Very Low Frequency (VLF)

Withstand Testing - The

Basics
 Publicado el 3 de marzo de 2016
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HV Test & Monitoring Equipment

What is a Very Low Frequency Withstand Test?

A Very Low Frequency (VLF) Withstand Test is an AC Withstand

Test usually carried out at a frequency between 0.1 Hz and 0.01 Hz.
This kind of test is suited for testing high capacitance loads such as
cable and rotating machinery. This is a pass fail test i.e. bad cable
will fail during testing rather than in service.

The Theory
Basic electrical theory: Xc = 1/(2*pi*f*C)

Where:

Xc = Capacitive reactance (Ω)

f = Frequency (Hz)

C = Capacitance (F)

It can be seen that capacitive reactance, which is the resistance

across the power supply output, is inversely proportional to
frequency. By reducing the frequency the capacitive reactance is
increased.

More basic electrical theory: I = V/R

Where:

I = Current (A)

V = Voltage (V)

R = Resistance (Ω)
The lower the frequency, the higher the capacitive reactance (Xc).
The higher the Xc the lower the current and power needed to apply a
voltage.

Example:

A length of power cable with capacitance of 1 µF needs to be tested

at 34 kV peak.

Power frequency testing (50 Hz):

Using the above formulae it can be calculated that the capacitive

reactance would be 3.183 kΩ so the required current would be 10.68
A. Therefore, to test a 1 µF cable at a frequency of 50 Hz the test set
would have to be able to give 363 kVA. When you consider that a
30 kV, 40 kVA AC test set can greatly exceed 620 kg it puts into
perspective the size an AC test set would have to be to produce 363
kVA.

VLF Testing (0.1 Hz)

Testing the same length of cable at 0.1 Hz would generate 1.59 MΩ

of capacitive reactance and the required current would be 21 mA.
Therefore testing the same length of cable at 0.1 Hz would require
0.714 kVA, which is 500 times less than at a power frequency of 50
Hz.
This allows the size of the test apparatus to drop from something
like this:

To something like this High Voltage Inc. VLF-34E:

Most test sets have a frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 0.01 Hz and the
most desirable test sets will select the optimum frequency based
upon the capacitance of the cable. The capacitance of the cable is
dependent upon its construction materials and its length. As cable
length increases so does the capacitance so dropping the frequency
allows kilometres of cable to be tested.

Does this difference in test frequency range have any effect on

test results?
This was reported on in the National Electric Energy Testing,
Research and Applications Center (NEETRAC) report “Estimating
the Impact of VLF Frequency on Effectiveness of VLF Withstand
Diagnostics” by N. Hampton et al (2014). This report concluded “…
there is no distinguishable difference between failure rates on
test for the common VLF test frequencies of 0.05 Hz and 0.1 Hz,
from data obtained through laboratory and field tests, and all
insulation types.”
What size VLF test set is required?

Acceptance test voltages are generally 2.5 – 3 times the line to

ground system voltage. A list of field test voltages from 5 kV to 69
kV can be found in IEEE 400.2.

How long should a VLF test last?

According to IEEE 400.2 VLF tests should last between 15 and 60

minutes with a recommended minimum duration of 30 minutes. This
length of time hasn’t just been plucked out of the air; there is some
theory behind it.

According to IEEE 400, when testing at 3 times the line to ground

system voltage the tree growth rate of XLPE at a 0.1 Hz sinusoidal
test voltage is 10.9 – 12.6 mm/h.

A 15 kV 133% cable has an insulation thickness of 5.9 mm.

Therefore in a 30 minute test nearly all defects will grow to failure.

What is a Tree?

At stressed points in insulation where there are protrusions, voids or

contaminants a phenomenon called treeing may occur. Treeing is the
preferred name due to the branch like structure of these trees. There
are two types of tree effect:

 Water tree: Produced by electro-oxidation fuelled by electrical

stress and water ingress within insulation. Water trees do not
emit partial discharges so PD testing cannot be used to test for
the presence of water trees. During service conditions the growth
of water trees is extremely slow taking years to completely
penetrate the insulation. Like protrusions, voids and
contaminants, water trees act as stress enhancements. They can
increase the local electrical field and also create local
mechanical stresses. If these electrical and/or mechanical
stresses are high enough an electrical tree can initiate.
 Electrical tree: Micro-channels of carbonisation or non-
insulation found within insulation that is irreversibly damaged.
Electrical treeing will lead to a completed failure path and failure
of insulation relatively quickly. Below is an electrical tree that is
growing from a water tree.

Why not just test at DC?

DC has been used to test paper insulated lead covered (PILC) cable
for many years. Therefore it is understandable that DC continued to
be used as solid dielectric cable became prevalent. Unfortunately the
first solid dielectric cable started to prematurely fail 15 – 20 years
after being installed. After extensive testing and research it was
found that solid dielectric cable is prone to develop water trees. DC
testing at high voltages creates negative space charges within these
trees, as highlighted below.

When the testing is complete and the DC is removed these trapped

negative space charges remain. When the AC is reapplied a high
difference in potential exists at points in the insulation where these
trapped negative space charges are found. These areas that are
already suffering from heightened electrical and mechanical stresses
are prone to turn into electrical trees. Once this point has been
reached the cable will fail because the damage is irreversible.

DC test sets cannot be used as a voltage source for Tan Delta or

Partial Discharge testing. These diagnostic tests are usually carried
out at a frequency of 0.1 Hz.

A range of HV Inc VLF hipot instruments are available from

Drallim Industries Ltd who are the representatives of HV Inc in
the UK & Ireland.
 For more information on the full range of HV Inc products please
email scollins@drallim.com or phone 01424 205 140.
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HV Test & Monitoring Equipment

HVI customers are providing a lot of positive feedback about E-

Link, the new software that makes local and remote control of
HVI’s VLF and TD cable test system easier than ever before.

E-Links’s menu-driven reports feature allows the user to quickly

generate custom test reports that include header information input by
the user, company logos, and graphs/tables of the logged data. E-
Link can also export data in .csv or a Microsoft Access compatible
format for more detailed reporting or database input.

Local Mode

The local mode of operation logs test data to the internal memory of
the VLF unit or to a removable USB flash drive. The logged data
can be transferred from the VLF unit to the included PC application
software for evaluation and reporting with a USB drive or an XBee
wireless connection.

Remote Mode

The remote mode of operation uses a laptop PC to wirelessly

connect to the system. Once connected, the VLF client PC
application allows the user to input or change the test parameters,
view the live test data, and save the logged data directly to the PC.

Features

 Easy installation, just run the setup program

 Local and remote operation

 Easy test setup via the VLF front panel or PC software

 Programmable test profiles

 XBee wireless, higher connection sustainability, longer range for
remote VLF and TD testing

 Advanced data capture capabilities

 Intuitive VLF and TD report templates

 E-Link software and firmware comes standard with both the

VLF-34E and the VLF-65E

 TD average and standard deviation continuously updated for

easy evaluation

 PC not required for TD testing

 Data stored automatically in VLF memory with optional backups

to USB and PC

For more information on the full range of HV Inc products please

email scollins@drallim.com or phone 01424 205 140.
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