Full current is expected to reach the desired destination when sent along a conductive wire under perfect conditions. However, some current is usually lost during the transmission, making this to be impossible in the real world. Several factors make some current to be lost during the transmission. However, this loss of current can be managed by insulating conductive wires using resistant sheath. This is what Insulation tester is all about.
In some cases, current is allowed to escape and get lost due to imperfection in the material used to insulate conductors. When this happens, a lot of harm is done to electrical circuits and machinery. For safety purposes, routine testing can help in determining if the insulation is performing well. Problems can be identified through routine tests before equipment failure or injury happens.
A cladding tester is usually used to carry out the testing. The tester tests the resistance of the insulating material to the flow of current thus, determining its integrity. There is very little loss of current for insulating materials of high quality. On the other hand, insulating materials of poor quality will allow large amounts of current to escape.
When measuring the quality of material used to make the sheath, different kinds of current are tested. Absorption, leakage and capacitive currents are the three main types of current tested. The current that occurs immediately when voltage is applied to conductors is referred to as capacitive current.
Capacitive current can be equated to the volume of water that comes out of a pipe immediately a tap is opened. Once the tap is opened, water usually flows out at a higher rate but as the pipe gets filled with water completely, the rate drops rapidly. For the case of a conductive material, the amount of current flow drops once the conductor becomes fully charged.
Just like capacitive current, absorption current initially flows in large amount before dropping. However, the rate at which absorption current drops is much lower compared to that of capacitive current. Potential energy is stored in the cladding making the flow of absorption current to drop gradually. When testing the cladding of a material using time resistance method, absorption current is a very important aspect.
The third type of current tested is leakage current, which is also called conduction current. Unlike the other currents which drop over time, this type of current is small and steady. The current occurs both over and through the insulating sheath. Sheath that deteriorates in quality over time causes the leakage current to increase as time passes. The increase in leakage current as resistance decreases is indicated by an insulation test meter.
There is a wide range of cladding testers in the market today. The various models of these products are made by manufacturers located in various countries. The quality of individual testers depends on the manufacturer of the equipment. Also, the various models of these devices in the market are used in different applications. There are testers that are meant for residential testing and those that are meant to be used in industries.
In some cases, current is allowed to escape and get lost due to imperfection in the material used to insulate conductors. When this happens, a lot of harm is done to electrical circuits and machinery. For safety purposes, routine testing can help in determining if the insulation is performing well. Problems can be identified through routine tests before equipment failure or injury happens.
A cladding tester is usually used to carry out the testing. The tester tests the resistance of the insulating material to the flow of current thus, determining its integrity. There is very little loss of current for insulating materials of high quality. On the other hand, insulating materials of poor quality will allow large amounts of current to escape.
When measuring the quality of material used to make the sheath, different kinds of current are tested. Absorption, leakage and capacitive currents are the three main types of current tested. The current that occurs immediately when voltage is applied to conductors is referred to as capacitive current.
Capacitive current can be equated to the volume of water that comes out of a pipe immediately a tap is opened. Once the tap is opened, water usually flows out at a higher rate but as the pipe gets filled with water completely, the rate drops rapidly. For the case of a conductive material, the amount of current flow drops once the conductor becomes fully charged.
Just like capacitive current, absorption current initially flows in large amount before dropping. However, the rate at which absorption current drops is much lower compared to that of capacitive current. Potential energy is stored in the cladding making the flow of absorption current to drop gradually. When testing the cladding of a material using time resistance method, absorption current is a very important aspect.
The third type of current tested is leakage current, which is also called conduction current. Unlike the other currents which drop over time, this type of current is small and steady. The current occurs both over and through the insulating sheath. Sheath that deteriorates in quality over time causes the leakage current to increase as time passes. The increase in leakage current as resistance decreases is indicated by an insulation test meter.
There is a wide range of cladding testers in the market today. The various models of these products are made by manufacturers located in various countries. The quality of individual testers depends on the manufacturer of the equipment. Also, the various models of these devices in the market are used in different applications. There are testers that are meant for residential testing and those that are meant to be used in industries.
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Find details about the benefits you get when you use an insulation tester. If you have any questions, see the main page at http://www.rossengineeringcorp.com.
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