0804-B PQ Training, page 1

Topics of this presentation…• What is power quality?• In what ways does power quality degrade

and what are the consequences?• How to setup and operate power quality

analyzer to diagnose problems.• How to setup software to perform analysis

of data recorded by analyzer.• What power quality devices does Amprobe

offer?

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What is Power Quality?• Deals with safe and

efficient delivery of “good quality” electrical power to loads.

• Good quality power can be described as:– Voltage waveform is

undistorted and of specified amplitude and frequency.

– Sufficient power to drive all of the connected loads.

– Delivered without interruptions.

– All carried power can be utilized to do work.

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Good power turning bad…Cause Some possible effects

Technical Non-technicalUsage of inductive loads (motors, transformers, induction and arc furnaces, fluorescent and discharge lighting, etc.).

Power factor reduction. Cost of energy increases.Cost of energy delivery infrastructure increases.

Improper selection of cables for carrying power.Usage of non-linear loads such as solid-state power converters, electronic equipment converting AC to DC, discharge lamp lighting, arc furnaces and electric welding machines, VFDs, etc.

Introduction of harmonics. Reduced lifespan of transformers.Power outages.Cost of energy delivery infrastructure increases.

Operation of any resistive load. Decrease in voltage amplitude.

Equipment malfunction.

Connecting and disconnecting of loads. Changes in frequency and amplitude.

Equipment malfunction or damage

Introduction of spikes.Large currents (in-rush currents)

Power outages.

Lightning Introduction of spikes. Equipment malfunction or damage

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A few words on safety• To avoid electrical shock or fire, check

safety instructions in the User’s Manual.

• All measurements should be performed by a licensed electrician.

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Safety StandardsIEC 61010 – low-voltage overvoltage protection

(<1000V)Protected electronic circuits.

Circuit level and plug-in loads.

Power lines at utility connection, outdoors wiring possibly affected by lightning.

Voltage rating refers to nominal voltage of an environment (1000V, 600V, 300V…).

Distribution level wiring and permanently installed loads.

Certifying agencies and standards.

CAT rating indicates the level of protection against voltage transients.

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Overview of steps in using Amprobe analyzer to troubleshoot power quality problems

1. Setup of the analyzer.2. Connect analyzer to electrical

installation.3. Use meter mode to diagnose the

problem or, if problem is intermittent, continue on.

4. Record data.5. Download data from recorder to

computer.6. Analyze data on computer.Please note, the following instructions are specific to DM-III Multitest. For other devices, please refer to appropriate User’s Manual.

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Analyzer setup, 1One-time initial setup.

• Verify date and time are correct.

MENU ENTERMENU ENTER

F1/F2 to scroll down/up F1/F2 to scroll left/right,F3/F4 to change values

Labels corresponding to soft-buttons F1-F4.(These will differ for

other screens)

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Analyzer setup, 2Phase configuration and frequency

• Set parameters of diagnosed electrical system.SYSTEM: 3PH4WFREQUENCY: 60Hz

• Set proper current clamp range and type (CT).CURR RANGE: 1000ACLAMP TYPE: STD

• Set Transformer Voltage (TV Ratio).TV RATIO: 0001

MENU ENTERMENU ENTER

F1/F2 to scroll down/up,F3/F4 to change values

F1/F2 to scroll down/up

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ANALYZER CONFIGCURR RANGE: 3000ACLAMP TYPE: FlexEXT

ACF-3000

Analyzer setup, 3Clamp types

• In ‘Analyzer Config’ set up appropriate current range and clamp type.

ANALYZER CONFIGCURR RANGE: 100ACLAMP TYPE: STD

DM-CT-100

ANALYZER CONFIGCURR RANGE: 1000ACLAMP TYPE: STD

DM-CT-HTAANALYZER CONFIG

CURR RANGE: 3000ACLAMP TYPE: FlexINT

AM-FLEX33

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Connecting analyzer to electrical installation• Make sure:

– Rotary switch is in “Power Quality” position.

– Current transducers are properly aligned (otherwise, in a power-consuming system, working power (P) readings will be negative).

– For recordings, device is plugged into external power supply and batteries are fully charged.

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Connecting analyzer to electrical installation1-phase, 2-wire system

ANALYZER CONFIGSYSTEM: SINGLE

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Connecting analyzer to electrical installation 3-phase, 3-wire (delta) system

ANALYZER CONFIGSYSTEM: 3P3W

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Connecting analyzer to electrical installation 3-phase, 4-wire (wye) system

ANALYZER CONFIGSYSTEM: 3P4W

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Using meter mode to diagnose a problem• Meter mode allows you to view a snapshot of the system.• Easily diagnose power factor, harmonics and other problems.• If problem is intermittent, verify that voltage and current probes

are properly connected by looking at voltage and current screens.

F4

F3

F4

F3

F4

F3

F4

F3

F1

ESC

F2

ESC

F4

F3

F4

F3

F4

F3

F4

F3

F1

ESC

F2

ESC

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Recording data setup, 1• Start/Stop fields indicate whether manual or scheduled recording start/stop will occur.

– You will still need to press START button to activate scheduled recording.• Integration period indicates how often the instrument will save acquired data. During each

integration period instrument will continuously monitor input and at the end it will store:• Minimum, maximum and average values for RMS voltages, currents, powers and power factors.• Average value for voltage and current harmonics.

– The options are 5s, 10s, 30s, 1min, 2min, 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min, 60min. The maximum recording time length depends on integration period and set of parameters chosen.

• HARM REC indicates if harmonics will be recorded. Individual harmonics can be selected in later screens.

• ANOM REC indicates if voltage anomalies will be recorded. The reference voltage and limits can be specified in the next screen.

ENTERMENU ENTER

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Recording data setup, 2• Choose voltages and

currents to be recorded by positioning cursor over parameter and pressing +/- soft-key.

• If voltage anomalies were enabled, select reference voltage and upper and lower limits for surges/sags.

• Reference voltage is set phase-to-neutral for all systems with exception of 3-phase, 3-wire for which it is set phase-to-phase.

• Note: the maximum number of parameters that can be recorded simultaneously is 63. You will receive an error message if you try to start recording with more parameters.

F3H

ARM: Pg

F3

ENTER

F3F3H

ARM: Pg

ENTER ENTER

ENTE

R

ENTE

R

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Recording data setup, 3• Enabling recording

cogeneration will store power, power factor and energy values separately for consumption and generation.

• Device allows to separately record inductive and capacitive reactive powers, power factors and energies.

F3PO

WER:PgF3

ENTE

R

F3EN

ERGY:Pg

F3

ENTE

R

ENTER ENTER

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Approximate maximum recording times

• The four parameter configurations are examples; other maximum recording times will vary. For maximum length for a specific configuration, start a recording and press MENU button.

• The recording durations are APPROXIMATIONS.

• The times assume memory is empty.

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Recording data, step 2• If you chose manual start, press START/STOP

button. The recording will start at the beginning of the next minute.

• Patiently wait…

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Downloading data from recorder to computer, 1

• Connect analyzer to a PC using supplied RS-232 cable.

• If your PC is not equipped with an RS-232 port but has a USB port, there is a USB to RS-232 converter available from Amprobe. (P/N RS-USB)

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Downloading data from recorder to computer, 2

• Start Download Suite.• The software needs to be installed prior to use.

Windows will not recognize power quality analyzers.

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Downloading data from recorder to computer, 3

• Follow the on-screen instructions to start download.

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Downloading data from recorder to computer, 4

• Select sessions for downloading.

• Wait for the downloads to complete.

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Downloading data from recorder to computer, 5

• This screen allows you to:– specify where all

or some of the downloaded files will be saved

– change the default filenames if you don’t like the defaults

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Downloading data from recorder to computer, 6

• Last, choose which of the downloaded files you would like to work with…

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Analyzing data on the computer• Download Suite lets

you view data in multiple ways:– historical (trend)

tables and graphs– meters– bar graphs for

harmonic contents information

– and more…

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What’s in the window

Menu and toolbar

NavigatorList created

visualizations. Right-click on visualization to see

available actions.

Session informationDisplay and edit

information about a session.

AssistantEasy access to frequently used

actions.

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Creating a visualization using wizards1. Click on “Create

visualization”

2. Choose visualization type

3. Choose parameters

4. Enter title

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Visualization context menu• Right-clicking on a

visualization will reveal a menu with actions that can be performed.

• From here you can:– zoom and pan– rename– copy to clipboard– lock cursor– print– change properties

• Some types of visualizations will have non-applicable actions grayed-out.

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Chart properties• Charts allow you to set

parameter colors based on type or phase. Additionally, they can be set either individually or for all charts in a session.

• There are quite a few attributes that can be controlled through visualization properties (value labels, scaling, displayed series, etc.).

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Programming device by a PC• Available by clicking on File-> Program

Device, or through Wizard interface.• Allows you to program device much more

easily and is quicker than using device’s keypad.

• Displays device’s status and information.• Not all devices support this feature.

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Real-time• Download Suite is capable

of acquiring real-time data (with few seconds delay) from devices supporting this feature.

• This data should only be used in order to verify connections to installation or to get a quick look at the system. The sample rate is too low for any kind of accurate analysis.

• Most of the visualization features are supported in real-time mode.

• In order to stop data acquisition, click on Ø button.

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Power Quality Recorders

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Power Quality ClampsClamp ACD-40PQ ACD-41PQ ACD-56HPQTrue RMS √ √ √RMS AC/ DC Voltage Range 0V - 600V 0V - 600V 1.6V - 600VAC Peak Voltage (response time) 10V - 850V (1ms)RMS Current Range (clamp diameter) 0A - 1000A (1.77") 0A - 1000A (1.77") 0A - 400AAC Peak Current (response time) 10A - 800A (1ms)

1 Phase √ √3 Phase √

Power Factor √ √1 Phase √3 Phase √

Frequency √ √ √Harmonics THD THD THD, up to 25Resistance √ √ √Continuity √ √ √Temperature √ √Phase Sequence √PC Download √ √Recording 5400 points Max/Peak Min/Max/AvgBacklight √ √ √Data hold √ √ √Auto power-off √ √ √Safety CAT III/600V CAT III/600V CAT III/600V

Power (Working, Reactive and Apparent)

Energy (Working, Reactive and Apparent)

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FAQQ: Where can I find harmonic signatures for different loads?• A: Here are links to some articles on the subject:

1. http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_hows_whys_harmonic/index.html - At the bottom of the page, there is a link to a table giving general information about harmonic contributions of different loads. For specifics, refer to equipment manufacturer’s literature.

2. http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_effects_harmonics_power/ - The waveform distortion signatures paragraph lists some causes for distortion and their signatures.

3. http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_learning_read_waveform/ - Another article with waveform signatures.

• Q: How can I order Amprobe’s PQ tutorials?• A: The tutorials are available for order by phone 206-340-

0773 or by fax 206-340-8005. The lit code order number is 2765615.