HGKC-IV High-Voltage Switch Characteristic Tester

1,summary

With societal advancement, demands for electrical safety and reliability have grown significantly. High-voltage circuit breakers serve dual functions of control and protection in power systems, and their performance directly impacts the safe operation of these systems. Mechanical characteristic parameters are critical indicators for evaluating breaker performance. The GKC-G3 High-Voltage Switch Characteristic Tester (also known as the High-Voltage Switch Mechanical Characteristic Tester) is designed based on the latest standard GB1984-2014 "High-Voltage AC Circuit Breakers" and referenced the Chinese power industry standard "General Technical Requirements for High-Voltage Testing Equipment" Part 3 (DL/T846.3-2017). This device facilitates dynamic analysis of various circuit breakers and accurately measures mechanical dynamic characteristics across different voltage levels, including low-oil, high-oil, vacuum, and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) types. As high-voltage circuit breakers play dual roles in control and protection within power systems, their performance quality fundamentally determines system safety. Mechanical characteristic parameters remain essential parameters for assessing breaker performance.

II. Instrument Features:

• (1) Suitable for SF6 switches, GIS combined electrical apparatus, vacuum switches, oil switches, vacuum contactors, and special circuit breakers (train circuit breakers) produced domestically and internationally. It can simultaneously measure 12 metal contact contacts, 6 main contacts, and 6 auxiliary contacts. Each circuit breaker operation generates data and waveforms including actuation time, number of bounce cycles, speed, coil current, and coil resistance. Features include energy storage, automatic and manual low-bounce testing, circuit breaker life testing, and optional power locking and dry-contact control. Equipped with a high-speed thermal printer for convenient on-site printing of test data.
• (2) A 7-inch color high-brightness screen (with adjustable brightness) ensures clear visibility even under direct sunlight. Features menu-based operation, a quick-test interface, one-touch controls, and support for Chinese and English input. The system displays the status of all 12 circuit contacts in Chinese, while showing time, travel distance, speed, and waveform on the same screen—eliminating the need to flip pages for data viewing. It analyzes the average speed of a specified section and marks it on the travel curve for easy reference. With 21 predefined circuit breaker speed definitions built-in, users simply select the switch type for instant measurement.
• (3) Integrated operational power supply within the device eliminates the need for an external secondary power source, ensuring convenient and efficient operation. It delivers an adjustable DC power supply ranging from 20 to 270 V with a current capacity of 20 A. Equipped with short-circuit protection, the system immediately halts voltage and current output within 1 ms upon detecting a short circuit and emits a beeping alarm to alert the operator to inspect the circuit. The unique dual-circuit power design ensures that if one circuit in the closing or opening control fails, the other circuit can still perform closing and opening operations.
• (4) Equipped with linear sensors and rotary sensors, along with a dedicated fixed multifunctional connector, the installation is extremely convenient and straightforward. The linear sensor length can be set arbitrarily between 30–1000 mm; simply attach the sensor, and no program modifications are required at the manufacturer's facility.
• (5) The main unit can store 100 sets of current test data and features an internal real-time clock for easy archiving.
• (6) Equipped with a USB interface and an R232 interface: data can be saved to the USB drive and uploaded to a computer for analysis, storage, or printing; the R232 interface allows connection to a computer for online operation (an optional feature).
• (7) The internal anti-interference circuit ensures reliable operation within 500 kV substations.

3,Main technical parameters:

1. 1. Time Measurement:
   • Route 12: Inherent opening (closing) time
   • Asynchronous phase separation during opening (closing) of the circuit breaker
   • The difference in phase timing between opening (closing) operations
   • Circuit breaker closing (opening) bounce time (bounce count)
   • Internal trigger test range: 1 ms to 10,000 ms, resolution: 0.01 ms
   • External trigger test range: 1 ms to 10,000 ms Resolution within 999ms: 0.01ms; Resolution between 1000–9999ms: 0.1ms; Resolution above 10000ms: 1ms. Accuracy within 200 ms: 0.05% ± 0.1 ms; Accuracy: 0.05% ± 0.1 ms
2. 2. Speed Measurement:
   • Initial (Initial Separation/Combination) Speed
   • Average speed for a specified time interval (trip segment or angle segment)
3. 3. Speed measurement range:
   • Linear sensor – 0.01–20.00 m/s; Accuracy: ±0.1 m/s
   • 345° angle sensor, range: 0.01–20.00 m/s. Accuracy: ±0.1 m/s
4. 4. Stroke Measurement:
   • Moving contact stroke (stroke length)
   • Contact行程 (gap)
   • overtravel
   • Overrun stroke or rebound stroke
5. 5.Measurement range:
   • Linear sensor – 50 mm; measurement range: 0–50 mm; resolution: 0.1 mm. An optional linear sensor with any length ranging from 100 to 1000 mm is available.
   • Rotary Sensor: A 345° rotary sensor with a measurement range of 0–1000 mm and a resolution of 0.08°. Accuracy: Soil (1%L + 0.2) mm
6. 6.Current resistance range: Maximum current 20A, resolution: 0.01A; Resistance range: 1000Ω, resolution: 0.01Ω. Accuracy: 5%.
7. 7. Instrument power supply: AC 220V ± 10%; 50Hz ± 10%
8. 8. DC power output: Continuously adjustable from DC 20 to 270V, with DC 220V ≤ 20A (for short-term use). Power: 4400W.
9. 9. External trigger voltage: AC/DC 10–300 V, current ≤120 A
10. 10. Measurement range for disconnectors or energy storage-type circuit breakers:
    • (1) Voltage output: DC 20–270V (adjustable);
    • (2) Power output duration: 0.01–10 seconds (adjustable);
    • (3) The maximum data acquisition time for fracture signals is 10 seconds;
    • (4) Measurable parameters include opening/closing time, three-phase asynchronous timing, bounce time, and frequency of bounces.
11. 11. Main unit dimensions: 385*320*205 mm
12. 12. Operating Environment: -20°C to +50°C
13. 13. Relative humidity: ≤90%

4,Term Definition:

Three-phase asynchronous operation:

Refers to the maximum and minimum differences in the switching times (between opening and closing) of the three phases.

In-phase but differentially timed:

Refers to the time difference between opening and closing operations of phase-coordinated contacts in switches with six or more contacts.

Bouncing time:

Refers to the cumulative duration of all contact and separation (i.e., bouncing) events between the moving and stationary contacts during the closing process (i.e., the time interval from the initial contact to full contact).

Disconnection time:

The interval from the moment when the tripping current is applied during disconnection of a circuit breaker in the closed position until all arc contacts are separated.

闭合时间:

The interval from the moment the closing circuit becomes energized until all contacts of the poles make contact in a circuit breaker located in the open position.

Re-closing time:

During the re-closing cycle, the time interval from the start of the opening phase until all pole contacts make contact.

The opening/closing speed:

Refers to the average velocity over a specified time interval or distance during contact between the moving contact and the stationary contact. Taking 10 ms as an example, for opening operation it denotes the average velocity within 10 ms after opening, while for closing operation it represents the average velocity within 10 ms prior to closing.

Open distance:

Refers to the distance from the switch's open position to the moment when the moving contact makes initial contact with the stationary contact.

Maximum opening/closing speed:

Refers to the peak instantaneous speed during switching operations. Typically, this value occurs at the exact moment when the switch is fully opened or closed, as determined from the velocity and travel curves.

Average opening/closing speed:

The ratio of the travel distance of the switch's moving contacts to the time required throughout the entire operation cycle.

5,Instrument Panel Introduction:

(Note: The panel colors in the figure are for reference only.)

6.2 Internal trigger connection method for circuit breaker control:

During field testing, when using the instrument's internal power supply, connect the closing control line (red), opening control line (green), and common line (black) to the "internal trigger" port (aircraft plug) on the instrument panel. For the instrument's positive (+), positive (+), and negative (+) outputs, they should generally be connected before the auxiliary switch contacts to effectively protect the coil and the instrument. During wiring, ensure to disconnect the circuit breaker device's own operating power supply (by opening the switch or removing the fuse) to prevent interference between the two power sources from damaging the instrument.

Complete wiring schematic diagram of the switch tester

VII. Configuration List