Seminar On POWER QUALITY

CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION FACTORS CAUSES OF POOR POWER QUALITY PROBLEMS WAYS FOR IMPROVEMENT BENIFTS OF MONITORING CONCLUSION

POWER QUALITY

Power quality can be defined as the fitness of electrical power to consumers devices. The term is used to describe electric power that drives an electrical load and the load's ability to function properly. Without the proper power, an electrical device (or load) may malfunction, fail prematurely or not operate at all.

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. 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 provide many opportunities for the quality of supply to be compromised.

FACTORS AFFECTING POWER QUALITY

The quality of electrical power may be described as a set of values of parameters, such as: Continuity of service Variation in voltage magnitude Transient voltages and currents Harmonic content in the waveforms for AC power

CAUSES OF POWER QUALITY PROBLEMS:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Variations in the peak or rms voltage. When the rms voltage exceeds the nominal voltage by a certain margin, a surge is produced. A dip is the opposite situation: the rms voltage is below the nominal voltage by a certain margin. Variations in the frequency. Variations in the wave shape - usually described as harmonics Abrupt, very brief increases in voltage, called "spikes", "impulses", or "surges", generally caused by large inductive loads being turned off.

POWER QUALITY PROBLEMS:

1.Disturbance I. Voltage sag II. Voltage interruption III. Voltage swell IV. Transient V. Voltage notch 2.Imbalance 3.Distortion 4.Voltage fluctuation 5.Voltage flickering

MAJOR PQ PROBLEMS
Outages, 6%

Spikes, 7%

Swells, 31%

Sags, 56%

COST OF POOR POWER QUALITY:

Unexpected power supply failures (breakers tripping, fuses blowing). Equipment failure or malfunctioning . Equipment overheating (transformers, motors) leading to their lifetime reduction. Damage to sensitive equipment (PCs) Penalties imposed by utilities because the site pollutes the supply network too much .

PQ IS A BUSINESS PROBLEM

Power Quality issues cause business problems such as: Lost productivity, idle people and equipment Lost orders, good will, customers and profits Lost transactions and orders not being processed Revenue and accounting problems Customer and/or management dissatisfaction Overtime required to make up for lost work time

According to Electric Light and Power Magazine, 30 to 40 Percent of All Business Downtime Is Related to Power Quality Problems.

PQ PROBLEMS ARE EXPENSIVE

Berkeley Lab Study Estimates $80 Billion Annual Cost of Power Interruptions Research News, Berkeley Lab, February 2, 2005 $50 billon per year in the USA is lost as a results of power quality breakdowns . Bank of America Report A manufacturing company lost more than $3 million one day last summer in Silicon Valley when the lights went out. New York Times January 2000 A voltage sag in a paper mill can waste a whole day of production - $250,000 loss Business Week, June 17,, 1996 Half of all computer problems and one-third of all data loss can be traced back to the power line Contingency Planning Research, LAN Times

WAYS FOR IMPROVEMENT:

1. 2. 3.

Proper wiring Power conditioning equipment Transient Voltage Surge Suppresors- These units
clamp transient impulses (spikes) to a level that is safe for the electronic load.

4.

Filters - provide protection against low-voltage highfrequency noises. Filters are designed to pass the fundamental frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz) and reject higher frequency noise

5.

Isolation Transformers - These devices effectively

reduce conducted electrical noise by physical separation of the primary and secondary through magnetic isolation.

6.Voltage Regulators correct voltage sags, swells, and

brownouts.Voltage regulators maintain output voltage at nominal voltage under all but the most severe input voltage variations.

7.Uninterruptible Power Supply(UPS): UPS systems

provide protection in the case of a complete power interruption (blackout). They should be applied where down time resulting from any loss of power is unacceptable.

BENEFITS OF POWER QUALITY MONITORING

Direct Benefits / Technical Benefits
Interference and failure detection benchmarking of overall system performance Reduced temperature rise Increased reliability / Life of equipment (e.g. Transformer, Motors, capacitors...) Reduced mal-function of equipment (e.g. Drives, Relays,Meters)

Indirect / Regulatory Benefits

Penalty savings / Incentives (e.g. Demand charges, pf penalty) Tax benefits Compliance to standards & Regulations

CONCLUSION:

Disturbances place all business at risk both in terms of financial losses and energy efficiency so they should be taken

seriously.

Power quality monitoring is very essential

to get an uninterruptable and efficient

power supply.