high voltage

Hipot Cable Testing testing equipment

Cable Types, Design, and Associated Insulation Faults

Addressing the task of power cable age of the cable, environmental factors, and the
diagnostics and fault location, the energy anticipated cable fault type.
industry now offers a wide range of tools using Before moving on to the main hipot testing
various cable testing methods. The choice of techniques, it is important to introduce the basic
the right method and the most appropriate information on power cables, namely their types
instrument greatly depends on a number of and typical structure, and explain the associated
factors, including the test purpose, the type and types of cable errors.

Power Cables: General Notes on Types, Design and Application

The power cable market can be segmented

into three areas based upon the voltage class of
the cable: the medium voltage class with cables
6 kV to 69 kV, the high voltage cable class with
cables 69 kV to 150 kV, and the extra high voltage
with cables greater than 150 kV. The medium
voltage cable dominates in the underground
cable market segment.
Insulated power cables are used for the
transmission and distribution of electricity
both for industrial and commercial, and various
underground applications.
In a typical medium voltage cable, copper
and/or aluminum wires, stranded and/or solid,
are used as the conductors. These conductors
are covered with an extruded polymeric
stress-control layer, often referred to as the Figure 1 - Examples of power cables
permashield or conductor shield, made of semi
conductive compounds. The insulation layer encases the insulation and in some cases may
immediately surrounds and is fully bonded be composed of the same semi conductive
with the conductor shield. The insulation shield material as the conductor shield.

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The copper neutral wires are wound style cables. In its turn, the paper insulated lead
around the insulation shield, and are usually covered (PILC) type is a representation of the
covered with a thermoplastic polyethylene typical laminated style cables.
jacket, which ensures
mechanical protection from
Jacket or oversheath
the external environment,
Synthetic fiber
and also reduces moisture
intrusion into the cable, Metal sheath
thus preventing a premature Outer semicon or core
screen or insulation shield
cable failure. Insulation
There are two basic categories Inner semicon or conductor
shield or conductor screen
for cables, the extruded dielectric and the
laminated style cable. Examples of the extruded Conductor
dielectric cables include the cross-linked
polyethylene, or polyethylene XLPE or PE style
cables, and ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) Figure 2 - Structure of a power cable

Aging Characteristics: Treeing

Water tree degradation is a major problem for medium voltage extruded dielectric cables,
particularly the service age XLPE and PE style cables. It is perhaps the worst degradation process of
the power cable insulation and contributes to the failure of the cable. Water trees are formed and
grow in the presence of moisture, impurities or contamination, and electric field over time.

Outer
semiconductive layer Bow-tie
tree

Insulation

Inner Vented tree

semiconductive layer

Conductor

Figure 3 Types of water trees

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Hipot Cable Testing testing equipment

There are generally two types of water trees, So, vented trees are definitely the more
namely the bow tie tree and the vented tree. problematic of the tree series, leading service
Bow tie trees are water trees that grow from age cables to eventual electrical failure or a fault
the insulation outward toward the surfaces of mode.
the insulation. These trees grow in the direction In the case of extruded dielectric the treeing
of the electric field, in both directions toward is a result of water and grass contamination and
the two electrodes, the centre conductor of the is referred to as a water tree.
cable and the concentric neutral surrounding In laminated cables the most common cause
the cable. of the tree effect is from the drying of the oil and
While having a faster growth rate compared then the burning of the insulating layers of paper.
to the vented trees, bow tie trees are not capable As the insulating layers of paper burn, they leave
of growing to large sizes and usually do not grow behind carbon deposits, which are conductive.
to a size significant enough to cause a failure in So, in time, as the papers begin to burn, leaving
the insulating system. behind little carbon deposits, a conductive path
Vented trees are water trees that grow in the is created through the insulation, again, causing
direction of the electric field, from the surface of a cable failure. This type of treeing is referred to
the polymer inward into the insulating system. as a carbon tree.
Vented trees have a lower initial growth rate as Timely conducted testing procedures can
compared to the bow tie tree. However, they help notice the loss of cable insulation integrity,
are capable of growing right through the entire spot signs of its deterioration caused by aging,
insulation thickness. and therefore prevent cable failure.

Withstand or Hipot Cable Testing

Withstand or hipot testing is used to evaluate which are grouped under the category of Type
the condition of cable insulation during 1 Tests. These are intended to detect defects in
installation, acceptance, or maintenance testing. the insulation of the cable system in order to
As a result of a hipot test, at the point of an improve the service reliability after the defective
insulation defect an electrical tree will start to part is removed and appropriate repairs are
progress, create the insulation breakdown and performed. These tests are usually achieved by
make it possible for the technician to pinpoint application of moderately increased voltage
the faulted place. across the insulation for a prescribed duration of
There are several methods for the field time. Such tests are categorized as a pass or fail,
testing of underground electric power cables go or no go type of a test.

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Type 1 Tests typically involve one of the

following:
1. the insulation resistance test performed
with a standard megohmmeter, also
known as undervoltage test;
2. the DC high potential test or DC hipot
test;
3. the very low frequency high potential
test (VLF hipot test);
4. the AC high potential test which is
performed at power frequency (50 hertz
or 60 hertz).

Figure 4 - HVTS 70/50

Undervoltage Tests Utilizing DC Voltage

Undervoltage tests are typically performed to ground, but since no insulation has infinite
with a megahometer. Since the test uses resistance, there is always some leakage current
voltages under the rating of the insulation, the flowing through the insulation. While a small
test is considered to be a nondestructive test amount of current leaking through a good
and does not produce any of the harmful effects insulation is not a problem, difficulties arise
associated with a high voltage DC test. Insulation when the insulation begins to deteriorate, and
tests electrically stimulate the insulation and the leakage current begins to increase.
measure the response. Depending upon that The insulation resistance test measures the
response conclusions are drawn about the resistance of the insulation material to the flow
condition of the insulation. of the leakage current, helping to assess the
What is important to understand is that if condition of the insulation. This type of test
perfect insulation existed, there would be no allows to measure either the resistance or the
flow of electrical current through the insulation flow of the leakage current.

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Hipot Cable Testing testing equipment

Overvoltage Testing Utilizing DC Voltage

For years high voltage DC testing has been Currently, most standards continue to include
a traditionally accepted method for judging the DC testing as an acceptance test on newly
serviceability of MV cables. DC hipots or DC high installed extruded dielectrics, and almost all of
potential tests have worked well as a withstand the recommended practices have abandoned
and condition assessment test for paper the use of DC testing for maintenance purposes,
insulated lead-covered PILC cables. When plastic or particularly when the cable has reached
insulation cables were first introduced, DC was service age (is over five years of age).
still the preferred measurement method. To locate a cable fault with DC hipot testing,
As time moved on, plastic insulated cables the technician needs to find the point where
became more abundant and began showing current leaks through the faulted insulation, and
aging effects and service aging. DC continued for electricity to leak, it requires a conductive path.
to be the dominant test, but concerns began to In other words, two wires should be exposed, or
grow over the effectiveness of this test. Studies there should be a wire and some other metal
showed that while not causing any damage to like the cable shield. So, in hipot testing, voltage
new cables, DC hipot testing has a detrimental is increased to cause leaking or arcing between
effect on service age cables on account of exposed wires or cables, which helps to catch
accelerating treeing effects. errors that otherwise would be missed.

Concerns Associated With DC Testing

DC hipot testing is believed to be harmless to space charges can result in electrical treeing
new solid dielectric cables as their insulation is and eventual insulation breakdown.
homogenous and allows for an even distribution Another limitation of DC withstand testing is
of electric stress. Also, DC can be safely applied for the fact that the test polarity cannot be changed
the installation, acceptance, and maintenance during a single test, and no partial discharge can
testing of cables with laminated-type insulation. be initiated. Yet, without the partial discharge
The most common concerns over DC hipot analysis some of the severe cable insulation
testing are related to aged cables. Applied to defects may be overlooked.
the non-homogenous insulation of such cables, Nevertheless, DC withstand testing is
DC is likely to cause space charging at the weak effectively applied to detect insulation errors to
points of the insulation, a very typical problem do with cable accessories or environmentally-
for extruded cables. In their turn, accumulated affected interfacial and surface leakage issues.

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Cable Temperature, Test Voltage & Duration

For a DC hipot test to provide accurate
results, the cable or cable system under test
should be at ambient temperature. This means
that if the cable temperature is increased due
to having been subjected to substantial load,
some time should be allowed for the cable to
cool down.
The DC hipot test should be started with
test voltage that is up to 80 per cent higher
than the cables rated ac rms phase-to-phase
voltage. It should then be raised, either
continuously or in steps, and brought to the
maximum test voltage in the time interval of
10 to 60 seconds (this interval may have to be
increased for longer cable systems under test);
the maximum test voltage should then be
maintained for 15minutes.

Figure 5 - Test transformer TIOG-100

Field test voltages for shielded MV power cables

System voltage, Acceptance test, Maintenance test,

System BIL,
kV rms, kV dc, kV dc,
kV crest
phase-to-phase phase-to-ground phase-to-ground
5 75 28 23

8 95 36 29

15 110 56 46

25 150 75 61

28 170 85 68

35 200 100 75

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Hipot Cable Testing testing equipment

Testing Method

DC withstand testing is performed offline, on If the test voltage is increased continuously,

a disconnected cable or cable system under test. it should be done at an even rate. If the test
In case of multiconductor cables, each conductor voltage is increased in steps, at least five steps
is tested individually. The other conductors and should be made; at each step the technician
shields should be grounded. The test lead of the should wait for the current level to stabilize,
hipot tester is connected to the first conductor with current readings taken at the end of each
step, 2 minutes after reaching the maximum test
under test, and the initial test voltage is supplied
voltage, and at the end of testing.
and gradually raised to the maximum level.

Power cable of HLV-G High-voltage cable

Insulator stand
Control cable

OUT

Power cable Protective ground

Figure 6 - Connection setup for DC testing

In most cases steady or decreasing current compared to the resistance of the other two
readings received when fixed voltage was conductors. If the ratio of insulation resistance
applied indicate that the insulation of the object exceeds three to one for cables over 1000 m, it is
under test is in an acceptable condition. a sign of the insulation quality deterioration.
A reliable indicator of the insulation quality is
the resistance of one of the tree circuit conductors

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Advantages and Disadvantages of DC Withstand Testing

The benefits of the DC dielectric breakdown Yet, DC withstand testing has a number of
test include the following: drawbacks:
The lower output capacity of a DC test The cable or cable system under test has
system compared to an AC test instrument to be discharged after testing;
makes DC testing safer for the technician; DC withstand testing is potentially
The DC withstand test is much safer for destructive for the insulation of service
the technician than AC testing on highly age cables;
capacitive objects under test; Some serious insulation errors cannot be
DC withstand testing is used to detect revealed with DC dielectric breakdown
insulation errors to do with cable testing.
accessories or environmentally-affected To sum up, DC hipot testing is still widely
interfacial and surface leakage issues; applied for the acceptance testing of newly-
DC hipot testers accurately display the installed cables. Yet, when it comes to
amount of true leakage current of the maintenance testing done in the field, VLF hipots
cable or cable system under test. are more commonly used.

AC versus DC Testing

AC withstand testing
is typically used by cable
producers when performing
the installation testing of new
cables. The AC hipot test is a
Pass/Fail or Go/No-Go test,
during which the technician
raises the test voltage to a
certain maximum value to
check whether the object
being tested can withstand the
applied voltage, and therefore
passes the AC test, or fails it. AC
hipot testing is widely used to
Figure 7 - AC hipot test set HVAC-50/60R

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Hipot Cable Testing testing equipment

see whether the equipment complies with the safer due to supplying less current, and give
applicable standard. information on real leakage current. On the
In contrast, DC testing provides more negative side, with DC testers there is a need to
information on the cable or cable system under ramp up the test voltage and to discharge the
test, giving the ability to measure leakage current object under test after testing.
and calculate the insulation resistance. The benefits of AC versus DC testing are that
Another difference is the size, and therefore AC testing does not require ramp voltage and the
cost, of AC testers and DC testers, with the former object being tested does not need discharging.
being substantially larger and more expensive However, due to their size AC test sets are usually
than their DC analogues. This is explained by not practical for field testing; besides, the high
the fact that AC testers supply a much larger current they supply present a safety hazard for
charging current than DC testers do. the operator.

The strong advantages of DC over AC testing

are that DC testers are smaller, more affordable,

AC DC Hipot Testers by KEP

Understanding that todays cable testing
conditions require flexibility in terms of hipot
testing method choice, KEP offers the portable
test systems AC DC Hipot Tester HVT-70/50
with oil-insulated high voltage unit and AC DC
Hipot Tester HVTS-70/50 with SF-6 insulated
high voltage unit.
KEPs high voltage test systems HVT-70/50
and HVTS-70/50 perform DC high potential
testing of power cables (IEC 60502-2) up to
70 kV, power cables accessories (IEC 61442)
as well as AC high potential testing, up to 50
kV at 50 Hz, of switchgear, reclosers, dielectric
Figure 8 - HVTS 70/50L

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testing equipment Hipot Cable Testing

insulators, high-voltage dischargers (arresters),

busbars and other dielectric materials with
relatively low electric capacitance.
The main features of the HVT-70/50 and
HVTS-70/50 AC DC hipot testers include:

AC (up to 50 kV) and DC (up to 70 kV) modes

Compact and portable desig
Exceptionally high safety level due to the
new safety interlock and two-operator mode
features
Internal memory
Auto and manual modes
Wireless test data exchange with a PC via
optional Bluetooth

VLF Withstand Testing

What is VLF Hipot Testing

The very low frequency (VLF) withstand
cable test is essentially a type of AC hipot test
conducted at a frequency rate of 0.01 to 1.00
Hz. Due to a significant drop in the operation
frequency compared to AC hipot testing, done
at 50 or 60 Hz, a VLF hipot tester is much smaller
than a typical AC hipot test set, and thus is
applicable for field usage.

Figure 9 - VLF 60 Cable insulation Tester

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Main VLF Hipot Testing Parameters: Waveform, Voltage, Duration

The typical waveforms for VLF testing normal line to ground voltage. Since maintenance
include the sinewave, squarewave, and cosine- testing is done on service age cables, the
rectangular (trapezoidal) wave. The sinewave, recommended voltage is 80 per cent of that
or sinusoidal voltage, is the same as the voltage used for installation/acceptance testing. If there
used by AC power systems. Out of the three is a need to perform several test cycles, it may be
mentioned waveforms, the sinewave is found to reasonable to decrease the testing voltage by a
be the most efficient for cable testing as it causes further 20 per cent. The table below reflects the
the electrical tree to progress at the fastest rate, IEEE 400.2 guidelines as to the optimal testing
which results in shorter test times. sinewave voltage for 5 kV to 35 kV cables.
IEEE 400.2 guide stipulates that the test
voltage should be 2.0 to 3.0 times the cables

VLF test voltage for MV cables

Cable Installation Acceptance Maintenance

rms voltage rms / peak voltage rms / peak voltage rms / peak voltage

5 kV 9 / 13 kV 10 / 14 kV 7 / 10 kV

8 kV 11 / 16 kV 13 / 18 kV 10 / 14 kV

15 kV 18 / 25 kV 20 / 28 kV 16 / 22 kV

25 kV 27 / 38 kV 31 / 44 kV 23 / 33 kV

35 kV 39 / 55 kV 44 / 62 kV 33 / 47 kV

The advised testing time is 60 minutes at 0.1 Hz on new cables, and 30 minutes at 0.1 Hz on
service age cables; it is recommended that the withstand testing time during maintenance testing
should be extended to 60 minutes at 0.1 Hz if the circuit in question is of special importance.

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VLF Testing Method

VLF testing is performed on offline cables, that If the cable under test fails the test, the test
is, the cable under test should be disconnected voltage drops down to zero on its own. The VLF
from the power system, and properly grounded. tester should be switched off for the cable and
The VLF tester is then connected to the cable the tester to discharge, and the cable should
under test, and the required test voltage is set. be grounded. After that, the fault or faults can
If the cable under test passes the VLF testing, be found with fault locating instruments and
the voltage should be decreased to zero, repaired, or the respective cable sections are
the cable under test and the VLF instrument replaced.
should be discharged, and the cable should be
grounded.

VLF-60

HV test lead

Ground cable

Figure 10 Connection setup for a VLF cable

Advantages and Disadvantages of VLF Cable Testing

The strong points of VLF cable testing include VLF hipot testing can be done on both new
the following: and service age cables, which means that it
VLF cable testing is applicable for extruded can be used for installation, acceptance, and
polyethylene, laminated paper, and mixed maintenance testing;
insulation; With the right voltage and testing time,
the small size of the VLF test set is perfect for VLF testing is not destructive for less severe
field testing; insulation defects that could remain dormant
for a long time and not impede the cable

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Hipot Cable Testing testing equipment

performance. Yet, it is efficient for locating VLF testing with very high testing voltage at
more severe insulation defects that are likely a frequency below 0.01 Hz may cause space
to cause cable faults in the nearest future; charges in extruded polyethylene insulation;
Combined with standard cable diagnostics VLF cable testing is done on offline cables
equipment, a VLF test set can be used for only.
diagnostic testing. To sum up, although VLF withstand testing is
At the same time, the difficulties associated attributed to destructive cable testing as it causes
with VLF hipot testing are these: severe defects to initiate treeing and break down
VLF withstand testing may not provide the insulation, the VLF test nevertheless does
conclusive results if the insulation is not harm good insulation. So, VLF hipot testing
significantly damaged by water treeing or performed with alternating sinusoidal voltage
has partial discharges. In this situation, it is best meets the testing purpose of locating and
recommended that VLF testing should be removing severe defects in insulation that is
combined with other diagnostic testing mostly of good quality.
methods;

VLF-60 AC Hipot by KEP

The VLF-60 Cable Insulation Tester by KEP is Fully automatic testing cycle
a very low frequency high voltage test set that Automatic discharging
ensures efficient testing and fault location on
medium voltage cables. Easy maintenance due to solid-type insulation
system
Main features of the Cable Insulation Tester
VLF-60: Breakdown voltage measurement and load
recognition
Efficient non-destructive cable withstand
testing Easy-to-use software
Portable, perfect for field testing Does not need an external PC
Test capacity of 10 f LCD touch screen

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