It will be one of the few laboratories of its kind in Italy to supply independent testing services for products essential to improving HVDC transmission lines, with an internationally valid certification.
The test chamber has been an integral part of the Noventa di Piave plant since 1973. It conducts electrical, heating and mechanical tests of energy transmission and distribution equipment, as well as components used in some of the Supergrids throughout the world, from Brazil to India.
It is now possible to conduct industrial frequency voltage tests up to 640 kV rms (root mean square), atmospheric impulse tests up to 1.8 MV, manoeuvre impulse tests up to 1.2 MV, radio interference voltage (RIV) tests up to 640 kV rms, and mechanical endurance tests of line and earthing disconnectors. Additional tests in the future will include high-voltage component heating tests and tests related to high-voltage insulators and clamps.
“This recognition confirms the technological vocation of the Noventa di Piave site”, declared Eros Stella, who is in charge of the high-voltage equipment testing laboratory. “Since 1985, it has been granted 20 patents, and it has contributed to the development and growth of ten other Alstom Grid sites dedicated to the production of high-voltage disconnectors throughout the world.”
The production plant in Noventa di Piave, which owes 90% of its turnover to exports, has produced more than 160,000 disconnectors. They have been installed in over 130 countries and used in some of the largest projects in the world, such as the 500 kV DC Three Gorges project in China, the 600 kV DC Rio Madeira project in Brazil, the 1200 KV Power Grid in India, and the 420 KV DC and 315 KV DC South-West Link project in Sweden.
1 It is possible to consult the list of all the accredited tests by selecting Laboratory No. 1417 on the website www.accredia.it.
