Earth Leakage Relay

There are concerns related to the management of the DC Power System and Battery Plant, particularly with regard to the risk of DC ground faults and the timely detection and alarming of such faults before they can escalate into serious damages. The primary concern with any Battery Ground Fault is the potential for it to develop into a fire hazard, posing risks to personnel who must work on or near the battery, as well as the system’s overall reliability.

ICD’s DC Earth Leakage Relay is specifically designed to detect DC Earth leakage or faults and protect the DC Discharging system. The relay is capable of sensing the insulation resistance of any unearthed system, making it highly suitable for DC Earth leakage protection for various equipment such as Switchboards, Rectifiers, and Battery Chargers. It functions by monitoring the resistance between the Positive and Negative Terminals of the DC System and Earth. The magnitude of the leakage current, if present, depends on the insulation resistance value between the respective terminals. Higher resistance values result in lower leakage currents, and vice versa. Lower resistance can lead to safety hazards and equipment damage.

ICD’s ELR employs a Resistor Bridge principle to sense insulation resistance and activates the relay when the resistance value falls below the preset value on the dial. Additionally, the relays are equipped with user-settable time delays (0-10 seconds). The choice of the appropriate sensor for the relay is based on the system voltage, and there is an option to connect an External Leakage Resistance Meter (Analog). A center infinity meter can also be provided with a calibrated scale to measure Insulation Resistance (IR).