CIRCUIT BREAKER OPERATOR SIGNATURE ANALYSIS

Wesley R. Speed
TXU Electric USA

SUMMARY
Over the years utilities have experienced problems with slow operation, failure to trip
or failure to close of circuit breakers. In recent years many of these problems have been
traced to faulty lubrication of the circuit breaker operating mechanisms. While traditional
diagnostic testing procedures are useful in determining the condition of the breaker
insulation, contact resistance and operating time, they are not adequate to fully evaluate
the condition of the breaker operating mechanism. The concept of measuring the control
circuit characteristics of the circuit breaker during operation to evaluate breaker operator
performance has been around for some time, but only in recent years has it become
available in a lightweight, portable package that allows quick capture of data and analysis
of results. TXU Electric has found circuit breaker operator signature analysis to be an
extremely beneficial tool for evaluating the condition of breaker operating mechanisms,
prioritizing the maintenance of circuit breakers, and minimizing equipment outages.
BACKGROUND
For many years electric utilities have relied on traditional diagnostic testing
procedures (power factor, megger and time) to evaluate the condition of their circuit
breakers. These tests provide information concerning the integrity of a breakers
insulation system, contact resistance and main contact operating times. However, these
procedures do not give meaningful insight into the condition of the operating mechanism
except for overall speed. Since a large percentage of breaker problems can be attributed
to the operator and related components, we were in effect looking for problems in the
wrong places.
TXU Electric has experienced situations in which a breaker is suspected to be slow
(from a DFR trace or when a transformer is outaged on overload). Timing tests are then
performed on the breaker, but it shows to be within specifications. At this point we have
blamed the relaying system or other culprits. Another situation is a breaker that burns up
a trip coil during a fault, and we blame a faulty trip coil.
Situations such as these may indicate a failure of the circuit breaker operating
mechanism lubrication. Circuit breaker operators contain numerous mechanical
components that rely on proper lubrication for their successful operation. However,
many enemies of the lubrication, including age, temperature, airborne contaminates and
improper or infrequent maintenance practices have left many circuit breaker operators
prone to failure.

The Lubrication Guide of the Doble Circuit Breaker Committee [1] discusses these
issues of lubrication and maintenance practices at length. An excerpt is taken from this
guide as follows:
Transmission and distribution breakers have become a maintenance challenge
because of their extended time in the field without relubrication Circuit
breaker failures have been traced to faulty lubricants and/or questionable
lubrication practices. Many circuit breakers in use today are very old and continue
to be lubricated with what the manufacturer specified many years ago. Many of
these lubricants will not last. Some greases will separate, leaving only a dry
thickener which can slow the breaker action. Some greases and penetrating oils
can change in physical form, leaving what appears to be a varnish-like residue in
bearings and other critical friction areas. [1]
The Lubrication Guide of the Doble Circuit Breaker Committee [1] also goes on to
explain how the use of synthetic greases in lieu of petroleum based greases should
provide longer service life of the breaker operator between lubrications.
Since traditional diagnostic testing procedures fall short of providing thorough data
regarding the breaker operating mechanism, another means is necessary to provide this
information.
Old Idea, New Package
The idea of measuring a breakers control circuit electrical information during
operation to provide insight into the condition of the operating mechanism has been
around for many years [2]. Graphical curves containing this electrical information can be
plotted and analyzed. The electrical trace for a trip or close operation of a circuit breaker
can indicate the health of the breaker operator. This shot can also be compared to other
shots of the circuit breaker in order to track its performance over time. Operating
mechanism problems are evidenced in changes in the characteristics of the electrical
traces. In addition, shots of a breaker can be overlayed with shots of breakers with like
operator types for comparison.
Previous technologies used to implement this concept required hard wiring of
connection equipment into the circuit breaker. While the cost of equipment and
installation was justifiable for breakers located at extremely critical system locations, it
unfortunately became cost prohibitive to implement on a larger scale.
However, in recent years, lightweight, portable technology has become commercially
available which does not require hard wiring to the breaker. Connection to the breaker
control circuitry can occur safely while the breaker is still in service, and the whole
process of testing the breaker only takes a few minutes. Information is immediately
available from the portable device, and the data obtained can be downloaded to a
computer for future in-depth analysis.

Monitored items include secondary CT currents, trip and close coil current, and DC
voltage supply to the breaker. Analysis of the data provides insight into the overall
condition of the breakers operating mechanism and lubrication, main contact operating
time, trip and close coils, auxiliary switches, DC voltage supply and control circuit
wiring.
One such product currently available which accomplishes the above is the Kelman
Profile P1 CB Analyzer. TXU Electric purchased this product and initiated a program to
test system circuit breakers. The remainder of this paper discusses the experiences gained
from utilizing this piece of test equipment.
IMPLEMENTATION
Connection
The connection of the breaker analyzer is extremely simple, consisting only of four
leads, as indicated the Figure 1. First, two leads are attached to the DC voltage supply to
the circuit breaker. Then, an AC clamp-on is connected to the secondary of one phase of
the current transformers (providing main contact operating time). Finally, a DC clamp-on
is connected to the trip and/or close circuit (providing DC current amplitude over time).

Figure 1 Connection of Circuit Breaker Analyzer

A typical shot obtained from the breaker analyzer is shown in Figure 2. There are
three main features the main contact time, the DC supply voltage, and the trip / close
coil current during the operation of the breaker. How the mechanical movement of the
operator corresponds to the electrical trace is indicated in the Figure 2. When a trip signal
is initiated to the breaker, the DC current through the trip coil starts to rise, moving the
plunger inside the coil. The plunger moves until its hits the trip latch of the breaker. This
is indicated on the electrical trace by the valley after the first hump on the curve. Up to
this point, the breaker is stationary. For a proper breaker operation, the trip latch is

released, the energy in the stored energy mechanism starts in motion, and the breaker
contacts start to move. At some point the main contacts break the current through the
breaker, and an auxiliary contact opens and breaks the current in the trip circuit.
Meanwhile, the DC supply voltage is measured during the shot.

Main Contact Time

a Contact Opens

DC Supply
to Breaker

Breaker Comes off Latch,

Operator Starts to Move
Trip Coil Solenoid
Hits Latch

Figure 2 Typical Trip Shot

Initial Program
For our initial program we tested 15kV, 25kV and 69kV circuit breakers. These
voltage classes were selected because breakers of these voltages historically caused us the
most problems. In phase 1 of this program, we were successful in identifying breakers in
failure mode, and corrective action was taken. We feel that numerous equipment outages
were avoided as a result of performing breaker analyzer testing. About six months later
we initiated phase 2 of the program. During this time we refined our data collection and
storage techniques, utilized the data to prioritize maintenance, documented healthy

breaker operators, identified bad actors by breaker type, and expanded our programs to
include 138kV circuit breakers.
Examples of problems found while using the breaker analyzer were failed operating
mechanism lubrication, damaged trip and close coils, dirty auxiliary switches, loose
connections in the control circuitry, substation battery or battery charger problems,
improper control cable sizing and tailsprings out of adjustment. In addition, while trip
testing these breakers we found problems with reclosing relays, breaker closing motors,
and RTUs.
To perform the testing, we assigned two two-man teams who focused exclusively on
breaker analyzer testing. Each team consisted of a person to run the breaker analyzer and
a patrolman to perform the switching. The process of connecting the breaker analyzer to
the breaker and running the tests took only about 5 minutes, plus time to switch the
equipment out. Average testing, switching and travel time for each team was around 23
minutes per breaker. They averaged over 20 breakers per day, accomplishing testing on
as many 50 breakers in a given day. It took these two teams about two months to test over
700 circuit breakers.
Shot Analysis
The process of analyzing the shots is a somewhat tedious process, but well worth the
time considering the outages that can be prevented from finding problems. A process that
seemed to work well was to first pull up trip shots for a particular breaker utilizing the
breaker analyzer software. We would inspect the shots to see if they fell within the
following general measurement criteria:

Main Contacts < 50ms on trip shot (3 cycle breaker)

Main Contacts < 200ms on close shot
Breaker off latch < 17ms (1 cycle for a 3 cycle breaker)
Voltage drop < 10%

Then we looked to see if the second shot was faster than the first. This is a good
indication that the breaker was sluggish on the first shot due to faulty lubrication. The
breaker would trip faster on the second shot since the breaker had been exercised and
limbered up. This provided a good graphical representation (See Figure 3) of why in the
past we would have a suspected slow breaker, trip the breaker to take it out of service to
connect the timing equipment, and the breaker timed within specifications. In taking the
breaker out of service, we were missing the all-important first trip. By using the breaker
analyzer, we now have a means to capture the first trip.
After the breaker was compared to itself, we compared its shots to other breakers of
the same operator type. These families of curves could be compared against each other to
determine a prioritization of which breakers deserved the most immediate attention (See
Figure 4). We would also compare a breaker to one in which we had completely
overhauled the operating mechanism knowing it to be in the best possible shape. Shots

of each breaker are stored so that when future shots are taken we can compare them to the
original baseline of the breaker its signature to see if the operators performance
degrades over time.
Early in the program we focused on the breakers which showed large noticeable
differences in their shots. These were our breakers in a critical failure mode. However,
we began to realize the slight nuances between two shots from the same breaker could be
significant and should not be overlooked. In other words, shots from a healthy breaker
operator should have identical shots not only on their first and second trips, but on their
trip shots compared over months or years of time.
An example of a breaker in which the DC supply voltage dropped more than 10% is
shown in Figure 5. Other problems with the batteries or battery chargers could be picked
in the shots as a 60Hz ripple superimposed on the DC trip current signal (See Figure 6).
In a couple of instances, the breaker analyzer shots indicated loose wires in the control
circuitry (See Figure 7). Another item that can be identified with the breaker analyzer are
a tailspring out of adjustment (fast trip, slow close). Adjustment of the tailspring has been
used on occasion to speed up the trip on a slow circuit breaker, but this overlooks the root
cause of the slow breaker is probably faulty lubrication. Other items found were trip coils
on the verge of failure and dirty auxiliary switch contacts.

First shot, breaker

slow to come off latch.

Second shot
Shot taken after
operator overhaul.

Figure 3 Evidence of Faulty Lubrication in Breaker Operator

Three breakers of same

type, one with slowing
trip latch.

Figure 4 Comparison of a Family of Curves

Drop in battery voltage

during shot.

Figure 5 Evidence of Battery Problem

Failed batteries, battery

charger doing the work.

Voltage trace
Current trace

Figure 6 Evidence of Battery Problem

Loose connections
in control circuit.

Figure 7 Loose Connections in Control Circuit

Lessons Learned
We learned many lessons in the implementation of the circuit breaker signature
analysis program. These are briefly described as follows:
Using the Breaker Analyzer

For the most meaningful analysis, it is critical that thought be placed into how the
data is managed. We purchased our breaker analyzers with a bar code feature that
proved to be extremely helpful in maintaining consistent data.
In order to obtain the best information about the breaker operator, it is critical to catch
first shot. When a breaker with problems in the operator is not exercised in a
relatively short period of time (as short as one month), the next breaker operation may
be slow and sluggish. Once the breaker has been exercised, it frees up to a point and
as long as the breaker gets off of the latch, the stored energy will mask the bearing
problem temporarily. It is helpful to note the date of last previous operation on a
breaker before using the breaker analyzer.
In order to achieve consistency in where you connect to the breaker each time, and to
make available the breaker analyzer testing duties to a broader range of employee
skill levels, we found it helpful to use tape to color code the placement of the four
leads within each breaker tested.
Most breaker operators would show a difference in speed between the first and
second shots if the lubrication was faulty. However, a few of particular type operators
would be consistent on the shot information, even thought their lubrication was in bad
shape.
The breaker analyzer we used was sensitive to connection of the DC voltage supply
leads to AC. It is a good practice to always check first with a voltmeter.
The breaker analyzer we used had some memory limitations which necessitated
downloading after completing tests on approximately twenty or thirty breakers.

Overhauling Breaker Operating Mechanisms

Different maintenance crews may have different definitions of operating mechanism

overhaul. In order to completely address the problems associated with faulty
breaker lubrication, breaker operating mechanisms should be fully disassembled,
cleaned, lubricated, reassembled and adjusted.
While a complete overhaul of an operating mechanism once seemed a daunting task,
we have found that an experienced two man crew can generally perform a low
voltage breaker overhaul within a day, and a high voltage breaker overhaul in two
days.
We found that in many cases the best practice is to replace all of the bearings when
performing a breaker overhaul. Purchasing a full set of bearings for a breaker is often
cheaper than attempting to clean and relubricate in the field. A complete set of
bearings for a 15kV breaker is approximately $50, $300 for a 138kV breaker. Most
bearings are available over the counter, except a few specialty trip latch bearings
found on particular 138kV breakers. New bearings can be cleaned, lubricated and

placed in sealed plastic bag for installation in the field. Close attention should be paid
to load bearing bearings. These can have flat spots that can cause a breaker to bind up
during operation.
If a complete operator overhaul is being performed, consideration should be given to
overhauling all components associated with the breaker operation for instance pilot
valves on air systems.
As experience is gained in overhauling breaker operators, we found that it was easier
for some operator types to completely remove an operator from the breaker cabinet
and overhaul it than to attempt to do it with the operator still in the breaker. Time
savings can be incurred if a spare operator can be located, overhauled, then used for
direct replacement in field.
Due to manpower limitations, it can be difficult to overhaul all breakers identified in
a short period of time. However, it is important to take necessary steps to minimize
the chance of equipment outages. Since the trip latch is the weak link in the operation
of the breaker, consider overhaul of the trip latch and light lubrication of the operator
until such time a complete overhaul can be performed.

General

The breaker analyzer does not perform all of the functions of a complete breaker
timer (velocity, etc), but it does allow you to catch the first shot which a breaker
timer can not do.
The consequences of faulty lubrication in vacuum breakers seem to be more severe
than in oil breakers. The newer vacuum breakers require less stored energy to perform
the breaker operation than older oil breakers did. However, the reduced stored energy
becomes a disadvantage when bearing lubrication becomes faulty. Once a breaker is
off the trip latch, the older oil breakers have more energy to overcome bearing
problems than the vacuum breakers do.
Manufacturers are still specifying petroleum-based greases in their breakers, and
warranty considerations need to be taken into account when overhauling an operator.
Hopefully manufacturers will consider utilizing synthetic greases in future.
There is benefit in a testing program in just being there. We found many problems
that although they were not found by the breaker analyzer, they surfaced just because
you were doing testing.
The breaker analyzer is an excellent tool to help prevent customer outages.
One disadvantage of the breaker analyzer we used is that it will not give a meaningful
current trace for AC-close circuit breakers. However, the information from the main
contact time and DC supply voltage to the breaker is captured.
Another disadvantage of the breaker analyzer is that it does not easily accommodate
testing of independent pole breakers.
When you are doing your breaker analyzer testing, you will invariably run into
problems that need immediate attention. Therefore, it is advisable to have access to
the proper maintenance personnel during testing.
Trip testing is the best, cheapest maintenance you can do.
Failure mode is not linear for all operator types.

CONCLUSION
Circuit breaker signature analysis has proved to be an excellent innovation for
assessing the condition of circuit breaker operating mechanisms and related components.
This is especially significant since a large percentage of equipment outages are attributed
to circuit breakers. Circuit breaker signature analysis can also be utilized as an effective
tool to prioritize the work to be performed to identify the equipment that needs work,
and also the equipment that does not need work. In the future, we plan to perform
periodic breaker analyzer tests to see if there has been any deviation in the condition of
the operator. We will also test any new circuit breakers that we install on the system to
establish a baseline signature for the operator. In addition, we hope to track the
performance of synthetic greases in the breakers that we have overhauled to track its
performance in the field. We are not abandoning power factor, megger and timing tests of
circuit breakers for they serve a different purpose. However, we believe that circuit
breaker signature analysis can be used as an excellent tool to assess the condition of our
breaker operators, prioritize maintenance and minimize equipment outages.

REFERENCES
[1]

Doble Circuit Breaker Committee, Lubrication Subcommittee: Lubrication Guide

of the Doble Circuit Breaker Committee, 1995.

[2]

G. K. Nelson, C. A. Zimmerman, Circuit Breaker Response Time Testing, An

Evaluation, 1991 Transmission & Substation Design & Operation Symposium,
September 1991.

BIOGRAPHY
Wesley R. Speed is the Relay Support Manager at TXU Electric. Mr. Speed received
a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University in
1990. He worked six years in engineering as a substation project engineer and three years
in field operations before transferring to System Protection in 1999.