5 Main Applications of Clamp Meters
Purpose 1: Measuring three-phase three-wire circuit current and three-phase four-wire neutral current
Clamp meters generally measure the current of a single wire. If you measure the current of a three-phase three-wire load and clamp two wires at the same time, the indicated current value should be the current of the third wire.
The method of measuring the three-phase four-wire neutral current is the same as measuring the current of a three-phase three-wire circuit. Three phase lines are clamped at the same time. The current value indicated at this time is the neutral current value.
Purpose 2: Clamp meter measures small current
The clamp meter measures small currents. Even if the gear is adjusted to the smallest gear, the reading is still not very accurate. Therefore, the wire can be wrapped around the clamp arm and the current value read. Then divide the current reading by the number of turns to get the actual small current value.
Purpose 3: Determine the name of the current in the line
To determine whether the equipment is operating normally, it needs to be determined based on the current measured on site, so it is important to determine what the current is.
Purpose 4: Measure the no-load current of the motor without nameplate to determine the rated power
Estimation tips: Divide the no-load current by 0.8 and get the power close to the level.
The steps are as follows: Measure the motor no-load current value I, according to the empirical formula: p=I/0.8
Purpose 5: Measuring the no-load current of a 380V welding machine without a nameplate to determine the apparent power S
Estimation formula: The capacity of the 380 welding machine is equal to the no-load current I multiplied by 5.
The steps are as follows: Measure the no-load current value I of the welding machine. According to the empirical formula: p=5I
