VLF Test Equipment Recommendations

What’s a good Manufacturer of VLF test equipment for MV cables?

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What voltage class are you specifically looking to test?

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At the moment, I am looking for something for acceptance testing and tan delta diagnostics of MV cables up to 15kV. Looking for something with good portability for the 15kV cables for regular use.

I may also need another unit for acceptance testing of 33kV cables in the future so interested in a tester for that voltage class also.

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The HVA28TD is the VLF to get. It does VLF and Tan delta in 1 unit. I have one of these and they are the best portable units.

HVA28TD - VLF DC Hipot Tester with Tan Delta (hvdiagnostics.com)

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Have you heard about the Baur Frida TD?..Would you recommend this

www.baur.eu/en/frida-td?m=7449

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It doesn’t look like a bad option at all. The voltage output is a little higher than the Smart VLF. This provides no benefit as this is a 15kV test set. 35KV cables require a 60KV test set.

It has a variable frequency range. I don’t know if the frequency is automatically adjusted like the Smart VLF. Most test sets have limitations of cable distance. It’s based on the capacitance of the cable. The Smart VLF will drop the frequency to increase the distance of cable automatically.

One downside to it is it appears to have a “fixed” HV lead. In my experience, the HV lead gets damaged over time. I like the separable HV lead that the smart VLF offers.

This test set is from Europe. I don’t know if they have distribution and repairs within the US, but that would be a major factor. Where do you have to ship it to get repaired?

These are just a few things I noticed.

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