Testing the condition and integrity of the underground cable system on a wind farm is key to ensuring the reliability of the entire system.   One cable failure in a wind farm collector system can result in tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Since the underground cable system is the backbone of the wind farm the health of that system must be monitored and checked.  The best way to make sure that the wind farm’s underground cable system does not have a failure is to test the cable with a proven method which will reliably indicate the condition of the cable. Circuit designs for collector systems which have no isolation points create an especially difficult problem when fault locating and cable testing. Due to the length of the cables in systems of this design, the energy required to test or fault locate is very high.  Many cable failures are also the result of the installation practices of the underground cables. As more and more wind farms are constructed and as the existing wind farms age, the reliability of the cable system becomes more and more essential to the overall performance of the electrical system.

Fortunately, HDW offers many different test methods and fault locating systems to meet the needs of any wind farm. Whether the need is for VLF, Partial Discharge, or Cable Sheath testing, HDW offers equipment that can safely and reliably test underground cables. For fault locating, HDW offers thumpers which are powerful enough to locate faults on even the longest of cable runs.  HDW can also offer a completely integrated fault locating/cable testing system which will handle any cable related need.