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VLF Test Procedure

VLF is very low frequency AC hipot testing at 0.1 Hz or lower. It is used to test high capacitance loads like cables and large rotating machinery. VLF testing is done at such low frequencies because it allows high voltages to be applied using much less power than higher frequencies. A VLF test subjects the insulation to high voltages to identify any defects or weaknesses that could lead to failures during operation. As long as the insulation passes the VLF test, there is over a 95% chance it will avoid failures in the following years. The test itself is not destructive to good insulation.

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1K views6 pages

VLF Test Procedure

VLF is very low frequency AC hipot testing at 0.1 Hz or lower. It is used to test high capacitance loads like cables and large rotating machinery. VLF testing is done at such low frequencies because it allows high voltages to be applied using much less power than higher frequencies. A VLF test subjects the insulation to high voltages to identify any defects or weaknesses that could lead to failures during operation. As long as the insulation passes the VLF test, there is over a 95% chance it will avoid failures in the following years. The test itself is not destructive to good insulation.

Uploaded by

rizky rahmani
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VERY LOW FREQUENCY

TEST PROCEDURE
WHAT IS VLF?

• VLF is just an AC hipot test with very low frequency.


• Generally, 0.1 Hz or lower is used .
• VLF testing is used for any application requiring AC testing of high capacitance loads. The
major application is for testing solid dielectric cable (per IEEE400.2), followed by testing
large rotating machinery (per IEEE 433-1974), and occasionally for testing large insulators,
arrestors, and the like.
• One of the best reasons to use VLF is to check installation quality and accessories, like
splices. Many failures are due to damage during installation, improper workmanship,
and/or insulation damage caused by excessive voltage fault locating - thumping. At the
very least, every newly installed or repaired cable should be VLF tested before re-
energizing.
WHY 0.1 HZ?

• The only way to field test high capacitance loads, like cables and motors/generators, with AC voltage, is
to use a VLF AC hipot.The lower the frequency, the less current and power needed to test high
capacitance loads.
• Xc (capacitive reactance) = 1/2πfC. A 10,000’ 15 kV cable has approximately 1uF of capacitance. The
capacitive reactance at 60 Hz is 2650 ohms. To apply the IEEE recommended 22kV test voltage, it would
require a power supply rated for 8.3 amps, or 183kVA. Obviously not practical for field use. At 0.1 Hz,
the capacitive reactance is 1.6 megohms. The same 22kV would draw only 14mA, or only .302kVA, or
600 times less than at 60 Hz. At 0.01 Hz, a cable 6000 times longer can be tested than at 60 Hz.
• Put another way, at 60Hz a cable must be charged to its test voltage every 4.2 milliseconds, 0 – 90
degrees of the waveform. It takes a lot of power to charge a cable that fast. At 0.1Hz, 2.5 seconds are
available to charge the cable. It takes 600 times less power than 60Hz. 500 times less than at 50 Hz.
HOW TO DO THE TEST?

• The test is very simple. With the cable to be tested isolated, connect the high voltage
output lead of the VLF to the conductor and ground the shield. Like any hipot, apply the
test voltage for the required duration.
• The IEEE400.2 standard recommends testing at 3 times (3Vo) the normal line-to-ground
voltage for 30 – 60 minutes. The European standard mandates 3Vo for 60 minutes.
• Results from over 20,000 cable tests show that if a cable passes a proper VLF test, it has a
better than 95% chance of avoiding an in-service failure for the next several years.
TEST VOLTAGE
IS VLF TEST DESTRUCTIVE?

• When a voltage stress (proof test) is placed across a cable’s insulation, partial discharge can occur in defect
locations if the voltage stress is sufficient to initiate the pd, which is the purpose of a VLF AC voltage stress test.
• The most basic use of the VLF is to perform a go/no-go withstand test to expose defects that cannot hold the
test voltage. If a cable can’t hold ~1.5 – 3 times normal voltage, depending on cable class, fnd out now.
• VLF hipoting is not destructive to good insulation and does not lead to premature failures like with DC voltage
testing. Using VLF does not cause degradation of the insulation. It does cause existing cable defects, like water
trees and weak splices that are severe enough to be triggered into partial discharge under the test voltage, to
break through during the test. Minor defects that are not triggered into pd from the test voltage are unaffected.
• In situations where the user can tolerate a failure during the test, it is the simplest and most certain way to test
a cable. Any defect severe enough to be driven to partial discharge is allowed to fail. Lesser defects and good
insulation are unaffected.

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