Megger

Megger
Name	Megger
Industry	Electrical test equipment
Founded	1889
Founder	Daniel McLaren and Sydney Evershed
Headquarters	Dover
Products	Insulation testers, earth testers, cable fault locators

Megger is a manufacturer of electrical test and measurement instruments known principally for insulation resistance testers and earth resistance meters. The company developed specialized equipment used by utilities, manufacturers, and laboratories to assess insulation integrity, locate cable faults, and verify grounding systems. Instruments attributed to the company are employed across power generation, transmission, distribution, and industrial maintenance contexts.

History

Megger traces its origins to late 19th-century electrical innovation, influenced by contemporaries such as Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi, Alexander Graham Bell, and Karl Benz. Early developments in insulation testing paralleled advances by Siemens, General Electric, Westinghouse Electric Company, Brown, Boveri & Cie, and Edison General Electric Company. Throughout the 20th century the firm interacted commercially and technologically with entities including British Steel Corporation, National Grid plc, Royal Dutch Shell, BP plc, and Siemens AG. During both World Wars the company's instruments were used in support roles alongside equipment from Royal Ordnance Factory, Rolls-Royce Limited, Vickers-Armstrongs, Boeing, and Lockheed Corporation. Post-war expansion saw collaborations and competition involving Schneider Electric, ABB Group, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, and Honeywell International. Corporate milestones overlapped with regulatory and standards activity led by organizations such as British Standards Institution, International Electrotechnical Commission, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Underwriters Laboratories, and National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Design and Operation

Megger insulation testers operate on principles pioneered by electrical pioneers like James Clerk Maxwell, Michael Faraday, Georg Ohm, André-Marie Ampère, and Georg Simon Ohm. Typical instruments generate DC test voltages and measure leakage current to infer insulation resistance, employing techniques similar to those used in meters by Edison General Electric Company and measurement practices advocated in standards from IEEE Standards Association and IEC. Designs incorporate electromechanical and solid-state components influenced by suppliers and innovators such as Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Intel Corporation, National Semiconductor, and STMicroelectronics. Operational procedures reference test methods promulgated by ASTM International, BSI, IEC, IEEE and calibration chains maintained by National Physical Laboratory (United Kingdom), NIST, and accredited labs run by organizations like Bureau Veritas and TÜV SÜD.

Types and Models

Product lines include handheld insulation testers, bench instruments, loop and RCD testers, earth resistance kits, and cable fault locators comparable to offerings from Fluke Corporation, Klein Tools, Hioki, Chauvin Arnoux, and AEMC Instruments. Notable models and generations parallel development trends seen in devices produced by Tektronix, Agilent Technologies, Keysight Technologies, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and Rohde & Schwarz. Megger model families cater to sectors exemplified by clients such as National Grid plc, EDF Energy, Con Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and Edison International and are used in facilities operated by General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Boeing, Airbus, Siemens AG, and Toyota Motor Corporation.

Applications

Megger instruments are applied across power systems, telecommunications, rail infrastructure, and manufacturing plants. They are used by utilities like E.ON, Enel, Southern Company, Dominion Energy, and Iberdrola for preventive maintenance, by rail operators such as Deutsche Bahn, Network Rail, Amtrak, SNCF, and JR East for traction and signaling diagnostics, and by aerospace firms including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Saab AB, Bombardier Inc., and Embraer for wiring integrity. In petrochemical and offshore contexts clients include ExxonMobil, Chevron Corporation, TotalEnergies, Schlumberger, and Halliburton. Building services and renewable energy projects by groups like Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Vestas, Ørsted, First Solar, and SunPower Corporation also rely on insulation and earth testing for commissioning and maintenance.

Calibration and Standards

Calibration of Megger instruments is generally performed against fixed standards traceable to national institutes such as NIST, NPL, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, METAS, and CSIR. Relevant standards include documents from IEC, IEEE, BSI, ASTM International, and sector-specific guidance from American Petroleum Institute, International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRÉ), and Rail Safety and Standards Board. Accredited calibration and certification bodies involved in quality systems include UKAS, ANAB, DAkkS, JAS-ANZ, and ILAC signatories. Calibration procedures reference technical committees and working groups that have included experts from Siemens AG, ABB Group, General Electric, Schneider Electric, and research institutions such as Imperial College London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, and Fraunhofer Society.

Safety and Precautions

Safe use of insulation testers and earth resistance meters follows protocols promulgated by regulatory and standards organizations including IEC, IEEE, OSHA, HSE (United Kingdom), and NFPA. Training curricula often reference procedures used in programs at City & Guilds, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, and technical education providers like TÜV Rheinland Academy and RMIT University. Onsite safety considerations intersect with practices from National Grid plc, Balfour Beatty, Bechtel, Fluor Corporation, and Skanska for lockout–tagout, earthing, and personal protective equipment compliance. Maintenance, inspection, and corrective action workflows align with asset management frameworks advocated by ISO and implemented by operators including Siemens Energy and General Electric.

Category:Electrical test equipment manufacturers