Overview

Key Contact Personnel:
Ken Bognar, Senior Director Technical Services ken.bognar@powertechlabs.com
Logan Connaughton, Division Manager HPL logan.connaughton@powertechlabs.com
Sara Tahermaram, Division Manager HVL/Mech sara.tahermaram@powertechlabs.com
Reza Soltani, Field Asset Services & Testing reza.soltani@powertechlabs.com
Sadia Mahboob, Grid Resilience Technologies sadia.mahboob@powertechlabs.com

Year Founded:
HV Lab: 1980
HP Lab: 1984

Total Number of Employees: 249

Quality Certification:
ISO 9001, ISO 17025, ISO 14001, ISO 45001
Major Export Markets Served:
Worldwide

Industry standards:
IEC, IEEE, ANSI, NEMA, ASTM, CSA, UL

Powertech is a Short-Circuit Testing Liaison (STL) Member

Services

High Power Laboratory

Power Source for the HP Laboratory:
Direct 230 kV grid feed from major substation

Specifications of Main Test Bay:
Two outdoor test cells (one in covered bunker)

Possible Power Frequency:
60 Hz

Max. MVA:
1000 MVA 3-phase, 400 MVA 1-phase

MVA Max. kV:
44 kV

Lab Capabilities:
3.7 kV to 39 kV, 3-phase up to 80 kA; 3.7 kV to 45 kV, 1-phase up to 100 kA

Standards Commonly Offered:
IEEE C37.60, IEEE C37.41, IEEE C37.74, IEEE C37.66, IEEE C37.62, IEEE C37.45, IEEE C37.30, IEEE C37.23, IEEE C37.20, IEEE C57.12, IEEE C57.13, IEEE 386, IEEE 495, IEEE 837; ASTM F855; IEC 62271, IEC 60282, IEC 60076; UL 467

Tests Performed:
Short Circuit Making and Breaking, Short-time and Peak Current Withstand, Capacitive Current and Load Current Switching, Internal Arc, Arc Resistance, Short Circuit Withstand on Distribution and Power Transformers, Power Arc on Insulators, Arc Flash, Time-Current Characteristics, and power equipment failure simulation.

Heat Run Tests:
Low voltage up to 10 kA 1-phase, 5 kA 3-phase, and 10 kA DC

High Voltage Laboratory

Dimension of Main Test Hall:
43 m length x 37 m width x 21 m height

Dimension of Secondary Test Hall:
15 m length x 6 m width x 2.5 m height
Dielectric Testing Facilities

Transformer and Bushing Tests:
Tests on bushings, transformers, voltage regulators, and reactors up to 5 MVA or 550 kV class (e.g. IEEE C57.12 family, IEEE C57.13, IEEE C57.15, IEEE C57.19, IEC 61869, IEC 60076, IEC 60137). Tests on combined transformer-rectifier units up to 4 MVA to IEEE 1653.

Additional Test Equipment:
• 75 kVA 420 Hz Motor Generator
• 13.8 kV, 5 MVA, 60 Hz Motor Generator
• 12.5 kV 3-phase, 3.3 MVA voltage source

Cable Testing:
Type tests on MV and HV cables and accessories up to 500 kV (e.g. IEC 60840, IEC 61442, IEC 62067, IEEE 404).

Mobile HV Testing:
• 90 kV variable-frequency RTS (max capacitance = 3 μF)
• 800 kV portable 50/60 Hz RTS (max capacitance = 54 nF)

Insulator Testing:
Tests on suspension insulators, post insulators, insulator strings, and accessories (e.g. ANSI C29 family, IEC 60383, IEC 62217, IEC 61109, IEC 61284, CSA C411, CSA C156). Complete type testing including: electrical, mechanical, material, combined mechanical and electrical, thermo-mechanical, and power arc tests.

Ageing Tests:
Insulator tracking wheels (spray and dip), inclined plane tracking and erosion, combination of simultaneous and/or sequential exposure of test specimens to UV-A/B, solar, humidity, temperature, salt-fog spray, and electrical energization (e.g. IEC 62217, IEC 60587, IEC 61109, IEC 62730 and ASTM G53).

Other Tests Performed:
Visible Corona, Acoustic Measurements, Impedance, Applied and Induced Voltage, Excitation Current, Temperature Rise, Thermal Endurance, Accuracy, Load Cycling (up to extra-heavy traction for TRU), Current balancing, Simulated Surge Arrester Operation, Weatherproofing, Water Penetration, Water Diffusion, Thermal Cycling, and Flammability.

Other Equipment Tests:
Circuit Breakers (up to 800 kV class), Metal-clad & Metal-enclosed Switchgear, Wildlife-Guards, Switchgear, Reclosers, Fuses, Arresters, Capacitors, and Separable Connectors.

(e.g. IEEE C37.09, IEEE C37.20, IEEE C37.30, IEEE C37.41, IEEE C37.45, IEEE C37.60, IEEE C37.62, IEEE C37.74, IEEE C62.11, IEEE 386, IEEE 1656; IEC 60282, IEC 62271; CSA C22.2 family)

Mechanical Laboratory

All applicable ANSI, IEEE, CEA, and IEC mechanical tests on the following components:
• Insulators – tensile, compression, torsional and vibration, thermal cycling
• Conductors/OPGW – stress strain, motion (aeolian, subspan, sheave test), creep, tensile, resistance test, bending test, drag coefficient test
• Spacer dampers – fatigue, force/angle, damping
• Connectors/terminations – tensile, compression, sustained load test, torsional and vibration, thermal rise
• Transformers – seismic testing, environmental, failure analysis
• Structures – failure analysis, material/ component tests

Thermal Test Chambers:
• 3.88 m x 2.71 m x 2.84m (WxDxH), range –60 to 85 °C, humidity controlled
• 1.16 m x 1.25 m x 1.52 m (WxDxH), range –60 to 160 °C, humidity controlled

Tensile, Compression, Bend, Fatigue, and Structural:
• Vertical up to 1779 kN (400,000 lbs) load capacity
• Horizontal up to 2224 kN (500,000 lbs) load capacity, and 16.7 metre lengths

Vibration, Shock, and Seismic:
• Large vibration table (slip table 42.5 in x 36 in, Head expander: 36 in x 36 in)
• Small vibration table (slip table 35.5 in x 30 in, Head expander: 24 in x 24 in)
• Seismic: 4 m x 4 m, allowable weight: 4000 kg

Grid Resilience Technologies Laboratory

Pole Yard:
Grid-connected integration and interoperability testing environment for Distribution Automation technologies. It provides a controlled full-scale simulation of a typical power distribution circuit in a safe 0.83 Acre outdoor test environment.

The Pole Yard contains Reclosers/Fault interrupters, Line fault indicators (FCI), Transformers, Load Banks, telecommunications, and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems.

Indoor Distribution Automation Device Labs:
Pre-commissioning, inspection, testing, and validation of Distribution Automation devices, Including: Underground switchgear, recloser controllers, lateral reclosers, voltage regulator controllers, FCIs. Failure analysis / troubleshooting services and engineering support also available.

Other Test Capabilities

Field Testing – Detailed Condition Assessment of In-Service Cable and Accessories: On-line tests with cables energized including manhole inspections, partial discharge scanning, infrared imaging, and metallurgical tests on metallic shield or PILC cables. Offline tests with cables de-energized and isolated including Partial discharge measurements, time domain reflectometry, and VLF tan delta.

Rotating Machines Insulation Lab:
Thermal cycling and voltage endurance tests on generator stator bars and coils in accordance with the requirements of IEEE 1043, IEEE 1553, and IEEE 1310 along with diagnostic tests and dissection.

Connector Test Lab:
Current cycle testing of connectors is available in accordance with requirements of ANSI C119, IEC 61238-1, IEEE 837, IEEE 386, and NEMA CC1. Mechanical, corrosion, freeze-thaw, EMF, and short-circuit tests are also available.

Special Studies Lab:
Failure analysis of cables and accessories of papers, insulated cables, and solid dielectric cables, including microscopic examination, water tree analysis, and material tests on component materials.

Applied Materials, Mechanical Testing & Technology:
Expertise in metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites to aid in testing and analysis for industry, government, insurance, litigation and research purposes.
Scanning electron microscopy laboratory, environmental chambers and testing equipment, vibration & shock evaluation, hydrogen embrittlement measurement, non-destructive examinations, shear pin testing & failure investigations, and bearing properties evaluation.

Applied Chemistry Laboratories:
Applied chemistry laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation for chemical, material, and polymer testing, focusing on insulating oils and gases, lubricants, fuels and coolants, environmental and materials evaluation. We have significant expertise with characterizing insulating fluids, including traditional mineral oils, environmentally friendly vegetable oils and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Our research and development section is considered world-class and focuses on life extension, on-line monitoring and on-line oil purification of electrical equipment. We also have extensive experience in all aspects relating to electrical utilities PCB contamination, including analysis, on-line removal, and destruction with oil reclamation.