Insulation Tester

The Insulation Resistance Test is the second test required by the electrical safety testing
standards. The Insulation Resistance Test consists in measuring the Insulation resistance
of a device under test, while phase and neutral are short circuited together. The measured
resistance has to be higher than the indicated limit from the international standards.
A megohmmeter (also called insulation resistance tester, teraohmmeter) is then used to
measure the ohmic value of an insulator under a direct voltage of great stability.
To measure a high value resistance, techniques for measuring a low value current are used. A
constant voltage source is applied to the resistance to be measured and the resulting current is
read on a highly sensitive ammeter circuit that can display the resistance value.
Two types of ammeter circuits are used on our range of insulation resistance tester, each
circuit being chosen depending on the resistance values to be measured.

INSULATION TEST
Its objective is to measure the ohmmic value of the insulation under a direct voltage of great
stability, generally 50, 100, 250, 500, or 1000 VDC. The ohmmic value of the insulation
resistance is expressed in megohms (MΩ). To conform to specific standards, the insulation
resistance test can be performed under voltages up to 1500VDC. Due to the stability of the
voltage source, it is possible to adjust the test voltage by steps of 1 volt.
The stability of the voltage is critical; a non regulated voltage will drop sharply in presence of
a bad insulation which will cause an erroneous measurement.

Introduction
An insulation tester can be used to determine the integrity of
windings or cables in motors, transformers, switchgear, and
electrical installations. The test method is determined by the
type of equipment being tested and the reason for testing. For
instance, when testing electrical cabling or switchgear (low-
capacitance equipment) the time-dependent capacitive leakage
and absorption leakage currents become insignificant and
decrease to zero almost instantly. A steady conductive leakage
current flow is reached almost instantly (a minute or less)
providing perfect conditions for the spot-reading/shorttime
resistance test using an insulation tester. On the other hand,
when the equipment to be tested is a long run of cable, large
motor, or generator (high-capacitance equipment) the time-dependent currents will last for
hours. These currents will cause the meter readings to change constantly, making it
impossible to obtain an accurate steady reading. This condition can be overcome by using a
test that establishes a trend between readings, such as the step voltage or dielectric-absorption
test. These tests do not depend on a single reading but on a collection of relative readings. It
would be a waste of time to perform these tests on low capacitance equipment since the time-
dependent currents diminish quickly, resulting in all the measurements being the same.

Installation testing
The most important reason for using an insulation tester is to insure public and personal
safety. By performing a high dc voltage test between de-energized current- carrying (hot),
grounded, and grounding conductors, you can eliminate the possibility of having a life-
threatening short circuit or short to ground. This test is usually performed after the initial
installation of the equipment. This process will protect the system against miswired and
defective equipment, and it will insure a high quality installation, customer satisfaction, and
protect against fire or shock.

Maintenance testing
The second most important reason for using an insulation tester is to protect and prolong the
life of electrical systems and motors. Over the years, electrical systems are exposed to
environmental factors such as dirt, grease, temperature, stress, and vibration. These
conditions can lead to insulation failure, resulting in loss of production or even fires. Periodic
maintenance tests can provide valuable information about the state of deterioration and will
help in predicting possible failure of the system. Correcting problems will result not only in a
trouble-free system, but will also extend the operating life for a variety of equipment.

Insulation Resistance and Leakage Currents

What are insulation resistance and leakage currents? During the testing procedure, the high dc
voltage generated by pressing the test button will cause a small (micro-amps) current flow
through the conductor and the insulation. The amount of current depends on the amount of
voltage applied, the system’s capacitance, the total resistance, and the temperature of the
material. For a fixed voltage, the higher the current, the lower the resistance (E=IR, R=E/I).
The total resistance is the sum of the internal resistance of the conductor (small value) plus
the insulation resistance.

The value of insulation resistance read on an insulation tester will be a function of following
three independent sub-currents. Conductive current is a small (micro-amp) amount of current
that normally flows through insulation, between conductors or from a conductor to ground.
This current increases as insulation deteriorates and becomes predominant after the
absorption current vanishes. Because it is fairly steady and time independent, this is the most
important current for measuring insulation resistance. Capacitive charging leakage current
When two or more conductors are run together in a raceway, they act as a capacitor. Due to
this capacitive effect, a leakage current flows through conductor insulation. This current
lastsonly for a few seconds as the dc voltage is applied and drops out after the insulation has
been charged to its full test voltage. In low-capacitance equipment, the capacitive current is
higher than conductive leakage current, but usually disappears by the time we start recording
the data. Because of this, it is important to let the reading “settle out” before recording it. On
the other hand, when testing high capacitance equipment the capacitive charging leakage
current can last for a very long time before settling out.

Polarization absorption leakage current Absorption current is caused by the polarization of

molecules within dielectric material. In low-capacitance equipment, the current is high for the
first few seconds and decreases slowly to nearly zero. When dealing with high capacitance
equipment or wet and contaminated insulation, there will be no decrease in the absorption
current for a long time.
Source: Fluke Corporation

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Me : Assalamu'alaikum Mas Eko, kbr sehat-baik? 3:21 PM

 sy mau tanya ni? 3:21 PM

Mas Lab : waalaikum salam wr wb 3:22 PM

alhmdulillah baik 3:22 PM

ini fauzan atabiq ya? 3:22 PM

Me : Iya Mas? 3:22 PM

Mas Lab : alhamdulillah gimana kabar dik? 3:22 PM

Me : sudah d Batam 3:22 PM

kegunaan dari insulation tester ap ya Mas? 3:22 PM

Mas Lab : menguji tahanan isolasi dik 3:23 PM

misal ada kabel fase netral 3:23 PM

tegangan fase netral 220v 3:24 PM

maka tahanan isolasinya minimal 1000x220 ohm 3:24 PM

kalau kurang berarti kabel udah tidak layak lagi 3:24 PM

Me : berarti aturannya 1000x tegangan yang d ukur? 3:25 PM

atau ada standard2 nilai tertentu Mas? 3:25 PM

Mas Lab : iya dik 3:26 PM

bisa dibaca di PUIL 2000 3:26 PM

Me : ada d PUIL? baik, terimakasih 3:26 PM

Mas Lab : tapi teknisnya harus diperhatikan dik; 3:26 PM

matikan sumber tegangan 3:26 PM

lepas seluruh beban yang terhubung 3:27 PM

atau aplikasi lain yang sering menggunakan insulation tester adalah

dalam pengujian motor dik 3:27 PM
tuk nguji ada tidak isolasi kawat gulungan yang lecet sehingga
menurunkan isolasinya 3:28 PM

terutama jika habis dililit ulang 3:28 PM

sering ada yg lecet 3:28 PM

kalau sampai ada yang tahanan isolasinya terlalu kecil maka perlu
dillilit ulang lagi karena ada terjadi short circuit