If your insulation system is decaying, it may be difficult to pinpoint the problem without a thorough inspection. When this happens, the system will release partial discharges which means it’s time to start making repairs and replacements. The best way to measure the degradation is to perform partial discharge tests (PDT).

What is a partial discharge test?

A partial discharge test (PDT) is a non-destructive testing method for electrical appliances. It involves the use of a pulse generator, which produces a controlled high voltage pulse at high frequency. The high voltage is induced in the heater circuit of the appliance and passes through the heater elements (heaters), producing a spark in each element.

Electrical resistance in the heater circuit is measured and compared to the resistance of the same circuit that has not been subjected to a high voltage. As we can see, there are many advantages in using this testing procedure and in addition to it speeding up the testing process and reducing labor costs, our final results can be achieved in less than one hour.

How do I perform a PDT?

To find out if your equipment has PDs, check it by performing a partial discharge test with a tester such as ours. The tester consists of two adjustable needle-point electrodes that are connected to a DC power supply capable of delivering several hundred volts. Connect one electrode to each end of the piece of equipment you want to test, then plug in the power supply and turn it on.

The PD test is performed by applying a low-voltage DC voltage to the insulation system under test, then measuring the resulting small voltage that appears on the surface of the insulation.

The first thing to notice about this is that it looks for voltage differences between parts of a structure, not voltage differences within parts of a structure.

With our partial discharge tester, you’ll get accurate results that lead you towards making informed repair and replacement decisions. Get your PD tester from Supplies Corner Trading Est. today.