Friday, January 25, 2019

Useful And Essential Facts About Hipot Tester

By Diane Bailey


The phrase hipot test means high potential or high voltage test. Another name used to refer to this test is dielectric withstand test. This is an analysis of electrical components that is done with the intention of checking for suitability of electrical insulation. The analysis is meant to ensure that there is no current leakage from one point to another in electrical devices. It is the opposite of continuity test. This is worth knowing about Hipot tester.

Hipot testing is supposed to be nondestructive to determine the adequacy of electrical insulation. The testing is high-voltage and it is applied to all electrical devices for a given period of time so as to ensure that the insulation is not marginal. The process involves the application of high amounts of voltage to the insulation.

Determining the availability of nicked or crushed insulation in a component is part of the goal of the process. Also, the process assists in identification of corrosive or conductive contaminants, stray wire strands, and braided shielding around conductors. By using hipot testing, one can easily identify terminal spacing problems and tolerance errors in cables. Compared to operating voltage, the voltage that is normally applied in this process is two times greater.

Hipot testing is normally carried out by use of hipot analyzers. A normal tester usually connects one side to earth while the second part of the tester is connected to conductor that needs to be analyzed. In the arrangement, there are two contact points to which conductors may be connected, the ground and voltage.

In the situation there exist two contacts for which connection is needed, then a person must connect one to the ground while the other one to the voltage. This type of connection is vital. It makes sure that contacts are isolated from other forms of contacts. A small current will flow from one conductor to the other when a massive voltage is applied when the insulation placed between the two conductors is not adequate.

The flow of that tiny current is normally acceptable. However, a breakdown of air or solid insulation is supposed not to happen in any case. It is understood that any product is normally subjected to normal everyday transient over voltages. That is why high voltage is normally applied in these tests. Therefore, the product should remain safe and operational in event such differences in voltages happen during the day.

While doing this analysis, varying standards are normally observed. The voltage should be applied for varying amounts of time as required by different standards. The test needs to be continued for a one-minute duration. This requirement is under IEC 06950. A typical rule of thumb requires applying 110 to 120 percent of operational voltage of the product. This is plus 1000 volts for 1 to 2 seconds.

There are also specifications for the amount of current that need to be applied. Currently, there are several different kinds of testers in the market that one can buy. Different testers are meant for different classes of products. As such, it is important to know which tester to use for certain applications.




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