The ‘AC Test’module is a universal and comprehensive testing module. It has an independent testing unit with 4-phase voltage and 3-phase current output, also independent testing units with six phase voltage and six phase current output and an testing unit according to sequence component output, which can be switched between each other through 3P, 6U, 6I, 12P and five buttons of sequence component. Making use of these modules, we can carry out AC Test under all conditions in power system
(note: 6 phase voltage, 6 phase current, 12 phase voltage-current function are only intended for Model VAE-660).
- Flexibly controlling output four phase voltage, three-phase current six phase voltage, six phase current, outputing full twelve phase at the same time.
- Having the function of outputting according to phrase sequence component.Through setting the value of phrase sequence component directly, the module combines each phase voltage and current output automatically.
- For each phrase voltage and current output, both amplitude and phase can be set arbitrarily. The amplitude can be set the upper limit.
- Every component’s amplitude value, phase and frequency are variable, and the variable step size can all be set at will.
- Ux can be set to be many kinds of output modes combination and also can be set arbitrary value
- Full-automation, self-automation and manually operating are available,which can be switched between each other in the process of output.
- Amplitude, phase, step size and numbers of variable can be revised directly in the status of output.
- Power value can be displayed directly for verifying power measurer.
- Action value, return value, action time and return time can be measured.
Section 1 AC Test Interface Instruction
Set AC Test Component
- Enter voltage and current values, then click ‘confirm’ or move the cursor; data will auto-save to three decimal places. Default units are V for voltage and A for current.
- Set phase angles from -180° to 360°; the system adjusts angles outside this range. For example, -181° becomes 179°.
- View real-time AC vector diagrams in the vector diagram window.
- Max single-phase AC voltage output is 120V; series connections of two phases can achieve higher voltages with reversed phases (e.g., Ua at 120V, 0° and Ub at 120V, 180° for a 240V output).
- Max single-phase AC current output is 40A; parallel connections with the same phase can provide more current. Use thick, short wires for high current outputs and minimize output time.
- The ‘variable’ column by AC Test values lets you choose if the output component is adjustable. Clicking ‘√’ makes the phase adjustable, and the ‘Step Size’ column becomes editable. Min step sizes are 0.001 for amplitude and 0.1 for angle.
- The ‘upper limit’ column sets the max output value for each phase, preventing damage to relays by controlling output within this limit.
Ux
Ux is a special phase, it can set many kinds of output situations:
- When setting it to be +3UO、-3UO、+×3UO、-×3UO, combining UA and UB with UC output currently to obtain 3UO component ,and then multiply their coefficient respectively to obtain the UX output value.The value always varies along with the change of UA, UB and UC.
- If Ux is set to equal the value of certain phase such as UA, the output of Ux is the same as the one of corresponding phase.
- If selecting the ‘Any Mode’, the output of Ux is the same as other three-phase voltage in the range of output and also can vary its amplitude and angle according to certain step size.
Attention:
There are 6 phases voltage output in the VAE-660 tester, but there is not an independent special phase Ux . Consequently, the program assigned the fourth phase voltage Ua as the special phase Ux.
Parameters Display
The interface’s left side displays line voltage, zero sequence, positive sequence, and negative sequence components. This allows for monitoring of ‘sequence component’ and ‘line voltage’ variables. These values are calculated based on the phase component values and cannot be set manually. Operators can observe sequence components and line voltage values during protection operations, aiding in recording protection operation data as needed. For instance, during a low-voltage latching overcurrent test, if the line voltage is set for protection, operators can visually see the phase voltage when protection acts and directly read the phase voltage from the window without manual calculation.
Power Measurer Display Button
When clicking this button, a ‘Power Display’ box will be ejected just as the right figure shows.
In this displaying box, all kinds of amplitude, phase, power and other data of secondary side will be displayed default. If the data of primary side needs to be displayed, for example, when verifying on-the-spot meter, you only need to select the ‘primary side power and current’ and input corresponding TV and TA ratio. Click the ‘Power unit is megastage’ for conversion the power unit from ‘KW、Kvar’ to ‘MW、Mvar’ automatically.
‘Contact Action’ and ‘Action and Return’
- When selecting the ‘Contact Action’ in the column of testaim, the tester will stop the test automatically when it receives signal of protective action, and will record the data of relay action at that time.
- When selecting the ‘Action and Return’ in the column of test aim, the tester can test the data of relay action and return, and it can also calculate the return coefficient automatically.
Modes of Manual Operation, Semi-automatic and Full-automatic Operation
Mode of Manual Operation
All variables are controlled by hand. Press the key or key on the tool bar, or press the “↓” key or“↑”key on the keyboard on front panel, each variable will increase or decrease one step. When relay acts, the tester will give a sound of ‘Di” and record the action value and time. If needing to test the return value of the relay, decreasing or increasing the variable till the relay’s contact return, the sound of ‘Di’ will disappear. The tester will record all necessary return data and calculate the return coefficient automatically.
Mode of Semi-automatic Operation
In this mode, all variable will increase or decrease automatically after starting the test when selecting ‘Increase’ or ‘Decrease’. You can set the interval of increase or decrease. When the relay acts, the tester will record action value of selected variables automatically and maintain output but the variety will be stopped temporarily. Meanwhile, a dialog box will be ejected for asking the change direction of next step, will you ‘increase’, ‘reduce’ or directly ‘stop’ the test? You should select an order according to the requirement of test.
Mode of Full-automatic Operation
In this mode, all variables will increase or decrease according to step size after starting the test when you select ‘Increase’ or ‘Decrease’. You can set the interval of increase and decrease when protection acts; it will record necessary data automatically. If the ‘only contact operation’ has been selected, the tester will stop the test after obtaining the action data automatically; if the ‘test action value and return value’ has been selected, the tester will automatically change direction after obtaining the action value and alter the value in the opposite direction till the contact of tester returns so as to measure the return value, record it and calculate the return coefficient.
Attention:
- In the mode of ‘manual Operation’, the speeds of increase and decrease variable can not be very quickly when it almost achieve the value of protective operation, so as to ensure the variable stays for enough times at every step size for producing the action. Only doing like this, the result measured will be more accurate.
- During the automatic test, the internal calculator will be reset to zero with each step process. When measuring the action time of relay, please select the mode of ‘manual Operation’ and make it to vary slowly if longer time is needed.
Directly Set Parameter to Alter Output Value in the Output State
- During the test, the software permits to use many functions to directly change output in the state of output:
- You can switch the mode of ‘Manual Operation’, ‘Self-automation’ and ‘Full-automation’ in the output state, switch between ‘Increase’ or ‘Decrease’, or switch between ‘Contact Action’ or ‘Action and Return’. You can change the ‘Time interval of automatic variety’ in the mode of manual operation.
- Whenever parameters need to be amended, it can be changed among all kinds of modes. Click corresponding ‘Alteration’ box to tick ‘√’ or cancel to complete this operation.
- In ‘Manual Operation’ mode, you can adjust the output of each phase individually. Here’s how: input the desired amplitude and phase for each phase that needs changes, one after another, without pressing ‘confirm’ until all are entered. Once all values are input, press ‘Confirmation.’ The tester will then update each phase’s output to match the input values simultaneously.
Input
All input of VAE Series Tester share one common terminal. When connecting the protective action contact, connect one end with the common terminal of tester and connect another end with any one of input A、B、C、R、a、b、c. Please note that if the connector has the positive potential,do connect this connector with common terminal.
In this testing module, input A、B、C、R、a、b、c are effective in default state. The relationship between them is ‘or’. When certain digital input is not needed, you can select to close it. When doing the test, switch-off and switch-on contacts of relay can be connected with any digital input (during the line protection, the software defaults the digital input R to be the signal incoming end of reclosing. When connecting the input common terminal (red terminal) with active contact, we normally connect it with the positive end of power supply. The tester will record the time in the column of input as soon as the tester receives the trigger signal of the digital input.
If the trigger signal occurs in multichannels digital input ,the corresponding data wii be recorded.
Confirme the Switch State Change Time
Off/on of contacts of all kinds of relay and microcomputer protection normally has certain oscillation. To prevent the oscillation from influencing the test result, we usually set certain ‘Confirme the Switch State Change Time’. For common relay, ‘Confirme the Switch State Change Time’ is set to be 20ms,as for the microcomputer type protection, ‘Confirme the Switch State Change Time’ only needs to be set to be 5ms.
Record Test Result
There is an area for recording the ‘action value’, ‘return value’ and ‘return coefficient’ of test result on the lower right of the interface. It can record three-phase voltage, current, line voltage, voltage, positive sequence, negative sequence and zero sequence component of current, phase and frequency of AC, etc. You only need to tick the box before any item. Just as the right diagram shows
Short Circuit Calculation Button
‘AC Test’ module is a popular module. When more complex test needs to be simulated, please click the Short Calculation button in the tool column. A dialog box of ‘Short Calculation’ will be ejected, in which you can set arbitrarily.
Type of Fault
Four types of fault are available in the pulldown menu: single phase earthing short circuit, two phase short circuit, three-phase short circuit or normal state, among which the normal state means that the three phase voltage is positive sequence rated voltage and three-phase current is 0A.
Fault Direction
It is ‘Forward Direction Fault’ in the default mode. When reverse fault needs to be simulated for some directivity protection, you can select the ‘Reverse Fault’ in pulldown menu.
Rated Voltage
It represents the rated phase voltage of the system. The rated voltage usually is 57.735V.,which refers to the Non-fault phase voltage.
Setting Impedance
According to different setting valued given by the setting value list, you can set fault impedance according to ‘Z / Ф’ or ‘R / X’ two kinds of modes on the interface. Selecting which kind of mode to set setting impedance depends on the setting value list. Whatever you choose,the value of another kind of mode will be obtained through automatic calculation of the computer..
Multiple of Short Circuit Impedance
Above we set the ‘Setting Impedance’ in the setting value list, but we often verify it in 0.95 times or 1.05 times when doing the test. So ‘Short Circuit Impedance” = ‘Times Value’ ×’Setting Impedance’,involving ‘Short Circuit Impedance’ with short circuit calculation again. When doing the ‘Zero Sequence Protection’ test, the preemptive action of distance protection can be standed aside through flexible setting of short circuit impedance and in the case of not exiting the distance protection.
Model for Calculation
When you choose ‘Maintaining Short Circuit Current’, set the required short circuit current. Use this current with the ‘Short Circuit Impedance’ to find the ‘Short Circuit Voltage’ for the fault type. If you select ‘Maintaining Short Circuit Voltage’, set the needed short circuit voltage. Then, use this voltage with the ‘Short Circuit Impedance’ to calculate the ‘Short Circuit Current’ for the fault. During ‘Distance Protection’ tests, adjusting the short circuit impedance can prevent ‘Distance Protection’ from acting before zero sequence protection, even if it’s not disabled.
Attention:
‘Short Circuit Voltage’ represents the fault line voltage when two phases is short circuit, while it refers to the fault phase voltage in the event of other types of short circuits.
Zero Sequence Compensating Factor
When simulating the ‘Earthing Distance Protection’ Test, the corresponding zero sequence compensating factor must be considered. Software gives three setting modes, please set according to the setting mode of zero sequence compensating factor given in the setting value list.
After finishing the above testing parameters setting, please click the ‘confirmation’ button, then the software will calculate the short circuit voltage, current and corresponding angles and fill these data on the ‘AC Test’ interface at once.
Function of outputting according to sequence component
The following diagram shows the testing interface of sequence component:
Set directly all kinds of sequence component of voltage-current needed to be output on the interface. For example, when needing to output three phase negative sequence voltage,fill the blank after ‘U-’ with this value and software can calculate automatically the amplitude and phase relations of output voltage of each phase.
Attention:
- You should note that the amplitude, variation step size and phase are all sequence components,which are combined by three-phase voltage or three-phase current but not actual output of single phase of tester. If changing any sequence component value on the interface (including amplitude and phase) ,software will real-time calculate corresponding three-phase voltage and current ,which will be displayed in the listing area on the lower left side of interface. The tester output voltage and current displayed on the interface rather than sequence component.
- U0、I0、U-、I- on the interface are value of each sequence component,equaling to one third value of 3U0、3I0、3U-、3I- in general use, which is the same as the value displayed in the result list on the lower left corner of three-phase AC Test interface. When doing the test, firstly identify which one is the setting values given by protection, U0、I0、U-、I- or 3U0、3I0、3U-、3I-. If being U0、I0、U-、I-, you can set parameter directly according to the setting value; if being 3U0、3I0、U-、I-, the actual setting value should divide by 3,and then set parameters according to new setting value.