Electrical Maintenance

Fundamentals

Note: presentation best viewed as

Notes Page
1
Objectives
 Define the unit of electricity and current
flow
 Define the three electrical qualities
present in electrical circuits.
 State and apply Ohm’s Law
 Measurement basics

2
Definitions
 Current (I): flow of electric charges per unit time,
measured in amperes or amps (A)
 Electromotive Force (emf) (E): a potential difference or
“electric pressure” which drives the flow of charges,
measured in volts (V)
 Resistance (R): an electrical circuit’s opposition to
current flow, measured in ohms (Ω)
 Conductor: a material which offers little resistance to
current flow, e.g. silver, copper, iron, etc…
 Insulator: a material which offers high resistance to
current flow, e.g. wood, paper, plastic, etc...

3
Types of Electricity
 Static Electricity - no motion of free
charges

 Current Electricity - motion of free charges

 Direct Current (DC)
 Alternating Current (AC)

4
DC vs. AC Current
Current
ia(t) Current
Ib(t)=2 cos 2πt

t -Time 0.5 1.0 Time

(secs)
DC
Current AC
Current

1_ Coulomb(C )
1_ Amp( A) =
1_ sec ond

5
Direct Current (DC)
 Current flow is unidirectional and of constant
magnitude. + -
+ -

Electron Flow

Conventional Current Flow

6
Alternating Current (AC)
 Current is constantly changing in
magnitude and direction at regular
intervals.
 Current is a function of time and usually
varies as a sine function.

I
t

7
Voltage – emf (electromotive force)
Voltage (E) – electrical pressure or force with which electrons
move

 Measured in volts

8
Electromotive force - Emf
Shutoff
Valve Switch

High
High Potential
Pressure

Water
Pump R-
Battery resistor

Low
Pressure E Low
Potential

9
Resistance/Impedance
Resistance / Impedance (R / Z or Ω) - opposition that an element or
material has to the flow of electrons

 Ohm’s Law states that one volt (E) will push one amp
of current (I) through one ohm (Ω) of resistance (R).
 Resistance (DC circuit); Impedance (AC circuit)
 Ohm’s Law formula: E=IR

10
 Ohm’s Law
 The amount of current flowing in an
electrical circuit
(I - Measured in amperage) is dependent
upon the value of electrical pressure (E -
I=
E
R
measured in volts) and the amount of
opposition to the flow of current (R -
measured in ohms).
E
I=
R
11
The Ohms Law Triangle

E = I ×R
E
E I=
R
I R E
R=
E R=
I
I

12
Ohm’s Law
Ohm’s Law – In an electrical circuit, the current
passing through a conductor between two points is
proportional to the potential difference (i.e. voltage
drop or voltage) across the two points, and inversely
proportional to the resistance between them.
 I = E/R 20 amps = 120 volts / ? ohms
In simpler terms; One volt (E) will push one amp of
current (I) through one ohm (Ω) of resistance (R)
E = IR 120 volts = 15 amps x ? ohms
 R = E/I 6 ohms = 120 volts / ? amps
 P = IE 60 watts = 20 amps / ? volts

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Power
 Electric power (P) is defined as the
amount of work done by an electric current.
 Measured in watts
 P=IxV
 P is the power (watt or W)
 I is the current (ampere or A)
 V is the potential difference (volt or V)

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Fundamental Concepts & Terms
R1
Kirchoff’s Voltage a b

and Current Laws v1

+ R2 v2
v4
 Kirchoff’s Voltage Law: R3
The algebraic sum of the d c

voltage (potential) v3 R5
differences in any loop
i1 v5
must equal zero.
 Kirchoff’s Current Law: i2
R1
The sum of current into a
junction equals the sum of i4
+
current out of the junction. vg
i3
15
Resistance in Series
 .
R1
a + - b

v1
+
+ v4 R2 v2
- -

Rtotal = R1 + R2 + R3 + .......
16
Resistance in Parallel
a

I1 + I2 + I3
+ R1 v1 R2 v2
v4
- - -

b
1 1 1 1
= + + + ......
Rtotal R1 R2 R3
17
Measuring Electrical Performance
 First and Foremost - follow proper safety
rules
 Common Electrical instruments
 Voltmeters
 Ammeters
 Ohmmeters
 Megohmmeters
 Wattmeters

18
Basic Instruments- Multimeters
 Combines reading of:
 Voltages
 Resistance
 Current

Analog Multimeter

Digital Multimeter
19
Digital Multimeters
Measurement Device Circuit Symbol

Voltage “Across” Voltmeter

V
Current “Through” Ammeter
A
Resistance “Across” Ohmmeter
(and Not in circuit) Ω

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GALVANOMETER

Moving coil
S

N Pointer

Coiled spring

21
Measuring Voltage

12.000

+
V A

Battery
V A
OFF
-
A CO M

22
Measuring Voltage
Voltage Drop
7.500

V A

Conductor
Resistance
V A
OFF
11.500

+ A COM

V A

Battery
V A
OFF
-
A COM

23
Measuring Current
.5000

Break circuit to connect

meter. Note: meter leads
V A

are moved to different

inputs for current testing.
V A
OFF

A COM

Battery

24
Measuring Current Cont’d

Never
clamp two
wires at
once!

25
Measuring Resistance
Verify zero Reading
setting of meter Resistance

0000 5000

V A
V A

V A
V A OFF
OFF

A COM
A COM

26
Megohmmeter (Megger)

27
Megger Testing

G
L E

28
Proof Testing & Procedure

Metal
Insulation
conduit

29
Testing Generators/Motors
 When testing
generators, motors, or
transformers each
winding/phase should
be tested in sequence
and separately while all
the other windings are
grounded. Testing this
way, the insulation
between phases is also
tested.

30
Power
 Electrical power is defined as the rate at
which electrical energy is supplied to a circuit
or consumed by a load.
 The watt (w) is the unit of power

work
P= = E ×I P
time
I E
Where E = volts and I = current
31
Measuring Power
Typical single-phase wattmeter connection.

Current
± A
A
± V
SOURCE

LOAD
Ammeter

Voltage

32
Measuring Power Cont’d
Typical single-phase wattmeter connection.

± A
THREE PHASE SOURCE

THREE PHASE LOAD

±
V

Measuring Power

± A
± V

33
Summary
 Review Objectives
 Question and Answer Session

34