Electrical, Electronic and

Computer Engineering
ENEL4HA - High Voltage 1

High Voltage Practical 2024 Rev 1

General

The practical is on the generation of high voltage AC for testing an 11 kV XLPE cable. It involves
testing high voltage AC generators with different testing frequencies, and determining what the
best frequency for the generator to use on site is. (The testing frequencies will be given in the
practical).

Prepractical
1. Provide a comparison of high voltage generators used for testing XLPE cables.
2. Provide details of a standard used for testing XLPE cables.
3. Provide details of how to determine the current required for testing of HV cables.
4. Explain the tan delta test.
5. Research the high voltage amplifier - Of importance are the voltage and current ratings, the
voltage gain, and the measurement ratios.
6. Research the digital oscilloscope - Of importance is the voltage rating and impedance of the
input channel.

The pre-practical counts for 15% of the mark, you will be asked a series of questions and marked
accordingly.

Equipment Available
• Arbitrary Waveform Generator
• Rigol 2 Channel Digital Oscilloscope
• 11 kV XLPE cable
• Trek 10/10B-HS High voltage amplifier
• Earth stick

Methodology
1. Ensure all devices are isolated and earthed.
2. Collect details of your 11kV cable including length, type of conductor, insulation thickness,
and ratings.
3. Measure the capacitance of the cable.
4. Determine the approximate current required to energise the cable at rated voltage. State
any issue that could be a problem.

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 5. Connect the system up as shown and capture it on the Figure below.
6. Ensure that you note the preparation and connection to the XLPE cable.
7. Ensure the scope is setup to collect the waveforms.
8. Record voltages, currents and phase angle.
9. Determine the power rating required for each frequency.
10. Determine the tan delta value for each frequency.

MV XLPE Cable
Input V HV
Scope Ch1 Ch2
I

Output1 GND
AWG Amplifier

Figure 1: Experimental Setup

Post Practical
1. Develop a simulation of the generator in PSCAD, MATLAB/Simulink, ATPDraw or any
suitable package where a file can be uploaded with your simulation. Compare input power,
voltage and currents as well as the output power, voltage and current with your calculated
results and with each test.
2. Investigate the high voltage generators online and find the manufacturers that have these
generators. Determine whether any of these generators fulfil your requirements. Further
determine the physical size of these generators (if available).
3. Discuss using all the information that you have found. You need to conclude with which
frequency is the best for on site testing.

Practical Report

You are required to produce a practical report of high engineering quality using the template pro-
vided on moodle, i.e. it must be in the form of a practical report with detailing all the information,
methods and results. The body of the report is to be a maximum of 5 pages.
The report must contain the following:

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Background (Comparison of generators)
• Methodology (incl. calculations and details of simulation)
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References (Note that the course notes are not to be referenced, you need to find the original
or additional references. More references does not mean a better mark.)

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The report must be submitted the 1 week after the practical on moodle with the following
naming convention (ENEL4HA studentnumber.pdf). A Turnitin report must be submitted. The
simulation file must be submitted together with the report. Zip files will not be accepted. Irrelevant
content will be penalised. Late submissions will be penalised.
Class ID: 38099434
Enrollment key: ENEL4HA

Practical Oral

The student will have a 5 minute slot for the oral component of the practical. The student will
have to demonstrate their model and answer any questions. The student needs to be prepared, if
there is no working model in the allocated slot, no marks will be awarded.

Plagiarism and Copying

Students are advised that plagiarism and copying are both contrary to the rules of the University.
Any written submission by students involving plagiarism or copying will be forwarded to the Head
of School and then to the University Proctor for disciplinary action.

Report Marking Guideline

Section Mark Allocation Description Flaws

Abstract 10% Does the abstract provide a logi-
cal overview of the report includ-
ing the main results and conclu-
sion?
Background 5% Are the generators described ap-
propriately? Is cable insula-
tion described? Is tan delta de-
scribed?
Methodology 20% Is the test setup described appro-
priately? Is there sufficient detail
for the device under test includ-
ing spec sheet? For the measure-
ment system? For the generator?
Are the calculations correct? Is
the method described? Are the
testing frequencies given (and do
they match)?
Results 20% Are the results clear? Do they
match the paper design and sim-
ulation? Are the results labelled
and captioned correctly?
Discussion 20% Are the results discussed? Are
and Conclu- the results at the different fre-
sion quencies compared? Is there a
conclusion?
Reporting 10% Is there report well written? Is
and Refer- the report logical? Are the refer-
ences ences sufficient and appropriate?
Superficial, irrelevant or
no abstract.
Incorrect (such as non
high voltage generators)
or no generators pre-
sented. No other details
presented.
No model uploaded. In-
correct problem type. In-
correct units. Incorrect
frequency. Incorrect volt-
age.
No results. Incorrect
plots. Unclear or grainy
plot. Incorrect units. No
axes. No legends. Has
mixed up RMS and peak
voltage.
Superficial, irrelevant or
no discussion. Superfi-
cial, irrelevant or no con-
clusion. A discussion of
low voltage generators is a
major flaw.
No references. Inconsis-
tent formatting. Spelling
errors. Headings incor-
rect. High Turnitin score.