Jumat, 21 September 2018

Useful Facts About Hipot Tester

By Paul Olson


High potential is normally abbreviated as hipot. It is a term used in reference to a specific form of electrical safety testing apparatus, called a hipot tester. These apparatuses are used to verify electrical insulation of finished appliances, cables and other devices composed of wires. Transformers, printed circuit boards, and electric motors are among such devices.

After a product/appliance has been manufactured or assembled, it is usually normal that there will be some level of current leakage. The amount of current leakage experienced is usually minimal and is caused by voltages and internal capacitance within the product. This leakage is normal and should be expected in every device. However, there are certain cases where excessive leakage current flow can occur due to various reasons.

Faults in the design or disintegration of product insulation among many other reasons may be the cause of the excessive leakage. These flaws often cause excessive leaking of current and may give rise to electrical shock for any individual that comes into contact with the defective appliance. The essence of a hipot test is to ensure and verify that the product has enough insulation so that the user of the device may not be electrocuted.

Dielectric Withstanding Voltage (DWV) is another term used in place of the term hipot test. This process involves application of a high voltage between the earth ground shielding and the conductor in the product that carry current. Exposure to excessive voltage causes resultant current flow through the product. A high potential tester is the gadget used in monitoring of this resultant current, which is also called leakage current.

This process of testing has its basis on a major assumption. The assumption is that if the device works safely without its insulation breaking after being exposed to high voltage, then it can work fine under normal working conditions. During normal operation, the device should be able to withstand standard voltage application. This assumption is the source of the term Dielectric Withstanding Voltage.

The test is aimed at stressing the insulator used in the appliance. Apart from stressing the insulator material, however, the test is additionally used to identify workmanship flaws in the product. The most critical monitored workmanship elements are minute spaces existing between the earth ground and current-carrying conductors. In ordinary environment of operation, shock, humidity, contaminants, shock, and dirt may fill these spaces.

When the gaps are closed, current is allowed to flow. Such conditions can be a major electrical hazard that must be corrected at the factory before the product is released into the market. Such defects cannot be detected by any other method besides DWV. Even though other methods may be used to attempt to resolve these problems, but they cannot be as effective as DWV.

A high potential tester is simply and electric device that manufacturers use to verify electrical insulation. It is comprised of a high-voltage source, current meter, and a switching matrix. The matrix is used to connect current meter and voltage source to all contact points in a cable. The testing process may be automated by the inclusion of a microcontroller and display.




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