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Power quality analyzers are essential in today's modern commercial and industrial facilities. With an ever-increasing number of electrical and electronic devices, power quality problems are becoming much more common. Because of this, power quality analyzers are becoming increasingly important in the electrician's tool bag.
Harmonics, transient events, sags, swells, flicker … common causes of power quality problems. Overheating motors and transformers, process control devices acting unpredictably, computers that shut down – these are often the symptoms of power quality problems.
Power quality is not spooky!
Power quality used to be spooky. But with the availability today of full color three phase portable power quality monitors and high-speed, high-memory power quality recorders that start at just $4,000, diagnosing and understanding power quality issues is now simpler and cheaper than ever. Most can capture transient events, harmonics, real-time waveforms, distortion, power factor, flicker.
Where do you start?
If you're not already a power quality guru, then first up you'll need some power quality training to quickly get up to speed. Second, you'll need a power quality analyzer. You can save yourself some trouble by NOT obtaining these the other way around!
For free power quality training materials, call Optimum Energy Products Ltd. These guys are specialty power quality dealers serving the US and Canada and have a full line of power quality monitors. They offer a number of free power quality training materials that you can lay your hands on for no charge and a selection of power quality training dvds/videos that are for sale. Some materials have been created in-house for professional training and some are created by major manufacturers like Fluke or AEMC Instruments.
Monitors, recorders & analyzers
Over the past few years, there has been a plethora of capable, affordable new power quality products released in the market. Tools like the tried-and-true Fluke 43B power quality analyzer and the newer Fluke 345 power quality clamp meter are the entry point into the market and allow for quick, inexpensive diagnostic monitoring on a single phase. There are also equivalent products from other major brands like AEMC Instruments.
Moving up into three phase devices that offer a little more capability (generally faster sampling rates, more memory, more automated standards-compliant monitoring) checkout the Fluke 434 and Fluke 435 power quality analyzer or the AEMC 3945B (aka. AEMC PowerPad). For even faster units with massive storage and/or special features like outdoor enclosures, Fluke has the Fluke 1750, Fluke 1743, Fluke 1744, Fluke 1745 power quality analyzers
Fixed alternatives
Sometimes you don't need a portable power quality device, you need something permanently installed to continuously monitor for distribances. In this case, turn your attention to the PQube power quality analyzer from Power Standard Labs. This neat little modular power quality analyzer is unique in many ways - first, it requires no software whatsoever because all recorded waveforms and events are written in ready-to-access formats like JPG images, spreadsheets HTML web pages, thus simplifying the reporting process enormously! The PQube is definately worth checking out.
Incidentally, Fluke also makes a plug-in voltage analyzer called the Fluke VR1710, which are great for monitoring voltage events on 15A / 120V circuits.
For more information, please visit : www.optimumenergy.com
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