Industry Applications
A protection relay test set is a programmable voltage and current source. What changes from one industry to the next is not the instrument but the test object: an ATS controller in a data center, a motor feeder in a refinery, a collector-system relay in a wind farm, or a protection panel on a builder’s factory floor. This section maps the test object to the injection, the pass criterion and the VA-TEK model that covers it.
One platform, different test objects
VA-TEK relay test sets are used across industry segments. The common requirement is a secondary-injection source with enough channels, power and binary I/O to reproduce the scheme around the relay. The differences are the number of simultaneous voltages and currents, the sequence logic, and the documentation the customer has to hand over.
| Industry | Typical test objects | What decides the model | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data centers | ATS/STS, generator protection, main-tie-main, UPS bypass, feeder relays | Two simultaneous three-phase voltage sources for dual-source transfer; six voltage channels | VAE-660 |
| Industrial plants | Motor feeders, incoming supply, cogeneration, process transformers, capacitor banks | Single-ended three-phase injection; occasional 87T differential | VAE-430; VAE-660 for differential |
| Renewable energy | Interconnection relays, collector feeders, BESS PCS interface, anti-islanding schemes | Voltage and frequency sweeps; six-phase for differential and multi-end schemes | VAE-430; VAE-660 for differential |
| Panel builders | Protection panels, switchgear FAT, ATS and control panels, interlocking and trip circuits | Multi-vendor relay templates, binary I/O count, repeatable FAT documentation | VAE-430; VAE-660 for 8/8 IO and differential |
| Marine and offshore | Generator protection 87G, preferential trip, blackout auto-start, shore connection, switchboard feeders | Six current channels for 87G; multi-source sequences for blackout and shore connection | VAE-660; VAE-430 for single-ended |
| Rail and metro | AC traction distance and feeder protection, TSS differential, auto-reclosing; DC feeder relays and control-level DC | 16.7 Hz from PC mode; six channels for two-end schemes; DC limited to ±160 V / ±10 A | VAE-430 or VAE-660; neither does DCCB primary |
Device applications: the same instrument, a different test object
Beyond the industry pages, the same source is used on devices that are not protection relays. The common thread is a controller or a coil that expects a voltage, a current, a phase angle or a frequency, and issues a command that has to be timed. The device application pages explain the injection, the pass criterion and the limits for each test object.
- Relay test set as a programmable V/I source — the hub: three source modes, ten non-relay applications and the model boundaries.
- ATS and STS controller testing — two live sources, transfer logic and sync-check.
- Generator protection testing — 25/32/40/46/51V/64G/81/87G.
- Reactive power controller testing — power factor, switching delay and harmonic blocking.
- Tap changer controller testing — voltage band, Zcomp, Iblock and parallel control.
- COMTRADE playback and fault forensics — replay, mapping and repeatability limits.
- DC relay and trip coil testing — pickup, dropout, timing and the ±160 V boundary.
Selection in three questions
- How many sources must be live at once? A dual-source ATS or a two-end differential needs six voltage or six current channels. A single feeder test needs three current and one to three voltage channels.
- What is the highest burden? Electromechanical relays and long leads can load the source. The VAE-660 delivers up to 1000 VA on one phase; the VAE-430 delivers 900 VA on its single-phase parallel output.
- How much sequence and I/O? Transfer schemes, interlocking, trip-circuit monitoring and load shedding need binary inputs and outputs. The VAE-430 has 8 inputs and 4 outputs; the VAE-660 has 8 and 8.
What this section is not
Every page here describes secondary-injection testing. The test set injects voltages and currents into the relay terminals; it does not inject primary current, energise a switchgear bus, or certify an inverter. Where a test needs primary injection, a load bank, a class-society witness, or IEC 61850 Sampled Values, the page says so and the scope is handed to the appropriate method or supplier.
Related programs
- Substation commissioning — test plans, sequences and handover documentation.
- Transformer diagnostic testing — ratio, resistance, SFRA and tan delta.
- Field service and rental — additional test capacity or on-site engineers.
- Training and education — classroom and laboratory test sets.