Current transducers

Test & Measurement

9 November 2011 Test & Measurement

LEM introduced the CTSR family of current transducers for use in a range of safety-critical applications including solar installations. The two transducers in the new series measure AC and DC leakage nominal currents, from values as small as 300 and 600 mA RMS, with spectral components up to 9,5 kHz. The residual or leakage currents that the CTSR family is designed to measure can arise in fault conditions in a number of industrial or power generation scenarios. Examples include solar panels that are coupled to an earthed grid, or in failure modes such as short circuits or earth faults.

The CTSR family has been specifically designed to meet the latest safety standards in respect of solar installations and inverters, namely VDE 0126-1-1, UL 1741 and IEC 60950-1. The devices are PCB mountable, lightweight (28 g) components, with a 20,1 mm diameter aperture that easily accommodates multiple conductors.

The CTSR 0.3-P and CTSR 0.6-P safely measure nominal currents of 300 and 600 mA respectively, to a maximum accuracy of 1,9% and 1,5% respectively at +25°C ambient temperature, without offset, providing an analog output to trigger a safety system in the event of a high leakage current. They both provide a high overload capability up to 3300 A (for a pulse duration of 100 μs, and with rise time of 500 A/μs), as well as a high level of insulation between primary and measurement circuits, thanks to long creepage and clearance distances (11 mm), coupled with a CTI (comparative tracking index) of 600 V.

The transducers operate from a +5 V d.c. supply and have a typical current consumption of just 17,8 and 18,1 mA unipolar when measuring 300 and 600 mA. They provide access to their internal reference voltage, and to options such as self test and demagnetisation.

As well as ensuring safety in solar inverter installations, the CTSR range is also suitable for a range of applications that includes symmetry fault detection in medium power inverters and failure detection in a range of power sources.

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