HV NEWS 7/2010

www.hvdsa.com
AGENTS DETAILS:
SAFETY
Following on from last months
safety discussion we would like
to point out some of the dangers
associated with high voltage
testing.
The dangers to humans when
testing using high voltage are:
Electrocution
Lethal voltages can be present in
equipment from:
the lv power supplies of the
equipment
the high voltage sources such
as the HVA device
direct connection to the power
system
induction from nearby live
systems
residual charge remaining in
capacitive devices such as cables
Burning due to flashovers
The temperatures reached in and
near to an electrical arc during a
flashover can cause clothing to
ignite or cause flesh to burn.
Injury due to mechanical
actions or explosions
Many high voltage devices
(switchgear for example)
incorporate fast moving
mechanical parts. Always be
aware of the space that these parts
require. Test objects can fail
spectacularly and flying shrapnel
from such failure can be
dangerous to operators.
DIAGNOSTICS SAFETY
DIAGNOSTICS
High Voltage diagnostic
information can be obtained in a
number of different ways.
Generally tests are performed to
produce test data - the data is then
analysed and information is
generated - the information is
assessed and conclusions are
drawn leading to
recommendations being made.
The best test is easy (and cheap)
to perform and obvious to analyse
but provides the most detailed
information
about the
health of the
device under
test.
For example
the low-
voltage DC
resistance test is easy to perform
and inexpensive but provides
relatively trivial diagnostic
information. On the other end of
the scale - Partial Discharge
investigations - the data may be
relatively more difficult to obtain,
the results may be non-trivial to
analyse and the equipment pricey,
but the diagnostic detail
potentially of high value.
When the diagnostic information
indicates a healthy device but the
device fails in service then the
test has produced a "false
positive" result. Where diagnostic
data indicates imminent failure
and no subsequent failure is
experienced then a "false
negative" result is described. False
negatives lead to waste of
resource in identifying and
repairing damage that does not
exist or is not critical to the
functioning of the device. False
positives result in customer
outages and income loss.
False results can result from:
Poor depth/penetration of data
Poor detail or resolution data
that makes it difficult to separate
good results from bad
Ambiguous or difficult-to-
interpret test data causing
incorrect conclusions to be drawn
Tests that are difficult to
perform or difficult to repeat
resulting in poor original data
capture
The wrong diagnostic being
employed to identify the defects
It is therefore important to choose
a diagnostic technique that is
proven in the field to correlate to
damage and that is easy to
perform, giving data that is easy
to analyse and unambiguous to
interpret.
We believe that Tan Delta testing
of cables followed by Partial
Discharge testing (where
indicated) provides the most
effective testing regime for cables.
The Tan Delta test is simple to
perform and provides a depth of
information able to accurately
determine the health of the cable.
Partial Discharge testing whilst
more costly in terms of resources
can provide additional
information including potentially
the location of the damage.
A NEW GENERATION
At HV Diagnostics we have been
strengthening our infrastructure and
staffing to support our international
distribution.
We currently comprise:
a registered office in Le
Bouveret, Switzerland
a logistics centre and sales
office in Aarau, Switzerland
responsible for the stocking and
shipping of goods as well as the
receipt of returns
sales offices in Europe, China,
Africa, New Zealand
international representation
through a network of 25+ agents
a design and manufacturing
centre in Austria
global partnerships with
equipment manufacturers and
design companies
global networks with a sister
company in the USA
Our staffing complement is made
up of:
Gary Catlin, General Manager and
also responsible for Eastern and
Australasian sales -
gary@hvdsa.com
Daniel Salathe, General Manager
EMEA, responsible for our
European office and Middle Eastern
and African sales -
daniel@hvdsa.com
Jun Chao, Sales Manager Asia
responsible for Asian sales -
junchao@hvdsa.com
Internally we have :
Francess Henriette, based in
Mauritius who is responsible for
our accounting functions -
francess@hvdsa.com
Chantal Catlin, who assists Gary
with the administration of the
company and with product
marketing - chantal@hvdsa.com
Barbara Salathe, who assists
Daniel with the administration of
the company and is also involved
with shipments
Europe@hvdsa.com
Customers should first contact the
person responsible for sales in their
area, copying them in any
correspondence so that they are
always aware of the events within
the region. Should it be required,
customers are welcome to escalate
any matters to the general manager.
HVDSA - A NEW GENERATION
REMEMBER :
The earth is your friend
Ensure that a good electrical
earth is available and that the
equipment and all conductors
that are not being tested are
properly earthed. Discharge
all test objects with
appropriate discharge devices
and properly earth the
devices before contact.
REMEMBER YOUR
DISTANCES
Access to any potentially
dangerous areas should be
controlled to safe distances
by using barriers and
warning notices. Remember,
for example when energising
a cable, that the entire length
of the cable including the far
terminations are potentially
live and need to be treated as
such.
Test Depth
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TD
PD
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We have recently paid the
final instalment for some of
our TD30 tooling. To
celebrate this we will
discount EUR 2000 for all
orders placed for TD 30
systems during the month
of September and we will
discount E 2500 for all
HVA30/TD30 systems
purchased in September
SPECIAL