Advancement of the Methods that Insure Power Plant Generation Uninterruptedness

One of the important tasks in the field of power plant generation uninterruptedness is supporting insulation test of complete generator current leads. Generator current lead failure resulting from supporting insulation breakdown causes the emergency shutdown of power plant generating unit and the interruption of electric power supply. The most widespread reasons of supporting insulation damage are arc-over due to dust, insulation breakdown, destruction because of partial discharges and electrothermal breakdown. External factors affecting supporting insulation such as electrical field, temperature and humidification can have complex impact and lead to insulation damage. Often with the existing fault insulation localization methods it is impossible to identify faulty current lead quickly. The time needed for damaged insulator localization and replacement may last from 3 to 5 days while the general amount of supporting insulators can reach 1000 items. This obstacle leads to measurable economic costs for generation companies. Questions concerning the reduction of damaged insulators localization time, detecting them and thus supporting power plant generation uninterruptedness are on the front burner.