Ensuring Safe and Reliable Tower Earthing with Precise Impedance Measurement tTesting
The Taurus PREZIOHM TFR tester is an innovative product by MKS, designed to measure the impedance, resistance, and inductance of transmission line tower footings without disconnecting the overhead earth wire. This portable system is specially engineered to operate in highly induced environments and is essential for:
- Lightning Protection: Ensuring effective earthing for lightning protection by measuring tower foot impedance.
- Safety Assurance: Protecting people near the tower from lightning strikes by assessing the grounding system’s effectiveness.
Necessity of Tower Foot Impedance Tester
Lightning strikes can severely impact transmission lines and their insulators, particularly if the tower earthing is inadequate. To assess the effect of lightning on a particular tower and take corrective action, it’s crucial to measure the tower foot impedance. A reliable measurement helps prevent damage and enhances safety
The PREZIOHM TFR is a high-frequency earth tester that measures the resistance of tower earthing to transient frequencies caused by lightning strikes. It ensures the safety of equipment and personnel by ensuring the effective discharge of lightning energy into the ground.
Additionally, it helps in evaluating the performance of surge or lightning grounding systems by providing impedance measurements for tower footings. The instrument boasts a wide measurement range (0 to 2k ohms) and is immune to power frequency interference and harmonics.
Built to withstand induced environments, the PREZIOHM TFR guarantees stable, reliable, and repeatable results, even in challenging conditions, with superior noise suppression capabilities.
- Impedance, Resistance, and Inductance Measurement: Measures the impedance along with resistance and inductance of the transmission line tower footing without the need to isolate the overhead earth wire.
- Automatic Noise Suppression: Automatically suppresses all noise and leakage currents for accurate readings.
- Metallic Shielding: Suppresses EMI interference and ensures EMC compliance.
- Dynamic Measurements: Capable of delivering real-time dynamic measurements.
- Reliable and Repeatable: Provides stable, reliable, and repeatable readings even in induced environments.
- Long Battery Life: Features a high-capacity battery, enabling long, continuous operation
The Taurus PREZIOHM TFR Tester, engineered by MKS, is an advanced testing system designed to accurately measure tower footing impedance, resistance, and inductance without requiring disconnection of the overhead earth wire. This capability makes it ideal for in-service testing of transmission line towers under live-line conditions. The system is optimized for use in highly induced environments, where traditional measurement methods often fall short due to noise and safety concerns.
Built for field reliability and precision, the PREZIOHM TFR Tester uses high-frequency current injection techniques to overcome inductive interference from nearby energized conductors. Its high input impedance, selective filtering, and robust signal processing enable accurate readings even in close proximity to high-voltage AC lines.
This instrument is essential for:
Lightning Protection System Verification: It ensures the tower footing provides low-impedance grounding paths critical for the dissipation of lightning-induced surges, in compliance with utility and IEEE/IEC standards.
Grounding System Integrity Assessment: By evaluating resistance and inductance, it helps identify corrosion, poor bonding, or ineffective grounding components that could compromise tower safety.
Operational Safety Enhancement: Regular testing with the PREZIOHM TFR supports proactive maintenance, reducing the risk of hazardous step and touch potentials during lightning events or faults.
- Impedance, Resistance, and Inductance Measurement: Simultaneously measures all key electrical parameters of the tower footing, ensuring a comprehensive analysis without isolating the overhead earth wire.
- Automatic Noise Suppression: Integrated algorithms actively suppress leakage currents and induced noise, providing highly accurate and stable measurements even in electromagnetically noisy environments.
- Metallic Shielding: Equipped with a robust metallic enclosure that blocks electromagnetic interference (EMI) and meets EMC compliance standards, ensuring reliable operation near high-voltage conductors.
- Dynamic Measurements: Capable of real-time dynamic readings, the device tracks grounding performance changes over time, enabling better diagnostics and trend analysis.
- Reliable and Repeatable Results: Delivers stable and consistent results across repeated tests, even under high induction from nearby live lines—ideal for condition-based maintenance.
- Long Battery Life: Powered by a high-capacity rechargeable battery, allowing extended field operation without frequent recharging—perfect for remote locations.
- Portable and User-Friendly: Compact, lightweight, and ruggedized for easy transport and use in tough field conditions, with an intuitive interface for minimal training requirements.
- Enhances Lightning Protection: Ensures the effectiveness of grounding systems crucial for lightning surge dissipation, improving tower resilience and system uptime.
- Safety Assurance: Helps prevent hazardous step and touch voltages around transmission structures, safeguarding personnel working in or near substations and towers.