White Paper: Design
Mastering High Voltage: The Importance of Accurate Test Equipment
SPONSORED BY: ![]()
This white paper examines why accurate calibration is essential for safe and reliable high-voltage measurement. It reviews common high-voltage measurement techniques, including voltage dividers, transformers, and direct measurement methods, and explains how errors can arise from environmental conditions, signal type, cabling, corona discharge, and electromagnetic interference. The paper highlights the importance of ISO/IEC 17025–accredited calibration, traceability to national standards, and understanding total system uncertainty. By addressing both technical and safety considerations, it demonstrates how proper calibration practices protect personnel, ensure compliance, and maintain confidence in high-voltage test results across industrial, medical, research, and power applications.
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Overview
This white paper from Vitrek, authored by Bryan Withers, emphasizes the critical importance of accurate high-voltage test equipment for ensuring safety, reliability, and performance across diverse industrial sectors. High voltage, defined as 1 kV to 150 kV (AC or DC), is integral to applications ranging from analytical instruments, aerospace, defense, medical imaging, manufacturing, to power distribution. Accurate voltage measurement is essential not only for validating system performance but also for safeguarding personnel and equipment.
The document outlines various high-voltage measurement techniques, including step-down transformers, capacitive and resistive voltage dividers, and analog methods such as sphere gaps and electrostatic force measurement. It stresses that each technique requires careful calibration tailored to the signal type and frequency to maintain accuracy.
A major focus is placed on calibration standards and practices. Accredited laboratories, such as Vitrek’s A2LA-accredited lab, ensure traceability of measurements to national and international standards like ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994. Such accreditation guarantees technical competence and rigor in calibration procedures. The paper highlights the need to account for all sources of measurement uncertainty, including equipment accuracy, environmental effects (like temperature, humidity, altitude), cabling quality, external electromagnetic interference, and corona discharges. These factors can introduce errors that may jeopardize reliable measurement.
Practical advice for reducing errors includes proper shielding, maintaining stable measurement environments, secure and appropriate cabling, and smooth, well-insulated connections to minimize corona discharge. The document also underscores the benefits of modern high-voltage test equipment like the Vitrek 4700, which incorporates digital signal processing (DSP) for enhanced measurement stability, resolution, and automated testing capabilities, including data capture and communication interfaces.
In conclusion, the white paper reaffirms that mastering accurate high-voltage measurement is foundational to operational efficacy and safety in high-voltage systems. Investment in proper calibration, adherence to standards, and usage of advanced equipment ensures both equipment reliability and the protection of personnel, fostering safer, more efficient industrial environments. Vitrek provides these solutions and calibration services supporting traceable, precise, and automated high-voltage testing.