A High-Voltage Testing Apparatus for Power Line Clamp on Meters

A well-known method for sampling AC is to use a meter designed with split-core transformer. The latter is a simple device consisting of a coil that has been opened and hinged such that the coil may be placed around a conductor and closed such that the AC in the conductor will induce a secondary current in the coil that can then be detected and displayed by the meter without having to open the conductor. Our lab is experimenting with this type of instrument for smart grid device development and it was found that short of simulation and/or in situ fieldwork, we were unable to adequately model a high voltage transmission line in the lab to suit our purpose. This paper describes a novel device with which to conduct such experiments that is easily fabricated from locally available materials.