HV Energy

Tratos is an international manufacturer and supplier of High & Extra High Voltage cable up to 245 kV. Since 1966, it has been involved in this emerging market segment, starting production of high voltage cables up to 220 kV. In collaboration with suppliers of new generation joints and terminals Tratos supplies  turnkey projects: design, production, installation and maintenance. These cables are distinguished by advanced technology and construction, which gives more flexibility, strength and weight reductions.  Low maintenance and simpler accessories all play a part in advancing performance.

HV cables have a variety of applications in instruments, ignition systems and AC and DC power transmission. They may be any length, with relatively short cables used in apparatus and longer ones run within buildings; sometimes as buried cables in an industrial plant or for power distribution.  The longest submarine cables transmit power under the ocean. All Tratos Quality systems and procedures are approved, via BASEC, to ISO 9001.

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THE LARGEST FARADAY CAGE IN EUROPE Tratos constructed the largest Faraday cage test site in Europe at its headquarters in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy. Measuring 24m x 16m and standing at 14m high, the new cage enables Tratos to carry out AC resonant tests on site of up to 220 kV of nominal voltage cables and up to 20 km in length. AC resonant testing is now the standard method of testing higher voltage cables. However, it is vital that AC resonant tests are carried out in a controlled environment, and this is exactly what the Faraday cage provides.

The facility incorporates a new innovative locking system to ensure perfect shielding from any sort of external interference. Inside is state of the art instrumentation and equipment for testing and an adjustable high voltage reactor which, together with the exciter and the regulator, comprise the heart of the system. The reactor is insulated in oil and comprises of two identically wound high voltage coils mounted on a platform, with a motorised drive mechanism providing variable air gaps. Its upper part includes space for oil expansion and it offers 12MW of resonance power, allowing three taps of 350kV, 150kV and 70kV.

Mounted in a separate oil-filled steel tank, the exciter section contains a single phase, step-up transformer which supplies the AC voltage for the resonant circuit. The regulator provides an adjustable input voltage to the exciter and controls the input voltage of the reactor. This sophisticated equipment can detect even very low levels of picocoulombs and is governed by a modern control system incorporating a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), which is designed for multiple inputs and output arrangements, immunity to electrical noise, and resistance to vibration and impact. This allows incredibly precise measurements to be recorded, ensuring cables meet exacting IEC 60840 test parameters.