Vision and Mission

The mission of this laboratory is to provide research, development, testing, consultations and manpower training services to enhance national competence in key technological areas and to contribute to the development of national and regional industrial base. The lab aims to develop local expertise and know how in order to achive self sufficiency in all high voltage related technical fields so as to function as a leader in the area of high voltage testing and related technologies in the GCC region.

Introduction

High Voltage Laboratory, King Saud University is part of Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering. This (KSU) lab is very well equipped and staffed with expert professionals. It is being used for undergraduate and graduate teaching, research as well as commercial testing of high voltage equipments manufactured by local and overseas vendors. The lab has potential and capabilities to perform a broad range of tests and investigations. This document provides a brief introduction to the lab and outlines the capabilities, range of expertise and activities.

Laboratory Building

High Voltage Laboratory at King Saud University was originally designed for teaching and research work. However, future needs of local industry were also kept in the design criteria. At the time of commissioning of this lab in the mid 1970's, the highest system voltage in the Kingdom was 66 kV where as 132 kV transmission system was under construction. Therefore, keeping the futures expansion in mind, selection of 1000 kV impulse generator was made with the option of expanding this to 1600 kV in the future. Internal clearances selected for the main test hall are 18 m wide and 18 m long x 15 m high covered area. A further 9 m x 18 m uncovered area adjacent to the lab was added for future extension. One 4 m x 6 m gate with easy access to service-gear was provided for entry of equipment and carriers.

The test hall is screened against electromagnetic interference in the form of Faraday’s cage by using a galvanized steel mesh 5 cm x 5 cm supported on 400 V insulators and laid on all walls and the ceiling. Furthermore, this mesh is connected to horizontal copper plates embedded in the floor and vertical earth electrodes, with overall ground resistance of ~ 0.2 ohm. Measurements are made through screened control cables laid inside trenches below the floor level. The sides and covers of these trenches are metallic and are connected to the ground mesh at a distance of every 2 m. Thus, the attenuation of the EMI signals, in the frequency range of 0.1 MHz to 1.0 MHz in the test hall, is around ~ 40 dBm.

The lab has transformed over the years from a teaching/ research lab into a teaching/ research/ testing lab and is providing excellent support to local industry by carrying out research development and testing services and offering expert advice on a variety of challenging problems. The lab has successfully completed a large number of applied research & development projects in high voltage technology as well.