About the laboratory

The High Voltage Laboratory is situated in a common building with the Block “V1” of the University of Technology and Economics in Budapest. It has a 24.16 m x 16.26 m sized area with 386 m2 effective interior space, and its height is 16.45 m. The craned hall is designed regarding the required flash-over and breakdown distances to ensure safe operation of the highest voltage equipment in the laboratory. The installations that belong to the High Voltage Laboratory are the localized and the mobile high, medium, low and extra low voltage equipment inside the lab, the substation in open air next to the hall of the High Voltage Laboratory supplying the 600 kV test transformer, the line, the adapting and the regulator transformer and their parts (environment-friendly basement, protective wall, rainproof roof), their feed cables and couplers, as well as all of the equipment which protect and feed these. Furthermore other main equipment are installed on the ground floor of the Laboratory, which are supplied by the 800 kVA transformer and 0.4 kV switchgear. In the history of the High Voltage Laboratory the first important equipment was a 250 kV transformer which is still in use. It was followed by the impulse generator which is capable of generating up to 1 MV peak value impulses. In the ‘70s the high voltage live line maintenance was introduced in Hungary, and at the same time the Laboratory was equipped with a 600 kV test transformer and with a 750 kV impulse generator. In the summer of 2012 the Laboratory was completely renovated. The largest Tesla-coil of Hungary is also located in the Laboratory. The main workplace of Group of High Voltage Technology and Equipment of the Department of Electric Power Engineering of BUTE is located in the Block “V1” of the University of Technology and Economics in Budapest.

Activities

The BSc, MSc and PhD students of Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the participants of Institute of Continuing Engineering Education and experts of external companies are educated by Group of High Voltage Technology and Equipment. Further tasks performed are innovative, technical, development, investigative and R&D activities, measurements, tests and investigations.

Equipment

The most important equipment in application in the High Voltage Laboratory of the Group of High Voltage Technology and Equipment are:

• transformers,
• impulse generators and
• training lines for practicing and educating various LLM methods.

Besides the most important devices we use many others in the High Voltage Laboratory every day. The Laboratory owns many test transformers, installations for electromagnetic compatibility measurements, different equipment for experiments with insulation technology and lighting protection and measuring devices for presentations, measurements and investigations.

Laboratory shows

The Group of High Voltage Technology and Equipment organizes spectacular and exciting shows regularly to facilitate the easy understanding of high voltage technology and the electrical phenomena. The visitors can get closer to the high voltage phenomena during the shows in the High Voltage Laboratory, and they can also gain new knowledge about the world around us during the presentations. The visitors can experience the light and sound effects of the high voltage discharges and get acquainted with the operation and structure of the high voltage equipment. Furthermore visitors can understand the job of power engineers and the Group of High Voltage Technology and Equipment. It is possible to visit our Laboratory during public events - like the Night of Researchers - or after consultation via e-mail for groups.

Partners

The partners of the laboratory are listed here: http://nfl.vet.bme.hu/en/partners/