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Loss of Charge Method

(1) The loss of charge method uses a capacitor, battery, and electrostatic voltmeter to measure high resistances. (2) The capacitor is charged to a voltage V and allowed to discharge through the resistance R being measured. The terminal voltage is observed over time. (3) From the natural logarithm of the ratio of the initial and final voltages over the discharge time, the value of the high resistance R can be calculated.

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657 views2 pages

Loss of Charge Method

(1) The loss of charge method uses a capacitor, battery, and electrostatic voltmeter to measure high resistances. (2) The capacitor is charged to a voltage V and allowed to discharge through the resistance R being measured. The terminal voltage is observed over time. (3) From the natural logarithm of the ratio of the initial and final voltages over the discharge time, the value of the high resistance R can be calculated.

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npavank
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SANSKRITHI SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, PUTTAPARTHI

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING


15A02501 - ELECTRICAL MASUREMENTS

Loss of Charge method for measuring high resistance:


In 'Loss of charge method', the insulation resistance R to be measured is
connected in parallel with a capacitor C and an electrostatic voltmeter.
The capacitor is charged to somee suitable voltage, by means of a battery
having voltage V and is then allowed to discharge through the resistance.
The terminalal voltage is observed over a considerable period of time
during discharge.

The voltage across the capacitor at any instant t after the application of
voltage is
V = V exp(—t/ t/ CR)
or V/ v = exp(—t/ t/ CR)
or Insulation resist
resistance
R = t / {C log V/v}
= 0.4343t /{C log V/v}

The variation of voltage v with time shown in below figure:


From the equation above , it follows that if V,v,C and t are known the valu
valuee of R can be computed.
If the resistance R is very large the time for an appreciable fall in voltage is very large
l and thus this
process may become time-consuming.
consuming. Also the voltage
voltage-time
time curve will thus be very flat and unless great care is
taken in measuring voltages at the beginning and end of the time 'r', a serious error may be made in the ratio V / v
causing a considerable corresponding error in the measured value of R. More accurate results may be obtained by
change in the voltage V-vv directly and calling this cha
change
nge as e, the expression for R becomes

This change in voltage may be measured by a galvanometer.


However, from the experimental point of view, it may be
advisable to determine the time t from the discharge curve of the
capacitor by plotting a curve of log v against time t .This curve is linear as
shown in the figure below and thus the determination of time t from this curve
for the voltage to fall from V to v yields more accurate results
results.

This measurement of resistance by loss of charge method is


applicable to some high resistances, but it requires a capacitor of a very high leakage resistance as high as the
resistance being measured.The method is very attractive if the resistance being measured is the leakage resistance
of a capacitor as in this case auxiliary R aand C units are not required.
Actually, in this loss of charge method,, we do not measure the true value of resistance since we assume
here that the value of resistance of electrostatic voltmeter and the leakage resistance of the capacitor have
hav infinite
value. But in practice corrections must be applied to take into consideration the above two resistances.The figure
below shows the actual circuit of loss of charge method measuring high resistance where R1 represents the

Mr.N.PAVAN KUMAR, AP/EEE SSE-PTP


SANSKRITHI SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, PUTTAPARTHI
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
15A02501 - ELECTRICAL MASUREMENTS
leakage resistance of the capacitor. Then if R' is the resistance of R1 and R in parallel the discharge equation for
capacitance gives

The test is then repeated with the unknown resistance R, disconnected and the capacitor discharging
through R1. The value of R1 obtained from this second test and substituted into the expression

in order to get the value of R.


The leakage resistance of the voltmeter, unless very high should also be taken into consideration.

Mr.N.PAVAN KUMAR, AP/EEE SSE-PTP

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