LCR bridge measurements at elevated operating levels
LLNL Wilson M. J., Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States), USDOE, Washington, DC (United States) · 1997
A critical part in the design of high voltage systems is the selection of the appropriate discrete components The proper selection involves consideration to the basic equivalent electrical parameters of inductance, capacitance, and resistance. The typical approach to establish these parameters involves the use of low level measurements at reduce scale and extrapolate the results to the desired operating ranges. A test voltage level of one volt represents the typical low- level measurement system. The linearity of this process is always in question and may not represent the system operating parameters. The following technique involves the use of a standard Hewlett Packard LCR bridge to measure the electrical parameters of a selected component while it is at its operating level. This process not only provides discrete component values at operating stress but also provides limited information of frequency information at the internal frequency steps. Capacitance is the principal parameter of interest and is highly stress related The significance of a varying capacitance as a function of voltage is the direct relationship to the available stored energy Additional concerns of system frequency response depend on the application.