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DEABB 1543 10 E printed in Germany (0110-500-GD)

Service Power Technologies

HF-Earth Resistance
Measuring Instrument HW2S
Operating Instructions
HF-Earth Resistance Measuring Intrument HW2S
Operating Instructions

Contents:

Side 3 Safety precautions

Side 4 Use

Side 5 Functions of buttons and indications

Side 6 Test

Side 7 Checking of battery,

Illumination of indicating display

Side 8 Measuring

Side 9 Storage of Measuring Data

Side 10 Error Messages

Side 11 Charging the battery

2 Service Power Technologies

Safety precautions

The HF Earth Resistance Measuring Instrument was built If there is any visible damage, it must be assumed that safe
in compliance to VDE 0411. Provided that the instrument operation is no longer possible. In this case the instrument
is used as prescribed, the safety of the instrument and of must be switched off immediately and protection against
the user is guaranteed. unintentional operation must be ensured.

In order to preserve the perfect state of safety and to guaran- After extended storage periods and under unfavourable con-
tee safe utilisation, it is absolutely necessary that you carefully ditions or after heavy stress due to transportation the instru-
and completely study the operating instructions and that you ment must be checked in order to ensure its safe operation.
follow them exactly in every respect. Only the specialist staff
is authorized to make measurements with the HW2S. The When opening the instrument, live parts may be exposed.
instrument may never be connected to live parts. The HW2S Before any overhaul, exchange of parts or adjustment, the
is a measuring instrument which must be handled carefully. instrument must be disconnected from all voltage sources.
Vibrations, moisture and exposure to external voltages must Overhauls may only be carried out by a qualified person who
be avoided in particular. Electrostatic charges (also of the is familiar with all the hazards involved.
operating crew) must absolutely be avoided, as they may lead
to the destruction of the instrument. The instrument complies with protection class II.

The instrument may not be exposed to frost or to temperatures Only fuses of the rated current and type are allowed. It is
above 60° C. forbidden to use repaired fuses or to short-circuit the fuse
holder.

HF-Earth Resistance Measauring Instrument HW2S

1 Button for checking of instrument

2 Information display
3 Button for checking the batterie
4 Illumination of display (2) 1
5 Measured-value display 2 TEST
INFORMATION
6 Button for automatic measurement 3 U/I
HW2S
7 Fuse of measuring circuit 4 HF-Erdungsmessgerät

8 230 V socket 5 AUTO

10
9 Fuse for charging circuit
6
10 Pilot lamp “charge” 11
RS232
11 Operation switch 12
7 T 1,6 A 230 V T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb

12 Pilot lamp for operation

E S H
13 Socket for auxiliary earth rod (H) 13
8
14 Socket for probe (S)
9
15 Socket for tower leg (E) 14
15

Service Power Technologies 3

Use

The HF Earth Resistance Measuring Instrument HW2S serves Subject to physical limits the measuring results of the HW2S
for the determination of earthing resistances of overhead are comparable with low frequency measuring bridges in the
transmission line towers with tower-top earth wire. The inst- range 2-25 Ohm only.
rument has been designed especially for the routine control
of the effectiveness of tower earthings at a minimum of effort Extreme and particularly unfavourable conditions may influ-
and time. ence the measured results.

For measuring, a sinusoidal current flows from the tower The shown result can be influenced by interference voltages.
foot (E) to the auxiliary earth rod (H). The voltage drop is Such influence can mostly be detected by repeated measure-
measured by probe S. The earth electrode resistance can ments.
be determined from the current/voltage ratio.
The instrument is approved for operation of an ambient
The high frequency measuring method offers the advantage of temperature of 50°C.
eliminating the influence of adjacent tower earthings connected
by earth wires.

The measured result is comparable with the results achieved

by measurements using conventional bridges, however,
without the time-consuming and complicated process of lifting
and insulating the earthwire against the tower.

Range of application: 2-100 ohms.

HF cable
earth clamp

TEST
INFORMATION
U/I
HW2S
auxiliary earth rod H
HF-Erdungsmessgerät

AUTO

RS232
probe S
T 1,6 A 230 V T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb

E S H

NYAF
tower connection E about 40m

measuring about 75m

arrangement

4 Service Power Technologies

Function of buttons and indications

The instrument is operated by means of 4 push-buttons. The current mode of operation or measured results are shown
A selected function will be performed within 15 seconds. on two displays:
If another operation is started meanwhile, the original
one will be interrupted, and the latest operation will be The information display (2) consists of two lines and can
executed. be illuminated push button (4). The following information is
shown:

− current operating status (text)

− measured values according to the selected function
− error messages (flashing)
− number of tower

The display (5) shows the measured value tower´s dissipation

resistance after a valid measurement. When the instrument is
ready for operation, the indication is ---,--

2 Information display
2 TEST
4 Illumination of display (2) INFORMATION
U/I
HW2S
5 Measured-value display 4 HF-Erdungsmessgerät

5 AUTO

RS232

T 1,6 A 230 V T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb

E S H

Service Power Technologies 5

Test

With the push-button TEST (1) two different test functions External Test
may be selected. If the button is pressed once, an internal With this test the object connected to the sockets is measured.
test is performed. If the button TEST is pressed twice If no object is connected, the measurement is interrupted,
within 0,5 seconds, an external test takes place. and an error message appears.

The instrument contains a built-in test resistor of 10 ohms For starting the external test, push-button TEST (1) must be
for the internal test. During execution the measuring depressed twice within 0,5 seconds.
current is first adjusted to 20 mA. Then, the resistance is
determined by measurement of the voltage. During both measurements any inductive resistance fraction is
not compensated. This means that any inductive fractions of
Internal Test the object are included in the indicated result.
– Turn the operating switch (11) to the right for operation.
The pilot lamp (12) comes on.

– Press button TEST (1). Thereby the integrated test resistor

is activated.

– After approx. 5 seconds the display (5) shows the result,

which should range between 9.5 and 10.5 ohms.

– Switch off the instrument or continue with any

measurement.

1 Button for checking of instrument 1

TEST
5 Measured-value display INFORMATION
U/I
HW2S
11 Operation switc HF-Erdungsmessgerät

12 Pilot lamp for operation 5 AUTO

11

RS232 12
T 1,6 A 230 V T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb

E S H

6 Service Power Technologies

Checking of battery Illumination of indicating display

The battery supply can be checked by depressing With the yellow button (4) the illumination of the indicating
button U/I (3). In additional the actual measurement current display can be switched on and off. The illumination can be
is shown. switched on in any operating phase.

If an object to be tested is connected to the sockets, the In order to save battery power, the illumination is swit-
current is set to 20 mA. If there is no object connected, ched off automatically after 5 seconds.
the display shows the instantaneous current flowing.

Executing
– Turn the operating switch (11) to the right and set it to
“Operation“. The pilot lamp (12) will light up.

– Press button U/I (3). After a short time, the battery voltage
and the measuring current are indicated on the display (2).
The battery voltage should be in-between 10.0 and 13.7 V.

– The rated voltage of the charged battery is 12.0V. During

the charging process the battery voltage may rise to 14.5 V.

– If the voltage drops below 10.0 V, an error message will be

shown (see item “error messages”).

2 Information display
2 TEST
3 Button for checking the batterie INFORMATION
U/I
3 HW2S
4 Illumination of display (2) HF-Erdungsmessgerät
4
11 Operation switch AUTO

12 Pilot lamp for operation 11

RS232

230 V
T 1,6 A T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb
12
E S H

Service Power Technologies 7

Measuring

HF cable
earth clamp

TEST
INFORMATION
U/I
HW2S
HF-Erdungsmessgerät
auxiliary earth rod H
AUTO
probe S
RS232

T 1,6 A 230 V T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb

E S H

NYAF
tower connection E about 40m
measuring
about 75m
arrangement

The measurement of an externally connected objet is – Connect the tower stub with the measuring cable (about
started by depressing the red button for automatic measu- 1,5 m NYAF) to socket “E” making sure that a good contact
rement (AUTO). A real object always contains an inductive is established between the tower sub and the earth clamp.
resistance fraction. To compensate this inductive fraction,
capacitors are connected in series. The HW2S automa- – Turn operating switch (11) to the right and set it to “Operation”.
tically determines the required capacitance during the Pilot lamp (12) lights up.
adjustment procedure. The adjustment procedure and the
currently effective capacitance with the associated value – Press the button for automatic measurement (6). After a
of resistance, can be read on the information display (2) certain period (about 15 seconds) the measured result
during the measuring process. can be read on the indicating display (5). If it isn´t possible
to obtain a result, the reason is shown on the information
Measuring procedure display (see section “Error messages”).
– Drive auxiliary rod «H» (about 1100 mm long) and probe «S»
(about 630 mm long) into the grounds so that the supplied – If further measurements are planned, the instrument may
measuring cables are laid out to their full extent. be left switched on. The result of the last measurement is
Preferably at a right angle to the transmission line and in a still shown, the measuring current is interrupted however.
straight line with respect to the object to be tested. The instrument has been switched over to standby in order
to reduce the battery load.
– Insert one end of the measuring cable of the auxiliary earth
rod (about 75 m HF cable) into socket “H” and connect the For longer interruptions the operating switch (11) should
other end to the auxiliary earth rod «H». be set to the intermediate position “Off”. The pilot lamp
“Operation” (12) goes out.
– Insert one end of the probe measuring cable (about 40 m NYAF)
into socket “S” and connect the other end to the probe «S».

2 Information display
5 Measured-value display 2 INFORMATION
TEST

U/I

6 Button for automatic measurement HW2S

HF-Erdungsmessgerät

11 Operation switch 5 AUTO 11

12 Pilot lamp for operation 12
6
13 Socket for auxiliary earth rod (H) RS232
13
T 1,6 A 230 V T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb

14 Socket for probe (S) E S H

15 Socket for tower leg (E)

14
15

8 Service Power Technologies

Storage of Measured Data

A Overhead earthwire RS probe diffusion resistance

B remote earth RH auxiliary earth rod diffusion resistance
V high-frequency receiver US potential of probe
G high-frequency generator
i measuring current RAnz Measuring result
g indicating instrument for tower R Korr Measuring result reduced with max.
diffusion resistances deviation
H auxiliary earth rod
S probe
E tower connection Example: The measuring result should be maximal 7 Ω (RKorr)
RE tower diffusion resistance at a required resistance of 9 Ω (RAnz).

➛ ➛A R Anz [Ω]
RE RS RH 200
G 100
^ 50
^
➛i

^
^ V
➛ 10
E
➛

g S H
➛
➛

US 5
➛

RE RS RH
1
2 5 10 50 100
B RKorr [Ω]

Basis circuit diagram and potential distribution

Storage of Measured Data The "Mess-Protokoll" (Measurement Report) program can be

The integral measured data memory permits a storage up to a set up in the following 4 languages:
maximum of 100 towers- or measured values. The measured
– German
values are stored in a so-called "remanent memory" (battery-
– English
buffered RAM). This ensures a backup of the measured values
– Spanish
in case the battery of the HW2S may fail. A subsequent data
– French
storage can be executed.
Up to 100 (0-99) reports can be stored in the HW2S. The tower
The measured values are downloaded as a text file via a serial number (0-99) increases by 1 after each measurement and
data cable (RS232) and can be inserted into an EXCEL table, after 99 changes to 00. Data that has not been transmitted
for example, for further evaluation or processing. will then be overwritten! The tower number can be inputted
into the HW2S before a measurement is taken. After the
The earth resistance meter is ready to take measurements report data has been downloaded, it is not automatically dele-
once the measuring probe ("S" probe, "auxiliary earth" probe) ted but remains in the memory of the earth resistance meter.
and the "E" tower connection have been properly connected. Therefore the data must be manually deleted after completion
Once the earth resistance meter has been switched on, the of the download, using the "Delete" button, so that the earth
date, time and the "Ready" message appear on the display. resistance meter is ready to take measurements from tower
Every measurement is beeing saved with the precise date number 00 when it is next used.
and time and the current measured value.The ABB-Protokoll
program, which can be found on the CD resistance meter, has
to be installed to provide a download of the measured results
from the earth resistance meter. The measured values can Detailed instructions about operating the measured data
then be saved. The folder ”ABBPrt1- Installer“ is located in storage can be found on the CD supplied with every earth
folder ”ABBPrt1“ on the CD. Open the contents of this folder resistance meter. The program "ABB-Protokoll“, which is
and double-click on the application to start the Setup process. needed for storage of the data, can also be found on this CD.

Service Power Technologies 9

Error Messages

Measurements will be interrupted if a malfunction occurs B - Measuring cable interrupted

during execution. This will be announced on display (2). This error message comes up if there is an interruption in the
Mainly three error messages may come up: measuring cables or poor connection to the probe or to the
instrument or the contact resistance is too high.
A - Current low valued
This error message comes up if the required measuring current C - Charge Battery
could not be set, making a correct result impossible. Irrespective of any manual checking of the battery with button
U/I (3) the battery is permanently monitored during operation.
Reasons for this announcement may be: This takes place cyclically with 1 sec intervals (without indication
– Interruption in the measuring cable to the auxiliary earth rod (H) on display). If the voltage drops below 10.0 V, an error mes-
sage appears.
– Poor connection of the measuring cable to the probe or to
the instrument This error announcement can only be disabled by turning off
the instrument with operating switch (11). The battery should
– The earth resistance of the auxiliary earth rod is too high. be recharged immediately to prevent a pole reversal of indivi-
To reduce the earth resistance, drive the auxiliary earth dual cells.
rod deeper into the ground or drive a second one into the
ground at a few meters distance and connect it to the first
one.

– Maximum resistance of auxiliary earth: 1 kohm

– Maximum resistance for probe S max. 5 kohm

2 Information display
2 TEST
3 Button for checking the batterie INFORMATION
U/I
3
11 Operation switch HW2S
HF-Erdungsmessgerät

AUTO

11
RS232

T 1,6 A 230 V T 0,1 A Laden aus Betrieb

E S H

10 Service Power Technologies

Charging the battery

– The battery is charged with the built-in charging unit by con – The operating switch may be left in position “Charge”
necting it to a mains voltage of 230 V (frequency: 50/60 Hz). for a certain time without harming the Ni-Cad cells. To avoid
a polarity reversal it is sufficient to charge the battery
– Due to their low internal resistance, the Ni-Cad cells are every 2-3 months for 18-24 hours.
subject to automatic discharge, depending on the ambient
temperature. The graphs show the extent of the usual self- – For charging, discharging and storage of the battery the
discharge of these cells at various temperatures. following temperature limits should be adhered to:

– After extended storage periods, i.e. 2-4 months, the battery – Charging +10° to +35° C (50° C max)
should be charged for about 18-24 hours before using
the HW2S. Excessive storage periods involve the danger of – Discharging -20° to +45° C (50° C max)
a polarity reversal of one or several cells. The danger of
polarity reversal appears when the voltage drops below – Storage 0° to +45° C (a maximum of 60° C is allowable
10.0 V. In this case the battery must be recharged imme- for not more than 24 hours)
diately.

– Recharging a normally discharged battery (10.0 V) takes The temperature has a considerable influence on capacity,
approx. 24 hours. voltage and service life of the battery.

The extent of the usual selfdischarge of these cells at various temperatures

Loss of capacity % K10 (C10)

-20°C
20%

40% 20°C

60% 30°C

80%
60°C

0 1 2 3
Storage time t (month)

Service Power Technologies 11

Contact us

DEABB 1543 10 E printed in Germany (0110-500-GD)

ABB AG Note:
Service Power Technologies We reserve the right to make technical changes
P.O. Box 10 03 51 or modify the contens of this document without
68128 Mannheim, Germany prior notice. With regard to purchase orders, the
Telefon: +49 (0) 621 381-30 00 agreed particulars shall prevail.
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E-Mail: [email protected] whatsover for potential errors or possible lack of
information in this document.
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