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Early Detection of Termination Failures in Arc Flash(PDF) 549 KB

Installing inspection ports into switchboards has “switch board type testing” & insurance implications & therefore is not recommended. (Important – Don’t modify any switchboard without written authority from the manufacture & update your insurance).

Arc Flash Fatalities in WA(PDF) 196 KB

High Voltage Solutions (HVS) proactive clients who have contacted HVS in recent weeks are concerned about Long & Crawford (L&C) oil filled switches & how best to determine how safe they are for personnel to operate.

Expert Alliance Case Studies(PDF) 626 KB

Q: What do a roof collapse in Phoenix, a turbine breakdown in Belgium, a shipment of French wine damaged in transit on the Atlantic and a fire destroying an entire manufacturing facility in Argentina have in common?
A: You've seen it all and so have we.

Underground Mining Ventilation failures(PDF) 130 KB

A rigorous On-Line and Off-Line condition-monitoring program needs to be adopted to reduce risk of explosive failure for units in service beyond 15 years.

Corona Detection Services(PDF) 298 KB

UV inspection technology is being used for predictive maintenance of high voltage equipment together with IR-thermography and ultrasonic devices. The value added by UV inspection is reflected in its ability to pinpoint corona and arcing, pinpoint the location of a failure, predict unavoidable crises, display both the emitting objects and the emitted radiation, and assess severity of the case under inspection.

How Safe Is Your Switch Yard?(PDF) 440 KB

In service high-voltage (HV) substation equipment are exposed to electrical, mechanical, and thermal stresses as well as environmental conditions. All of these stresses can act to accelerate the deterioration of the insulation and hence the electrical integrity of theHV equipment eventually leading to failure.

Partial Discharge Testing - 33kV Oil Filled Outdoor Circuit Breakers(PDF) 692 KB

With the aid of the latest technology, it is now possible to detect potential failures in CB Bushings and Tanks in-service / on-line, thereby preventing catastrophic arcing failure of both the bushings and rupture of the oil filled tank. Apart from the unplanned loss of supply and fire caused when a failure occurs, it has the potential to inflict serious harm to site personnel if they are in the vicinity of a porcelain bushing explosion.

33kV - VT In-line Bushing Fuses In-Service Discharge Testing(PDF) 1478 KB

With the downsizing and ageing of engineering staff of distribution companies, external technical support offered by specialised companies has become more important than ever before.

Getting the most life out of older 3.3kV switchgear(PDF) 284 KB

End of life decisions / life extension and cannibalism – which one?

Harmonic Planning Levels in New Zealand Medium Voltage Networks(PDF) 188 KB

Recently Power Quality Guidelines have been produced for the Electricity Engineers’ Association of New Zealand. Among the various power quality issues, this paper specifically presents the development of voltage harmonic planning levels in the medium voltage networks by applying the concept of voltage droop. These planning levels are used to determine how much harmonic current can be allocated to a customer. These levels are shown to be comparable with values from international standards.

Partial Discharge: Smart monitoring of SF6 assets & Managing Risk(PDF) 283 KB

All insulation systems require servicing in some form or another, and SF6 insulated systems are no exception. At time of manufacture and commission a great deal of care goes into ensuring no contamination has entered the sealed chambers and the system is leak free.

Substation Reliability(PDF) 330 KB

(INSTRUMENT TRANSFORMERS & CURRENT TRANSFORMERS) Increasing personnel safety within live switchyards is part of an asset owner 'Duty of care to their workers & contractors' Asset owners and or operations group are required to ensure the place of work is safe.

Discharge Testing Of 132kV Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker Bushings(PDF) 119 KB

With the aid of the latest technology, it is now possible to detect potential failures in CB Bushings in-service / on-line, thereby preventing catastrophic arcing failure of the bushings. Apart from the unplanned loss of supply and fire caused when a failure occurs, it has the potential to inflict serious harm to site personnel if they are in the vicinity of a porcelain bushing explosion.

Discharge Testing Sefton Gel Filled Cable Boxes(PDF) 260 KB

It is now possible to detect potential failures in Sefton Gel filled transformer cable boxes in-service / on line. (Sefton Gel was commonly used in the 1970s to fill transformer cable boxes where paper lead cables were used).

How Safe is Your Switchboard?(PDF) 154 KB

To assist clients who are considering replacing switchgear or just wanting to know the actual condition of their HV switchgear, High Voltage Solution.Com (HVS) has developed an on-site audit process called Risk Based Inspection program.

Partial Discharge & Harmonic Surveys(PDF) 223 KB

For economic and other reasons, it is strategically important to be able to detect any fault that has started to appear in cables, terminations and switchboards. For example, a small problem can escalate quickly, causing considerable damage.

Discharge Testing on 33kV Indoor Terminations(PDF) 147 KB

It is now possible to rank your HV assets in order that are at the greatest risk of failing ensuring that the risks of substation outages are absolutely minimised. It is not acceptable to have an unplanned production stoppage due to a cable / switchgear or accessory failure.

How Safe Is your switchboard? – life extension and cannibalism(PDF) 128 KB

To assist mining clients who are considering replacing switchgear or just wanting to know the actual condition of their HV switchgear, High Voltage Solution.Com (HVS) has developed an on-site audit process called Risk Based Inspection program.

Partial discharge detection After Christchurch (NZ) Earthquake(PDF) 262 KB

“Identifying PD by testing in live substations is critical,” explains Peter Rhodes of High Voltage Solution. “Being able to monitor the condition of assets in a safe manner, without causing further outages or having to make special connections, is critical in situations such as Christchurch is currently experiencing.”

Partial Discharge Diagnosis of Gas Insulated Substations(PDF) 218 KB

High Voltage Solution (HVS), headed by Peter Rhodes, one of Australasia’s leading consultants in High Voltage maintenance, is pleased to announce the roll out of additional Partial Discharge services on top of their already extensive range of standard services.

Getting the most life out of older switchgear(PDF) 313 KB

End of life decisions / Life extension and Cannibalism – which one?

On-Line Partial Discharge(PDF) 190 KB

Partial discharge testing can be performed online without requiring an outage and can be economically applied on all facility equipment in a survey fashion. By doing so, failures will be reduced, and reliability will be greatly enhanced.

On-Line Partial Discharge Cable Mapping(PDF) 74.6 KB

Without maintaining a periodic testing program all failures will come as a surprise, unplanned, inconvenient and quite possibly very expensive in time and resources.

On-Line Partial Discharge Testing(PDF) 197 KB

It is now possible to rank your HV assets in order that are at the greatest risk of failing ensuring that the risks of substation outages are absolutely minimised. It is not acceptable to have an unplanned production stoppage due to a cable or switchgear failure.

Detecting Partial Discharge(PDF) 245 KB

Detecting Partial Discharge (PD) requires extensive experience and equipment suitable to undertake measurements on live In-Service High Voltage Equipment.

In Service Testing(PDF) 234 KB

By having advanced warning of pending failures, a sound repair methodology can be implemented in a structured and timely manner resulting in significant cost savings.

On Line Partial Discharge Mapping(PDF) 220 KB

If diagnostic insulation testing had been included in the preventive maintenance program it may have been possible to plan maintenance or replacement of these cables at a time when the line was inactive thereby minimizing costs.

Optimising Underground Sub Transmission Network Capacity(PDF) 180 KB

Using On-Line Partial Discharge Mapping

Anatomy of Partial Discharge Technology(PDF) 113 KB

One of Australia’s major international airports was experiencing random, insulation-based, cable termination/joint failures due to varying age of assets and different levels of maintenance. They now use On-Line Partial Discharge to improve electricity reliability.

Assessing Insulation Integrity of Critical Feeders and Switchgear(PDF) 614 KB

The levels (magnitude and pulse rate) of partial discharge are a well known indicator of insulation quality and can provide information as to the expected life of the insulation.

Fundamentals and Practical Applications of Partial Discharge(PDF) 172 KB

Knowing and understanding the life of a high voltage asset requires a lifetime of experience and commitment.

Improving Wind Farm Reliability Using On-line Partial Discharge(PDF) 613 KB

Partial Discharge (PD) generally begins within voids, cracks, at conductor-dielectric interfaces within a solid insulation system, or in bubbles within liquid dielectrics. Since discharges are limited to only a portion of the insulation, the discharges only partially bridge the distance between electrodes. PD can also occur along the boundary between different insulating materials.

Partial Discharge in Insulation Systems(PDF) 619 KB

Eventually a complete breakdown path exists across the insulation and, unless the current is limited elsewhere, the cable suffers catastrophic damage.

Partial Discharge Mechanism(PDF) 47.8 KB

Partial Discharge prevention and detection are essential to insure reliable, long-term operation of high voltage equipment.

PD Monitoring for Condition Based Assets(PDF) 581 KB

By having advanced warning of pending failures, a sound repair methodology can be implemented in a structured and timely manner resulting in significant cost savings!

PD Monitoring for Condition Based Assets(PDF) 645 KB

The availability of an experienced On Line Partial Discharge Field Service Provider to undertake plant surveys on high voltage cables and switchgear while the plant is running is now a reality.

Re-Evaluating Oil Filled Cables Using On-line Partial Discharge(PDF) 442 KB

Oil filled cables that have been in-service for over 25 years are supposed to be bullet proof - that was 25 years ago. In 2005 we are now asking the same cable to do another 25 years but with more load, and with a decreasing availability of in-house expertise.

Target Maintenance Using On-line Partial Discharge(PDF) 421 KB

Being able to test live high voltage cables whilst in service and still meet all safety codes of practice!