Technical Papers on How to Use Swain Meters

  • How to Get Better Accuracy with a Clamp-on Direct Current Ammeter
    Solving cathodic protection problems. This abbreviated paper discusses: How much lost current can you find? What is the resolution and accuracy?
    Posted 13 October 2000.

  • Measuring Unwanted Alternating Current in Pipe
    Alternating Current (AC) flowing in a pipe can be a portent of trouble, such as corrosion or harm to persons. I discuss interference and fault location, corrosion, and personnel safety.
    Posted 5 October 2000.

  • Structure, Durability, and Accuracy of a Permanently Mounted and Buried Clamp-on Direct Current Ammeter
    The structure of the MER Meter type clamps; why we expect they will continue to work satisfactorily for a lot longer than 3 years; what accuracy and resolution can be expected.
    Posted 23 September 2000.

  • Use and Accuracy of a Clamp-on Direct Current Ammeter
    Solving cathodic protection problems. How much lost current can you find? What is the resolution? Accuracy? Zero offset?
    Posted 23 June 2000.

  • Line Current Monitor
    Mr. Joe Maxwell has written on how to find electrical contacts on gas pipelines [Materials Performance, April 1999, page 33]. My emphasis here is related, but somewhat different. This paper relates to knowing of the contact, when contact occurred, and a lot more.
    Posted 13 October 1999.

  • Measure Structure Current with a Clamp-on Ammeter
    How to measure the actual electrical current flowing in a structure -- say a concrete column, a ground cable, or a 3 foot diameter pipe.
    Posted 31 August 1999.

  • How to Save Time Locating and Measuring Interference Current from a Foreign Line
    A pipeline or cable may carry an unwanted and sometimes unexpected current because of interference from a foreign line, subway, or other conductor in the vicinity. Corrosion is likely where current leaves a line and enters ground soil so we want to locate and measure the current and find its source.

  • Pipeline Protection with Clamp-On DC & AC Ammeters
    Clamp-on DC and AC ammeters are used by corrosion engineers and others to accurately measure actual pipe and cable current -- on the line -- during normal operations. This saves time and trouble.

  • Amp Clips for Corrosion Control
    Tells what can be done with sensitive DC and AC clamp-on ammeters from ¼ inch to 5 feet diameter. An update of a paper given at the Appalachian Underground Corrosion Short Course.

  • Clip and Read Measurement of Offdraw Current in a Vehicular Battery
    On a production line an objective is to measure the 20 mA offdraw current accurately and quickly in each of a group of similar vehicles.

  • Setup for Testing the Gain and Polarity of the Clamp at the Wellhead