DC arrester test philosophies on recent HVDC projects as used by various suppliers

The author documents recent and current practice in DC arrester testing and attempts to open a dialog leading to the generation of publications and encouragement of discussions in the area, which could hasten and ultimately lead to the earlier development of DC arrester testing standards. He compares test programs for DC arresters implemented on three different HVDC projects, briefly addressing the major differences and how these may relate to both the maturation of DC arrester testing and/or unique features of the varied projects. The emphasis is on identifying the similarities between the three test programs and not on the adequacy of the test programs or the details of any of the included tests. Significant commonality between four participating suppliers in their testing is found, indicating promising results in standardization for aging test and duty-cycle test. However. the area of contamination test may require a considerable effort to reach an accord.<
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