samedi 22 septembre 2018

The Use Of A 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.

Upon the manufacture or assembly of an appliance or product, it is usual for some degree of electrical leakage to occur. However, the leakage is usually very low and is brought about by internal capacitance and voltages inside the appliance. It is normal for such leakage to occur and it needs to be expected of every device. There exist a number of instances where the leakage, for some reason, may be excess.

Excess leakage may be caused by break down of insulation in the product, design flaws or many other causes. Such flaws usually lead to excessive current leaking and may cause electrical shock to anyone that comes in contact with the faulty product. The importance of a hipot test is to verify and ensure that the product is sufficiently insulated so as not to cause shock to the operator.

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.

One major assumption is made in hipot testing. The assumption is that by applying excessive voltage, the insulation of the product should break, and if it does not, then the device should work fine under normal conditions. The appliance is supposed to be resilient against normal voltage, which is often applied in ordinary everyday use of most devices. It is this assumption that gives rise to the name Dielectric Withstanding Voltage.

The objective during testing is to stress the insulation in the product. However, apart from inducing stress on insulation, the test detects any workmanship defects that may be present. The workmanship monitoring focuses on the tiny gap spaces occurring between the earth ground and conductors that carry current in the device. In normal working environment, these small gaps can be closed by dirt, humidity, vibration, shock, or contaminants.

When these small gaps close, the flow of current is enabled. This flow of current can be a major electrical hazard. Prior to product release into the market, it must be tested verify that such hazards cannot occur. The only applicable method that can be used in the detection of this type of defects is DWV. This is true in spite of there being other viable methods.

Manufacturers use high potential testers to do the verification of electrical insulation. Often, this simple electric device comprises of a switching matrix, current meter, and a source for the high voltage. All the points located on the cable are connected to the high-voltage source and the current meter through the matrix. Including a display and a microcontroller helps to automate the testing process.




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