Factory Acceptance Test Research Articles

Methods for testing automation and control

During the commissioning of the substation automation systems (SASs) with protection, automation and control traditionally the main focus of testing is on testing the protection system and its settings. Protection testing uses established methods. When looking at the time spent during commissioning, testing the automation and communication system nowadays consumes even more time than testing the protection. Automation systems became increasingly complex and the efforts for testing communication and proper operation of all signals transmitted to the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems grew dramatically. This study describes a new approach to be used in all phases of the lifecycle of SAS. By utilizing the data available in substation configuration description (SCD) files it is possible to introduce new and more efficient methods for factory acceptance testing (FAT) and site acceptance testing (SAT). The approach identifies potential signals to be tested in the SCD file. Communication links and the used IEC 61850 services are recognized, documented and can be used for generating test plans. These test templates can be created during the specification phase, adapted for FAT and subsequently reused during SAT. Requirements for test equipment will be identified. An example of technical realization will be presented.

Advanced simulation of IEDs

IEC 61850 is the established standard for substation communication. Since the standard describes different stages of lifecycle of Substation Automation Systems the demands for specification, testing, and especially simulation differ. The approach described in this study can be used in the different stages and fulfil practical requirements. It describes the requirements for simulation and proposes an implementation applicable. If a single Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) and its data model to be simulated in technical investigation phase is sufficient at Factory Acceptance Testing and Site Acceptance Testing multiple IEDs and utilised services as GOOSE and reports will be needed. In addition, the methods described for indicating test mode/behaviour and simulation indication become important. The simulation has to be embedded in testing environment and interact with tools to be used for visualisation of changes in IED's data model. Advanced services in IEC 61850 like setting groups control, switching device control and file transfer have to be added. The requirements will be discussed from a utility's perspective. The method described can be extended for routine testing and maintenance testing, e.g. after firmware upgrades. An outlook develops a vision to be utilised for automation and control testing.

L3 L6200 Multibeam IOT for the European Spallation Source

L3 Electron Devices has developed a high-power multibeam inductive output tube (MBIOT) for the European Spallation Source. In July 2014, L3 was awarded a contract for the design, manufacture, and test of a 1.2 MW, 704.42 MHz, pulsed power MBIOT. In October 2016, factory acceptance testing of the L6200 1.2-MW MBIOT was completed at L3 Electron Devices. In October 2017, site acceptance testing was successfully completed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The ten-beam, permanent magnet-focused device meets the maximum 1.2-MW output power specification with a dc-to-RF efficiency of 70%; efficiency is maintained above 60% down to 650 kW. Factory testing at L3 was limited to a cathode voltage of 43.6 kV and a maximum pulsewidth of $200~\mu \text{s}$ . The CERN MBIOT test stand enabled operation at the preferred cathode voltage of 45 kV and at the full pulsewidth of 4 ms. The CERN test stand also offered the ability to individually adjust the filament voltage and bias voltage to each gun, which was not possible with the L3 test configuration. The CERN test stand and MBIOT are currently being prepared to demonstrate long-duration operation.

Detail procedure of pressure and baking test for ITER vacuum vessel lower port stub extension

The procedure of factory acceptance test for ITER vacuum vessel lower port stub extension has been set to that visual test, pressure test, baking, vacuum leak test, and final dimensional inspection as listed order. Among them, the pressure test and the baking are challengeable to meet the required conditions because of the nuclear pressure equipment. The full pressure test condition has been set to 3.78 MPa, and the baking condition has been set to 200 °C during 24 h as well. The structural and thermal analysis have been conducted to verify the structural safety and predict thermal effect under the actual conditions, respectively. As a result, the optimal test configurations have been established. During the pressure test, dimensional verifying points are set based on the structural analysis results. Moreover, the convective baking method has been regarded as the optimal way because of complex double wall structure and difficulty of heating rate control. In this paper, whole procedure of the factory acceptance test for the lower port stub extension is introduced, and detail method of pressure test and baking have been reported.

Lifecycle of the ESS Moderator and Reflector System

The European Spallation Source (ESS) will be a 5 MW class spallation neutron research facility. An important part of the target station is the Moderator and Reflector (MR) System including structure and handling. The primary function of the MR Plugs is to efficiently reflect and moderate fast neutrons from the spallation target to thermal and cold neutrons suitable for the neutron scattering systems. However, the MR System need to fulfil many operational functions as well, which include cooling of radiation heat in liquid and metal bodies, positioning and structural support, capability of handling of active components and confinement, shielding and avoidance of streaming. Depending on the design, the accumulated neutron flux and irradiation induced material degradation mechanism limit the lifetime of the MR Plug. At full beam power of 5 MW, the MR Plugs need to be changed yearly. That imposes high demands on logistics, manufacturing and handling on the system. This paper presents the lifetime criteria of the MR System, in view of radiation induced material degradation. The complete MR System lifecycle is presented, which ranges from purchase of raw materials (aluminium alloy, stainless steel and beryllium), manufacturing, factory acceptance test FAT), transport, delivery control, pre-installation test until a new MR System is ready for installation.

Fabrication feasibility studies for first wall of Indian LLCB TBM

The conceptual design of the Indian Lead Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) First Wall (FW) presents a single U-shaped component made of IN-RAFM steel having 65 square channels of 20 mm × 20 mm running along the toroidal and radial direction. There are 13 circuits; each circuit consisting of 5 channels with inlet on the 1st channel of one side and the outlet on the 5th channel of other side. The conventional machining route with innovations in the existing technique was explored to develop the method to make channel mock-ups for FW application. This developed technique includes initial pre-machining and milling of higher thickness plates, making square channels by gun drilling followed by wire-cut EDM and final milling on the external surface and then hot bending into U-shape. Modified 9Cr-1Mo steel was the structural material used for this mock-up which has two flow circuits (each circuit of 5 channels). The other dimensions of this mock-up were chosen in such a way that functional requirements of full-sized FW would be fulfilled. During manufacturing, this mock-up was subjected to a series of inspection and non-destructive tests such as helium leak test and hydro-test at 150 bar pressure as a part of in-stage and final inspections. This paper describes the main activities carried out for the fabrication and factory acceptance tests of this U-shaped 10-channels TBM FW mock-up.

Factory Acceptance Test of 50-kA HTS Current Leads for the ITER CS Magnet Test Application

The Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences was contracted by General Atomics Company to develop a superconducting feeder system containing a pair of 50-kA high-temperature superconducting (HTS) current leads for ITER central solenoid magnet test. These HTS current leads (HTSCL) are based on the previous ITER lead design experiences. However, the vertical assembly design of HTSCL which is different from ITER's horizontal assembly causes the water leakage in the insulation flange during the initial phase. Some improvements were recognized and expected to avoid the potential risk for further prototypes and series production of ITER leads. Some development experiences are shared in this paper. The HTS current leads contain BiSCCO AgAu matrix tapes to minimize the heat load to 4.5 K end. Its resistive part is cooled by 50-K helium. In the HTS part, the conduction cooling is adopted. The HTS current leads were integrated in the feeder system to perform 4.5-K full current test. The factory acceptance test was implemented to verify the high-voltage and thermodynamic performances. The maximum current of 55 kA was achieved. The test indicates that the helium mass flow consumption is 3.3 g/s per lead and the loss of flow accident time is approximate to 10 min at the nominal current with the stoppage of 50-K helium. The insulation flange passed the high-voltage test of 15 kV, while the leakage current is less than 1 mA after the improvement. More detailed test results will be shown in this paper.

Completion and Test of the First ITER TF Coil Winding Pack by Europe

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) magnetic system includes 18 toroidal field (TF) coils constructed using Nb3Sn cable-in-conduit superconductor. Each TF coil comprises a winding pack (WP) composed of seven double pancake modules stacked together, impregnated and inserted into a stainless steel coil case. Ten TF coils are being produced in Europe, under the responsibility of Fusion for Energy (F4E, the European Domestic Agency), while the remaining nine TF coils are being produced in Japan. F4E has implemented a strategy dividing the procurement into three packages. One is related to the construction of 70 radial plates (RP), another to the fabrication of 10 WP, and a third to the cold test and coil-case insertion of 10 WP. After 7 years of R&D and qualification activities and of industrial production, the first ITER TF coil WP has been completed in Europe. Factory acceptance tests, including leak, dimensional, and electrical tests at room temperature, were completed in May 2017 and the series production of the remaining nine TF WPs in Europe is underway. The first package has been completed and all 70 RP have been delivered. Commissioning of major tooling for the third package is to be performed at the end of 2017. In this paper, we report on the test of the first TF WP and on the status of the remaining production.

Application of Industrial XRF Coating Thickness Analyzer for Phosphate Coating Thickness on Steel

The results of industrial application of an online X-ray fluorescence coating thickness analyzer for measuring the thickness of phosphate coatings on moving steel strips are considered in the article. The target range of coating thickness to be measured is from tens to hundreds of mg/m2 in a measurement time of 10 s. The measurement accuracy observed during long-duration factory acceptance test was 10–15%. The coating thickness analyzer consists of two XRF gauges, mounted above and below the steel strip and capable of moving across the moving strip system for their suspension and relocation and electronic control unit. Fully automated software was developed to automatically and continuously (24/7) control both gauges, scanning both sides of the steel strip, and develop and test methods for measuring new coatings. It allows performing offline storage and retrieval of the measurement results, remotely controlling the analyzer components and measurement modes from a control room. The developed XRF coating thickness analyzer can also be used for real-time measurement of other types of coatings, both metallic and non-metallic.

Snubber resistor influence in the thyristor valves failure on the static VAR compensator

In this research, a complex engineering failure analysis is done for a static VAR compensator (SVC), it was installed in Perú 220 kV system. The research introduce the selected results of the simulations and field tests completed during the fault, mitigation and corrective activities performed at the thyristor valve, which is installed in the thyristor switched capacitor (TSC) and thyristor controlled reactor (TCR) of the SVC. This paper proposes the most feasible solution to overcome the failure of the TSC based on snubber resistor in the SVC. In order to investigate the causes of this failure, various measurements were carried out on the TSC. It was concluded that a snubber resistor design needs two special test for determinate a problem or abnormal condition; a special test should be done in the factory acceptance test (FAT), site acceptance test (SAT) and to execute a maintenance diagnosis, to prevent a failure in the thyristor valve from TSC. This failure has happened in the standby system, the susceptance reference is forced to follow the susceptance reference received from the active system. There is however, a delay in the transfer of data from the active to the standby system. During transient conditions this may cause a difference in thyristor firing angles between the systems. The simulated current in the standby system does not agree with the measured current, which is controlled by the active system, an advanced diagnosis and design review is developed for to avoid a sudden failure. The feasibility of these solutions was verified through the computer simulation with PSCAD/EMTDC.

Preparing to witness a multimegawatt motor and adjustable speed drive acceptance test–the basics

Adjustable speed drive (ASD) and motors, if selected as a prime mover for compressors, pumps, extruders, etc. can provide various electro-mechanical benefits to its operators and stakeholders. Their benefits and application considerations have been well documented in past papers and tutorials. However, a successful installation of a multi-megawatt motor and ASD system requires detailed application, engineering, manufacturing, testing and installation considerations. Many times testing is requested by the operator and/or consultant, but navigating the types of tests available, test procedures, plans and how they comply with appropriate standards is often not fully understood. This can lead to surprises, shipment delays, price adders and ultimately the equipment itself not being in compliance with the stated project objectives. This paper attempts to address the factory acceptance testing (FAT) phase of a medium voltage motor and ASD system whether procured separately or as a package. Issues such as type of test selection, specifications, standards, preparation, acceptance criteria, and finally string testing will be covered. This paper serves as a guideline of how one can select, prepare, witness and sign off of a medium voltage motor and ASD test.

Gas turbine power calculation method of turboshaft based on simulation and performance model

Gas turbine power of turboshaft engine cannot be measured, a total of five typical steady state point test data from the ground slow state to the maximum state were selected according to the factory acceptance test drive of a certain type of carrier-based helicopter turboshaft engine. Combustion chamber three-dimensional simulation model was established to carry on simulation analysis of different typical steady state combustion process. The simulated combustion chamber exit section parameters are input into the established gas turbine isentropic adiabatic aerodynamic calculation model to obtain the gas turbine power and outlet temperature. Select five typical steady state points of five sets of turboshaft engines on the same type to repeat the above calculation process, and compare the calculated value of gas turbine outlet temperature with the acceptance test values, it is found that the error values are all within 5%, and the effectiveness and accuracy of the gas turbine power calculation method are verified.

Rancang Bangun Motor Listrik Submersible pada Aplikasi Bow Thruster Kapal

This paper proposes the design of submersible electric motors for vessel's bow thruster. The advantages of the proposed design in comparison with a conventional electric motor are smaller diameter, without gear driven, better efficiency, low noise level, and minimizing oil leakage or more environmentally friendly. The proposed design has been manufactured and will be applied to navigation vessels. Simulation and factory acceptance test (FAT) results show that the proposed design has fulfilled the naval architect requirements and give better performance in comparison with conventional electric motor designed by NEMA standard's frame.

Pitch control for ships with diesel mechanical and hybrid propulsion: Modelling, validation and performance quantification

Ships, in particular service vessels, need to reduce fuel consumption, emissions and cavitation noise while maintaining manoeuvrability and preventing engine overloading. Diesel mechanical propulsion with controllable pitch propellers can provide high fuel efficiency with good manoeuvrability. However, the conventional control strategy with fixed combinator curves limits control freedom in trading-off performance characteristics. In order to evaluate performance of current state-of-the-art and future alternative propulsion systems and their control, a validated propulsion system model is required. To this end, this paper proposes a propulsion model with a Mean Value First Principle (MVFP) diesel engine model that can be parameterised with publicly available manufacturer data and further calibrated with obligatory FAT measurements. The model uses a novel approach to predict turbocharger performance based on Zinner blowdown, the Büchi power and flow balance and the elliptic law for turbines, and does not require detailed information such as compressor and turbine maps. This model predicts system performance within 5% of actual measurements during Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) of the diesel engines and Sea Acceptance Tests (SAT) of a case study navy ship. Moreover, this paper proposes measures of performance that objectively quantify the fuel consumption, acceleration rate, engine thermal loading and propeller cavitation during trial, design and off-design conditions in specified benchmark manoeuvres, within an hour simulation time. In our experiments, we find that, depending on the control strategy, up to 30% of fuel can be saved, thermal engine loading can be reduced by 90K, and acceleration time by 50% for a case study Holland class patrol vessel.

ADITYA upgrade vacuum vessel: Design, construction, testing, installation and operation

Limiter based ADITYA tokamak has been upgraded in the divertor configured ADITYA-U tokamak. The ADITYA tokamak upgradation includes the replacement of rectangular cross section vacuum vessel by circular cross section vacuum vessel to accommodate additional poloidal (divertor) coils in space between the new vessel and toroidal field coils. The major radius (0.75m) and minor radius (0.25m) has been kept same as of old torus so as to accommodate the new torus inside the toroidal field coils. In order to accommodate as many numbers of diagnostics as possible, the ADITYA-U vessel is designed to have 111 port openings directly on the vessel. The leak proof, UHV condition, precise dimensions and lots of weld and demountable joints in the new vessel made the fabrication job very challenging. The ADITYA-U vacuum vessel of SS304L has been precisely fabricated as per IPR design by Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. under the supervision of IPR scientists. The factory and IPR site acceptance tests of new vessel had been completed successfully, such as dimensional measurement, leak test, pressure, baking. The final acceptable tests had been carried out successfully as results of local leak rate <5×10−10mbarl/s and global leak rate <5×10−8mbar.l/s, UHV test as <10−9mbar, vessel baking >150°C. After external testing, the vessel has been installed successfully in ADITYA-U tokamak structure. In this paper, we present the all details of ADITYA-U vacuum vessel like design, analysis, fabrication, acceptance, installation and operation to ascertain its suitability for the plasma experiments.

Operator Training Simulator for Ethylene Plant

In a petrochemical plant, training new operators to operate plant safely and consistent is a need. Conventional training for operators relies on senior operators' experience. When experience operator leaves or resigns, it will take longer duration to train new personnel to gain the equivalent experience of previous or senior operators. The operators control the plant by using Distributed Control System (DCS) as an interface and ensure the reliability and productivity of plant sustains. The more challenges they face, the more experience they gain. Most of the operators are trained by real time events they faced on the job but errors or plant upsets should be avoided. It is estimated that in the United States alone, 10 billion USD is lost annually in the process industry caused by errors when faced with plant upsets. Operator training plan is therefore the crucial step to reduce the losses as well as the risk of operating the plant. Operator Training Simulator (OTS) is an alternative solution to safely provide the operators with various realistic operational conditions of the plant, including start-up, shutdown, and emergency conditions. This article discusses on the methodology of building an OTS for Ethylene plant, that are beneficial for educating operator response when faced with critical process upsets and succeeding quicker start-up. A dynamic process model was developed to give accurate dynamic behaviour of the plant process mainly during start-up, shutdown and upset conditions. Testing and verification processes of the models such as Model Acceptance Test (MAT), Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and Site Acceptance Test (SAT) were deliberated. Few issues or problems faced during the testing were also discussed. Based on the experience of developing the simulator, process model was developed using mass and energy balance method does not reflect the actual plant conditions. It might be suitable for commissioning a new plant. However, once the plant is started all the parameters need to be realigned to meet the actual plant data. Process model for existing plant should always apply the actual plant data as a primary data. Especially during MAT, FAT and SAT processes, experience of the panel man is the best input data to get the best output of the simulations.

Hydrogenics 1.2 MW electrolyser passes initial HyBalance test

Canadian-based Hydrogenics has announced that the latest version of its proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser has successfully produced hydrogen during the first stage of factory acceptance testing at its production facility in Oevel, Belgium. This 1.2 MW electrolyser is now being delivered to the HyBalance Power-to-Gas (P2G) demonstration project in Denmark.

Identification and localization of PD-sources in power-transformers and power-generators

Partial discharge (PD) measurements are in use since more than 50 years with the aim to assess the condition of the insulation systems of high voltage (HV) apparatus and components. In large power transformers and power generators, PD-sources can be situated well hidden inside complex insulation systems. For PD-sources inside the active parts of such systems, measured values of the apparent charge in pC/nC do not sufficiently reflect the real risk of these defects. This is mainly due to the strong attenuation and deterioration of the PD-signals in such insulation systems. Therefore, continuous PD-activity detected at or below nominal voltage during a factory acceptance test, or recorded on-site by a monitoring system, may be harmful for a HV apparatus in service. In case of confirmed internal PD-activity, further investigation and localization should follow. Beside the analysis of simultaneously recorded PD-patterns at all terminals, the evaluation of PD-signals in the time-domain and frequency-domain offers a considerable potential to localize internal PD-sources in extended insulation systems. PD-signals detected at the terminals of a transformer or generator contain information about their propagation paths from the unknown location of the PD-source to the specific sensor. This contribution describes both, the advanced PD-measuring techniques and procedures for identification and localization of PD-sources. The advantages and limits of PD-signal analysis in the time- and frequency-domain are discussed using practical examples.

Failure analysis in high pressure thermoplastic hose fittings submitted to cold forming by swaging process

Abstract Umbilical cables are important components in underwater oil extraction, providing electro-hydraulic connection between platform and manifold in oil well, through elements such as electrical cables and thermoplastic hoses. The connections of thermoplastic hoses are made with fittings installed by a cold forming process, called swaging, to ensure a perfect seal. These fittings are made of SAE AISI 316L stainless steel, but in order to reduce manufacturing costs, SAE AISI 1045 carbon steel fittings are used in hose factory acceptance tests. However, longitudinal cracks were produced during swaging of carbon steel of a specific supplier. In this work, samples from two different suppliers were characterized before and after installation to understand the failure cause. The characterization was made by visual inspection, dimensional control, hardness tests, chemical composition, microstructural and fracture surface analyses. In addition, swaging process simulations by finite element method (FEM) using a commercial software were performed. The results indicated large variations in material elements percentage from the supplier with failed connections history. This fact resulted in elevated amounts of non-metallic inclusions which promoted the cracks. Finally, corrective actions were recommended to mitigate the failure occurrence.

A Proposed Method for Establishing Partial Discharge Acceptance Limits on API 541 and 546 Sacrificial Test Coils

Recent revisions to API standards have identified offline partial discharge analysis as an appropriate factory acceptance test (FAT) to evaluate the quality of certain new medium voltage motor and generator stator windings. As a starting point, API 541 recommends a partial discharge (PD) level of 100 pC (pico-Coulombs) for sacrificial stator coils measured with an IEC 60270 compliant instrument. The recommended PD level is subject to discussion between the purchaser and the manufacturer until more data are available. This paper provides PD data from sacrificial coils and stator windings to support discussions on PD acceptance criteria. Three instruments were used for PD tests on resin-rich, press-cured sacrificial coils in laboratory conditions controlled to minimize noise, and in the typical environment of a FAT. These coils were then tested daily for a week, with identical measurement conditions of noise, time of day, operator, and instrument. Also, included are examples of offline PD data from two complete stator windings. The first was a new winding, tested in the factory on two different days. The second was an aged winding tested using the same methods but in different locations. Instrument selection, testing location, elapsed time between measurements and insulation system construction can influence offline PD measurements. The current evidence suggests that statistical distributions drawn from similar test conditions are more applicable than specific PD limits.