Instructions in Locating Earth Faults
Instructions in Locating Earth Faults
Instructions in Locating Earth Faults
Phone : +45 45 16 62 00
Fax : +45 45 16 62 62
e-mail : [email protected]
Eegholm 24V UPS NOT installed (supply from ship 24V battery or other type of UPS).
With all fuses out (or as many as possible for removing the earth fault), check that an earth fault is no longer present by
checking the earth resistance measurement device.
Then try to put in the fuses for one consumer at the time until the earth resistance measurement device is indicating
earth fault. Pull out the fuses for this consumer again. Continue to check one consumer at the time until You have
checked all output fuses.
Now You know which system(s) to look in, to find the earth failure.
Inside the outstation for UCS2100, normally the digital inputs are the ones with earth fault. Switch on the power only to
the outstation with earth fault, and measure with a multimeter the voltage from +24 to ground (hull). If there is no earth
fault the voltage should be close to half the supply. If the supply is 24 V, the voltage from +24 to ground should be
aprox. 12 V. If the voltage is close to 0 V from +24 to ground (hull) the earth fault is in a +24 V wire. If the voltage is
close to 24 V, the earth fault is on a 0V wire.
The digital input modules are located on modules named DEM401 and REM401. The modules have +24V on plugs
with even numbers (X2, 4, 6, 8) and 0V on plugs with odd numbers (X1, 3, 5, 7). Disconnect all input plugs (X1 to X8)
on all DEM401, and all input plugs (X1 to X4) on all REM401 modules in the outstation with earth fault. Then try to
connect one plug at the time until You have an earth fault. After this You can check each wire on the plug with earth
fault. When You have located the wires with earth fault, check the I/O list found in the Lyngso manuals to determine
which sensor that had the problem.
If the earth fault can not be located to a digital input, the earth fault could be on an analog input. 4-20 mA inputs are
normally connected like this:
_
+
0V
All earth fault finding on analog inputs are done with the power to the outstation off.
With the power to the outstation off, remove the plugs on all analog modules (AEM402 (X1 to X4) , MXM401 (X1 to
X8), MXM402 (X1 to X8)).
As the connections from the input modules -(minus) connection to the 0V terminal block are internal, it is very
unlikely that the earth fault is on this connection, but check this anyway by measuring the resistance from the 0V
terminal block to ground (hull). The resistance should be more than 5 Mohms.
Then measure resistance from the +24V terminal block to ground (hull). The resistance should also be more than 5M
ohms. If there is an earth fault on the +24V terminal block, there is only one way (the hard way) to locate this earth
fault:
Remove all wires on the +24V terminal block. Remember to mark them, so they can be inserted in the same terminal
again, as the input/output list delivered from Lyngso Marine specifies the terminal number for each sensor to ease fault
finding. Keep in mind however, that the shipyard could have mixed up the wire connections, or not paid attention to the
terminal numbers specified by Lyngso Marine.
Therefore it is easiest to find the sensor with the earth fault, if You measure the resistance to ground (hull) on the
screws in the plugs that You have disconnected from the input module. Keep in mind that some sensors have a build in
diode that prevents measurement in the opposite direction (see drawing), in case the earth fault is in the wire on the
other side of the sensor towards the +24V terminal block. Therefore make sure that You measure the resistance to
ground (hull) a second times with opposite polarity on each screw.
Once You have found the wire(s) with the earth fault(s), refer to the UCS2100 Input/Output list to identify the sensor,
and then check this sensor. The most common reasons for earth faults are water/oil in the sensor, a bad connection with
threads of wire touching the chassis at the sensors connection point, or a damaged wire inside or close to the sensor.
After locating all earth faults, keep these wires disconnected both at the +24V terminal block as well as on the
UCS2100 module, until You have cleared the problem(s). Connect the rest of the wires and plugs and start up the
outstation again. Check that all earth faults are gone.