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A pure insulator when is connected across line and earth, it behaves as a capacitor. In an ideal insulator, as the
insulating material which acts as dielectric too, is 100 % pure, the electric current passing through the
insulator, only have capacitive component. There is no resistive component of the current, flowing from line to
earth through insulator as in ideal insulating material, there is zero percent impurity.
In pure capacitor, the capacitive electric current leads the applied voltage by 90. In practice, the insulator
cannot be made 100% pure. Also due to ageing of insulator the impurities like, dirt and moisture enter into it.
These impurities provide conductive path to the current. Consequently, leakage electric current flowing from
line earth through insulator has also resistive component. Hence, it is needless to say that, for good insulator,
this resistive component of leakage electric current is quite low. In other way the healthiness of an electrical
insulator can be determined by ratio of resistive component to capacitive component. For good insulator this
ratio would be quite low. This ratio is commonly known as tan or tan delta. Sometimes it is also referred as
dissipation factor.
In the vector diagram
above, the system voltage is drawn along x-axis. Conductive electric current i.e. resistive component of
leakage current, IR will also be along x-axis.
As the capacitive component of leakage electric current IC leads system voltage by 90, it will be drawn along
y-axis. Now, total leakage electric current IL(Ic + IR) makes an angle (say) with y-axis. Now, from the
diagram above, it is cleared, the ratio, IR to IC is nothing but tan or tan delta.
There is another reason for which it is essential to keep the input frequency of the test as low as possible.
As we know,
From the graph it is clear that, the tan&delta number non linearly increases with increasing test very low
frequency voltage. The increasing tan&delta, means, high resistive electric current component, in the
insulation. These results can be compared with the results of previously tested insulators, to take proper
decision whether the equipment would be replaced or not.