19053 Hipot Tester and Cable Reel Immersion Test

19053 Hipot Tester and Cable Reel Immersion Test

Users and manufacturers of wiring and cabling typically measure the Insulation Resistance of the cable on reels (spools). These reels may hold literally miles of cable. Figure 1 illustrates one such cable reel immersion application. In this application, the reel is immersed in water for a given period of time to allow water to penetrate the insulation, should pin holes or other defects exist in the cable. If the insulation performs as expected, the resistance reading will be quite high. However if there is a defect in the insulation, the water will be allowed to penetrate the insulation, resulting in current leakage to the tank, deeming the cable defective. For safety concerns, the tank is grounded. When measuring grounded devices such as this, the RTN LOW terminal on the 19053 instrument should be connected to the tank and the (HV) OUTPUT terminal connected to the wire (cable) under test. ■