Fluke Biomedical ESA180 - Manual (Page 30)

180
Users Guide
2-8
Note
The OUTLET switch should be in the OFF (center) position for this
measurement.
Measuring Leakage Current
Leakage current is the flow of current through or over the surface of an
insulating material or insulator. For example, if a person comes in contact with
an operational device, leakage current is the amount of current that flows from
the point where the person came in contact with the device product, through
the person’s body, and back to ground. Measurement of leakage current is
required on all mains power products.
Ground Leakage Current
Ground Leakage Current [I
E
] (internal chassis current) is the current that flows
in the ground wire of the power cable to return the chassis leakage current to
true earth ground. It is only applicable to devices utilizing three-wire
(grounded) power cords.
This current does not constitute a hazard as long as the ground wire remains
intact and the current does not become excessive. Leakage current is due to the
proximity of the hot wire or line potential components to the chassis
represented by Z
L
, a combination of capacitance, C
L
, and resistance, R
L
,
components.
Note
The connection is made internally in the Analyzer, so no external
connectors are required for this test.
Use the following steps to measure ground leakage current:
1. Set the FUNCTION switch to GROUND . The leakage current is
displayed to 1999 μ A (microamperes).