Every appliance in your house needs electricity to function, as does every piece of technology as well as for entertainment and lighting. Electricity is an essential component of modern living and the economy. People utilize electricity for lighting, heating, cooling, and refrigeration as well as to power machines, computers, appliances, and public transportation systems. It is utilized in numerous establishments, including malls, hospitals, schools, and other places that employ machinery or technology. It is important to recognize that we receive a secure supply of electricity for this reason. Thus, the importance of HV testing.
What is HV testing you ask? This is when a device is typically put through high voltage testing to see whether it can operate safely under the specified electrical conditions and to assess the efficacy of its insulation. The objective of the high voltage testing will establish the kind, level, and allowable current flow of the voltage applied. The dependability of high voltage assets is crucial since they are an essential component of infrastructure. How is it done? A high voltage transformer applies high voltage across a piece of equipment or insulation that is being tested. To control the short circuit current in the event that a malfunction occurred in the test device, a resistor is connected in series with the transformer. The high voltage applied across the test device is applied across a resistor rated for the same number of ohms. It is vital to perform these types of tests to ensure the proper flow of electricity.
There are 9 types of tests that can be done for high voltage circuit breakers. First, is the Main Circuit Dielectric Test. Second, is the Main Circuit Resistance Test. Third is called Auxiliary and Control Circuit Tests. Fourth is called Tightness Tests. Fifth, is the O-C Timing Test. Sixth, is the Coil Resistance Test. Seventh is called the DCRM Test or Dynamic Contact Resistance Test. Eight, are Travel Tests that have five parameters such as stroke length, damping, contact wipe, over-travel, and rebound. And lastly, the Aesthetics Tests.
Let’s take a deeper dive onto high voltage circuit breaker testing. Some of the most intricate and important mechanical parts of the electrical power system are circuit breakers. In addition to routinely altering the setup of the entire system, they are in charge of halting nominal and short circuit currents. High voltage circuit breakers can be put through a variety of tests to see how well each of their internal parts functions. There are four different tests that can be run to accomplish this. The Contact Timing Test, which contrasts the circuit breaker’s contact performance with the manufacturer’s requirements, comes first. The second test is the mechanical motion test, which compares the operating mechanism’s stroke, velocity, damping, and over-travel to the manufacturer’s specifications using a circuit breaker motion analyzer with a transducer. The third test is the Control Circuit Test, which can be performed by determining the minimum pickup voltage, trip and close coil currents, and both. Finally, the circuit breaker contact status during operation can be examined using the Dynamic Resistance Measurement, or DRM, which is a test that can be done on the contacts.
When looking for the right company to do your HV testing, you must consider important factors. Make sure that you work with licensed and registered engineers and professionals in order to obtain results that you can rely on. Getting a reliable service means that you can also rely on the proper flow of the electricity on your device or facility.
