Cases of Non-Standardized Testing by Dan Windmar

Demand for high voltage testing has increased dramatically over the past few years and test objects now typically include HVDC valves, AC and DC cables, line insulators, cable accessories, wall and transformer bushings, optical instrument transformers and station post insulators for a variety of applications. Moreover, many of these requests coming both from manufacturers of high voltage equipment and from transmission system operators have highly specific requirements. Often, these involve non-standardized tests driven either by individual user requirements, such as specific environment and system, or the growing perception that several current standards may need to be updated to reflect more stringent service conditions. At the same time, power systems are becoming more complex and high voltage equipment installed in a network is increasingly exposed to conditions not covered by typical design and type tests. Conducting these types of non-standard tests place demanding requirements not only on test equipment but also on the competence of test engineers. For example, test equipment needs to be made more flexible and easier to move during installation, even though large and heavy. There is also increased test duration while many of the new test methods come with more stringent requirements. This presentation provides examples of different types of non-standardized tests being encountered in recent years.