OREANDA-NEWS. July 23, 2013. JSC TATNEFT has successfully tested new engineering device know-how: selective protection of single-phase ground faults at the operating substations. The Company's power professionals managed to introduce the protection that increases the level of the network security, provides for efficiency in the personnel's action and reduces the loss of oil.

The professionals of TATNEFT were able to effectively handle the problems related to short circuiting through application of a microprocessor base controller, which automatically detects the damage zone. Testing of the new device was carried out at substation No. 36 of NGDU "Almetyevneft".

A single-phase ground fault is one of the most common types of failures in the networks that supply electricity to oil production facilities. With the new engineering development the operator can immediately identify at his work station, which particular feeder line has short-circuited to the ground and send a team to the specific site of the failure to remedy it. This significantly reduces the feeder downtime. The efficiency and selectivity of determining the specific site of the failure allows enhancing the reliability of the oil production facilities power supply, personnel life safety and maintaining the life of the electrical equipment operating.

The microprocessor, which selectively determines the site, where there was a single-phase short circuit to ground, operates on the basis of a continuously changing set of dynamics parameters. This device was developed by "STC Mechanotronics" from St. Petersburg. The plans envisage application of the controller's functional capabilities for solving a wide range of tasks for the diagnosis of electrical equipment, such as identification of the exact fault location of overhead lines and others.

A program of introducing new devices at all the substations of TATNEFT will be scheduled in the nearest future.