The number one cause of electrical failure in motors and generators is insulation breakdown to ground. The most common time for an electrical insulation failure to occur is during startup. And since over 80 percent of electrical PM testing involves evaluating insulation integrity, Insulation Resistance (I/R) Testing, commonly referred to as megging, is the first and most important test that you need to perform in order to ensure that your equipment is safe to operate. After all, electrical insulation begins to age as soon as it’s manufactured and aging causes deterioration in the performance of the insulation. Harsh operating conditions will also cause further deterioration, especially where the electrical insulation is often exposed to extreme temperatures, moisture, dirt, dust, and chemical contamination. As a result, personnel safety and operating reliability can both be compromised!
Meg-Alert manufactures the only permanently installed fully automatic I/R Testing and Monitoring systems designed to detect the very first signs of insulation breakdown in critical equipment operating from 120 V up to 15 KV, using test outputs from 500 to 5000 VDC. By installing these systems on your critical equipment you can ensure that it’s always tested before every startup so maintenance personnel can take corrective action in time to prevent failures and reduce forced outages at your facility.
The patented Meg-Alert I/R protection systems sense when the equipment is offline and then performs a continuous “True Dielectric” I/R test on the electrical insulation until the equipment is started again. Meg-Alert systems now have a new digital megohm meter option with a 4-20 mA output signal that can be used for remote trending and tracking the I/R readings. The systems can also be set up to disable the start circuit should the equipment’s electrical insulation condition become unsafe, which will prevent catastrophic failures and extend equipment operating life. The Meg-Alert’s “hands off” testing capabilities increase personnel safety by eliminating exposure to dangerous arc flash conditions and electrical accidents that can occur during manual meg testing.
Save money, save time, and increase safety with the one and only automatic inline megging/monitoring systems.
For more information, call 800.778.5689 or visit www.megalert.com.
