High Voltage, Inc. serves the wind industry by providing portable VLF 0.1Hz AC hipots and AC HV Test equipment for proof testing the medium-voltage collector cable circuits and switchgear commonly used on wind farms. The VLF 0.1Hz testing of wind farm power cable feeders and collector cable circuits per IEEE- 400.2 is a simple, cost-effective, and conclusive quality assurance test method.
It definitively proves out the integrity of the workmanship, cable insulation and its associated accessories such as splices and joints. A VLF AC withstand test examines the cable laying and workmanship of the new installation and tests if it will provide reliable, long-term power distribution to the distribution grid the wind farm serves.
High Voltage, Inc. also can supplement VLF withstand testing with Tan delta testing diagnostics via a Tan delta bridge used in conjunction with a VLF AC Hipot. By monitoring the tan delta readings of a cable circuit over time, one can determine if a particular cable is beginning to show insulation degradation commonly caused by water trees possibly leading to a cable fault disrupting power delivery. By discovering a suspect cable before a catastrophic cable fault, plans can be made ahead of time to repair, rejuvenate or replace the cable and splices during a controlled repair outage minimizing power interruption and service failure.
These two testing methods (VLF & Tan delta) are easy and accurate for wind farm managers and HV contractors to enhance and continuously provide a reliable installation and reliable generation of power.
