What is HIPOT Testing (Dielectric Strength Test)?

Posted DEC 22 2011 by JIGUPARMAR in ENERGY AND POWER, PROTECTION with 14 COMMENT
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Hi-Pot test is a contraction for high potential HV testing.

Hipot Test is short name of high potential (high voltage) Test and it is also kn
own as Dielectric Withstand Test. A hipot test checks for good isolation.
Hipot test makes surety of no current will flow from one point to another point.
Hipot test is the opposite of a continuity test.
Continuity Test checks surety of current flows easily from one point to another
point while Hipot Test checks surety of current would not flow from one point to
another point (and turn up the voltage really high just to make sure no current
will flow).
Importance of HIPOT Testing
The hipot test is a nondestructive test that determines the adequacy of electric
al insulation for the normally occurring over voltage transient. This is a highvoltage test that is applied to all devices for a specific time in order to ensu
re that the insulation is not marginal.
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Hipot tests are helpful in finding nicked or crushed insulation, stray wire stra
nds or braided shielding, conductive or corrosive contaminants around the conduc
tors, terminal spacing problems, and tolerance errors in cables. Inadequate cree
page and clearance distances introduced during the manufacturing process.
The production-line hipot test, however, is a test of the manufacturing process
to determine whether the construction of a production unit is about the same as
the construction of the unit that was subjected to type testing. Some of the pro
cess failures that can be detected by a production-line hipot test include, for
example, a transformer wound in such a way that creepage and clearance have been
reduced.
Such a failure could result from a new operator in the winding department.
HIPOT test is applied after tests such as fault condition, humidity, and vibrati
on to determine whether any degradation has taken place.
Other examples include identifying a pinhole defect in insulation or finding an
enlarged solder footprint.
As per IEC 60950, The Basic test Voltage for Hipot test is the 2X (Operating Vo
ltage) + 1000 V
The reason for using 1000 V as part of the basic formula is that the insulation
in any product can be subjected to normal day-to-day transient over voltages.
Experiments and research have shown that these over voltages can be as high as 1
000 V.
Video: HIPOT Test After Repair Generator

Test method for HIPOT Test

Hipot testers usually connect one side of the supply to safety ground (Earth gro
und). The other side of the supply is connected to the conductor being tested. W
ith the supply connected like this there are two places a given conductor can be
connected: high voltage or ground.
When you have more than two contacts to be hipot tested you connect one contact
to high voltage and connect all other contacts to ground. Testing a contact in t
his fashion makes sure it is isolated from all other contacts.
If the insulation between the two is adequate, then the application of a large v
oltage difference between the two conductors separated by the insulator would re
sult in the flow of a very small current. Although this small current is accepta
ble, no breakdown of either the air insulation or the solid insulation should ta
ke place. Therefore, the current of interest is the current that is the result o
f a partial discharge or breakdown, rather than the current due to capacitive co
upling.
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Time Duration for HIPOT Test
The test duration must be in accordance with the safety standard being used. The
test time for most standards, including products covered under IEC 60950, is 1
minute.
A typical rule of thumb is 110 to 120% of 2U + 1000 V for 1 2 seconds.
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Current Setting for HIPOT Test
Most modern hipot testers allow the user to set the current limit. However, if t
he actual leakage current of the product is known, then the hipot test current c
an be predicted.
The best way to identify the trip level is to test some product samples and esta
blish an average hipot current. Once this has been achieved, then the leakage cu
rrent trip level should be set to a slightly higher value than the average figur
e.
Another method of establishing the current trip level would be to use the follow
ing mathematical formula: E(Hipot) / E(Leakage) = I(Hipot) / 2XI(Leakage)
The hipot tester current trip level should be set high enough to avoid nuisance
failure related to leakage current and, at the same time, low enough not to over
look a true breakdown in insulation.
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Test Voltage for HIPOT Test
The majority of safety standards allow the use of either ac or dc voltage for a
hipot test.
When using ac test voltage, the insulation in question is being stressed most wh
en the voltage is at its peak, i.e., either at the positive or negative peak of
the sine wave.
Therefore, if we use dc test voltage, we ensure that the dc test voltage is unde
r root 2 (or 1.414) times the ac test voltage, so the value of the dc voltage is

equal to the ac voltage peaks.

For example, for a 1500-V-ac voltage, the equivalent dc voltage to produce the s
ame amount of stress on the insulation would be 1500 x 1.414 or 2121 V dc.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of use DC Voltage for Hipot Test
One of the advantages of using a dc test voltage is that the leakage current tri
p can be set to a much lower value than that of an ac test voltage. This would a
llow a manufacturer to filter those products that have marginal insulation, whic
h would have been passed by an ac tester.
When using a dc hipot tester, the capacitors in the circuit could be highly char
ged and, therefore, a safe-discharge device or setup is needed. However, it is a
good practice to always ensure that a product is discharged, regardless of the
test voltage or its nature, before it is handled.
It applies the voltage gradually. By monitoring the current flow as voltages inc
rease, an operator can detect a potential insulation breakdown before it occurs.
A minor disadvantage of the dc hipot tester is that because dc test voltages ar
e more difficult to generate, the cost of a dc tester may be slightly higher tha
n that of an ac tester.
The main advantage of the dc test is DC Voltage does not produce harmful dischar
ge as readily occur in AC.
It can be applied at higher levels without risk or injuring good insulation. Thi
s higher potential can literally sweep-out far more local defects.
The simple series circuit path of a local defect is more easily carbonized or re
duced in resistance by the dc leakage current than by ac, and the lower the faul
t path resistance becomes, the more the leakage current increased, thus producin
g a snow balling effect which leads to the small visible dielectric puncture usual
ly observed. Since the dc is free of capacitive division, it is more effective i
n picking out mechanical damage as well as inclusions or areas in the dielectric
which have lower resistance.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of use AC Voltage for Hipot Test
One of the advantages of an ac hipot test is that it can check both voltage
rities, whereas a dc test charges the insulation in only one polarity. This
become a concern for products that actually use ac voltage for their normal
ation. The test setup and procedures are identical for both ac and dc hipot
s.

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may
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test

A minor disadvantage of the ac hipot tester is that if the circuit under test ha
s large values of Y capacitors, then, depending on the current trip setting of t
he hipot tester, the ac tester could indicate a failure. Most safety standards a
llow the user to disconnect the Y capacitors prior to testing or, alternatively,
to use a dc hipot tester.
The dc hipot tester would not indicate the failure of a unit even with high Y ca
pacitors because the Y capacitors see the voltage but don t pass any current.
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Step for HIPOT Testing
Only electrically qualified workers may perform this testing.
Open circuit breakers or switches to isolate the circuit or Cable that will be h
i-pot tested.

Confirm that all equipment or Cable that is not to be tested is isolated from th
e circuit under test.
The limited approach boundary for this hi-pot procedure at 1000 volts is 5 ft. (
1.53m) so place barriers around the terminations of cables and equipment under t
est to prevent unqualified persons from crossing this boundary.
Connect the ground lead of the HIPOT Tester to a suitable building ground or gro
unding electrode conductor. Attach the high voltage lead to one of the isolated
circuit phase conductors.
Switch on the HIPOT Tester. Set the meter to 1000 Volts or pre decide DC Voltage
. Push the Test button on the meter and after one minute observe the resistance re
ading. Record the reading for reference.
At the end of the one minute test, switch the HIPOT Tester from the high potenti
al test mode to the voltage measuring mode to confirm that the circuit phase con
ductor and voltage of HIPOT Tester are now reading zero volts.
Repeat this test procedure for all circuit phase conductors testing each phase t
o ground and each phase to each phase.
When testing is completed disconnect the HIPOT Tester from the circuits under te
st and confirm that the circuits are clear to be re-connected and re-energized.
To PASS the unit or Cable under Test must be exposed to a minimum Stress of pre
decide Voltage for 1 minute without any Indication of Breakdown. For Equipments
with total area less than 0.1 m2, the insulation resistance shall not be less th
an 400 MO. For Equipment with total area larger than 0.1 m2 the measured insulat
ion resistance times the area of the module shall not be less than 40 MOm2.
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Safety precautions during HIPOT Test
During a HIPOT Test, There may be at some risk so to minimize risk of injury fro
m electrical shock make sure HIPOT equipment follows these guidelines:
The total charge you can receive in a shock should not exceed 45 uC.
The total hipot energy should not exceed 350 mJ.
The total current should not exceed 5 mA peak (3.5 mA rms)
The fault current should not stay on longer than 10 mS.
If the tester doesn t meet these requirements then make sure it has a safety inter
lock system that guarantees you cannot contact the cable while it is being hipot
tested.
For Cable:
Verify the correct operation of the safety circuits in the equipment every time
you calibrate it.
Don t touch the cable during hipot testing.
Allow the hipot testing to complete before removing the cable.
Wear insulating gloves.
Don t allow children to use the equipment.
If you have any electronic implants then don t use the equipment.

Selecting the Right AC Hipot for Testing in the Field

Posted by Common Sense Testing on Friday, September 30, 2011
Portable AC hipots are ideal for testing many types of substation apparatus, mot
ors/generators, isophase bus, and other loads requiring an AC withstand test. Bu
t did you know that portable AC hipots are offered as either power frequency (50
/60 Hz) or Very Low Frequency (VLF) models? Why two styles?

The answer has to do with the capacitance of the load being tested. Capacitive
Reactance (Xc) changes as a function of frequency as seen in formula Xc = 1/2pfC
. Therefore, if we are testing a 15 kV cable of approximately 10,000 feet the c
apacitance would be around 1uF. Based on the formula the capacitive reactance a
t 60 Hz would be 2650 ohms. To apply the IEEE recommended 22 kV test voltage, i
t would require a power supply rated for 8.3 amps, or 183 kVA. Not very practic
al as a portable field unit.
If the frequency, however, is dropped to 0.1 Hz, the capacitive reactance become
s 1.6 megohms. The same 22 kV would only draw 14 mA or 0.303 kVA. Therefore, t
he size, weight and portability of the power supply become convenient for field
use.
AC hipots of the power frequency variety are used worldwide for testing vacuum b
ottles, switchgear, reclosures, circuit breakers, etc. These units will typical
ly offer ratings of 3 to 7 kVA. VLF hipots are the preferred for testing high c
apacitance loads such as cable, large rotating machinery and occasionally large
insulators, arrestors and such.
At Protec Equipment Resources we carry a vast inventory of both power frequency
AC hipots and VLF style AC hipots from leading manufactures like HV Diagnostics
and High Voltage Incorporated. Still unsure on which style best meets your need
s? Consult with our expert staff and be sure you have the right tool for your j
ob!