HIPOT Testing (Dielectric Strength Test)
HIPOT Testing (Dielectric Strength Test)
HIPOT Testing (Dielectric Strength Test)
Posted DEC 22 2011 by JIGUPARMAR in ENERGY AND POWER, PROTECTION with 14 COMMENT
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A minor disadvantage of the ac hipot tester is that if the circuit under test ha
s large values of Y capacitors, then, depending on the current trip setting of t
he hipot tester, the ac tester could indicate a failure. Most safety standards a
llow the user to disconnect the Y capacitors prior to testing or, alternatively,
to use a dc hipot tester.
The dc hipot tester would not indicate the failure of a unit even with high Y ca
pacitors because the Y capacitors see the voltage but don t pass any current.
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Step for HIPOT Testing
Only electrically qualified workers may perform this testing.
Open circuit breakers or switches to isolate the circuit or Cable that will be h
i-pot tested.
Confirm that all equipment or Cable that is not to be tested is isolated from th
e circuit under test.
The limited approach boundary for this hi-pot procedure at 1000 volts is 5 ft. (
1.53m) so place barriers around the terminations of cables and equipment under t
est to prevent unqualified persons from crossing this boundary.
Connect the ground lead of the HIPOT Tester to a suitable building ground or gro
unding electrode conductor. Attach the high voltage lead to one of the isolated
circuit phase conductors.
Switch on the HIPOT Tester. Set the meter to 1000 Volts or pre decide DC Voltage
. Push the Test button on the meter and after one minute observe the resistance re
ading. Record the reading for reference.
At the end of the one minute test, switch the HIPOT Tester from the high potenti
al test mode to the voltage measuring mode to confirm that the circuit phase con
ductor and voltage of HIPOT Tester are now reading zero volts.
Repeat this test procedure for all circuit phase conductors testing each phase t
o ground and each phase to each phase.
When testing is completed disconnect the HIPOT Tester from the circuits under te
st and confirm that the circuits are clear to be re-connected and re-energized.
To PASS the unit or Cable under Test must be exposed to a minimum Stress of pre
decide Voltage for 1 minute without any Indication of Breakdown. For Equipments
with total area less than 0.1 m2, the insulation resistance shall not be less th
an 400 MO. For Equipment with total area larger than 0.1 m2 the measured insulat
ion resistance times the area of the module shall not be less than 40 MOm2.
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Safety precautions during HIPOT Test
During a HIPOT Test, There may be at some risk so to minimize risk of injury fro
m electrical shock make sure HIPOT equipment follows these guidelines:
The total charge you can receive in a shock should not exceed 45 uC.
The total hipot energy should not exceed 350 mJ.
The total current should not exceed 5 mA peak (3.5 mA rms)
The fault current should not stay on longer than 10 mS.
If the tester doesn t meet these requirements then make sure it has a safety inter
lock system that guarantees you cannot contact the cable while it is being hipot
tested.
For Cable:
Verify the correct operation of the safety circuits in the equipment every time
you calibrate it.
Don t touch the cable during hipot testing.
Allow the hipot testing to complete before removing the cable.
Wear insulating gloves.
Don t allow children to use the equipment.
If you have any electronic implants then don t use the equipment.
The answer has to do with the capacitance of the load being tested. Capacitive
Reactance (Xc) changes as a function of frequency as seen in formula Xc = 1/2pfC
. Therefore, if we are testing a 15 kV cable of approximately 10,000 feet the c
apacitance would be around 1uF. Based on the formula the capacitive reactance a
t 60 Hz would be 2650 ohms. To apply the IEEE recommended 22 kV test voltage, i
t would require a power supply rated for 8.3 amps, or 183 kVA. Not very practic
al as a portable field unit.
If the frequency, however, is dropped to 0.1 Hz, the capacitive reactance become
s 1.6 megohms. The same 22 kV would only draw 14 mA or 0.303 kVA. Therefore, t
he size, weight and portability of the power supply become convenient for field
use.
AC hipots of the power frequency variety are used worldwide for testing vacuum b
ottles, switchgear, reclosures, circuit breakers, etc. These units will typical
ly offer ratings of 3 to 7 kVA. VLF hipots are the preferred for testing high c
apacitance loads such as cable, large rotating machinery and occasionally large
insulators, arrestors and such.
At Protec Equipment Resources we carry a vast inventory of both power frequency
AC hipots and VLF style AC hipots from leading manufactures like HV Diagnostics
and High Voltage Incorporated. Still unsure on which style best meets your need
s? Consult with our expert staff and be sure you have the right tool for your j
ob!