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EENG465
Electrical Wiring and
Installation
Chapter 2:
Earthing systems
Part I:
Insulation faults and consequences
Outline
1. Definition of insulation
2. Causes of insulation faults
3. Hazards linked to insulation faults
• Risk of electric shock
• Fire hazards
• Unavailability of electrical power
4. Managing the electrical hazard
• Direct contact protection measures
• Indirect contact protection measures
5. Minimum Values for Insulation Resistance
6. Test Using Multi-Voltage Megger Test
7. Problems
Earthing systems-Part I-Insulation faults and consequences-
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2.1 Definition of Insulation
• Insulation is achieved by:
o Insulating material which is a non-conducting material with a
sufficiently high electrical resistivity and a dielectric strength
sufficiently high Adequate thermal and mechanical properties.

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2.2 Causes of insulation faults
• Insulation faults causes:
omechanical deterioration of a cable insulator
odust with a varying degree of conductivity
othermal ageing of insulators due to excessive temperatures caused by:
climate, too many cables in a duct, a poorly ventilated cubicle,
harmonics, overcurrent, etc,
oThe electrodynamics forces developed during a short-circuit
oThe operating and lightning overvoltage,
oThe 50 Hz return overvoltage, resulting from an insulation fault in MV.
oA combination of these primary causes
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• Insulation fault can be either:
oBetween the live conductors(for example phase to phase fault)

oBetween live conductors and the exposed conductive parts or earth.

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 2.3 Hazards linked to insulation faults
Electric Shock
• Risk of electric shock
An electric shock is the patho-physiological
effect of an electric current

• how an electric shock occurs?

An electric shock is the result of you
becoming part of a circuit

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• Direct and indirect contact

Live Parts: Dead Parts:

Energized Example: Metal
conductive Chassis of an
components equipment
Example a
conductor

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• Contact voltage UC

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• Contact voltage UC

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 Effect of AC current when passing in a human body

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 Effect of AC current when passing in a human body

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 Effect of AC current when passing in a human body

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Electric shock

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Hazards linked to insulation
Fire Hazards

• Large number of fires is caused by high temperatures or by an electric

arc generated by an insulation fault.

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Hazards linked to insulation faults
Unavailability of electrical power

• If the part in fault is automatically disconnected to eliminate the fault,

it can result in a risk for persons, for example:
o Sudden absence of lighting,
o Placing the equipment required for safety purposes out of service,
o Economic Impact due to production loss.
o Damage, in the installations or the loads, which can lead to tardiness (delay)
and maintenance costs
o It can disturb sensitive equipment in case of a phase to earth faults, especially
if they are part of a low current system
o Malfunctioning or even the damage of some sensitive equipment.

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 2.4 Managing the electrical hazard

Direct contact Indirect contact

protection protection
measures measures

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2.6.1 Direct contact protection measures

oThe physical prevention of contact with live

parts by barriers, insulation, inaccessibility,

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 2.6.2 Indirect contact protection measures
• Two levels of protective measures exist for
this case:
o First level: The earthing of all exposed-
conductive-parts of electrical equipment in
the installation and the constitution of an
equipotential bonding network.

o Second level: Automatic disconnection of

the supply of the section of the installation
concerned,

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2.5 Minimum Values for Insulation Resistance
a) Single Core Cable
The standard minimum values (for single-conductor cable) are based on the following
formula:

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HW1: for PVC – 75 insulation, single core conductor 5 Awg, length of wire is 80 meter
HW2: Make table of conversion between AWG and mm2

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b) Multi - Core Cable

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2.6 Tests Using Multi-Voltage Megger Insulation Test
The technique involves the application of two or more DC voltages, and critically
observing any reduction of insulation resistance at the higher voltage. Any marked or
unusual reduction in insulation resistance for a prescribed increase in applied voltage
is an indication of incipient weakness.

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2.7 Problems – Part I
Problem 1
Consider a 230/400V source; an electrician wants to
verify if the phase conductors are well supplied.
He touched the conductor L3 with a screwdriver
tester; this tester consists of a metallic armature, a 56
kΩ resistance, and a Neon light, all placed in series.
The electrician has the feet on the floor. The source’s
neutral is grounded via a resistance Rn=20Ω.
Assume that the electrician’s body resistance
Rc=2kΩ .
We neglect the voltage drop, due to the light and
other resistances of contact (hand, screw feet, floor).
The tester works with putting its tip on a live
conductor and the circuit will be completed using the
human’s body holding the tester. Current will flow in
a short bit and turns the light on.
a) Sketch the circuit containing the circulating
current .
b) Calculate Ic.
c) Is the electrician in danger? Justify.
d) The electrician repeated the test but he is now
sitting on a stool with resistor assumed to be
1MΩ .
i. Draw the new circuit
ii. Calculate the new current Ic
iii. What would he notice
e) Always setting on a stool, with the first hand
on the tester, he puts the other hand on a water
pipe (copper) connected to the ground of a
0.4mΩ resistance
i. Sketch the new circuit containing the circulating
current .
ii. Calculate the new current Ic
iii. What would he notice?
Problem 1
b) Sketch the circuit containing the circulating current .

b) Calculate Ic
c) Is the electrician in danger? Justify.
According to the figure showing the effect of the AC current on the human body the current 3.69mA is
in zone AC-2, where the electrician will percept an electric shock and since this current is less than
5mA so for an infinite time the electrician is not in danger.
d) The electrician repeated the test but he is now sitting on a stool with resistor assumed to be 1MΩ .
i. Draw the new circuit

ii. Calculate the new current Ic

iii. What would he notice

The presence of the stool increases the total resistance
of the circuit so the lamp will weakly light since Ic will decrease
e) Always setting on a stool, with the first hand on the tester, he puts the other hand on a water pipe (copper)
connected to the ground of a 0.4mΩ resistance
i. Sketch the new circuit containing the circulating current .

i. Calculate the new current Ic

i. What would he notice?

The lamp lights Normally