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Since the 1950’s vacuum has been used as insulation media in switchgears. Even though that technology has proven to be very reliable, over time air will leak into the vacuum chamber and degrade the insulation. Also, a good practice is to measure after transport or accidents. The accepted way to test the vacuum integrity has always been through a voltage withstand test. For field tests DC test is preferred due to the weight andsize of the instruments.

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In the UK, we have two common power systems supplying locomotives. A 25 kV overhead line system and a 750 V third rail system. Both systems use the track as a return path for current flow (see figures 1 and 2).

The Narrow Band Dielectric Frequen-cy Response (NBDFR) test method consists of a series of power factor measurements ranging from 1 to 1000 hertz. This aggregate of the CHL (pri-mary to secondary) measurements constitutes the dielectric response of the test specimen. The subsequent evaluation consists of a geometric analysis of a plot where the mea-sured power factors and correspond-ing frequencies are graphed. As an insulation system ages, the response migrates towards the high frequency end of the plot. When the frequency corresponding to the lowest magni-tude within the response (the trough) is used as a reference point, the move-ment of the response may be quanti-fied; enabling the transformer may be classified in terms of condition.

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The original design of electrical test instrumentation was often focused on taking a measurement and little else. A lot of the operation and interpretation was left to the operator. This was fine for people who liked the challenge or had experience. But it could be tough on apprentices, new hires, and those who were simply handed the instrument with no training.Constant improvement in instrumentation has addressed these problems by adding to the capabilities of the instrument. Some are for convenience, some safety and some the advancement in technology over the years that helps standardize testing and provide more accurate results. A prime example is that of insulation testers. Let’s examine some of the key improvements in features and functions, and what they mean to the operator.

When considering earth (ground) testing, people will often ask about what type of test leads should be used. This includes questions about the type of wire used, the resistance of the leads and the length of the leads, as well as concerns over safety. Fortunately, most of the answers to these questions are addressed by the design of the earth tester itself.

One of the simplest and most common electrical tests performed by electricians and test technicians today is the continuity test. This test option is featured on most multi-meters and insulation testers. The continuity test is simple to perform – connect two leads across opposite ends of the item under test (IUT), press the test button, and the instrument quickly provides a resistance reading. A low reading is considered good and a high reading bad. In fact, this test is so simple that it is often used for applications that actually require a more demanding performance from the test instrument. In this note we’ll look at some of these applications and the resulting requirements that highlight the differences between a low resistance ohmmeter (DLRO) and a digital multi-meter (DMM) – and the importance of using a DLRO to find issues that a DMM cannot.

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Winding resistance measurements are conducted for detecting various faults in transformers – including shorted turns, loose connections, broken strands, and malfunctioning tap changer mechanisms. Winding resistance test sets such as the MTO106 are also capable of testing electric rotating machinery – motors and generators. Winding resistance measurements detect problems in a motor that other tests may not find. These problems include partial or fully shorted coils, poor crimps/connections, imbalance between phases (improper turns on a phase), and incorrect coil (phasing) connections.