KVA Electric, Inc.
Arlington, WA 98223
(360) 403-8301
info@kvaelectric.com


Substation Inspections
Substation Condition Assessments
Substation Maintenance Program Development
Substation Preventative and Predictive Maintenance
Complete Substation Power Transformer Services
Substation Battery Inspection, Maintenance and Load Testing
Circuit Breaker & Circuit Switcher Maintenance & Repair
Protective Relay Testing & Calibration
Power Quality Site Surveys, Monitoring & Evaluation
Complete Shop Services
Project Management
Consulting and Advisory Support
Advanced Control Systems Design, Repair, Testing & Commissioning
Switchgear Installation & Commissioning
Micro SCADA Development and Installation
Corrective Repairs
Troubleshooting

Substation Inspections
  Substations need to be inspected on a regular basis by an experienced substation electrician to effectively maintain continuous operation. The inspection of key substation components/equipment includes:
 
  • Batteries
  • Transformers
  • LTC’s / Voltage Regulators
  • Switches and Circuit Breakers
  • Meters
  • Protective Relays
  • Annunciators
  • Dissolved Gas Oil Sampling and Analysis (DGA)
  • Overall Security

Substation Condition Assessment
  KVA Electric will analyze the condition and longevity of electrical system components based on an initial inspection and provide a detailed report identifying any equipment that appears to be reaching the end of its useful life, along with replacement information that could be used as the basis for a capital equipment replacement plan. The analysis includes a site audit that assesses the current status of key substation equipment, a predicted life expectancy and replacement cost estimate for major equipment based on current maintenance policies, and an estimated cost savings analysis based on implementation of the Extended Life Cycle program.

Substation Maintenance Program Development
  KVA Electric, Inc. can customize a substation maintenance program to fit your needs and requirements.

Substation Preventative and Predictive Maintenance
  Our experience has shown that a properly designed and executed substation preventive maintenance program provides:
 
  • Increased System Reliability
  • Reduced Overall Operating/Capital Expenditures
  • Improved Customer Satisfaction
  • Reduced Liability and Public Exposure
KVA Electric's personnel are qualified to perform all required preventive maintenance functions. Critical electrical equipment requires systematic maintenance to ensure maximum performance and in-service life while minimizing unscheduled downtime, age/wear related hazards and total operating costs.

Complete Substation Power Transformer Services
 
  • LTC/Regulator Maintenance
      Load Tap Changers (LTC) are subject to problems due to contact wear, part failure and coking of contacts. The consequences of not maintaining LTCs regularly include:
 
 
  • Improper Voltage Regulation
  • Premature and Unpredicted Equipment Failure
  • Customer Complaints
  • Customer Equipment Damage resulting in Claims
  • Improved Customer Satisfaction
  • Outages and Unscheduled High Priority Work

It is recommended that LTCs be drained, inspected and repaired as necessary on a regular cycle.
  • Electrical Testing
  •   Periodic electrical testing can assist in the detection of:
     
    • Developing problems in transformers
    • Prevent transformer failure
    • Improve reliability and longevity
    • Identify incipient and potential failures before outages and
        extensive damage occurs

    The consequences of not periodically testing substation transformers include:
     
    • Premature and unpredicted transformer failure
    • Customer outages
    • Expensive repairs
    • Unscheduled high priority work
  • Repair
  • Assembly
  • Transformer Oil Processing & Reclamation
  • Dissolved Gas Sampling & Analysis (DGA)
      Condition monitoring of transformer oil is most commonly done with Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA). A DGA is used to predict incipient failures and to maintain the physical properties of substation equipment insulating oil. Proper analysis of DGA samples is paramount to providing continuous transformer condition assessment.

    The consequences of not performing a DGA annually include:
     
    • Unpredicted Equipment Failure
    • Premature Equipment Failure
    • Extended Outages
    • Unscheduled High Priority Work

    Annual sampling and analysis is considered adequate unless you see a trend away from normal, at which time shorter intervals should be considered.

Substation Battery Inspection, Maintenance and Load Testing
  Batteries and Battery Charges are often the single point of failure and are frequently overlooked. To ensure continuous power to substation control and protective equipment and to ensure battery bank longevity – substation batteries should be periodically inspected, tested and maintained. Load testing is the best indicator of the ability of a battery bank to do its job, however it shortens the life of a battery bank because it consumes a great deal of energy (and generates heat) in the course of the test. A relatively new type of non-destructive test is the battery Impedance Test . The Impedance Test can be performed while the batteries are on line without interruption of service.

Circuit Breaker & Circuit Switcher Maintenance & Repair
 
  • Air
  • Oil
  • Vacuum
  • SF-6

Periodic maintenance of Circuit Breakers and Circuit Switchers assures that they will operate reliably when needed. Period trip checks provide a minimum level of performance testing that is fairly inexpensive to perform. In addition to annual trip checks, we recommend that trip coil current and timing tests be performed initially and thereafter every five years.

It is recommended that Circuit Breakers and Circuit Switchers be electrically tested, cleaned, inspected, adjusted and lubricated at regular intervals.

Protective Relay Testing & Calibration
  Protective Relays protect major equipment in an electrical system by detecting faults and other abnormal conditions and clearing faults by opening switches, circuit breakers and circuit switchers. Component failure, failure to interrupt faults, exposure of public and employees to unnecessary risk, exposure of equipment to high energy through faults and premature equipment failure are consequences of not periodically testing Protective Relays.

To ensure proper Protective Relay operation, both electromechanical and solid state relays need periodic calibration and functional testing. Because of the critical operation of their function, we recommend that Protective Relays be tested and calibrated annually.

Power Quality Site Surveys, Monitoring & Evaluation
  The Power Quality Site Survey is a comprehensive fact-finding investigation designed to identify the nature and source of power problems experienced by your system. Follow-up Monitoring employs online instrumentation to acquire quantitative and qualitative data on a variety of phenomenon including harmonics, switching transients, voltage outages and grounding or load histories. Based on the Survey and Monitoring input prepare a detailed evaluation of power system performance, including recommendations for immediate corrective action, upgrades, moderations and/or further investigation.

Complete Shop Services
  KVA Electric can perform complete electrical testing and repair of most utility equipment at our modern shop facilities located in Arlington, Washington including:
 
  • Distribution Transformers
  • Single Phase Regulators
  • Three Phase Regulators
  • Oil Circuit Breakers
  • Air Circuit Breakers
  • Vacuum Circuit Breakers
  • Reclosers
  • Sectionalizers
  • Capacitor Banks and Station Insulator Maintenance
  • Protective Relay Testing and Calibration
  • Meter Testing and Meter Data Translation Services

Project Management
 
 
  • Assist in the preparation of specifications, budgets and drawings
  • Recommend new equipment and systems for optimal
      performance and/or integration with existing hardware
  • Develop procedures, schedules and milestones
  • Secure appropriate certifications; prepare documentation and
      serve as principal interface on all relevant compliance issues
  • Orchestrate complete substation design and installation
  • Supervise start-up and commissioning of all key systems
  • Create comprehensive maintenance and service schedules for
      all installed equipment

 


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