International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Research (IJEEER) ISSN 2250-155X Vol.

3, Issue 1, Mar 2013, 73-86 TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

A MATLAB BASED POWER QUALITY ANALYZER (PQA) FOR ENHANCING POWER QUALITY IN THE SYSTEM
B. KUMARA SWAMY, P. PAVAN KUMAR & CH V K R M V PRASAD Associate Professor, EEE Department, Raghu Engineering College, Visakhapatnam, India

ABSTRACT
Non - linear loads injects harmonics into the supply system. The injected harmonics, reactive power burden, unbalance and excessive neutral currents cause low system efficiency and power factor. Modern power electronic loads are creating a growing concern for harmonic distortion levels in and use facilities and on the overall power system. Harmonic pollution is phenomenon, which affects all electrical networks in industrial, commercial and home appliances. Therefore, increased concern for power quality has resulted in significant advances in power quality analyzing equipment. In this paper a MATLAB based Power Quality Analyzer (PQA) is developed and simulated, which monitors the power quality of supply at a given time and location on a power system. Assuming voltage and current signals are obtained and sampled at that instinct of time over five cycles and transferred to personal computer (PC), using voltage and current sensor circuits, sampling circuits and serial port respectively. A MATLABTM based program was developed to analyze sampled data to determine up to the 50th harmonic of the power frequency and can compute important power quality indices (PQI) like total harmonic distortion (THD), power factor, real power, reactive power etc. The proposed PQA is flexible and can be altered to perform practical real time analysis and various other functions.

KEYWORDS: Power Quality Analyzer, Power Quality, Power Quality Indices, Power Quality Variations INTRODUCTION
Now a days electric power quality is an issue that is becoming increasingly important to electricity consumers at all levels of usage. Sensitive equipment and non-linear loads such as computer and communication equipment, electronic devices, semiconductor applications etc. for the growth of productivity and life quality are now more commonplace in both the industrial/commercial sectors and the domestic environment. Also, this equipment is more interconnected in networks and industrial processes so that the impacts of a problem with any piece of equipment are much more severe. Power quality refers to a wide variety of electromagnetic phenomena, that characterizes the voltage and current at a given time and location on a power system [1]. Very broadly, power quality is concerned with maintaining the near sinusoidal. Power quality, like quality of other goods and services is difficult to quantify. There can be completely different definitions for power quality, depending on ones frame of reference. Perhaps the best definition of power quality is the provision of voltages and system design so that the user of electric power can utilize electric energy from the distribution system successfully, without interference or interruption. Power quality, the concept of powering and grounding sensitive equipment in a manner that is suitable to the operation of that equipment. Power quality problem is defined appropriately as follows; Any power problem manifested in voltage, current, or frequency deviations that results in failure or disoperation of customer equipment. Power quality is the set of limits of electrical properties that allows electrical systems to function in their intended manner without significant loss of performance or life [2]. The term is used to describe electric power that drives an electrical load and the load's ability to function properly with that electric power. Without the proper power, an electrical device (or load) may

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malfunction, fail prematurely or not operate at all. There are many ways in which electric power can be of poor quality and many more causes of such poor quality power. The electric power industry comprises electricity generation (AC power), electric power transmission and ultimately electricity distribution to an electricity meter located at the premises of the end user of the electric power [3]. The electricity then moves through the wiring system of the end user until it reaches the load. The complexity of the system to move electric energy from the point of production to the point of consumption combined with variations in weather, generation, demand and other factors provide many opportunities for the quality of supply to be compromised. While "power quality" is a convenient term for many, it is the quality of the voltage - rather than power or electric current that is actually described by the term. Power is simply the flow of energy and the current demanded by a load is largely uncontrollable. As the use of power electronics and other sensitive devices in power supply network are increasing now a day, which put a strain on the network, hence electricity suppliers and customers need a detailed data on the quality of their network. There are several important reasons to monitor power quality. The primary reason behind all others is economic, particularly if critical process loads are being adversely affected by electromagnetic phenomena. Effects on equipment and process operations can include disoperation, damage, process disruption, and other such disturbances. Such disruptions are costly since a profit-based operation is interrupted unexpectedly and must be restored to continue production [4]. In this paper a prototype PQA based on PC for single phase using MATLABTM is developed and simulated for lower end applications, which will enable any user to conduct diagnostic testing on low voltage (230V) power supply. Present study does not deal with development and implementation of hardware required to process the analog voltage and current signals. It deals only with software development to analyze voltage and current samples, to present harmonic spectrum of voltage and current signals along with PQI of study state variations like THD, power factor, real power, apparent power etc., and interacts with user using Graphical User Interface (GUI) in MATLABTM. System Modelling

POWER QUALITY ISSUES

To develop a PQA, which monitors power quality problems of power system, it is important to first understand the kinds of power quality variations that can cause power quality problems. Categories for these variations must be developed with a consistent set of definitions so that measurement equipment can be designed in a consistent manner and so that information can be shared between different groups performing measurements and evaluations [3]. The first step in the implementation of a power quality-measuring instrument is then the identification and definition of PQIs. Hence it is important to identify and develop PQIs, which are to be monitored to identify required power quality variations. Categories and typical characteristics of these power quality variations according to IEEE Standard 1159- I995 are tabulated in table 1. Transients Transient over voltages are brief, high-frequency increases in voltage on AC mains. Broadly speaking, there are two different types of transient over voltages: low frequency transients with frequency components in the few-hundredhertz region typically caused by capacitor switching, and high-frequency transients with frequency components in the fewhundred-kilohertz region typically caused by lighting and inductive loads [3]. Transients are very short duration (sub-

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cycle) events of varying amplitude. Often referred to as "surges", transients are probably most frequently visualized as the tens of thousands of volts from a lighting strike that destroys any electrical device in its path. TransientsImpulsive These are commonly known as switching surges or voltage spikes. They can be caused by circuit breakers out of adjustment, capacitor switching, lightning, or system faults. They are characterized by a sudden, non-power frequency change, high amplitude, fast rise and decay times, and high energy content. Table.1 Categories and Typical characteristics of Power Quality Variations Categories 1.0 transients 1.1impulsive 1.1.1nanosecond 1.1.2micro second 1.1.3milli second 1.2 oscillatory 1.2.1 low frequency 1.2.2 medium frequency 1.2.3 high frequency 2.0 short duration variations 2.1instantaneous 2.1.1 sag 2.1.2 swell 2.2 momentary 2.2.1 interruption 2.2.2 sag 2.2.3 swell 2.3 temporary 2.3.1 interruption 2.3.2 sag 2.3.3 swell 3.0 long duration variations 3.1 interruptions, sustained 3.2undervoltages 3.3Over voltages 4.0voltage imbalance 5.0waveform distortion 5.1DC offset 5.2 harmonics 5.3 interharmonics 5.4 notching 5.5 noise 6.0 voltage fluctuations 7.0 power frequency variations Steady state Steady state Steady state Steady state Steady state intermittent <10 s 0-1% 0.1-7% 0-0.1% 0-20% 0-2% >1min >1min >1min Steady state 0.0pu 0.8-0.9pu 1.1-1.2pu 0.5-2% 3s-1 min 3s-1 min 3s-1 min <0.1pu 0.1-0.9pu 1.1-1.2pu 5cycles-3 s 30 cycles-3 s 30 cycles-3 s <0.1 pu 0.1-0.9pu 1.1-1.4pu 5-30 cycles 5-30 cycles 0.1-0.9pu 1.1-1.8pu <5Khz 5Khz-500Khz 0.5-5Mhz 0.3-50ms 20s 5s 0-4pu 0-5pu 0-4pu 5ns rise 1s rise 0.1ms rise <50ns 50ns-1ms >1ms Typical Spectral Content Typical Duration Typical Voltage Magnitude

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TransientsOscillatory This is a sudden, bidirectional, non-power frequency change: a ringing. For high-frequency ringing over 500 kHz of 1-s duration and for 5-500 kHz ringing with tens of s duration, it is likely the result of either the system response or the load response to an impulsive transient. With a frequency of less than 5 kHz and 0.3-50 ms duration, it could have one of a number of causes. Voltage Sag The American "sag" and the British "dip" are both names for a decrease in voltage to between 10 and 90% of nominal voltage for one-half cycle to one minute. Sags account for the vast majority of power problems experienced by end users. They can be generated both internally and externally from end users facility. External causes of sags primarily come from the utility transmission and distribution network. Sags coming from the utility have a variety of cause including lightning, animal and human activity, and normal and abnormal utility equipment operation. Sags generated on the transmission or distribution system can travel hundreds of miles thereby affecting thousands of customers during a single event. Voltage Swell A swell is the opposite of sag - an increase in voltage above 110% of nominal for one-half cycle to one minute. Although swells occur infrequently when compared to sags, they can cause equipment malfunction and premature wear. Swells can be caused by shutting off loads or switching capacitor banks on [4]. A swell can result from a single line-toground fault that raises the voltage on the other two phases. It can also result from dropping a large load or energizing a capacitor bank. Interruption When the voltage drops below 10% of its nominal value it is called an interruption or a blackout. Interruptions have three classifications: momentary (lasting 30 cycles to 3 seconds), temporary (lasting 3 seconds to 1 minute) and sustained (lasting more than 1 minute). Voltage Flicker Flicker comes from the aggravating, rapid on-off sensation of incandescent and fluorescent lamps as perceived by the human eye. It results from the rapid variation in voltage within the normal allowable voltage range tolerance of 90110%. Flicker can result from electric arc furnaces, welders, rapidly cycling loads, or it can result from a large Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) with inadequate dc-link filtering on a weak distribution system [5]. With inadequate dc-link filtering, the inverter harmonics, which are a function of a non-50-Hz fundamental, flow into the power system, causing a pulsating of the 50-Hz fundamental. Voltage Regulation The term "voltage regulation" is used to discuss long-term variations in voltage. It does not include short term variations, which are generally called sags, dips, or swells. Low voltage during peak load periods can result from overloaded lines, improperly set transformer taps, or maladjusted automatic voltage regulators [4]. The voltage is less than the normal 90% lower limit. Symptoms are dim light bulbs, light bulbs burning out too often, and electric motors failing to start.

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Frequency Fluctuations Normally, the variation in frequency is not significant enough to cause any problems. Frequency tends to lag a little during the day, as central plant generators are well loaded, but at night, with light load, the frequency leads a little, so that, at the end of a 24-hour period, all clocks are correct. Deviations in frequency can occur in weak electric systems, such as, an island system with no main supporting ties to the mainland or at an industrial plant with its own generating system. A weak system could develop during an area-wide system disturbance that separates one part of the system from another. Over Voltage This is a long-term increase in voltage for more than one minute duration. The magnitude of the increase is more than 10% and less than 80%. Over voltages can be the result of load switching (e.g., switching off a large load), or variations in the reactive compensation on the system (e.g., switching on a capacitor bank) [5]. Poor system voltage regulation capabilities or controls result in over voltages. Incorrect tap settings on transformers can also result in system over voltages. Under Voltage Under voltage is a decrease in voltage below 90% of its nominal value for more than one minute. Under voltage is sometimes called a "brownout" although this term is not officially defined. Brownout is often used when the utility intentionally reduces system voltage to accommodate high demand or other problems [5]. The symptoms of under voltage can range from none to daily equipment malfunction or premature equipment failure. Under voltage may go unnoticed until new equipment is installed or the electrical system is otherwise changed and the new combined load depresses (see Sags) the voltage to a point where symptoms become apparent. Voltage Imbalance Voltage imbalance (or unbalance) is defined as the ratio of the negative or zero sequence components to the positive sequence component. The negative or zero sequence voltages in a power system generally result from unbalanced loads causing negative or zero sequence currents to flow. The primary source of voltage imbalance less than 2% is unbalanced single-phase loads on a three-phase circuit [5]. Voltage imbalance can also be the result of capacitor bank anomalies, such as a blown fuse on one phase of a three-phase bank. Severe voltage imbalance (greater than 5%) can result from single-phasing conditions. Voltage Distortion Voltage distortion is the degree to which the voltage wave shape deviates from a sine wave. Distortion can result from the following. Harmonics Inter-harmonics Voltage notching Noise

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DC offset.

CATEGORIES OF POWER QUALITY VARIATIONS

In this study, attention is limited to study state variations and waveform distortions, as these power quality variations occur frequently within customer premises and are therefore of particular interest to power quality engineers. Disturbances These are almost always caused by fault conditions, the energization of large loads that require high starting currents, or intermittent loose connections in power wiring. Depending on the fault location and the system conditions, the fault can cause either temporary voltage rises (swells) or voltage drops (sags), or a complete loss of voltage (interruptions). Each type of variation can be designated as instantaneous, momentary or temporary depending on its duration. Steady State Variations These include normal RMS voltage variations and waveform distortion. RMS voltage variations are deviations outside the normal tolerance in the ac voltage for a period exceeding 1 minute. Over voltage and under voltage are the standard terms employed for a long-duration voltage increase and decrease, respectively [3]. Long-duration variations result from addition or removal of system load or reactive compensation, and can be controlled by improving the voltage regulation characteristics of the system. An interruption involves complete loss of voltage for 30 cycles or longer. Interruptions are caused by faults. Waveform distortion is defined as a steady state deviation from an ideal sine wave of power frequency, principally characterized by the spectral content of the deviation.

POWER QUALITY INDICES

Power quality indices, like any other engineering indices are used as a tool to represent, quantify, and compare complex phenomena. Several indices are in common use for the quantification of electric power quality. These indices are convenient for condensing complex time and frequency domain waveform phenomena into one number. Present study is limited to only single phase power supply and system can sample at a particular instant of time only, so we can determine the state of the supply at that instant using these indices [4]. The hardware and software developed for the present system to obtain required indices are discussed later. Various Power Quality Indices and their main applications as shown in the table Table 2: Power Quality Indices Index Total harmonic distortion(THD) Definition Main Applications General purpose standards

Power factor(PF) Telephone influence factor

Potentially in revenue metering Audio circuit interference

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Table 2: C message index Communications interference

IT product

Audio circuit interference, shunt capacitor stress Voltage distortion index

VT product

K factor Crest factor Unbalance factor Flicker factor

Transformer derating Dielectric stress Three phase circuit balance Incandescent lamp operation, bus voltage regulation, sufficiency of short circuit capacity

Power Quality Analyzer Assuming voltage and current signals are first obtained via sensor circuits and they are converted into digital data and transmitted to PC using Microcontroller, DSP or DAQ. As soon as a block of 500 samples from each channel i.e., voltage and current is obtained, PQA begins to process the data using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to calculate PQI discussed above. After performing calculations PQA waits for the next block of sampled data.

Figure 1: Block Diagram of Power Quality Analyzer Present study involves development and testing of software for implementation of PQA. Software development is discussed along with algorithms and flowcharts in present chapter. Developed program is tested using pure sine and square waves sampled data generated using simulink in MATLABTM. Development of Software Sampled data obtained by PQA are taken into voltage (vk) and current (ik) arrays. Arrays are multiplied by scaling factor to get the actual magnitudes of voltage and currents. Analysis of the sampled data is carried out as follows using the voltage (vk) and current (ik) arrays. Peak magnitude spectrum of voltage and current are obtained by applying FFT on voltage (vk) and current (ik) arrays. Peak magnitudes voltages (Vi) and currents (Ii) corresponding to harmonics (up to 50th) are plotted. The following formulae are used for calculating PQIs.

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Figure 2: Flow chart for Calculating Frequency Calculation of RMS Values of Voltage and Current

v
RMS Voltage, Vrms =
k =1

2 k

(5.1)

i
RMS Current, I rms =
k =1

2 k

(5.2)

Calculating Apparent Power, Average Power and Power Factor Apparent power,

S = Vrms I rms

(5.3)

v i
Average power,

k k

P=

k =1

(5.4)

Power Factor,

pf =

P S

(5.5)

Where k represents kth sampled data and N represents the total no of sample data per cycle. Measurement of Frequency In present study, measurement of frequency is carried out based on zero crossings, i.e. calculating the no of samples between two consecutive positive to negative transitions (Assuming that line frequency will never go below 40 Hz and above 60 Hz). Here samples for 5 cycles have been considered so, N and S represent no of samples in 5 cycles and sample rate respectively. Flowchart for measurement of line frequency is given in Fig.2.

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Calculation of Fundamental Voltage and Current The fundamental voltage, V1 = 2 A 2 + B 2

A=

1 N

v
k =1

2k cos N

B=

1 N

v
k =1

2k sin N
The fundamental current, I1 = 2 A 2 + B 2

(5.6)

A=

1 N

i
k =1

2k cos N

B=

1 N

i
k =1

2k sin N
Where k represents kth sampled data and N represents the total no of sample data per cycle.

(5.7)

Calculation of Total Harmonics Distortion (THD)

V
THD of Voltage, THD v =
i =2

V1

100

(5.8)

I
THD of Current, THDi =
i=2

I1

100

(5.9)

Where, Vi and Ii are the RMS voltage and current values of ith harmonic. All the above PQI values are calculated using the MATLABTM program, and presented graphically in an interactive mode with user. Testing of Software Software for PQA is developed as discussed above, but this software needs to be tested for its validity and accuracy. Standard sine and square waves at 50 Hz are used for testing, in case of sine wave voltage and current signals are considered to be 30 degrees phase shifted and in square wave it is zero. Sine wave is used for testing PQIs and square wave is used for testing magnitude spectra up to 50th harmonic generated in PQA. Testing samples are generated using a simulation developed in simulink in MATLABTM as shown in Fig.3 and Fig.4.

Figure 3: Simulation for Sine Wave Samples

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SINE WAVE
Voltage wave is considered to be 230V sine wave and current wave is considered to be 5A sine wave which is lagging voltage wave by 30 degrees. Here we have generated a sine wave of magnitude=1.5 Sine wave is used for testing PQIs.

Figure 4: Simulation for Square Wave Samples

SQUARE WAVE
Voltage wave is considered to be 230V square wave and current wave is considered to be 5A square wave with zero phase shift. Here we have generated a square of magnitude=1.5 Square wave is used for testing magnitude spectra up to 50th harmonic generated in PQA. One problem that faces power systems nowadays is the low frequency oscillations arising from interconnected systems. Sometimes, these oscillations sustain for minutes and grow to cause system separation. The separation occurs if no adequate damping is available to compensate for the insufficiency of the damping torque in the synchronous generator unit.

RESULTS
Results of Sine Wave Comparison of theoretical values and results obtained using PQA were given in table 3. Table 3: Comparison of Theoretical and PQA values for Sine Wave

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Figure 5: Sine Wave Voltage and Current Output

Figure 6: Peak Magnitude Spectrum of (Sine wave) Voltage

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Figure 7: Peak Magnitude Spectrum of (Sine wave) Current Results of Square wave Comparison of theoretical values and results obtained using PQA were given in table 4. Table 3: Comparison of Theoretical and PQA values for Square Wave

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Figure 8: Square Wave Voltage and Current Output

Figure 9: Peak Magnitude Spectrum of (Square Wave) Voltage

Figure 10: Peak Magnitude Spectrum of (Square Wave) Current

CONCLUSIONS
PQA was developed and implemented in present work using MATLABTM in PC for low end applications, which will enable any user to conduct diagnostic testing on power supply. This program was tested using standard Sine and Square wave inputs and presented results in comparison with theoretical values. Results obtained in PQA were matching with the theoretical values. In present work a block of 500 samples per wave were considered for analysis which is obtained by sampling voltage and current waves forms over 5 seconds. This block can be refreshed in every 5 seconds so that this program can be utilized for real time purpose. This program can be enhanced for applications in three phase power system.

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However in future, it is desired to make system to measure more accurately regarding frequency and harmonic measurement, since in present study frequency measurement is based on negative and positive transitions and fundamental frequency is always treated as 50 Hz during FFT regardless of actual fundamental frequency.

REFERENCES
1. 2. Akagi, H, (1996) Trends in active power line conditioner. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronic. Akagi, H., Watanabe, H. and Aredes, M. (2007). Instantaneous Power Theory and Applications to Power Conditioning. New York. IEEE Press. 3. 4. 5. Arrillaga. J.,Bradley, D. A., and Bodger. P. S. (1985). Power System Harmonics Analysis. Jhon Wiley and sons. Arrillaga, J, Watson , N, R, and Chens , S. (2000). Power System Quality Assessment. Jhon Wiley and Sons. Schlabbach. J, Blume. D, S. (2000). Voltage Quality in Electrical Power Systems. The Institution of Engineering and Technology. 6. Abur, F. Magnago, Y. Lu, Educational Toolboxes for Power System Analysis, IEEE Computer Applications in Power,vol.13, no.4, 2000,pp.31-35. 7. F. Milano, An Open Source Power System Analysis Toolbox, IEEE Trans. on Power Systems,vol. 20, no. 3, 2005, pp. 1199 -1206. 8. R.D. Zimmerman, C.E. Murrillo-Snches, D. Gan, MatPower, A Matlab Power System Simulation Package. Version 3.1b2.Users Manual, Power Systems Engineering Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.