The need for a portable Insulation tester device is felt by many industries in Indonesia to check whether there is any leakage in the electricity supply because of faulty or worn down insulation material. Needless to say that testing insulation is important to ensure safety against electrical or fire hazards as well as for preventing damage to electrical appliances, machines and installations. The insulation material may become ineffective or damaged because of following reasons:-
- Poor quality insulation
- Voltage levels beyond material’s capacity
- Extreme high or low temperatures
- High levels of moisture in work environment
- Presence of dirt, oil or corrosive vapors
Normal human eye cannot detect improper insulation of every kind and so a need was always felt for a testing device which could give precise readings instantly and in any kind of work environment without putting the testing crew in danger. This need let to the development of device called insulation tester. In Indonesia, as well as globally, the most used, trusted and established brands are Megger Insulation Tester and Kyoritsu Insulation Tester. These devices are portable hand-held devices and give digital readings of insulation testing.
Insulation Testing Technology
The job of an insulation material is to prevent electric current coming in contact of other installations or surfaces as well as to stop any leakage and loss of current. So the transmission wire or appliances and their parts are covered with insulation material that offers resistance to the current flow from leaking out. The Insulation tester works by checking and reading the resistance levels of the insulation material at different locations of the current transmission and spots if there are any places where resistance is poor or below par. The Ohm’s law of electrical resistance is used in detecting levels of resistance. If any discrepancy is detected by smart testing devices like a Megger Insulation Tester or a Kyoritsu Insulation Tester then immediate action is taken to repair the faulty insulation by the maintenance crew. High resistance recorded by an insulation tester means the insulation is working fine and low readings indicate failing insulation. These devices use DC current generation for testing so that no harm is caused to insulation material or the appliance.
Testing scenarios
Insulation tester is used for conducting different kinds of tests under different circumstances. The insulation test or IR test is also called a “Megger” after the company which pioneered the development of Insulation testers. During the installation of a new machine, Megger Insulation tester or Kyoritsu Insulation Tester can detect bad insulation by applying DC current to the de-energized circuit. The testers have the built-in feature of generating this DC current. This test is known as the proof test. Some machines or transmission lines may be tested for resistance consistency across varying time periods. Such tests are known as “Spot reading tests”. Another insulation testing method is the “Step voltage testing” in which resistance of material is tested for different voltages and if resistance is found inconsistent, it means improper insulation.
Conclusion
Insulation testing is a very crucial testing instrument for industrial safety and troubleshooting. It prevents harm to equipments, machines and appliances and also provides safety against electrical hazards. The main benefit of insulation testing devices is that they are hand-held and portable devices and can provide instant results on a digital screen and can generate their own DC current for insulation testing tests so that no damage is caused to appliance or machine or to its insulting material.
