The Visit #1

I'm not sure if there is going to be #2, #3, but hey, there is always hope. Thanks to the 2 servings of Nescafe ice from kedai nasi ayam UPTEN, I managed to stay awake throughout the whole ordeal. Oh really? You were yawning all the time! Dude, it's not something that I can control. At least I was acting sane.. Whatever. So anyway, we departed to KL around 10 pm with the vehicle of the technical assistant on duty. I thought I could ride with the technicians but the van doesn't have any seatings at the back, only equipments. Our destination is the PPU (Pencawang Pembahagian Utama) in Bangsar and the cable testing there need to be done during the night since the load is not as heavy thus switching can be done without causing power disruption. PPU? What's that? Refer to the picture below:

As you can see, the PPU is where electricity is received from PMU, changed to 33kV and 11 kV and then sent to the distribution station to be distributed to your house. We arrived about 30 minutes later and the staffs there were already waiting for us.

The cable that is going to be tested is the 33kV cable that is connecting the PPU to the distribution station. The tests are Partial Discharge (PD) test and Insulation Resistance (IR) test. Basically, the tests determine the condition of the cable and it's joints. With this information, early actions can be taken instead of fixing it when it breaks down, which may cause bigger problems. This tests are done on the switchgear, where cables involved have been de-energized.

Switchgear under operation

Inside the switchgear. The 3 red holes are

where connections are made for the tests.

The back of the van. Cables extensions for testing purpose.

The red barrel is a power supply, able to produce up to 40 kV.

The place where the tests are being monitored,

located at the middle part of the van. Air-conditioned!

The tests took about 3 hours and according to the technicians, it usually takes much longer than that. How fortunate. This was something new to me, I never knew about this before and new things are always interesting. I arrived home at 2 am. Remember the Nescafe ice? That made me unable to sleep for the rest of the morning. Go me! >_>