For engineers, technicians and line workers needing a powerful, comprehensive and readily portable fault location system for use on low- and medium-voltage cables, the new STX40 from Megger provides an ideal solution.
This versatile and innovative system incorporates advanced safety features and seven fault locating methods, yet thanks to its innovative user interface and highly automated operation, it is fast and easy to use. A further key benefit is exceptional portability: the STX40 weighs up to 80 kg less than its predecessors, the SFX32 or the SFX40.
With IP43 ingress protection that makes it suitable for use indoors and outdoors, the STX40 can deliver surge energy of 2000 J at up to 32 kV and can be used for DC voltage decay prelocation, testing and burning at up 40 kV. It provides excellent results on legacy PILC cables as well as on XLPE- and EPR-insulated types.
To maximise user safety, the STX40 incorporates features that are usually found only on larger, non-portable test sets. These include the F-Ohm system, which warns users if the loop resistance between the cable shield and station ground exceeds a preset value, and the F-U system, which protects against dangerous touch-potential situations.
“Underground faults are a costly and disruptive headache for utilities and others who operate cable systems,” said Tony Walker, Applications Engineer of Megger.
“The key to minimising the cost and inconvenience that faults create is to locate them safely, quickly and accurately. We’ve developed our new STX40 to address this need. It’s easy to transport to the testing location and when it’s there, it provides all of the facilities needed to find the fault. Further, operating it is straightforward and intuitive, even for users who don’t work regularly on underground cables.”
Featuring an integrated time-domain reflectometer with a large 10.1-inch colour screen, the STX40 offers an extensive range of fault location methods. These include insulation resistance testing, time domain reflectometry (TDR), HV DC proof testing (DC hipot), burning, TDR-based pre-location (ARM) and transient pre-location methods (ICE, DECAY), surging/thumping in multiple voltage stages, sheath testing and sheath fault pinpointing.