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Tan Delta testing - Principle and
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Tan Delta testing - Principle and Method
Tan Delta is a a diagnostic test conducted on the insulation of cables Piezoelectric power technology--using
and windings. It is used to measure the deterioration in the cable. It
pressure generated by people walking
also gives an idea of the aging process in the cable and enables us to
predict the remaining life of the cable. It is alternatively known as the to produce electricity--has been used in
loss angle test or the dissipation factor test. small applications before. Rotterdam
has a human-powered dance club,
Principle
English
The Tan Delta test works on the principle that any insulation in its pure supermarket
state acts as a capacitor. The test involves applying a very low Sainsbury's
frequency AC voltage. The voltage is generally double the rated features people-
voltage of the cable or winding.
powered
A low frequency causes a higher value of capacitive reactance which checkout lines,
leads to lesser power requirement during the test. Besides, the and a Tokyo
currents will be limited
subway station runs turnstiles and
enabling easier
measurement. displays with piezoelectric power. But
Toulouse, France, recently became the
In a pure capacitor, the first city to stick the pressure-sensitive
current is ahead of the
voltage by 90 degrees. modules on the sidewalk so that
The insulation, in a pure residents can generate power just by
condition, will behave walking down the street Read More
similarly. However, if the
insulation has
deteriorated due to the
entry of dirt and moisture.
The current which flows
through the insulation will Curve Tracer
also have a resistive Scientific Test, Inc.
component. 50-1200A/2KV
/ATE/Discrete Tester
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This will cause the angle
of the current to be less
than 90 degrees. This difference in the angle is known as the loss Moisture Meters and
angle. The tangent of the angle which is Ir/Ic (opposite/adjacent) gives More
us an indication of the condition of the insulation. A higher value for the in-line, touchless,
loss angle indicates a high degree of contamination of the insulation. non-destructive
measuring solids, gases
and fluids
Method of Testing www.pier-electronic.com

The cable or winding whose insulation is to be tested is first HV Cable Tester

disconnected and isolated. The test voltage is applied from the Very Multipoint HV Cable
Low Frequency power source and the Tan delta controller takes the Scanner/Tester HV Test
measurements. The test voltage is increased in steps upto the rated O/S/IR Cables to
voltage of the cable. The readings are plotted in a graph against the 5000VDC
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applied voltage and the trend is studied. A healthy insulation would
produce a straight line.
Digitaltest
The test should be continued only if the graph is a straight line. A rising Automated Test
trend would indicate weak insulation which may fail if the test voltage is Equipment,Production
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increased beyond the rated voltage of the cable.
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Interpretation of the test data

There are not standard formulae or benchmarks to ascertain the

success of a tan delta test. The health of the insulation which is
measured is obtained by observing the nature of the trend which is Gadgets powered by Google
plotted. A steady, straight trend would indicate a healthy insulation,
while a rising trend would indicate an insulation that has been
contaminated with water and other impurities.

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