Electrical safety tests
Introduction:
Electrical safety testing is essential to ensure safe operating standards for any product that uses electricity. Various governments and agencies have developed stringent requirements for electrical products that are sold worldwide. In most markets, a product must conform to safety standards promulgated by safety and standard agencies such as UL, CE, VDE, CSA, BSI, CCC, and so on. The product must pass safety tests such as the high voltage test to conform to such standards. Insulation Resistance Test, Ground (Earth) Bond & Ground Continuity Test & Leakage Current Test, Earth Leakage Current Test. These tests are described in IEC 60335, IEC 61010, and many other national and international standards.
IEC 60335 is the most widely applied standard for electrical safety testing, especially for domestic appliances. Many safety testing standards in the world have been based on it. To safeguard workplace health and safety, many sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations provide guidelines on electrical safety and the appropriate equipment required to work on low and high-voltage electrical appliances. If you like this video, so please subscribe to our channel learning Engineering.
The High Voltage Test, (Dielectric Voltage-withstand Test):
This test is carried out by applying a significantly higher operating voltage to the device under test. In this test, the insulation of a product stressed to a greater extent than under normal operating conditions, should not be breached for the product to pass. The device is stressed to twice its normal operating voltage in most cases. During type testing, i.e. testing during designing a product or for a double insulated product, however, a much larger voltage may be applied. For all electrical products, the high voltage test is universal, meaning that every unit should pass before it can be used.
Insulation Resistance Test:
This test is to measure the total resistance of a product’s insulation by applying a voltage of 500 Volt to 1000 Volt for low voltage systems. The minimum acceptable value of resistance for a product to pass an insulation resistance test is 1 mega ohm. The insulation resistance test is not a substitute for the high voltage test. Many standards and safety agencies have specified this is a universal test for all products. This test may also be carried out after every maintenance procedure or repair.
Earth Continuity Test:
Leakage Current Test, Line Leakage Test:
This test is to measure the undesirable leakage current that flows through or across the surface of the insulation or the dielectric of a capacitor. This test is generally carried out at 100% to 110% of the rated input voltage of the product under test. The maximum acceptable limit of a leakage current is generally 210 microamperes. At first, this test was mandatory for medical devices only.