Scribd
Upload
35 views2 pages

Circuit Characterisation Application Note - v1

The document discusses ground fault tracing in ungrounded DC battery strings. It describes how ground fault monitors work and the issues that can arise when locating high impedance faults. It recommends performing circuit characterization by measuring the resistance and capacitance of unfaulted circuits as a reference for later fault detection.

Uploaded by

baskaranjay5502
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
35 views2 pages

Circuit Characterisation Application Note - v1

The document discusses ground fault tracing in ungrounded DC battery strings. It describes how ground fault monitors work and the issues that can arise when locating high impedance faults. It recommends performing circuit characterization by measuring the resistance and capacitance of unfaulted circuits as a reference for later fault detection.

Uploaded by

baskaranjay5502
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Application Note

Ground fault tracing: circuit characterization

Ungrounded DC battery strings can have voltages ranging from 130 V to 250 V and
higher.

These systems are designed to ensure that a single ground fault will not trip anything
off-line. However, if another ground fault occurs on the same circuit it can lead to
excessively high current flows and create dangerous situations. This is why these types
of systems require ground fault monitors. Ground fault monitors will indicate when a
ground fault occurs either on the positive or negative side of the string.

Ground fault monitors use a high impedance center tap resistance. This splits the
voltage in half;, one side is positive and the other is negative. In an un-faulted system,
these voltages should be relatively close, pending system impedance. In a faulted
system, one side will be greater than the other. The lower side has the ground fault.

The ground fault presents an impedance path to ground. The ground fault monitor also
provides a path to ground. This means the current used to detect the fault will be split
between the actual ground fault and the ground fault monitor ground. If the ground fault
is close to earth, then the ground fault monitor’s ground should not be an issue. The
majority of fault current used for tracing will go through the ground fault. However, if the
ground fault has a higher impedance than the ground fault monitor, then the majority of
the fault current will go through the ground fault monitor.

This is why it is recommended to remove the ground fault monitor earth connection
before starting a trace. This removes the ground path through the ground fault monitor.

Megger
T +610 676 8500 Registered to ISO:9001:2015
2621 Van Buren Avenue F +610 676 8610 Certificate No. 110006.01
Norristown, PA 19403 USA www.megger.com
Application Note

However, in some cases, it may not be possible to remove the earth connection from
the ground fault monitor. This can make locating high impedance faults quite difficult or
impossible.

Circuit characterization can help alleviate this problem. In this procedure, the un-faulted
circuits are characterized. Place the MGFL100 transmitter output leads between each
circuit in the panel and earth.

Turn on the MGFL100 output and apply a small current through each circuit. The
transmitter will display the resistance and capacitance of each circuit.

Some of these circuits would be expected to read OL, with very high impedances.
When a fault occurs, use the transmitter to read the impedance of each circuit and
compare them to the un-faulted impedance. This can help you locate the circuit that has
changed and has the fault.

Megger
T +610 676 8500 Registered to ISO:9001:2015
2621 Van Buren Avenue F +610 676 8610 Certificate No. 110006.01
Norristown, PA 19403 USA www.megger.com

You might also like