System and method for testing electrical equipment used in a power system
A system and method are provided for using a class H amplifier in a tester for testing protective relaying equipment, particularly useful in conducting end to end testing. The class H amplifier is configured to provide separation between the amplifier and the power supply of the tester using a DSP which also offers flexibility for programming algorithms to realize efficiencies in matching the waveform to the output rail. End to end testing is also improved by including expected results for the test case used by the tester to enable the tester to determine how close the results are to what is expected. This offers time savings and is less prone to error in that the expected results can be predetermined by a qualified/experienced professional.
1. A method for testing electrical equipment used in a power system, the method comprising:
obtaining, at a testing system connected to said electrical equipment, a test case comprising predetermined test parameters for testing performance of said electrical equipment, said test case comprising at least one predetermined expected result for the performance of the electrical equipment;
using the testing system to run a performance test on said electrical equipment, according to said test case;
determining, at said testing system, test results for said performance test and comparing said test results to said at least one predetermined expected result;
displaying, by said testing system, an output indicative of actual results of said performance test; and
providing an indicator with said output to graphically illustrate how a corresponding one of said actual results differed from said expected result to show what went wrong when said actual results comprise a failure.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising enabling data pertaining to said performance test to be saved for later analysis.
3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said data comprises said actual results and said expected results.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said test case is provided as a test file, said test file being in a spreadsheet format.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said output is generated immediately following said running said performance test.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said output is provided using a graphical user interface (GUI).
7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said indicator visually distinguishes between said actual results and an accepted range for said expected results.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said indicator comprises a coloured graphical bar.
9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for testing electrical equipment used in a power system, said computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:
obtaining, at a testing system connected to said electrical equipment, a test case comprising predetermined test parameters for testing performance of said electrical equipment, said test case comprising at least one predetermined expected result for the performance of the electrical equipment;
using the testing system to run a performance test on said electrical equipment, according to said test case;
determining, at said testing system, test results for said performance test and comparing said test results to said at least one predetermined expected result;
displaying, by said testing system, an output indicative of actual results of said performance test; and
providing an indicator with said output to graphically illustrate how a corresponding one of said actual results differed from said expected result to show what went wrong when said actual results comprise a failure.
10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 , further comprising instructions for enabling data pertaining to said performance test to be saved for later analysis.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10 wherein said data comprises said actual results and said expected results.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein said test case is provided as a test file, said test file being in a spreadsheet format.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein said output is generated immediately following said running said performance test.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 wherein said output is provided using a graphical user interface (GUI).
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 14 wherein said indicator visually distinguishes between said actual results and an accepted range for said expected result.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15 wherein said indicator comprises a coloured graphical bar.
17. A testing system for testing electrical equipment used in a power system, the testing system comprising:
at least one interface with the electrical equipment for executing performance tests on said electrical equipment,
a processor coupled to said at least one interface for executing a test case for conducting performance tests on said electrical equipment, and
a memory, the memory comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, operate the testing system to execute said test case by: obtaining, said test case comprising predetermined test parameters for testing performance of said electrical equipment, said test case comprising at least one predetermined expected result for the performance of the electrical equipment; using the testing system to run a performance test on said electrical equipment, according to said test case; determining test results for said performance test and comparing said test results to said at least one predetermined expected result; displaying an output indicative of actual results of said performance test; and providing an indicator with said output to graphically illustrate how a corresponding one of said actual results differed from said expected result to show what went wrong when said actual results comprise a failure.