GE Energy has been awarded four patents for technology developments associated with its electrical test equipment product line. Three patents are specifically targeted for circuit breaker testing applications, while the fourth is an advanced voltage divider developed to aid in measurements for insulation diagnostics.

The circuit breaker testing patents are:

• Methods and apparatus for analyzing high-voltage circuit breakers
• High frequency test method and device for analyzing high-voltage circuit breakers

These two patents will improve the way high-voltage circuit breakers are tested, according to GE Energy. Both focus on helping increase safety and decreasing testing time in the field.

The third circuit breaker testing patent is:

•  High-voltage circuit breaker contact timing with active suppression of high voltage substation interference and induced current.

This technology is available today on GE Energy’s TM1800 circuit breaker analyzer. The condition of the circuit breaker can be measured although there is highly induced current present on the field. The measuring method involves injecting a high-frequency signal across a contact and permits the timing both on the main contact and on the pre-insertion resistor contact using only one channel. It also accurately calculates the value of this resistance.

The fourth patent was developed for a cable insulation diagnostic product.

System and method for voltage divider having a guard structure is a patent for a high-voltage divider used in a 30-kV system. The voltage divider reduces the injected high voltage down to instrument levels, permitting an extremely accurate measurement, which is required to measure insulation. This solution combines the benefits of a lightweight and disturbance-proof tool over a wide frequency range. This technology is available today in GE Energy’s IDA 200 test system.