Current affairs

Stefaan Volkaert of STEVO Electric outlines the company’s latest developments.

“These contacts - along with market research - have led to the development of an innovative system, which will make it possible to meet every specific requirement”
-Stefaan Volkaert

STEVO Electric Ltd. is a company with its main activity specialised in the delivery and support of test equipment used in HV networks for the BENELUX market.

Since 2003 it has also been active in the development of equipment for carrying out tests and controls of high-speed DC breakers. As a result, STEVO Electric supplies a mobile high-current generator, which has been on the market since 2004, for adequately testing high-speed DC breakers in the transport sector, such as are found in trains, subways, trams and trolleys. This includes infrastructure as well as traction substations and rolling stock.

This activity includes development, production and commercialisation of what is actually STEVO Electric's second important market segment. The DC current generator BALTO 6.000A is a high current generator of which the development is chiefly based on the functional specifications of different railway companies.

Since 2004, STEVO Electric has been testing the BALTO 6.000A system worldwide in several traction domains - traction substations and rolling stock - to which high-speed DC breakers are applied. Moreover, STEVO Electric maintains close contacts with manufacturers of high-speed DC breakers, which is essential for homologations for testing of the equipment in question.

These contacts - along with market research - have led to the development of an innovative system, which will make it possible to meet every specific requirement. 

BALTO 6.000A/13.000A DC
The BALTO 6.000A system has been designed to generate very high test-currents for operational testing of high-speed DC circuit breakers. These high test-currents are injected on the main circuit of the high-speed DC circuit breakers. With these tests, complete circuits of current transducers, current-conducting parts, connecting parts and protection relays can be checked.

For the construction and assembling of the BALTO system, special care has been taken for ease of transportation between different traction substations and switching panels. This mobility is a major practical advantage for carrying out tests on high-speed DC circuit breakers, which are installed on rolling stock.

Installation, assembly and connection of the BALTO system can be done rapidly and without extensive training. All components are portable and transport is convenient and easily carried out.

The BALTO 6.000A system has three operation modes - an automatic mode, a manual mode and a micro ohm-measurement mode; each one with registered measured quantities. For injection currents up to 13.000A DC, two BALTO 6.000A systems are parallel connected, in a master-slave configuration.

AC Application
Concerning the AC applications, STEVO Electric has a gamma of test equipment at its disposal for controlling the AC Vacuum Circuit Breaker 50Hz for traction vehicles.

In the first instance, the intention of STEVO Electric was to distribute test equipment for the energy sector - high and low voltage - in Belgium, Luxemburg and for some representatives in the Netherlands.

The contacts in the transport sector showed a need for mobile test equipment for testing high-speed DC breakers. Representatives at international congresses and venues have equally put these needs forward.

Stefaan Volkaert is founder and General Manager of STEVO Electric, which was founded at the end of 1999. Volkaert previously spent five years working with ABB in the robotics domain. Since 1989, he has been part of the sales team working in the domain of high-voltage equipment, such as security, net control and SCADA.