MEKOROT ISRAEL NATIONAL WATER CO

EXECUTES SUCCESSFUL PLANS WITH ELSPEC

TECHNOLOGY
Water Supply Co, Mekorot Israel: successfully installs EQUALIZER-ST real-time compensation
innovation after extensive planning on a new pumping facility. Mekorot found that the
EQUALIZER-ST (EQ-ST) to be the most feasible motor startup solution that will secure the startup of 4
Motors that causes current overloads estimated to be 6-7 times the nominal currents. Read More
FACING VOLTAGE CHALLENGES
AT NEWLY PLANNED PUMPING
FACILITY

MEKOROT STIPULATES UNIQUE
REQUIREMENTS

Apart from the voltage problems, engineers at the
company identified further challenges & set out their
own unique requirements:
Voltage Drop: The voltage drop should not
exceed the specifications below, at the following
locations:
Utility Sub-Station Bus Bar - 2.5%;
Pumping Facility, 22kV Point of Common
Coupling (PCC) - 5%;
Motor Current Overload: Reduce the Current of
the Motors during startup by 40%;
Startup Period: Significantly reduce the startup
period to the required level;
Feasibility: The solutions cost effectiveness
will be determined by:
Whether or not the capacitor will require 4
Individual Soft Starters (1 per Motor);
Whether or not simple & easy to operate;
Mekorot, Israels National water supply
company & renowned leader in water resource
management, commissioned Elspec to propose
an alternative motor startup solution for one of
their new planned installations. The proposed
solution will secure the successful startup of 4
x 3500HP (11kV @ 162.9A) motors. The
pumping facility is fed by the utility with 22kV,
& each motor pair is fed by a 6300 kVA
(22/11.5kV) transformer. The motors are
running at an efficiency of 96.5%, & presents a
Power Factor (PF) of 0.17% during startup.
The challenges facing the company were
numerous. The first challenge to overcome
were the high levels of reactive power (kVAr)
demand during the start of the large motors,
which can have a severe impact on the stability
of the voltage supply. In addition, the motor
startup current was 6-7 times that of the
nominal current. The motors were to be
started in a serial order, in quick succession of
one another.


CONVENTIONAL SOLUTIONS
AVAILABLE TODAY

VSD Using Synchronous Transfer: On the surface
this method proved to be the best motor startup
solution. Results however showed it to be a complex
& expensive exercise in order to only start the motor.
Soft Starter: Although this may seem to be another
alternative, the starter increases the THD (V/I) to
unnecessary high levels. In some cases the voltage
drop didnt improve to the required level. It also
proved to be an expensive technology. This is due to
the fact that individual compensation systems were
required for each motor.



SIMULATION PROVES EQ-STS
PERFORMANCE DELIVER
REQUIRED RESULTS

The system was fitted with Elspecs Power Quality
Analyzer, which continuously records all the electrical
waveforms, with no gaps in the data. Data may be
analyzed over any network, at any remote location.
Prior to each EQ-ST commissioning, Elspec runs
a full simulation of the network behavior during
the motor startup. The simulation includes EQ-
ST real-time dynamic reactive compensation
systems in different sizes, that will effectively
address all the outlined requirements at
different levels. The simulation therefore
ensures that the EQ-ST will optimize the
network power quality, meet all the necessary
criteria & guarantee a full return on investment
prior to installation. Table 1 outlines the
different results for different simulations. As
the table outlines, at the Substation
Measurement Point the voltage drop would be
reduced to 2.5% when using a 7 MVAr EQ-ST
system, thereby fully complying with the
utilitys requirement.
The actual installation as described in the
attached diagram (Fig. 3) consisted of 7 MVAr
EQ-ST formed by 5 x 1.4 MVAr groups to
compensate the motor start.
The EQ-ST proved most satisfactory & met additional
criteria:
Voltage Drop: The actual voltage drop at the
22kV PCC, was reduced to 5% during startup,
instead of the 10% without compensation - an
improvement of 50%.
Active Power: Active power during startup
became 3.5MW instead of 3MW in DOL (due to the
increase in voltage).
Cost Effective: The EQ-ST is a centralized real-
time motor startup solution. One system serves
any number of motors, assuming that two motors
are not started simultaneously. In this case, the
necessity to use individual motor soft starters is
eliminated.
Startup Current: The startup current was
significantly reduced from 340 Amp to below
200 Amp a reduction of 41%.
Startup Time: The length of the startup period
is reduced in 24% from 4 to 3.04 seconds.
ELSPECS G4K POWER QUALITY ANALYZER CONTINUOUS WAVEFORM RECORDING RESULTS
Parameter Without Simulated
Compensation
With 7 MVAr
Simulated
Improvement
With 7 MVAr
Simulated
Compensation
With 9 MVAr
Simulated
Improvement
With 9 MVAr
Actual
Compensation
With 7 MVAr
Actual
Improvement
Values at
Substation
5% 2.5% 50% 1.8% 64%
Total Voltage
Drop During
Startup at
22 kV U %
10% 4.9% 51% 3.2% 68% 5% 50%
Total Current
During
Startup
340 Amp 195 Amp 42% 135 Amp 60% 200 Amp 41%
Duration 4 sec. 3 sec. 25% 2.45 sec. 38% 3.04 sec. 24%
Table 1: EQ-ST Reactive Compensation Results
NOTE: Mekorots main objective for the project was to limit the voltage drop by 2.5% at the utilitys sub-station bus bar,
& by 5% at the 22 kV PCC. In reality, with the actual 7 MVAr EQ-ST compensation this objective was easily achieved.
However, as the simulation demonstrates by using a 9 MVAr EQ-ST compensation system the voltage drop would have been
reduced to 1.8% at the sub-station bus bar & to 3.2% at the PCC respectively. In addition Mekorots original current
overloads that were 6-7 times the nominal currents during the start of the 4 Motors. Once again actual results
demonstrated that the current overloads were reduced by 41% & would have potentially reduced by 68% with the
deployment of a 9 MVAr EQ-ST compensation system.



Photographic installations at the site can be viewed in Figures 1a & b. The actual measurement results without &
with EQ-ST reactive power compensation can be viewed in Figures 3 4.

Figure 1a: Mekorot Water Pump Facility

Figure 1b: EQ-ST Compensation System








Figure 2: Electrical Diagram





Figure 3a: Motor Startup, RMS Data Without Compensation


Figure 3b: Motor Startup, RMS Data With EQ-ST Compensation
Network Voltage
Network Current
Active Power - Motor
23 kV
U = 10%
20.7 kV
340 A
Reactive Power Motor


EQ-ST



T = 4 Sec.
Network Voltage
Network Current
Active Power - Motor
U = 5%
T = 3.04 Sec.
200 A
Reactive Power Motor


EQ-ST







Figure 4a: Motor Startup, Waveform Data Without Compensation

Figure 4b: Motor Startup, Waveform Data With EQ-ST Compensation

Network Voltage
Active Power - Motor
Network Current Waveforms
EQ-ST Current Waveforms
Network Voltage Waveforms
Reactive Power Motor


EQ-ST



Network Voltage
Active Power - Motor
Network Current Waveforms
EQ-ST Current Waveforms
Network Voltage Waveforms
Reactive Power Motor


EQ-ST





Figure 5a: Motor Startup, Waveform Data With EQ-ST Compensation Zoom In Motor Startup Initiation

Figure 5b: Motor Startup, Waveform Data With EQ-ST Compensation Zoom In Motor Startup Termination

Network Voltage
Active Power - Motor
Network Current Waveforms
EQ-ST Current Waveforms
Network Voltage Waveforms
Reactive Power Motor


EQ-ST



20 mSec.
Network Voltage
Active Power - Motor
Network Current Waveforms
EQ-ST Current Waveforms
Network Voltage Waveforms
Reactive Power Motor


EQ-ST