Understanding Insulation Resistance

Testing
Jan 1, 1996 Electrical Construction and Maintenance

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How is IR testing done, in view of the fact that at least 80% of electrical maintenance and
testing involves evaluating insulation integrity?
Insulation starts to age as soon as it's made. As it ages, its insulating performance
deteriorates. Any harsh installation environments, especially those with temperature extremes
and/or chemical contamination, accelerates this process. This deterioration can result in
dangerous conditions in power reliability and personnel safety. As such, it's important to
identify this deterioration quickly so that corrective steps can be taken. One of the simplest
tests and its required test instrument are not universally understood. To help eliminate this
lack of understanding, let's discuss in detail Insulation Resistance (IR) testing and the
megohmmeter.

Insulation testing components

Let's approach the subject by component.
The megohmmeter

A basic megohmmeter hook-up schematic is shown in Fig. 1 (above). The megohmmeter is

similar to a multimeter, when the latter is in its ohmmeter function. There are differences,
however.
First, the megohmmeter's output is much higher than that of a multimeter. Voltages of 100,
250, 500, 1,000, 2500, 5,000, and even 10,000V are used (Table 1 below). The most common
voltages are 500V and 1,000V. Higher voltages are used to stress an insulation to a greater
degree and thus obtain more accurate results.

Equipment AC
Rating

DC Test Voltage

Up to 100V

100V and 250V

440V to 550V

500V and 1,000V

2,400V

1,000V to 2,000V
and higher

4,160V and
above

1,000V to 5,000V
or higher

Table 1.Recommended test voltages for routine maintenance insulation-resistance tests of

equipment rated to 4,160V and above.

Second, the range of a megohmmeter is in megohms, as its name implies, instead of ohms as
in a multimeter.
Third, a megohmmeter has a relatively high internal resistance, making the instrument less
hazardous to use in spite of the higher voltages.
Testing connections
A megohmmeter usually is equipped with three terminals. The "LINE" (or "L") terminal is
the so-called "hot" terminal and is connected to the conductor whose insulation resistance you
are measuring. Remember: These tests are performed with the circuit deenergized.
The "EARTH" (or "E") terminal is connected to the other side of the insulation, the ground
conductor.
The "GUARD" (or "G") terminal provides a return circuit that bypasses the meter. For
example, if you are measuring a circuit having a current that you do not want to include, you
connect that part of the circuit to the "GUARD" terminal.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 show connections for testing three common types of equipment. Fig. 2
shows a connection for testing a transformer bushing, without measuring the surface leakage.

Only the current through the insulation is measured, since any surface current will be
returned on the "GUARD" lead.
Various insulation tests
Basically, there are three different tests that can be done using a megohmmeter.
1) Insulation resistance (IR)

This is the simplest of the tests. After the required connections are made, you apply the test
voltage for a period of one min. (The one-min interval is an industry practice that allows
everyone to take the reading at the same time. In this way, comparison of readings will be of
value because, although taken by different people, the test methods are consistent.) During
this interval, the resistance should drop or remain relatively steady. Larger insulation systems
will show a steady decrease, while smaller systems will remain steady because the capacitive
and absorption currents drop to zero faster on smaller insulation systems. After one min, read
and record the resistance value.

Note that IR is temperature sensitive. When the temperature goes up, IR goes down, and vice
versa. Therefore, to compare new readings with previous readings, you need to correct the
readings to some base temperature. Usually, 20C or 40C are used as comparison
temperatures; tables are available for any correction. However, a common rule of thumb is
that IR changes by a factor of two for each 10C change.
For example, suppose we obtained an IR reading of 100 megohms with an insulation
temperature of 30C. The corrected IR (at 20C) would be 100 megohms times 2, or 200
megohms.
Also note that acceptable values of IR will depend upon the equipment. Historically, field
personnel have used the questionable standard of one megohm per kV plus one. The
international Electrical Testing Assoc. (NETA) specification NETA MTS-1993, Maintenance
Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Distribution Equipment and Systems, provides
much more realistic and useful values.
Test results should be compared with previous readings and with readings taken for similar
equipment. Any values below the NETA standard minimums or sudden departures from
previous values should be investigated.
2) Dielectric absorption ratio
This test recognizes the fact that "good" insulation will show a gradually increasing IR after
the test voltage is applied. After the connections are made, the test voltage is applied, and the
IR is read at two different times: Usually either 30 and 60 sec, or 60 sec and 10 min. The later
reading is divided by the earlier reading, the result being the dielectric absorption ratio. The
10 min./60 sec. ratio is called the polarization index (PI).

For example, let's assume we apply the megohmmeter as described earlier with the
appropriate test voltage impressed. The one min. IR reading is 50 megohms, and the 10 min.
IR reading is 125 megohms. Thus, the PI is 125 megohms divided by 50 megohms, or 2.5.
Various sources have tables of acceptable values of dielectric absorption ratios (see Table 2
below).

Insulation
Condition

60/30-sec
Ratio

10/1-min
Ratio
(Polarization
Index)

Dangerous

Less than 1

Questionable

1.0 to 1.25

1.0 to 2*

Good

1.4 to 1.6

2 to 4

Excellent

Above 1.6** Above 4**

Table 2. Listing of conditions of insulation as indicated by Dielectric Absorption Ratios.

These values must be considered tentative and relative, subject to experience with the timeresistance method over a period of time.
*These results would be satisfactory for equipment with very low capacitance, such as short
runs of house wiring.
**In some cases with motors, values approximately 20% higher than shown here indicate a
dry, brittle winding that may fail under shock conditions or during starts. For preventative
maintenance, the motor winding should be cleaned, treated, and dried to restore winding
flexibility.

3) Step voltage test

This test is particularly useful in evaluating aged or damaged insulation not necessarily
having moisture or contamination. A dual voltage test instrument is required here. After the
connections are made, the IR test is done at a low voltage, say 500V. The test specimen then
is discharged and the test is done again, this time at a higher voltage, say 2500V. If more than

a 25% difference exists between the two IR readings, age deterioration or damaged insulation
should be suspected.

SIDEBAR: Basic Theory

An equivalent circuit for electrical insulation is shown in Fig. 5 (right). The top terminal
might be the center conductor of a power cable, and the bottom terminal, its shield. The
current flowing through the cable's insulation would be that current noted as "total current" in
the diagram. As you can see, the total current is equal to the sum of the "capacitive current"
plus the "absorption current" plus the "leakage current."
Note that the total current is not the load current flowing through the system. Rather, it's the
current that flows from the energized conductor through the insulation to ground.
Let's provide some basic definitions here.
Capacitive current. A capacitor is created when two conductors are separated by an insulator.
This is the situation in a power system.

If a DC voltage is suddenly applied (closing the switch in Fig. 5), electrons will rush into the
negative plate and be drawn from the positive plate. Initially, this current flow will be very
large, but it will gradually reduce to a much smaller value, eventually approaching zero. The
current labeled "capacitive charging current" in Fig. 6 (right) shows how this current varies
with time after DC voltage is applied.
Leakage current. No insulation is perfect; even new insulation will have some leakage
current, albeit small. This leakage current will increase as the insulation ages. It also will
worsen when the insulation is wet or contaminated.
The "conduction or leakage current" shown in Fig. 6 is a graphical representation of leakage
current. Notice that it starts at zero, and quickly increases to a final value of 10 microamps.
This is the way that good insulation behaves. As insulation ages and deteriorates, however,
two changes may occur in leakage current. One change may be that the final value of leakage
current may increase and not level off. For example, instead of leveling off at 10 microamps,
the final current may increase to 20 microamps. The other change may be that, instead of
rising quickly to a final value and the leveling out, the leakage current simply may continue
to increase. In this scenario, the insulation eventually will fail.
Absorption current. The charges that form on the plates of the capacitor attract charges of the
opposite polarity in the insulation, causing these charges to move and, thus, drawing current.
The largest charge motion occurs in the initial moments and then gradually tapers off to near
zero. This current is called dielectric absorption, or just absorption current. A time plot of this
current, labeled "absorption current," also is shown in Fig. 6.

Total current. The total current flowing in the circuit is equal to the sum of the components
shown in Fig. 6. The total current flow, when a DC voltage is applied, starts at a relatively
high value and then drops, settling at a value just slightly above the leakage current. In bad or
deteriorated insulation, the total current will drop slowly, or may even increase.