MEASUREMENT OF HIGH CURRENT

HIGH DIRECT CURRENT

High magnitude direct currents are measured using a
resistive shunt of low ohmic value.
WHY??
In power systems, it is often necessary to measure high
currents, arising due to short circuits.
For conducting temperature rise and heat run tests on
power equipments like conductors, cables, circuit
breakers, etc., measurement of high currents are
required.
During lightning discharges and switching transients also,
large magnitudes of impulse and switching surge currents
occur, which require special measuring techniques at high
potential levels measuring techniques at high potential
levels.
HIGH ALTERNATING CURRENT
Measurement of power frequency currents are normally done using
current transformers only, as use of current shunts involves
unnecessary power loss.
 CURRENT TRANSFORMERS
They provide electrical isolation from high voltage circuits
in power systems.
Current transformers use d fo r extra high voltage(EHV)
systems are quite different from the conventional designs
as they have to be kept at very high voltages above the
ground.
A voltage signal proportional to the measuring current is
generated and is transmitted to the ground through an
electro-optical device. Light pulses proportional to the
voltage signal are transmitted by a glass-optical fiber
bundle to a photodetector and converted back into an
analog voltage signal.
Accuracies better than 0.5% have been obtained at rated
current as well as for high short circuit currents ± for high
short circuit currents.
HIGH FREQUENCY IMPULSE CURRENT
High impulse currents occur in lightning discharges,
electrical arcs and post arc phenomenon studies with
circuit breakers, and with electric discharge studies in
plasma physics studies in plasma physics.
The current amplitudes may range from few amperes to
few hundred kiloamperes. The rate of rise of such currents
can be as high as 10^6 kiloamperes. The rate of rise of
such currents can be as high as 10 to 1012A/s, and rise
times can vary from few microseconds to few
nanoseconds.
The methods that re frequently employed such that the
sensing device should be capable of measuring the signal
over a wide frequency band are:

i. Resistive Shunts
ii. Magnetic Potentiometers or Probes
iii. Faraday and Hall Effect Devices