The large photovoltaic plants where solar power begins require transformers to step up the voltage for distribution once the DC voltage coming out of the photovoltaic systems has been converted to AC voltage. As the U.S. plans to add 54.5 gigawatts of new utility-scale electric-generating capacity to the power grid in 2023, and the new

In the world of electrical measurements, instrument transformers are indispensable equipment that forms the foundation for many critical devices that fall under the category generally known as instruments such as voltmeters, ammeters, watt-meters, protection relays, etc. Their primary purpose is to change currents and voltages from one magnitude to another and to isolate the measuring

The MIDAS micro 2883 is a revolutionary Power Factor / Dissipation Factor and Capacitance tester used to test the insulation of high voltage components. This compact and portable device quickly evaluates the losses of electrical insulation in: Power transformers Distribution transformers Instrument transformers Bushings Capacitors Circuit breakers Surge arrestors Periodic maintenance and inspection of these apparatus

The Winding Analyzer 2293 is an automatic winding resistance analyzer optimized to perform routine and maintenance tests on three phase power and distribution transformers. The 2293 can perform both winding resistance and transformer turns ratio (TTR) tests without requiring any additional equipment. The unit combines excellent technical specifications and an incredibly user-friendly interface leading to

Transporting the "harvested" energy from offshore wind farms over great distances to the densely populated areas where electricity demands are high is a difficult undertaking. Subsea high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines are the future for these underwater “electricity superhighways”. HVDC can transport more electricity, but almost more importantly, more efficiently than traditional AC

With the increasing emergence of green energy from wind and solar power, the center of gravity within the transformer industry has been slowly shifting from large power transformers to distribution transformers. Simultaneously regulatory bodies, such as the Department of Energy, have introduced new minimum level performance requirements so that design changes are enacted to increase

A large percentage of electrical apparatus failures are due to the deteriorated condition of the insulation. Many of these failures can be anticipated by conducting routine testing and timely maintenance. Changes in the normal capacitance of insulation indicate abnormal conditions such as the presence of a moisture layer, short circuits, or open circuits in the capacitance

The fastest-growing energy source in the United States is renewable energy, primarily from hydro, wind, and solar power. Within the group of renewable energies, solar generation is projected to be the fastest-growing source of electricity in the future, increasing from 11% to 48% by 2050 [1]. The US is also one of the largest and

As more and more electronics manufacturers started taking advantage of fast-growing high-frequency technologies, product and test engineers have more and more dependent on highly linear and robust broadband test equipment to meet their ever-increasing testing needs. Further, we all know how much of a tedious and overwhelming process it is to choose a proper amplifier

A valuable tool for transformer diagnostics is sweep frequency response analysis (SFRA), which consists of measuring the impedance of transformer windings over a wide range of frequencies. Faults, which change either the winding capacitances or the winding inductances, are detectable. Fault simulation programs have indicated that the following faults are detectable using SFRA: Additional turns on yoke or

With the increasing emergence of renewable energy, cable links are becoming longer and longer up to several hundred miles, such as from offshore wind developments or underground land transmission lines for the clean energy power grid. Depending on the fault type and breakdown voltage of the fault, traditional cable fault location systems do not have

Winding resistance measurements taken on transformers are essential for type, routine, and field testing. The measurements provide information of conductor losses, winding temperature at the end of a temperature test cycle, and provide a simple diagnostic tool for assessing possible damage in the field. Transformers are subject to thermal and mechanical stresses, foreign particle ingress, and variations in temperature

Radiated Immunity (RI) testing involves subjecting the electronic products to strong radiated electromagnetic (EM) fields. The idea behind the radiated immunity test is that your product will see various types of electric field disturbances in real-world usage. Real-world EM disturbance sources come from a wide range of sources, including cell phones, microwaves, computers, and motors

An overview of test equipment requirements, importance of test equipment characteristics and changes from IEC 61000-4-11 Ed.2 to IEC 61000-4-11 Ed.3 Voltage dips and short interruptions are events that occur due to faults in a power network by sudden changes of large loads. Voltage variations occur by continuously varying loads connected to the power network.

Partial discharges (PD) are evidence of a degrading insulation system, and if left undetected, may eventually lead to very costly repairs or damaging and dangerous in-service failures. Transformers are particularly important and cost-intensive equipment used in power transmission and distribution. PD testing is a valuable tool for factory, acceptance, and regular maintenance testing of transformers

Throughout the world regulatory bodies are focusing more and more on promoting energy efficient distribution transformers that are to be used in the energy transmission and distribution network. According to the analysis conducted by the Superefficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, established under the Clean Energy Ministerial and the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency

Typically, there are many industry and product specific electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards to comply with when products are sold globally. So, the process of finding the applicable standards often involves finding the type of product, target market, and typical operating environment, i.e., where and under what environmental conditions will the products be employed. Here we are going

  From the first day of use, transformers are subject to thermal and mechanical stresses, foreign particle ingress, and variations in temperature and humidity.  HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc. offers the top tier range of portable instruments from Haefely / Tettex for testing transformers onsite, in the factory, and in the repair shop.  Power Factor / Dissipation Factor

Every manufacturer has something at which they particularly excel. For Prana it happens to be meeting the demanding requirements of low frequency HIRF testing for MIL-SPEC and Avionics test standards. Producing field levels of 200 V/m or more at frequencies below 1 GHz, and especially at frequencies below 200 MHz, requires thousands of watts of reliable

A quick and efficient location of cable faults is imperative for the utility or electric power delivery company to conduct repairs and resupply customers with much needed power. Most cable fault location equipment, such as the Syscompact series of equipment, combine high voltage surge generators, or thumpers, with TDR measuring devices to locate the fault.

Insulating oils used in electrical power equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, pipe-type cables, among other equipment, should be tested on a regular basis to determine and ensure the serviceability of the oil as an insulating medium. Some of the simplest electrical tests to conduct are determining the dielectric breakdown voltage, the dissipation factor/power factor,

Power line CDNs are typically characterized by the Equipment Under Test (EUT) parameters of voltage and current. The power line frequency is fixed so all other parameters are known. Testing on data and signal lines introduces another factor that must be considered, the data transmission type and speed. Basically there are two types of communication, balanced

Is my CDN compliant to the latest IEC 61000-4-5 requirement? The latest amendment of IEC 61000-4-5 (2017) raises issues related to the use of surge CDNs for high current and DC applications. In fact there are two separate issues that need to be considered. Issue 1: High Current Applications The IEC 61000-4-5 standard specifies a value

Very low frequency (VLF) diagnostic testing is the application of an AC sinusoidal waveform, generally applied at 0.1 Hz or lower, to assess the quality of electrical insulation in high capacitive loads, such as cables. A major advantage of VLF is that when comparing the voltage application at power frequency at 60 Hz, there is

For faults that occur in medium or high voltage cables, traditionally, equipment is used that combines high voltage surge generators, or thumpers, with time domain reflectometry (TDR) measuring devices, such as with the Syscompact Series of equipment. More information on the different pre-location methods that can be used with the Syscompact equipment can be found

“Time of Flight” partial discharge (PD) measurements are based upon the principle of time domain reflectometry (TDR). The PD pulse signal generated at the PD source travels along the length of the cable allowing for localization of the pulse source. By analyzing the time it takes for the PD signal to travel a certain length

Faults in cables can arise due to any defect, inconsistency, weakness, or non-homogeneity that affects the performance of the cable. Typically, faults are classified as: Low resistive (short circuit): Damaged insulation leads to a low resistive connection, or short circuit, of two or more conductors at the fault location. Ground fault (short circuit to ground):

Partial discharge (PD) is evidence of a degrading insulation system, which could lead to very costly repairs and can predictively lead to an electrical breakdown of high voltage apparatus. The phenomenon is of great practical interest in the electric power industry, as the presence and magnitude of PD are important criteria to measure for the

Instrument transformers are electrical devices that isolate and transform currents or voltages from higher magnitudes to lower magnitudes to provide safety of an end user and to protect a measuring device being used, such as a current or voltage measuring bridge, ammeter, or voltmeter. High voltage or high current is connected to the primary circuit of the instrument

Cable sheath faults are defects in the outer protective sheath of cables, such as PVC jackets. These type of faults do not necessarily influence the electrical performance of a shielded cable initially, but do have a negative side effect on the medium to long-term operation of the cable. Damages to the outer sheath can allow soil

Service faults in cables can occur due to many reasons, such as simple ageing of the insulation over time, sudden over-voltages, thermal overload, corrosion of the outside jacket, and poor workmanship during transport, installation, or repair, among other reasons. For the utility or electric power delivery company, it is imperative to have equipment that can quickly

Montena Technology’s new portable generator, the PPG-E1-1200, is used for pulse current injection (PCI) to verify the performance of protective devices at the electrical point-of-entry of fixed ground-based facilities or transportable systems against high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP), according to MIL-STD-188-125-1/2. The generator produces an E1 Short Pulse up to 1200 Amps. The pulse generator is

There is quite an array of solid insulation materials in the form of tape-bands, pressboards, films, laminates, etc. that can be used in a variety of equipment as electrical insulation. Some of these include generators for the generation of electricity or rotary machines, such as electric motors. The insulation material is the weak spot of the equipment

Already well established as the leading supplier of equipment to test indirect lighting effects, EMC PARTNER introduced the AVI3000 state of the art test system for DO-160 section 22 and MIL-STD-461G CS117. Full compliance up to DO-160 level 3 for all event types; PIN injection and Cable Bundle tests including Single Stroke, Multiple Stroke and Multiple Bursts, and Ground Injection

We are delighted to announce one year after obtaining our ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, and during our 20th year at HVT, we have achieved ISO 17025 certification and A2LA accreditation for our laboratory! HVT has worked towards this goal for the past year and we were able to show technical competence in the field of testing

The time domain reflectometry (TDR) method is the most established and widely used measuring method for the determination of:   the total length of a cable the location of low resistive cable faults the location of cable interruptions the location of joints along the cable A TDR sends a low voltage pulse into the cable

Electronic measurement and control equipment in energy distribution networks can be susceptible to environmental disturbances called damped oscillatory waves (DOW). Repetitive damped oscillatory waves are phenomena associated with the opening and closing of high voltage busbars in high voltage and medium voltage power transmission stations. The physical environment influences the fundamental oscillation frequency and repetition

All dielectric oil testers that HVT provides include one test cell under standard delivery. Many times, customers do not know which cell they should choose or are not aware which standard they should adhere to when testing their dielectric insulating liquids. Why use a standard for testing oil? Determining the dielectric breakdown voltage of insulating

More and more utilities and test personnel are using tan delta testing as a simple procedure to determine the health of their cables. By establishing a baseline of results or conducting trend analysis of tested cables, important information is obtained on the losses present within a cable system. This allows test personnel to make conscientious

“Every day at HV TECHNOLOGIES is my best day,” says Sam Latif, of his 10 years as a HVT employee. With his over 30 years of experience as a field engineer, there is no problem too big for Sam to tackle. At HVT he works in the service department, providing support to customers with their high

Truesinus® is a voltage generation technology invented and patented by BAUR for the VLF high voltage cable test equipment. This is a unique system based upon digital technology to produce truly sinusoidal voltage shapes. In a previous blog post (The Basics of VLF Testing) we described what very low frequency (VLF) testing was. Now we would like

The BAUR DPA 75 C makes evaluating transformers and other dielectric fluid-filled equipment through proper insulated oil testing easier, more accurate and more economical than ever before. Unique in the market due to its precision, functionality, lifetime of use and value, the DPA 75 C is developed especially for mobile usage. It provides clear, reliable

Even with his extensive industry and product knowledge, HVT’s EMC division manager, Gene Arbogast, says he learns new things every day. While his undergrad is in meteorology, Gene has always been interested in electromagnetics. Before coming to HVT in 2015, he worked as an electronic engineer for the U.S. Navy. Now, as HVT’s EMC division

Dielectric oil is widely used in fluid-filled high voltage equipment such as transformers, capacitors, pipe-type cables, and circuit breakers for the transmission and distribution of electric power. Of this equipment, transformers belong to some of the most important and cost-intensive in the electric power grid – from generation to transmission and ultimately to the distribution

High field levels generated by a 12 kW CW wideband power amplifier The GN 12000 high broadband power amplifier from Prana is easy to upgrade and requires minimal maintenance, with a modular design and quick access to all subsystems.  It has 16 identical power modules, 4 intermediate combiners, 1 final combiner and 1 coupler. Integrated

Very low frequency (VLF) tan delta testing is a precise and non-destructive method to provide information on the extent of ageing in cable insulation. The test applies an AC sinusoidal waveform at 0.1 Hz frequency and measures the degree of real power dissipation (or losses) in a dielectric material. Knowledge and understanding of the cable

Very low frequency (VLF) withstand testing is the application of an AC sinusoidal waveform, generally at 0.01 – 0.1 Hz, to assess the quality of electrical insulation in high capacitive loads, such as cables. During the test cables are subjected to a test voltage significantly higher than what they experience during normal operating conditions. The

“Simultaneous Partial Discharge and Tan Delta Measurements: New Technology in Cable Diagnostics” At the 2018 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Show in Denver, CO, Dominique Bolliger from HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc. wrote and presented a paper at the Poster Session on April 18th.  The paper focused on new technology available that allows for partial discharge AND tan delta

While smartphones, wireless headphones and other devices make life easier in many ways, signals from devices can interfere with, or be susceptible to interference from, other electronic devices. These interferences can span in significance from minor disturbances to a complete failure.  As the number of electronic devices grows, it becomes increasingly necessary to identify, measure,

HV TECHNOLOGIES and Montena Technology will be exhibiting at this year’s Hardened Electronics and Radiation Technology Technical Interchange Meeting in Tucson, AZ. Come by our booth on 16-17 April 2018 and learn more about product developments for MIL-STD-461G RS105 and MIL-STD-188-125 testing.

Faster pin-pointing of cable faults with the all new BAUR Protrac® The completely new multi-functional Protrac® introduces a modern solution for the precise pin-pointing of cable and cable sheath faults. Faults can be pin-pointed significantly faster with Protrac® than with conventional systems. One particularly innovative feature of Protrac® is its rapid and simple commissioning, because the

HVT will be exhibiting at the 2018 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Show in Denver, CO from April 17-19. Come by Booth #2821 to talk to us and see the following equipment we will be displaying: Syscompact 2000 Portable Cable fault locator Frida TD High voltage VLF tester with integrated tan delta measuring function DPA 75 C Portable oil breakdown

We are delighted to announce that HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc. has been accredited as a ISO 9001 certified provider of HV and EMC Test Equipment! This achievement is very valuable to better serve our existing and new customers with a more streamlined and efficient quality management system for greater customer satisfaction. As always, our dedicated and

2018 is a very big year for HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc.  Founded in 1998 in Manassas, VA, we can now proudly say that we have been serving our customers with top quality test equipment and service solutions for 20 years. And we have no intention of stopping!  The testing and measurement solutions we have provided over the years

We are delighted to announce that HV TECHNOLOGIES, Inc. has been accredited as a ISO 9001 certified provider of HV and EMC Test Equipment! This achievement is very valuable to better serve our existing and new customers with a more streamlined and efficient quality management system for greater customer satisfaction. As always, our dedicated and skilled