
9
ISO254
and providing quality control of the manufacturing process.
The inception voltage for these voids tends to be constant, so
that the measurement of total charge being redistributed
within the dielectric is a very good indicator of the size of the
voids and their likelihood of becoming an incipient failure.
The bulk inception voltage, on the other hand, varies with
the insulation system, and the number of ionization defects
and directly establishes the absolute maximum voltage (tran-
sient) that can be applied across the test device before
destructive partial discharge can begin. Measuring the bulk
extinction voltage provides a lower, more conservative volt-
age from which to derive a safe continuous rating. In
production, measuring at a level somewhat below the ex-
pected inception voltage and then de-rating by a factor
related to expectations about system transients is an ac-
cepted practice.
Partial Discharge Testing
Not only does this test method provide far more qualitative
information about stress-withstand levels than did previous
stress tests, but it provides quantitative measurements from
which quality assurance and control measures can be based.
Tests similar to this test have been used by some manufac-
turers, such as those of high-voltage power distribution
equipment, for some time, but they employed a simple
measurement of RF noise to detect ionization. This method
was not quantitative with regard to energy of the discharge,
and was not sensitive enough for small components such as
isolation amplifiers. Now, however, manufacturers of HV
test equipment have developed means to quantify partial
discharge. VDE in Germany, an acknowledged leader in
high-voltage test standards, has developed a standard test
method to apply this powerful technique. Use of partial
discharge testing is an improved method for measuring the
integrity of an isolation barrier.
To accommodate poorly-defined transients, the part under
test is exposed to voltage that is 1.6 times the continuous-
rated voltage and must display less than or equal to 5pC
partial discharge level in a 100% production test.
APPLICATIONS
The ISO254 isolation amplifiers are used in three categories
of applications:
Accurate isolation of signals from high voltage ground
potentials
Accurate isolation of signals from severe ground noise and
Fault protection from high voltages in analog measure-
ments
FIGURE 3. Noise Reduction in Data Acquisition System.
V
OUT
COM1
+V
S1
–V
S1
GND
1
A
O
+V
IN
V
(0 - 5V)
–V
IN
4
15
+V
S3
17
GND
3
3
26
28
27
COM2
+V
S2
–V
S2
GND
2
A
1
13
12
11
10
25
14
ISO254
OPA27
0.1μF
–15 (–V
S2
)
20k
20k
V
OUT
= 2V
IN
0.1μF
+15 (+V
S2
)
1nF
1nF
220nF
1
2
2.2nF
+15V
16k
220nF
220nF
220nF
16k