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True Burden Measurement

February 10, 2016 by admin (https://www.powermetrix.com/author/admin/) Leave a Comment
(https://www.powermetrix.com/2016/02/adding-burden-measure/#respond)
 The 3 Series can now measure burden during CT testing. — Photos by Robert Berlin, Powermetrix

3 Series now provides simple, accurate burden

measure on CTs
John Wilson plugs into the test switch, glances at the PowerMaster 3 Series screen and grins.  He’s been
testing CT rated sites for more than a decade, but it’s never
been in a true three phase manner and quite this easy.  Today
when burden testing the CTs, the screen says Phase A PASS,
Phase B PASS, and Phase C FAIL.

“As a meterman, one of my most important jobs is to make sure

the utility isn’t losing money,” Wilson explained.  “When meters
or CTs are failing their accuracy tests, it usually means the
customer is receiving power at a bargain price.  My boss
doesn’t like that.”

“To try and diagnose these types of CT errors, we used to hook up separate equipment to inject extra burden
onto the secondary of each individual CT and measure the secondary current change,” Wilson said.  “That
was not only time consuming, but required a fairly deep understanding of burden and generated a graph that
was dif cult to explain and left out key information.”

Powermetrix introduced a new feature for the 3 Series product line in late 2015 that solves this problem by
measuring the actual burden present on the CT.  In order to truly understand this breakthrough, it is
important to understand how accuracy ratings are speci ed on CTs.

For example, a CT nameplate may show a Ratio of 200:5 with accuracy

“The ultimate goal is to not
class of 0.3% while operating at 30°C and with up to 0.2 ohms of burden
only verify the CT is
on its secondary.  The
performing as expected, but
0.3% accuracy class of this
that the CT was correctly
CT is only guaranteed
speci ed and installed in the
while the CT is at its fully
rst place. That is simply not
rated load (200A on the
possible without truly
primary).  During a normal
measuring the burden.” —
Eric Hubbard, Powermetrix CT ratio
Product Manager test, the primary and
secondary current are
always measured.  It is
simple to measure the temperature at the site to make sure the temperature is within the 30°C rating, but
making sure the CT is within its burden rating has always been more dif cult to prove.
In the past, like John Wilson described, the utility would inject extra burden into the secondary of the CT and
measure the secondary current to see if and when it would decrease. This process merely simulated an
overburden condition and stressed the CT to see when it failed.  The most important questions were always
“What was the actual burden on the CT before I added extra burden, and was that burden within its
nameplate speci cation?”  That question could never be easily answered…until now.

“The ultimate goal is to not only verify the CT is performing as expected, but that the CT was correctly
speci ed and installed in the rst place.  That is simply not possible without truly measuring the burden,”
Powermetrix Product Manager Eric Hubbard explained.  “The old method of added burden testing
generated a result that wasn’t intuitive and lacked critical information.”

Powermetrix was asked by metermen across the country if we could come up with a better, yet simple
solution.  Our engineering team got together and created the burden measurement testing program that is
revolutionizing CT testing.

The process is as simple as measuring the voltage drop across the secondary connections of the CT while at
the same time measuring the secondary current.  If the secondary connections of the CT are not available,
then the 3 Series allows the user to measure the voltage drop at the test switch and enter values for the
gauge and length of wire from the CT to the meter.

Either way, the PowerMaster 3 Series will calculate the burden in Ohms, nally giving the utility a way to
prove the CT is within its accuracy speci cation at veri able loads, temperatures, AND burden. Wilson is still
grinning when he sees that the PowerMaster 3 Series clearly shows the burden (Ohms) on Phase C is much
higher than Phases A and B, and well outside of the burden speci cation.  Because of his years of knowledge,
he goes on a hunch, and starts tightening the Phase C connections while carefully following his utility’s
safety protocol.

“Back in the old days, I usually could tell when there was a
problem,” Wilson said.  “But I never felt very con dent I was
xing the right problem.”

Rerunning the CT Ratio test on the 3 Series, Wilson sees that

just tightening the connections did the job.

All three CT phases now show PASS, PASS, PASS.

Learn More about CT Testing:

 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_transformer)

WIKIPEDIA:  Current Transformers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_transformer)

(http://www.electronics-

tutorials.ws/transformer/current-transformer.html)

Electronics Tutorials:  Current Transformers (http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/transformer/current-

transformer.html)

(https://youtu.be/jQsFWfN2PrQ)

YOU TUBE:  CT Electric Meter Wiring (https://youtu.be/jQsFWfN2PrQ)

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