondary equipment damage from repeated compartment openings.
Utilities face mounting pressure to maintain uninterrupted power supply while ensuring operator safety and controlling maintenance costs. The challenge becomes even more critical when dealing with high-energy arc events that can cause significant equipment damage and lengthy outages if not addressed quickly and accurately.
Qualitrol's enhanced Gen3 UHF Partial Discharge Monitoring system changes this entirely. During field testing at a 400 kV substation, the system demonstrated something utilities have needed for years: automated, real-time arc fault detection and pinpoint localization—without opening a single compartment.
Inside This Case Study:
Learn why the sealed, compartmentalized design of GIS equipment creates such difficulty for fault location. The case study explains the specific challenges posed by complex substation layouts and why traditional visual inspection methods are no longer sustainable.
Discover how the Gen3 system leverages existing UHF sensors combined with advanced AI algorithms to automatically identify genuine arc activity and filter out background noise. The document details the signal processing, clustering analysis, and localization calculations that make automated fault pinpointing possible.
Review comprehensive validation testing including simulated arc signal injection, low-voltage sensitivity verification, and an actual partial discharge event created by intentionally loosening a connector. Each test type validates different aspects of system performance under real operating conditions.
See quantified benefits including reduced outage duration, improved technician safety by minimizing high-voltage exposure, lower maintenance costs through targeted intervention, and enhanced asset management capabilities that help utilities maintain regulatory compliance and grid reliability.
The testing revealed 100% accurate detection and localization across all scenarios—results that demonstrate a fundamental shift in how utilities can respond to GIS arc faults.
Fill out the form to access the complete case study with detailed test procedures, system architecture diagrams, and actual field results proving this technology works in real operating conditions.
