International Islamic University Islamabad

Faculty of Engineering & Technology

Department of Electrical Engineering

Instrumentation and
Measurement Lab

Experiment No. 5: Insulation Testing using a Megger

Name of Student: ……………………………………

Registration No.: ……………………………………..

Date of Experiment: …………………………………

Submitted To: ………………………………………...

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Objectives:
✓ To get familiarized with the different types of electrical wiring standards and cables.
✓ To learn about basic working principle and application of a megger.
Equipment Required:
✓ Megger (manual type) [Qty = 1]
✓ Wires to be tested
Theory:
Part 1: Electrical Wiring Standards and Cables:
The wiring of a building consists of interconnections between associated devices such as
switches, meters, light fittings and other electrical load. Early electrical systems used single
conductor wires. These days, electrical wiring is done with multi-core cables because of their
convenience of use. The mostly commonly used metal for wires is copper, due to its efficiency
as a conductor. The wire also comes in aluminum and aluminum clad with copper, but these
are not efficient in conducting current. Wires and cables are rated by the circuit voltage,
current, temperature and environmental conditions (moisture, sunlight, oil, chemicals) in
which they can be used.
Wiring safety codes vary by country and the International Electro-Technical
Commission (IEC) is attempting to standardize wiring amongst member countries. The
standard wire gauge (SWG) and American wire gauge (AWG) are wire gauge systems,
which are used to represent the thickness of the wire in jump rings. Wire size standards are
important as they provide an ease to remember numerical chart of commonly used wire sizes.
The problem with standards is that they are not compatible with each other.

Figure 2.1
When it comes to the actual cable sizes, the two are actually not equivalent in size. In
general, an SWG wire would be bigger than an AWG wire of the same gauge. For example,
with a gauge value of 1, an SWG wire would have a diameter of 0.3 inches, while an AWG
wire would have a diameter of 0.2893. The size of the wire is quite important not only
because it adds to the strength of the wire, but because it directly correlates to the amount of

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current, it can carry. If you use a wire, that is too small for the current to pass, the wire would
eventually heat up and lead to fires. AWG system of measurements is in inches whereas
AWG is different from the SWG system which uses the metric system of measuring. When
looking at the Table 2.1, there are slight differences in the calculations between the two
systems. Especially relevant is the difference that can be seen between the 12 and 24 gauges.
These are very common sizes of wire and the chart shows a very drastic difference amongst
the size measurements.
Table 2.1

Gauge AWG SWG Gauge AWG SWG

No. Inches mm Inches mm No. Inches mm Inches mm
0 0.3249 8.25 0.324 8.23 23 0.0226 0.574 0.024 0.610
1 0.2893 7.35 0.300 7.62 24 0.0201 0.511 0.022 0.559
2 0.2576 6.54 0.276 7.01 25 0.0179 0.455 0.020 0.508
3 0.2294 5.83 0.252 6.40 26 0.0159 0.404 0.0180 0.457
4 0.2043 5.19 0.232 5.89 27 0.0142 0.61 0.0164 0.417
5 0.1819 4.62 0.212 5.38 28 0.0126 0.320 0.0148 0.376
6 0.162 4.11 0.192 4.88 29 0.0113 0.287 0.0136 0.345
7 0.1443 3.67 0.176 4.47 30 0.0100 0.254 0.024 0.315
8 0.1285 3.26 0.160 4.06 31 0.0089 0.226 0.0116 0.295
9 0.1144 2.91 0.144 3.66 32 0.0080 0.203 0.0108 0.274
10 0.1019 2.59 0.128 3.25 33 0.0071 0.180 0.0100 0.254
11 0.0907 2.3 0.116 2.95 34 0.0063 0.160 0.0092 0.234
12 0.0808 2.05 0.104 2.64 35 0.0056 0.142 0.0084 0.213
13 0.0720 1.83 0.092 2.34 36 0.0050 0.127 0.0076 0.193
14 0.0641 1.63 0.080 2.03 37 0.0045 0.114 0.0068 0.173
15 0.0571 1.45 0.072 1.83 38 0.0040 0.102 0.0060 0.152
16 0.0508 1.29 0.064 1.63 39 0.0035 0.089 0.0052 0.132
17 0.0453 1.15 0.056 1.42 40 0.0031 0.079 0.0048 0.122
18 0.0403 1.02 0.048 1.22 41 0.0028 0.071 0.0044 0.112
19 0.0359 0.912 0.040 1.02 42 0.0025 0.64 0.0040 0.102
20 0.032 0.813 0.036 0.914 43 0.0022 0.056 0.0036 0.091
21 0.0285 0.724 0.032 0.813 44 0.0020 0.051 0.0032 0.081
22 0.0253 0.643 0.028 0.711 45 0.0018 0.046 0.0028 0.071

Electric Cables:
The generation, transmission, and distribution of power involve electrical apparatus and
components to carry electrical energy from its generating site to where it is utilized. An
important part of this power system is the cable system that is used exclusively to carry
power from the main substations to secondary substations at load centers. A cable is an

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assemblage of two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided
together to form a single assembly. The assembly is used for transmission of electrical power.
Structure/Composition of Electric Cables:
The structure of cables consists of following parts.
i. Conductor
ii. Insulation
iii. Lead Sheath
iv. Bedding
v. Armouring
vi. Serving

Figure 2.2: Structure/Composition of cables

1. Conductor:
A conductor is the material, which allows the flow of current. An electrical cable consists
of a conductor which is usually a copper wire. The reason of using copper wire is that, after
silver, copper has excellent conducting properties and offers less resistance to the flow of
current as compared to other metals. We cannot use silver as it is very expensive, so in order
to achieve economy, copper is used for the long distance transmission of electrical power
with minimum losses. Moreover, high quality aluminum can also be used depending upon the
cable type.

Figure 2.3: Conductor

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2. Insulation:
Insulation is a protective covering around the cable, which prevents it from damage
caused due to water, oil and other chemicals. Moreover, it prevents the leakage of current and
damages due to bending.

Figure 2.4: Insulation

Following are the two types of materials used in insulation:
a. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC):
PVC is widely used in electrical cable construction for insulation, bedding and sheathing.
This material has good dielectric strength, high insulation resistance and high melting
temperatures. It is suitable for operating temperature of 70°C.
b. XLPE ( Cross-Linked Polyethene):
The cross-linked polyethylene is widely used as electrical insulation in power cables of
all voltage ranges. This material has temperature range beyond 250-300ºC. This material
gives good insulating properties. It is light in weight, have small overall dimensions, low
dielectric constant and high mechanical strength and low water absorption.
3. Lead sheath:
It is a metallic sheath of lead or aluminum, which is usually coated over the insulation. It
is used to protect the cable from moisture, gases or other damaging liquid in the soil or
atmosphere.

Figure 2.5: Lead Sheath

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4. Bedding:
Bedding is provided to protect the metallic sheath from corrosion and from mechanical
damage during handling. It is a fibrous material like jute or hessian tape.

Figure 2.6: Bedding

5. Armouring:
It consists of two or more layers of galvanized steel wire or steel tape, which is applied
over bedding. The purpose is to protect the cable from mechanical injury while laying or
handling it.

Figure 2.7: Armouring

6. Serving:
It is a layer of fibrous material which is provided over the armouring to protect it from
atmospheric damages.

Figure 2.8: Serving

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Classification of Cables:
Cables can be classified into following categories:
i. Power cables
ii. Networking cables
1. Power Cables:
A power cable is an assembly of two or more electrical conductors, usually held together
with an overall sheath. The assembly is used for transmission of electrical power. Power
cables may be installed as permanent wiring within buildings, buried in the ground, run
overhead, or exposed.
Classification of Power Cables:
The classification of these cables can be done on the basis of several criteria.
a. On basis of voltages
b. On basis of core
c. On basis of armouring
A. Classification of power cables on basis of voltages:
Following are the types of power cable on basis of voltages:
i. Low tension cables: It can transmit voltages up to 1-kV.
ii. High tension cables: It can transmit voltages up to 11-kV.
iii. Super tension cables: It can transmit voltages from 22-kV to 33-kV.
iv. Extra high tension cables: It can transmit voltages 33-kV to 66-kV.
v. Extra super voltage cables: These cables are used for applications with voltage
requirement above 132-kV.
B. Classification of power cables on basis of cores:
i. Single Core Cable:
Single core cables are made up of a single conductor covered by PVC insulation. The
conductor is made of mostly copper or aluminum. These are widely used for domestic
purposes.

Figure 2.9: Single Core Cable

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ii. Double (2) Core Cable:
In two core cable, two conductors are covered by PVC insulation. The cable only has two
cores being live and neutral. This type of cable is used to connect small appliances which are
double insulated and need no earth.

Figure 2.10: Double Core Cable

iii. Three (3) Core Cable:
It cable has three cores, a live core, a neutral core and the earth core. The live and neutral
cores are insulated and carry the current to and from the outlet socket. The earth is not
insulated, except for outer sheath and provides a path for the current to flow to ground.

Figure 2.11: Three Core Cable

iv. Four (4) Core Cable:
These cables have 4 cores, with 3 live and 1 neutral. Each of the cores is covered in color
coded PVC insulation and then grouped together and covered in a layer known as the sheath
(inner sheath). Then, surrounded by a layer of twisted galvanized steel wire which providing
armoured protection. The armoured layer is then covered in an additional layer of PVC
insulation, which protects the armour from rust.

Figure 2.12: Four (4) Core Cable

C. Classification of power cables on basis of armouring:

i. Armoured Cable:
This is hard wearing power cable designed for the supply of main electricity. It is also
known as steel wire armoured cables abbreviated as “SWA”. It consists of one or two layers
of galvanized steel wire. The SWA cable is designed to have mechanical protection that is

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why, these cable is often used for external use. These cables are widely used for underground
cabling purposes.

Figure 2.13: Armoured Cable

ii. Unamoured Cable:
The construction of armoured and unarmoured cables is same except of armouring. These
cables have not protection against mechanical damage. These are less expensive then
armoured cables and they are installed in protected location, where they can not exposed to
mechanical damage i.e. inside wall.

Figure 2.14: Unarmoured Cable

2. Networking Cable:
Cable is the medium through, which information usually moves from one network device
to another. Networking cables are networking hardware used to connect one network device
to other network devices or to connect two or more computers to share printers, scanners etc.
Different types of network cables, such as coaxial cable, optical fiber cable are used
depending on the networks.
Types of Networking Cable:
a. Coaxial Cable
b. Optical Fiber Cable
A. Coaxial Cable:
Coaxial cabling has a single copper conductor at its center. A plastic layer provides
insulation between the center conductor and a braided metal shield. It has lower emission
losses and provides protection from electromagnetic interference, allowing signals with lower
power to transmit over long distances. It is used to carry television signals and connect video
equipment together. It carries radio signal and connects the receiver, transmitter and antenna

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together. It is also used for connecting computers in local area networks is widely used in
cable broadband.

Figure 2.15: Coaxial Cable

B. Optical Fiber cables:
Optical fiber cables contain several thousands of optical fibers in a protective, insulated
jacket. The optical fibers are very thin strands of pure glass, which transmit information in
the form of light. Optical fiber cables transmits large amount of data at a very high speed that
is why, these are widely used as internet cables. These cables are also used in telephone,
computer networking and lighting application. They do not dissipate heat and they are
immune to crosstalk and electromagnetic interference.

Figure 2.16: Optical Fiber Cable

Some Brands of Cable in Pakistan:
i. Pakistan Cables:
“Pakistan Cables” is the premier cable manufacturer and market leader in Pakistan since its
inception in 1953. Pakistan cable claims 99.9% pure copper in the manufacturing of wires
and cables.
ii. Fast Cables:
“Fast Cables” is also leading and trusted electrical cable manufacturer in Pakistan since its
inception in 1985.

Part 2: Insulation Testing using Megger:

Megger or mega ohmmeter is the instrument used for measuring very high resistance of
the insulation i.e. 1000-MΩ. The working of megger is based on the principle of moving coil
instruments, which states that when a current carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic
field, a mechanical force is experienced by it. The magnitude and direction of this force
depend upon the strength and direction of the current and magnetic field. The megger enables
us to measure electrical leakage in a wire; results are very reliable as we shall be passing

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electric current through device, while we are testing. The equipment is basically used for
verifying the electrical insulation resistance of insulators, electric wires and cables, motor and
generator windings etc. Similarly, the open and short circuit tests of electric wiring and
windings can also be carried out using megger. Not necessary it shows us exact area of
electrical puncture, but shows the amount of leakage current and level of moisture within
electrical equipment/winding/system.
Insulation Resistance (IR):
The insulation resistance depends upon the temperature, humidity, moisture, cleanliness,
age, test voltage, and duration of its application. It also get impacted negatively due to the
presence of electrical and mechanical stress, so it becomes very necessary to check the
insulation resistance of equipment/wiring at a constant regular interval to avoid any electrical
shock or fatal measure. There are two major types of a megger including automatic
(electronic) and manual type (hand operated) meggers. In a manual type megger, testing
voltage is produced by hand operated DC generator whereas battery/electronic voltage
charger is provided in electronic megger for same purpose. In this lab session, we will study
and use manual type megger (as shown in Figure 2.17) to find the insulation resistance.

Figure 2.17: Manual type Megger

The main parts of manual type megger are briefly described here:
1. Display: An Analog display is provided, which is a pointer and a scale, to show the IR
value recording.
2. Hand Crank: As this a manually operated ohmmeter, a hand crank is provided which
can be rotated to generate the required voltage, which runs through the electrical system
for an insulation resistance test.

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 3. Wire Leads: Two wire leads are provided which can be connected to the electrical
system which needs to be checked.
Construction of a Manual type Megger:
Figure 2.18 shows the construction of a manual type megger. The important construction
features of manual type megger consist of following parts:
i. Deflecting and Control coil: These are connected parallel to the generator, mounted at
right angle to each other and maintain polarities in such a way to produced torque in
opposite direction.
ii. Permanent Magnets: Produce magnetic field to deflect pointer with North-South pole
magnet.
iii. Pointer: One end of the pointer connected with coil another end deflects on scale from
infinity to zero.
iv. Scale: A scale is provided in front-top of the megger from range ‘zero’ to ‘infinity’, enable
us to read the value.
v. D.C Generator or Battery connection: Testing voltage is produced by hand operated DC
generator for manual operated megger. Battery / electronic voltage charger is provided for
automatic type megger for same purpose.
vi. Pressure coil resistance and Current coil resistance: Protect instrument from any
damage because of low external electrical resistance under test.

Figure 2.18

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 It consists of a hand-driven DC generator and a direct reading ohm meter. There are two
coils; pressure coil (control) and current coil (deflecting). Both the coils are fixed together at
some angle. They are free to rotate about a common axis between the poles of a permanent
magnet. The coils are connected in the circuit through flexible leads (or ligaments), which
exerts no restoring torque on the moving system. The current (or deflecting) coil is connected
in series with a resistance R1 between the generator terminal and the test line terminal. The
deflecting circuit resistance R1 limits the current and controls the range of the instrument.
The pressure (or control) coil is connected across the generator terminals in series with a
compensating coil and protection resistance (or control circuit resistance) R2. Compensating
coil is connected to obtain better scale proportions. A guard ring is provided to shunt leakage
current over the test terminals or within the instrument itself. The terminal “G” known as
guard terminal is provided by means of which the guard ring can be connected to a guard
wire on the insulation under test. The test voltage generated by the generator is usually 250V,
500V or 1000V. Meggers of 250V are used for medium voltage appliances and those of
higher voltage like 1-kV, 2.5-kV, etc. for high voltage appliances. The test leads or prongs
should have proper insulation and should be handled with care to avoid shock.
Working of a Megger:
Before making connections, the two leads should be touched together, and the crank
handle turned gently at a slow speed the pointer should indicate zero resistance. Paint,
enamel, dirt, etc. should be removed from the surface where the “earth” terminal of the
megger is connected. The resistance under test is connected between test terminals (L and G),
the generator handle is then steadily turned at a uniform speed till the pointer gives a steady
reading. The working of a megger insulation tester can be fully understood from the
following steps:
i. When the test terminals are open, the resistance to be measured is infinite. In case the
generator handle is rotated, the generated voltage sends current through the potential coil
and no current flows through the current coil. Therefore, the moving system rotates in
such a direction that the pointer rests at the “infinity” end of the scale.
ii. If the test terminals are short-circuited, and the generator is operated, it sends a large
current through the current coil, and a very small current flow through the potential coil.
Therefore, the resultant torque so produced turns the pointer to the “zero” end of the
scale.
iii. If the unknown resistance to be measured is connected between test terminals, a
considerable amount of current flows in both the coils. The actual position taken up by
the pointer depends upon the ratio of currents in the two coils i.e., upon the unknown
resistance.

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iv. A test voltage of 500V or 1000V is generated by hand operated generator and a constant
voltage source is maintained to test the insulation having low resistance.
v. Two pressure coils are rotated in the anticlockwise direction, whereas the current coil is
rotated in the clockwise direction.
vi. With the unknown resistance connected in the circuit, the moving coil pointer becomes
stable.
vii. The pressure coil and current coil balance the pointer and set it in the middle of the scale.
The deflection of pointer is directly proportional to the voltage applied to the external
circuit and the ration of currents in the two coils i.e. Unknown resistance.
viii. With an increase of potential voltage across the external circuit, the deflection of the
pointer increases; and with an increase of current, the deflection of pointer decrease so
the resultant torque on the movement is directly proportional to the potential difference
and inversely proportional to the resistance.

a. When the external circuit is open, torque due to voltage coil will be maximum and the
pointer will read “infinity”. When there is short circuit the pointer will read “0”.
Meaning of “Zero” and “Infinity” reading:
When a magger is showing “zero” value while measuring insulation resistance, it is an
indication of insulation failure or short circuit whereas, when it is showing “infinity” reading,
it means that the unknown insulation resistance, which is being measured, has very high
value.
Procedure:
a. Take a piece of electric wire having good quality insulation and measure its insulation
resistance using manual type (hand operated) megger as instructed by your teacher.
Comment on your observations regarding megger’s reading.

b. Take a piece of electric wire having bad or damaged insulation and measure its
insulation resistance using manual type megger as instructed by your teacher. Comment
on your observations regarding megger’s reading.

c. Summarize the test results as compiled after megger tester experiment.

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