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Chapter 2

This document discusses different types of electromechanical instruments used to measure electrical quantities. It describes the deflecting, controlling, and damping forces that act within these instruments. Specifically, it focuses on the permanent magnet moving coil (PMMC) instrument, explaining how deflecting and controlling forces cause the pointer to move proportionally to the measured current. It also discusses how PMMC instruments can be used or modified as ammeters, voltmeters, galvanometers, and ohmmeters by adjusting components like shunt resistances or multipliers to scale measurements appropriately.

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khuzaim
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33 views

Chapter 2

This document discusses different types of electromechanical instruments used to measure electrical quantities. It describes the deflecting, controlling, and damping forces that act within these instruments. Specifically, it focuses on the permanent magnet moving coil (PMMC) instrument, explaining how deflecting and controlling forces cause the pointer to move proportionally to the measured current. It also discusses how PMMC instruments can be used or modified as ammeters, voltmeters, galvanometers, and ohmmeters by adjusting components like shunt resistances or multipliers to scale measurements appropriately.

Uploaded by

khuzaim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER 2

MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES


Electromechanical instruments
Instruments that carry out electrical measurements by using moving parts are known as
electromechanical.

Types of forces acting in an electromechanical instrument


1. Deflecting force
2. Controlling force
3. Damping force.
Deflecting force
Three forces are operating in the electromechanical mechanism (or movement) inside the
instrument
1. Deflecting force
2. controlling force
3. Damping force.
Deflecting force: The deflecting force causes the pointer to move from its zero position when
a current flows.

Controlling Force:
The functions of the controlling system are
(i) To produce a force equal and opposite to the deflecting force at the final steady position of
pointer in order to make the deflection of the pointer definite for a particular magnitude of
current. In the absence of a controlling system, the pointer will shoot beyond the final steady
position for any magnitude of current and thus the deflection will be indefinite.
(ii) To bring the moving system back to zero when the force causing the instrument moving
system to deflect is removed. Controlling force is usually provided by springs.

Damping force
A damping force is required to minimize (or damp out) the oscillations.

PERMANENT MAGNET MOVING COIL INSTRUMENT


In the permanent-magnet moving-coil (PMMC) instrument the deflecting force is magnetic.
When a current flows in a lightweight moving coil pivoted between the poles ·of a permanent
magnet, the current sets up a magnetic field that interacts with the field of the permanent
magnet. A force is exerted on a current-carrying conductor situated in a magnetic field
(Fleming’s left hand rule) Consequently, a force is exerted on the coil turns, as illustrated,
causing the coil to rotate on its pivots. The pointer is fixed to the coil, so it moves over the scale
as the coil rotates.
The controlling force in the PMMC instrument is provided by spiral springs. The springs retain
the coil and pointer at their zero position when no current is flowing. When current flows, the
springs "wind up"as the coil rotates, and the force they exert on the coil increases. The coil and
pointer stop rotating when the controlling force becomes equal to the deflecting force. The
damping force must be present only when the pointer is in motion. Therefore it must be
generated by the rotating coil. In PMMC, damping is done by eddy current. The coil frame is
made of aluminum, a non-magnetic conductor. The eddy current induced in the coil frame
generates flux that opposes the coil movement.

Scale of PMMC instrument:


The deflecting torque equation of a PMMC is given by:
TD=BLIND

Where,
B = Magnetic flux density
L = length of the conductor
I = current through the coil
D = diameter of the core
The above relation shows that there is a linear relationship between current (measurand) and the
deflecting torque. Therefore, simple PMMC type instruments have a linear scale.
GALVANOMETER
A galvanometer is essentially a PMMC instrument designed to be sensitive to extremely low
current levels. The simplest galvanometer is a very sensitive instrument with the type of center-
zero -scale the deflection system is arranged so that the pointer can be deflected to either right
or left of zero, depending on the direction of current through the moving coil. The scale may be
calibrated in micro amperes, or it may simply a millimeter scale.

DC AMMETER
An ammeter is always connected in series with a circuit in which current is to be measured. To
avoid affecting the current level in the circuit, the ammeter must have a resistance much lower
than the circuit resistance. The PMMC instrument is an ammeter. Pointer deflection is directly
proportional to the current flowing in the coil. Maximum pointer deflection is produced by a very
small current, and the coil is usually wound of thin wire that would be quickly destroyed by large
currents. For larger currents, the instrument must be modified so that most of the current to be
measured is shunted around the coil of the meter. Only a small portion of-the current passes
through the moving coil. A shunt, or very low resistance, is connected in parallel with the
instrument coil.

Ammeter Scale: If for example the total ammeter current is 10mA when the moving coil
instrument indicates FSD. Therefore, the meter scale can be calibrated for FSD to indicate
10mA. When the pointer indicates 0.5 FSD and 0.25 FSD, the current levels will be 5mA and
2.5mA, respectively. Thus the ammeter scale may be calibrated to linearly represent all current
levels from zero to 10mA.
Shunt Resistances: Higher the required FSD current of the ammeter, higher current magnitude
would be required to pass through shunt. Therefore lower value of shunt resistance would be
required in that case.
Voltmeter
The basic dc voltmeter is nothing but a permanent magnet moving coil PMMC
galvanometer. The coil current is directly proportional to the voltage across the coil. Therefore,
the scale of the PMMC meter could be calibrated to indicate voltage. The resistance is required
to be connected in series with the galvanometer to use it as a voltmeter. This series
resistance is called a multiplier. The main function of the multiplier is to limit the current
through the basic meter so that the meter current does not exceed the full scale deflection
value. The voltmeter measures the voltage across the two points of a circuit or a voltage
across a circuit component.

Voltmeter Scale: The scale of PMMC voltmeter is also linear.

Ohmmeter:
To measure the resistance with a moving coil galvanometer, we have to use internal battery in
series with galvanometer. This is to drive a current through the external unknown resistance and
the resulting current is then measured with a galvanometer. For the given diagram,
I= VB/Runknown
In selecting values for VB and deciding range for Runknown care must be taken that IGM does not
exceed 50µA. the ohmmeter is calibrated from right to left with 0 marked at extreme right and
infinity at extreme left.
Current is inversely proportional to the resistance according to Ohm's law, this is the reason that
scale of ohmmeter is non-linear. The current registered by the PMMC is proportional to 1/R, so
that a large current implies a small resistance.

Multi Range Ammeter:


The range of the basic d.c. ammeter can be extended by using number of shunts and a selector
switch. Such a meter is called multirange ammeter and is shown in the Fig. RI, R2, R3 and R4
are four shunts. When connected in parallel with the meter, they can give four different ranges.
The selector switch S is multiposition switch, having low contact resistance and high current
carrying capacity. The make before break type switch is used for the range changing. If the
ordinary switch is used, while range changing the switch remains open and full current passes
through the meter. The meter may get damaged due to such high current. So make before
break switch is used. The design of such switch is so that it makes contact with next terminal
before completely breaking the contact with the previous terminal.

Multirange Voltmeter:
In this arrangement, the multipliers are connected in a series string. The connections are
brought out from the junctions of the resistances. The selector switch is used to select the
required voltage range. When the switch S is at position V1, R1 + R2 + R3 + R4 acts as a
multiplier resistance. While when the switch S is at position V4 then the resistance R4 only acts
as multiplier resistance. The V4 is the lowest voltage range while V2 is the maximum voltage
range.

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