baur.

eu

Cable fault location

Locate faults quickly,
minimise downtimes
Cable fault location

Cables –
the crucial factors for
our security of supply

BAUR –
It is essential that energy customers are always
provided with a reliable power supply – even reliable cable fault
location
when our power supply is undergoing further
modification. A high-performance power
network, where downtimes are as short as
possible, plays a crucial role in ensuring security With BAUR you have an expert partner by your side, enabling
of supply. you to quickly and accurately locate damage to cables – what-
ever the application. You can thus provide your customers with
Often, faults on underground cables do not just a reliable power supply and utilise your resources efficiently.
result in the partial or total failure of the power We are dependent on functioning networks – together we can
supply. If these faults are not located quickly ensure that power keeps flowing.
and accurately, they can also lead to high repair
and restoration costs. It is only through fast
and precise cable fault location that costs and
downtimes can be kept to a minimum.

02 Civilisation needs power 03

Cable fault location

Cable fault location with BAUR –

reliability with system
High-quality cable fault location All of the technologies work together Your investment in a
technology from BAUR has been in an uncompromising manner, even reliable network
setting a global benchmark for in one single system. Supported by
decades. With more than 75 years the new forward-looking software State-of-the-art fault location
of experience in cable fault location, concept, they are easy to use, mak- technology combined with easy,
we offer application-oriented solu- ing it possible for less experienced quick and efficient operation enable
tions for measurement engineers operators to also use their system in problems to be localised and solved
to suit all requirements and budgets a professional and efficient manner. as quickly as possible.
– with everything available from a
single source.

04 Reliable cable fault location with BAUR 05

Cable fault location

Cable fault
Basic conditions, causes and types Fault types
Cable routes are influenced by a variety of ambient It is helpful if the cable fault location equipment can be Short-circuit Intermittent faults
parameters. A cable route can consist of multiple diverse used for all voltage levels right across the network. In Damaged insulation leads to a low-resistance connection Frequently, faults do not occur constantly, but rather
cable parts of diverse designs and types. Depending on practice, cable faults must be located on all voltage levels of two or more conductors at the fault location. occasionally depending on the load on the cable. One
the voltage level, the required load capacity, and avail- – from low voltage through medium voltage to high reason for this can be drying out of oil-isolated cables
able accessory and installation technology, cables with voltage. Earth fault / short-circuit to earth with a low load. Another is partial discharge through
plastic insulation or mass-impregnated paper insulation Earth faults or short-circuits to earth are low-resistive ageing or electrical trees in cables.
are used. All from a single source connections to the earth potential. The double earth
The BAUR device portfolio meets this requirement and fault is another type of fault; this fault shows two earth Cable breaks
Cable damage can be due to various causes. The most satisfies all needs concerning cable fault location, test- faults on different phases with separated bases. Mechanical damage and ground movements can lead to
common sources of faults include end of service life and ing, and diagnostics. breakage of individual or multiple conductors.
external influences as well as improper assembly. When Cable sheath faults
these types of cable faults occur, the defective spot Damage to the outer cable sheath does not always lead
needs to be detected as quickly as possible and the fault directly to faults. However, it can cause long-term cable
rectified in order to minimise the duration of the failure. faults, among other things, as a result of moisture pene-
tration and insulation damage.

Cables with
paper-oil Cable fault on
insulation paper-insulated
mass-impregnated cable

Background knowledge: Cable fault

location application guide
Find out more about the background to cable fault
location in the “Cable fault location in LV, MV, and
HV cable networks” manual from BAUR.

Cables with
plastic insulation The manual can be downloaded via the
media center on our website at:
baur.eu/mediacenter

06 Cable faults: Basic conditions, causes, and types 07

Cable fault location

FAULT ANALYSIS PRE-LOCATION

Process steps and methods of

cable fault location
Fault location is carried out methodically following a As fast and precise as possible: The right
logical procedure and in four steps. measurement method counts

Fault analysis The objective of fault location is to locate a cable fault as

Fault analysis makes it possible to determine the quickly and precisely as possible so as to provide the ideal
characteristics of the fault and the further procedure. basis for fast repair and reconnection.

Pre-location Our devices have a wide spectrum of measurement

During pre-location, the fault position is determined methods and thus provide you with maximum support
as precisely as possible. in locating the fault. The following double-page spread
explains which method is used for which process step.
Tracing and pin-pointing
CABLE IDENTIFICATION TRACING AND PIN-POINTING
The objective of the subsequent pin-pointing process is On page 15 you will find our product function matrix,
to determine the precise fault location in order to limit which provides an overview of the devices and associat-
excavation work and thus minimise costs and the repair ed measurement methods.
time.

Cable identification
Next comes cable identification, as it is necessary to
identify the correct cable among the multiple cables at
the fault location. This is especially important if the fault
is not visible from outside.

08 Process steps and methods of cable fault location 09

Cable fault location

Process steps and methods

FAULT ANALYSIS TRACING AND PIN-POINTING

Fault analysis is used to Insulation resistance Voltage test and breakdown As precise as pre-location to the fault location and generate a imprecise cable routes, and saves
ascertain the fault charac- measurement detection is, it is never able to detect breakdown with an audible bang. both time and money.
teristics and determine the to determine the faulty phase and to test the dielectric strength of the or recognise the existing
subsequent procedure and the type of fault. cable insulation. deviations of a cable route Step voltage method Twist method or minimum
selection of methods for in the ground. These can to determine the precise location of distortion method
fault location. Cable sheath testing only be detected by precise cable sheath faults. A voltage drop used when pin-pointing short-cir-
to detect damage to the outer cable pin-pointing. is generated at the fault which can cuits depending on the cable type.
insulation (cable sheath faults). be located using earth spikes and a In this process, the disturbance in
Acoustic pin-pointing receiver. the otherwise homogeneous mag-
is the most common method used netic field that is caused by the fault
to determine the precise location of Tracing is measured and located precisely.
high-resistive faults and breakdown to precisely determine the cable
PRE-LOCATION route. Precise cable tracing is essen-
faults. High-voltage pulses create
electromagnetic pulses on the way tial, particularly with unknown or

The objective of pre-location DC-SIM/MIM ICM

is to determine the fault Secondary/multiple impulse method Impulse current method for locating
position as precisely as pos- in DC mode for pin-pointing inter- high-resistive faults and breakdown
sible so that the subsequent mittent faults. DC voltage is applied faults. The fault distance is deter-
pin-pointing activities can to the cable until breakdown. The mined by analysing the impulse cur- CABLE IDENTIFICATION
be implemented as quickly cable capacitance is used to increase rent diagram. Particularly suitable
and efficiently as possible. the available surge energy. for use on long cables.
Usually, multiple cables are laid in a cable Cable identification
TDR Conditioning-SIM/MIM DC-ICM route. Once the exact position of the fault is used to identify single- and multi-core cables in a
Time domain reflectometry for lo- Difficult to locate or wet faults are Impulse current method used in DC has been determined and exposed, the de- cable loom. The measurement engineer is provided with
cating low-resistive faults and cable first conditioned with surge voltage mode for locating chargeable break- fective cable must be identified reliably. precise information as to which cable needs to be tested
breaks, and for determining the before a SIM/MIM measurement is down faults for which the cable and, where necessary, cut.
cable length carried out. capacitance is used in conjunction
with a surge voltage generator.
SIM/MIM Decay
The secondary/multiple impulse Voltage-coupled decay method Measurement mode with enve-
method is the most well-established for locating breakdown faults with lope curve display
and precise cable fault pre-loca- high voltage. The oscillating voltage In this process, even small, intermit-
tion method. High-resistive faults reflection waves are evaluated tent changes to impedance can be
and breakdown faults are ignited automatically to determine the fault made visible by means of an enve-
by a single HV pulse and the fault distance. lope curve and saved automatically.
Appropriate solutions from BAUR
distance is measured very precisely
for every measurement method
several times via the TDR technology
from page 14 onwards
and automatically evaluated.

10 Process steps and methods of cable fault location 11

Cable fault location

BAUR measurement and test equipment

Hardware and software

12 Hardware and software 13

Cable fault location

Technical information and data

sheets for each of our products
is available at

Product overview baur.eu/cfl

Product Application / measurement methods

Identifi-

function
Pre-location Testing Pin-pointing Application
cation

matrix
Our products reflect our 75 plus years
of expertise. The BAUR device portfolio

Voltage withstand test for breakdown detection

SIM/MIM secondary/multiple impulse method
for cable fault location covers the entire
process in an optimum manner and helps

Audio frequency methods (twist field &

Step voltage or voltage drop method

the operator locate faults quickly and

3-phase current coupling methods

Time domain reflectometry (TDR)
TDR with envelope curve display
reliably. Modular systems and devices are

minimum distortion method)

ICM impulse current method

Telecom and control cables

perfectly customised to your individual

Sheath fault pre-location

Insulation measurement
Fault conditioning/burn
Conditioning-SIM/MIM
requirements. Convincing flexibility!

Acoustic pin-pointing
Cable sheath testing

Phase identification
Cable identification

Medium voltage
Decay method
01 / protrac® pin-pointing 01 / shirla sheath test and 01 / KSG 200 cable
01 / Portable devices

High Voltage
DC-SIM/MIM

Low voltage
system fault location device identification system
Our portable devices convince with their

DC-ICM

Tracing
highest level of precision, easy handling
and unlimited mobility.
Products

02 / High-performance modules IRG 4000 portable time domain reflectom-

eter
BAUR offers a diverse portfolio of mod-
ules, enabling you to configure a custom IRG 2000 time domain reflectometer
package for your cable fault location
needs. SSG surge voltage generator

02 / IRG 2000 time domain 02 / SSG surge voltage 02 / ATG 6000 burn down protrac® pin-pointing system
03 / System solutions reflectometer generators transformer

Devices
With the Syscompact series, BAUR offers ATG burn down transformers
compact, robust, small systems that are
adapted to fault location tasks. shirla sheath test and fault location device

04 / Cable test vans KSG 200 cable identification system

Our cable fault location systems are
equipped according to your require- CL 20 cable locator

ments, enabling you to combine the

titron® cable test van
complete product range for cable fault
location, testing, and diagnostics in a 03 / Syscompact 400 porta- 03 / Syscompact 400 portable 03 / Syscompact 4000 transcable cable test van
ble cable fault location system fault location system cable fault location system
single system. There are fully-automatic

Systems
and semi-automatic systems, each with Syscompact 4000 cable fault location system
either 1 or 3 phases.
Syscompact 400 cable fault location system

Syscompact 400 portable

portable cable fault location system

Basic configuration Option

04 / titron® cable test van 04 / transcable cable test van

14 Product portfolio 15
Cable fault location

BAUR offers numerous devices for the various different fault

location methods. In the following, we propose possible solution
packages depending on the type of cable and application. However,
our sales and service colleagues will be happy to recommend a PAGE 20
custom package that is tailored to your specific needs.
Medium-voltage
cables
… transport voltage from 1 kV to 36 kV

Customised solution (country-specific).

packages for …

PAGE 18 PAGE 21

Control cables High-voltage cables

Here, the focus is on various control cables, e.g. … transport voltage from 36 kV (country-specific).
in switchgear, telephone cables, traffic light
pre-emption, etc.

PAGE 19 PAGE 22

Very long subma-

Low-voltage cables
… transport voltage up to 1 kV.
rine and land cables
Very long cables for voltage transport, e.g. from
offshore turbines, to supply power to islands, etc.

16 Customised solution packages 17

Cable fault location

Solutions for Solutions for

control cables low-voltage cables
FAULT ANALYSIS PRE-LOCATION FAULT ANALYSIS PRE-LOCATION

Products Products Products Products

Sheath testing 01, 06 TDR 02, 07 Insulation resistance measurement 06, 07 TDR 02, 06, 07

Bridge measurement 01 Voltage test 01, 06 SIM/MIM 06, 07

Sheath testing 01, 06 Bridge measurement 01

Differential methods 02, 06, 07

Products

Products Tracing 04
Products Products
Tracing 03, 05 Step voltage method 01
Cable identification with Cable identification with
05 05
pulsed DC voltage Step voltage method 01, 03 pulsed DC voltage Twist method 04

Cable identification with AC voltage 04 Twist method 03, 04 Cable identification with AC voltage 03 Acoustic pin-pointing 03, 06

CABLE IDENTIFICATION TRACING AND PIN-POINTING CABLE IDENTIFICATION TRACING AND PIN-POINTING

Products

01 / shirla sheath test and fault 02 / IRG 2000 time domain 03 / protrac® pin-pointing system 04 / CL 20 cable locator 05 / KSG 200 cable 06 / Syscompact 400 portable 07 / Time domain reflectormeter
location device reflectometer identification system cable fault location system IRG 4000 portable

18 Solutions for control cables Solutions for low-voltage cables 19

Cable fault location

Solutions for
medium-voltage cables Solutions for
high-voltage cables
FAULT ANALYSIS PRE-LOCATION

Products Products FAULT ANALYSIS PRE-LOCATION

Insulation resistance measurement 02, 03, 04, 05, 10 TDR 02, 03, 04, 05, 10 Products Products

Breakdown voltage detection 02, 03, 04, 05 SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10 Insulation resistance measurement 02, 03, 04, 05, 09, 10 TDR 02, 03, 04, 05, 10

Sheath testing 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 DC-SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10 Breakdown voltage detection 02, 03, 04, 05, 09 SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10

Conditioning-SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10 Sheath testing 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 DC-SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10

ICM and DC-ICM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10 Conditioning-SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10

Decay 02, 03, 04, 05, 09,10 ICM and DC-ICM 02, 03, 04, 05, 10

Bridge measurement 01 Decay 02, 03, 04, 05, 10

Differential methods 02, 03, 04, 05, 10 Bridge measurement 01

Differential methods 02, 03, 04, 05, 10

Products

Tracing 06, 07 Products

Step voltage method 01, 02, 04, 05, 07 Tracing 06, 07

Products Products
Twist method
04, 05, 06, 07 Step voltage method 01, 02, 04, 05, 07
Cable identification with (for belted cables only) Cable identification with
09 08
pulsed DC voltage Minimum distortion method 04, 05, 06, 07 pulsed DC voltage Minimum distortion method 04, 05, 06

Cable identification with AC voltage 07 Acoustic pin-pointing 02, 04, 05, 07 Cable identification with AC voltage 07 Acoustic pin-pointing 02, 04, 05, 07

CABLE IDENTIFICATION TRACING AND PIN-POINTING CABLE IDENTIFICATION TRACING AND PIN-POINTING

Products

01 / shirla sheath test and 02 / Syscompact 4000 cable 03 / Syscompact 400 04 / titron® cable test van 05 / transcable cable test van 06 / CL 20 cable locator 07 / protrac® pin-pointing 08 / KSG 200 cable 09 / PGK 260 HB AC/DC HV 10 / Time domain reflector-
fault location device fault location system portable cable fault location system identification system test set meter IRG 4000 portable
incl. HV source system

20 Solutions for medium-voltage cables Solutions for high-voltage cables 21

Cable fault location

Solutions for XL-CFL Long submarine and land

Long submarine and land cables cables for global power supply
FAULT ANALYSIS PRE-LOCATION
Indispensable and robust,
Products Products but sadly not indestructible.
Insulation resistance measurement 02, 03, 04, 08, 09 TDR 02, 03, 04, 08,09

Breakdown voltage detection 02, 03, 04, 08 SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 08,09
Submarine power cables are indispensable for
Sheath testing 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 DC-SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 08,09 BAUR XL-CFL solutions are specifically
reliable power supply. Among experts, submarine
designed for effective and precise cable fault
Conditioning-SIM/MIM 02, 03, 04, 08,09 cables are actually classified as critical infrastruc- location on long submarine and land cables.
ICM and DC-ICM 02, 03, 04, 08,09 ture. This is on account of the harsh installation Contact us to discuss your custom solution
environment and mechanical stress caused by package.
Decay 02, 03, 04, 08,09
currents, fishing, and anchors.
Bridge measurement 01

Differential method 02, 03, 04, 09

Products The impact of cable faults operation. Immediate availability store a lot of energy during this
enters a new dimension when a fault occurs means that the process. Most devices and measure-
Products Tracing 05, 06
fault can be located straight away, ment systems are unable to cope
Cable identification with pulsed DC Step voltage method 06
07 When a submarine cable is dam- thus reducing cable downtime in the with the discharge of this high level
voltage Minimum distortion method 05, 06
of energy, which ultimately causes
aged, cable fault location and repair long term.
Cable identification with AC voltage 06 Acoustic pin-pointing 06 is usually a complex and time-con- damage to the devices and poses
suming process. The protracted More stringent safety re- a danger to operating personnel.
CABLE IDENTIFICATION TRACING AND PIN-POINTING quirements cannot be met You should therefore rely on proven
downtime translates into losses in
the millions for the cable operator with traditional cable fault BAUR solutions from the outset that
– with the downtime costs growing location are specifically designed for long
The XL-CFL systems are tailored to the system-specific require-
day on day! land and submarine cables.
ments. This includes: Marine-grade containers Hermetically All devices and
Depending on the fault type and
sealed HV and operating areas Air conditioning system for maritime functions can be
Many cable operators therefore breakdown voltage, high voltage
climate, also for excess pressure in the container Screen to protect installed in customer-
invest in a suitable fault location sys- may be used for cable testing and
against spray Discharge unit adapted to the system size Pressure specific container
tem even before the cable is put into cable fault location. Long cables
relief according to the spatial volume and possible arcing faults solutions.
Appropriately dimensioned earthing cross sections

The biggest threats

to submarine cables:
External forces exerted by
heavy ships’ anchors and trawl nets
of fishing boats at all sea depths.
01 / shirla sheath test and 02 / Syscompact 4000 cable 03 / titron cable test van 04 / transcable cable test van 05 / CL 20 cable locator
fault location device fault location system incl. HV
source

Submarine
cable
06 / protrac® pin-pointing 07 / KSG 200 cable identifi- 08 / PGK 260 HB AC/DC HV 09 / Time domain reflector- Seabed
system cation system test set meter IRG 4000 portable

22 Solutions for XL-CFL Long submarine and land cables for global power supply 23
Cable fault location

BAUR Software 4 –
for intuitive cable fault location
The BAUR Software 4 covers all the solutions for cable fault location, cable test-
ing, and cable diagnostics, ensuring efficient and precise condition monitoring
for cable networks when used in conjunction with BAUR hardware. It includes
well-established measurement methods for cable fault location as well as inno-
vative approaches such as Conditioning-SIM/MIM, enabling even faster and more
effective localisation of wet cable faults that are difficult to locate.

The BAUR Software 4 scope of performance far exceeds standard features; the
operator is also assisted by the intuitive operational concept and helpful support
functions.

Clear visualisation of cable faults

with BAUR Mapping

Connect and go – Step-by-step process with the Smart

the new operational concept Cable Fault Location Guide

Intuitive modern user interface – no lengthy period of Cable Mapping Technology CMT: Overview of cable The Smart Cable Fault Location Guide leads the opera- Automatic cursor positioning at the cable end and at
familiarisation accessories and faults in relation to the cable length tor to the cable fault quickly and efficiently. the fault location
Automated sequences for fast and reliable cable fault All data on the cable route such as geographic posi- A special algorithm continuously analyses the current Automatic settings of method-related parameters for
location tion, voltage level, joints, all measured values, etc. are measurement results, which it then uses to generate fast and efficient fault location
Optimum operator support during cable fault location automatically saved and can be accessed at any time. optimum recommendations for how the operator Clear graphical presentation of the measurement
provided by the Smart Cable Fault Location Guide Fast and easy compilation of clear and precise should proceed in order to reliably locate the cable results with helpful functions for evaluation
BAUR GeoBase Map*: measurement logs – with freely selectable company fault.
– Unique combination of road maps, including the logo, comments, and figures of the traces. Automatic fault analysis with clear graphical presenta- All this with full flexibility for experienced operators!
cable route Import and export of measurement data with avail- tion for a better overview. Experienced measurement engineers can draw on
– GPS-based system location determination able cable route data Test voltage assistant: their expertise at any point during the measurement
– Cable routes and cable faults displayed on the map – The system recommends voltage values according process and select their user-specific procedure.
to the cable data and the fault type
– The test voltages can be defined on a user-specific
basis

Fault analysis Pre-location Pin-pointing Report

Cable route MPS 135 Cable length 999 m Voltage level 12/20 kV Phases 3 Cable Data

Start 999 m End

Phase
L1
L1
Cable
L2 806 m
N presentation
L3
L3 L2
The BAUR Software 4 display enables clear N

visualisation of all important settings, fault SIM/MIM High-resistance fault at L3N. Next step: Pin-pointing
location parameters, and cable data. The
bottom part of the screen shows the mea-
surement results and allows important events
to be logged straight away. Phase selection Recommendation of the Cable Fault Mapping: Fault with
Smart Cable Fault Location Guide distance indicator

24 BAUR Software 4 – cable fault location 25

Cable fault location

BAUR Fault
Location App Supported devices

Non-destructive and iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch

(from iOS version 9.2 onwards)

safe pin-pointing
Smartphones or tablets with Android
operating system (from version 4.0.3 BAUR cable testing
onwards) and diagnostics –
the advantages at a
glance:

Reliable and precise cable

Remote control of titron® This way, the operator has the possibility of only switch-
ing on the high voltage when he reaches the pre-located diagnostics
via smartphone or tablet More efficient workflow –
fault location. Once the fault has been located, the
high voltage can be switched off again. Through this, tailored to every power
During pin-pointing, all the essential functions
the stress on the cable and the system is reduced to the supply company
of titron® can be controlled remotely via the BAUR
necessary minimum and the level of safety is significantly Reduced maintenance costs
Fault Location App:

BAUR enables cost-

increased. Optimum balance between
Switching the surge voltage generator on and off
network availability and cost
Setting the surge voltage and surge sequence

optimised maintenance
efficiency
(5 – 20 pulses/min, single surge)
Selecting the surge voltage range Location and fault position
at a glance

The cable data is transmitted from the cable fault location Along with measuring devices for precise cable fault BAUR measurement technology
system to the Fault Location App and is displayed in the location, BAUR also offers solutions for easy and efficient The BAUR portfolio covers all the important require-
app in combination with the road map. This allows the condition evaluation of cables. More and more network ments of network operators with regard to testing and
operator always to have the latest information on the operators emphasise the importance of cable diagnos- diagnostics technology in the medium voltage range.
Cable route (if available) tics, as it provides important information on the hidden
Pre-located fault position faults in systems and, in particular, the cable network. Evaluation with BAUR Software 4
Location of the cable test van With cable diagnostics, you will solve the problem of The intuitive BAUR Software 4 guides measurement
providing maximum network availability whilst keeping engineers through the process of cable testing and diag-
maintenance costs to a minimum. Failures can thus be nostic measurements, combining the two in an efficient
Monitoring and adjusting prevented and investments planned more effectively. workflow that saves time.
the measurement parameters
during the fault location Extensive measurement and testing expertise Life time estimation with BAUR statex®
under one roof The patented statex® algorithm enables accurate assess-
In the fault location mode, the operator always has an At BAUR, the “home of diagnostics”, every measurement ment of the condition and remaining life time of cables.
overview of the most important measurement parameters: engineer and asset manager can feel more assured than This means that existing cables can be used for a longer
High-voltage status ever before when it comes to realising the objective of period of time, reducing investment costs significantly.
Output voltage, max. permissible voltage planning repairs in a proactive and cost-optimised way.
Surge sequence, surge energy, duration of the mea- Several factors come into play here:
surement
SSG capacitor charge and discharge curve

26 titron® home of diagnostics 27

 baur.eu

Other BAUR Brochures

Further product
information is available at:
Cable testing and Cable test vans and Insulating oil testing Product overview baur.eu/brochures
diagnostics systems

BAUR GmbH · Raiffeisenstraße 8 · 6832 Sulz · Austria Item No. 821-044 08/22
Subject to modifications.
T +43 5522 4941-0 · [email protected] · www.baur.eu No responsibility is taken for the
correctness of this information.