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Electrical Safety - EEE1021

Experiment – 6

Aim:
To study about the Measurement of Insulation resistance withstand of cables.

Need for Insulation Resistance Test:

• Since the insulation system cannot always be perfect, a small current called the "leakage current" can flow
through the equipment which comprises the insulation.
• If the insulation deteriorates, this leakage can become large whereby necessitating a high resistance to
current, which in turn necessitates the requirement to sustain high resistance for a long time.
• Harsh installation environments (especially with temperature extremes and/or chemical contamination)
accelerate the process of degradation of insulation system that protects the current carrying conductor of
the equipment.

Why D.C Test for A.C cable?

Line charging current in AC more over poses serious problems in cables

• As length increases (for a lightly loaded system) the capacitance increases.
• Receiving end voltage becomes more than sending end voltage (Ferranti Effect in the case of Overhead
lightly loaded/ no load transmission line)

Factors influencing insulation deterioration

Major factors that can influence the process of degradation of insulation include

• Electrical stresses: Mainly linked to overvoltage

Dielectric loss = 2TfCV2 tang
• Mechanical Stresses and balancing problems on rotating machinery and any direct stress to the cables and
the installations in general (called "chafing") .
• Chemical stresses: The proximity of moisture, chemicals, oils, corrosive vapours and dust, in general, affects
the insulation performance of the materials (Ex: Water treeing).
• Stresses linked to temperature variations: When combined with the mechanical stresses caused by the
start-up and shutdown sequences, expansion and contraction stresses affect the properties of the insulation.
Operation at extreme temperatures also leads to aging.
• Environmental contamination causes aging acceleration of insulation.
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Significance of IR Withstand Test

Wear and tear can reduce the electrical resistivity of the insulating materials, thus increasing leakage currents that
lead to incidents which may be serious in terms of both safety (people and equipment) and the costs of production
stoppages .
• Important to identify this deterioration quickly so that corrective steps can be taken.
• In addition to the measurements carried out on new and reconditioned equipment during commissioning,
regular insulation testing on installations and equipment helps to avoid such incidents through preventive
maintenance.
• These tests detect ageing and premature deterioration of the insulating properties before they cause severe
damages.
• This test is often used as a customer acceptance test, with minimum insulation resistance per unit length
often specified by the customer.
• Results obtained from IR Test are not intended to be useful in finding localized defects in the insulation as in
a true "HIPOT" test, but rather gives information on the quality of the bulk material used as the insulation.
• Wire and cable manufacturers use IR tests to track their insulation manufacturing processes, and spot
developing problems before.

Reference Standards:
• NFPA 70:2014, "National Electric Code"
• Brian Scaddan, "IEE Wiring Regulations- Explained and Illustrated", 6th Edition, Newnes, 2002. "The
Complete Guide to Electrical Insulation Testing" Megger, 2006.
• ANSI/NETA MTS-2011, "Standard for Maintenance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment and
Systems", 2011.
• IEEE 43:2013, "IEEE Recommended Practice for Testing Insulation Resistance of Electric Machinery", 2013.
• IS 732: 2005, "Code of Practice for Electrical Wiring Installation", 2005.

Generic Setup of Insulation Resistance Withstand Tester:

Working of IR Withstand Test Kit:

• Voltage for testing is supplied by a hand generator incorporated in the instrument or by battery or electronic
voltage charger.
o Usually 250 V or 500 V and is smaller in size
o Test volt of 500 V D.C is suitable for testing equipment operating at 440V A.C.
o Test voltage of 1000 V to 5000 V is used for high voltage equipment (beyond 1 kV)
• The current carrying coil (deflecting coil) is connected in series & carries the current taken by the circuit
under test. The pressure coil is connected across the circuit
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• Current limiting resistor - CCR and PCR are connected in series

with pressure and current coil to prevent damage in case of low resistance in the external source
• In hand generator, the armature is moving in the field of a permanent magnet (or vice versa), to generate a
test voltage by electromagnetic induction effect
• With an increase of voltage across the external circuit, the deflection of the pointer increases, with an
increase of current, the deflection of pointer decrease so the resultant torque on the movement is directly
proportional to the potential difference and inversely proportional to the resistance
• When the external circuit is open, torque due to voltage coll will be maximum and the pointer will read
"infinity". When there is short circuit the pointer will read "0".

Insulation Resistance Test for Electrical Components and Equipment:

As per Indian Electricity (IE) Rules

• At a pressure of 1000 V applied between each live conductor and earth for a period of one minute the
insulation resistance of HV installations shall be at least 1 Mega ohm or as specified by the Bureau of Indian
Standards.
• Medium and Low Voltage Installations: - At a pressure of 500 V applied between each live conductor and
earth for a period of one minute, the insulation resistance of medium and low voltage installations shall be
at least 1 Mega-ohm or as specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards from time to time

IR Value for Electrical Cables and Wiring

For insulation testing, it is essential to disconnect from panel or equipment and keep them isolated from power
supply. The wiring and cables need to test between phases (phase to phase) and phase with the ground (E). The
Insulated Power Cable Engineers Association (IPCEA) provides the formula to determine minimum insulation
resistance values.

• R = K x log 10 (D/d)
• R = IR Value in MQ per 1000 feet (305 meters) of cable
• K= Insulation material constant - D = Outside diameter of conductor insulation for single conductor wire and
cable
• D = d +2c + 2b diameter of single conductor cable
• d - Diameter of conductor
• C - Thickness of conductor insulation
• b - Thickness of jacket insulation
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IR Value Measurement (Conductors to Conductor-Cross Insulation):

• The first conductor for which cross insulation is being measured shall be connected to Line terminal of the IR
tester.
• The remaining conductors are looped together (with the help of crocodile clips) i. e. Conductor 2 and
onwards, are connected to Earth terminal of IR tester
• Conductors at the other end are left free
• Now rotate the handle of IR tester or press push button of IR tester. The reading of meter will show the cross
insulation between conductor 1 and rest of the conductors
• Insulation reading shall be recorded
• Now connect next conductor to Line terminal of the IR tester & connect the remaining conductors to earth
terminal of the IR tester and take measurements.

IR Value Measurement (Conductor to Earth Insulation)

• Connect conductor under test to the Line terminal of the megger
• Connect earth terminal of the megger to the earth.
• Rotate the handle of megger or press push button of megger
• The reading of meter will show the insulation resistance of the conductors.
• Insulation reading shall be recorded after applying the test voltage for about a minute till a steady reading is
obtained
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