230KV Substation testing Tools

Please understand I am not being nasty on purpose.

The only way this question should be answered is...

"The only tool/equipment you need for a 230kV substation is a "Phone Book".

Why a phone book? So you can look in it and find someone qualified to take care of your 230kV substation.

My God... the idea of someone who has to ask these type of questions actually being turned loose in a live 230kV station is truly terrifying. Such places kill people! Especially ones, and their co-workers, who ask such type of questions.

Please... consider going and taking some training on the dangers and procedures involved in maintaining such a station BEFORE you go anywhere near this beast!

Dear North of 60,

Thank you for the candid guidance. I know and understand the effects of working with HV systems. I am a new engineer and currently trying to learn more about 230KV GIS. I don't get much advice from my seniors at work so I try my best to scrape information on forums and internet. That is why i sometimes need outside advice. That is my sad dilema.

I still value your guidance if you have anything further to add kindly let me know. Sorry for taking your time.

Regards.

I am glad to hear you are aware of the dangers. What is it you are expected to do with regards to this station? Routine maintenance? Annual testing?

I would expect to have available...

Proper rated and tested gloves and hot sticks (if such are needed - depends upon the switchgear).

Replacement components for any consumables, fuses and the like.

Manuals and as builts for all of the switch gear and components.

Annual preventive maintenance schedules for all of the components of the system.

Contacts with a transformer tester to do the annual testing of the transformer, assuming your employer does not want to shell out the cash for the expensive test equipment.

Training from the manufacturer of the test gear for the transformer if your employer does want to shell out the cash for the expensive test equipment.

The necessary Hi-Pot gear to test the insulation values on the rest of the components.

Proper materials to extract oil from the tanks of the transformer for oil analysis. Arrangements with a lab to actually do the oil analysis.

Infrared scanning gear to watch for hotspots on the air breaks and isolators of the station.

Proper climbing gear (a zoom boom comes to mind) and materials for the annual cleaning of the insulators of the HV stack.

Proper grounding jumpers to ground all of the incoming and outgoing feeders of this station.

Proper lock out tag out gear and procedures.

The ability to co-ordinate with your upstream feed and downstream loads.

I am sure there are more things... here is a good start.

Please dont disappoint with the answer 1.

The tools required are

Major Equipment in the Substation:-

1) Surge Arrestors - 1 no screw driver-chopped

2) 230 KV GIS - knife- medium size

3) Gas Insulated Bus (GIB) - test lamp - 40 watt

4) 230/154KV Transformer - chain block - 3 ton

In addition to the excellent advice given by North of 60, do not forget Lock-out-tag-out procedures and ground jumpers when working on de-energised gear or high voltage mats/gloves if working on/adjacent to energized gear. Make sure mats and gloves have been (testing) lab certified since last use.

Be safe, be double safe, be triple safe, you will not get a second chance with 230kv.

EDIT - Just re-read North of 60's response, he covered all this