Assessment of station cable condition using wireless telemetry and diagnostic tests

In-service failure of 15 kV XLPE insulated cables in one of Ontario Power Generation's generating stations initiated an investigation of the root cause of breakdown. The type of failure resulted in the need to assess the condition of the remaining cables used in this application. This paper discusses the use of various analytical and diagnostic techniques used to identify the cause of failure as well as the application of wireless temperature measurements to operational condition monitoring of the remaining cables.