Power Quality Testing Resources & Solutions

This collection of articles, videos and webinars aims to improve your knowledge and skills related to power quality analysis. Taking measurements with Fluke power loggers or power quality analyzers and meters can help you identify the sources of poor power quality and energy waste which can your facility save money and protect your equipment from future damage.

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The LeCroy is extremely good at transients. It has a very flexible trigger with lots of specialised functions. But it has no battery back-up and cannot record what is happening when power returns after a black-out. Also, it has only four channels. It has date and time of day. It can save to hard disk on trigger and communicate over internet.

The Yokogawa (I use a small OR 300) has 12 bit resolution and gives me very accurate recordings. It is fast enough for normal "power transients". It has very good harmonic analysis. The triggering is complete with window out/in, mask triggering (using either an ideal wave or an acquired one as mask). Four channels plus eight logic chanels. AND/OR triggering using results from several channels and lots of other functionality. It has an internal battery that is good for a couple of hours recording during an outage. It can save to PC card on trigger, or fax via an analog modem. It has date and time of day. It is light and very portable.

LabView is VERY FLEXIBLE, but you need some time to set it up and test the functions you have implemented. It can be quite fast and being graphically programmable, you can make it do just about anything you want. Usually eight channels. But more are available. Ties up a computer.

The Dranetz/BMI PP is a dedicated power analyzer. It has four isolated voltage channels and four isolated current channels. It does voltage levels, harmonics, transients, frequency, phase difference, flicker and still some measurements. It can take lots of overvoltage without being damaged and it has a battery for black-out recordings. Data are saved to a PC card (the formatting of which takes a long time - it is called "building data base"). The PP is a typical "disturbance recorder" and is not good if you want to record other things like looking at an automation variable like a changing speed or a valve operation. The PP is also the more expensive of these instruments.

Sometimes, you really need a "recognised" instrument. If you connect an instrument that you know will do the job. And even if you get better results with the LeCroy than with the PP - you will still have a discussion with those people that "are used to" the PP. That's why I have many different instruments.

I also use a FLUKE 41, which is a single phase analyzer. Voltage and current. Handheld. Rather old now, but very useful for a quick look.

There are also some PicoTechnology data acquisitions units on my shelves. I use them for long-term measurements where only a few channels are needed. Can be left for months and save data to disk when something happens. The do tie up a computer, though.

To conclude. There are many possible ways of doing a power quality analysis. I would look for these features:

1 Can it withstand the voltage levels? European 690 V grids can be a problem.

2 Does it have enough channels? A PE-N channel is very good to have. That means at least four (not three) voltage channels. There shall also be at least three current channels - with calibrated current clamps.

3 Does it have battery operation. If it hasn't, you will not be able to see what happens when power returns after an outage.

4 Does it have the triggering possibilities needed? You should have at least voltage level (hi and lo), transients (settable to at least twice the nominal voltage level). There are many other trigger functions that may be useful, like harmonics level, current cunsumption, var consumption and so on. The more you have the better.

5 Can it save the results? A printer is good, but often a problem generator. Better to save to disk, PC card or USB stick. An internet connection can be good, but I do not trust it - nor the fax connection. Too many factors out of your control.

6 Is it accepted by your customer? This is an important point. If you do a measurement and if it is questioned by the utility company or the machine manufacturer, then using a calibrated and universally regognised instrument makes things a lot easier.

7 Can you afford it? If not - wait until you can. Or hire an instrument. In my opinion, owning is much better than hiring. It allows you to "make friends" with the instrument and become a real expert - not just a "Messknecht" (a German expression meaning "measurement infantry man" - or "measurement GI")

8 Do you feel happy with the instrument? Life is so much easier if you do.

Gunnar Englund

I use anything from a LeCroy scope or a Yokogawa recorder or a LabView DacqCard with a logging VI up to a Dranetz/BMI PowerPlatform .The LeCroy is extremely good at transients. It has a very flexible trigger with lots of specialised functions. But it has no battery back-up and cannot record what is happening when power returns after a black-out. Also, it has only four channels. It has date and time of day. It can save to hard disk on trigger and communicate over internet.The Yokogawa (I use a small OR 300) has 12 bit resolution and gives me very accurate recordings. It is fast enough for normal "power transients". It has very good harmonic analysis. The triggering is complete with window out/in, mask triggering (using either an ideal wave or an acquired one as mask). Four channels plus eight logic chanels. AND/OR triggering using results from several channels and lots of other functionality. It has an internal battery that is good for a couple of hours recording during an outage. It can save to PC card on trigger, or fax via an analog modem. It has date and time of day. It is light and very portable.LabView is VERY FLEXIBLE, but you need some time to set it up and test the functions you have implemented. It can be quite fast and being graphically programmable, you can make it do just about anything you want. Usually eight channels. But more are available. Ties up a computer.The Dranetz/BMI PP is a dedicated power analyzer. It has four isolated voltage channels and four isolated current channels. It does voltage levels, harmonics, transients, frequency, phase difference, flicker and still some measurements. It can take lots of overvoltage without being damaged and it has a battery for black-out recordings. Data are saved to a PC card (the formatting of which takes a long time - it is called "building data base"). The PP is a typical "disturbance recorder" and is not good if you want to record other things like looking at an automation variable like a changing speed or a valve operation. The PP is also the more expensive of these instruments.Sometimes, you really need a "recognised" instrument. If you connect an instrument that you know will do the job. And even if you get better results with the LeCroy than with the PP - you will still have a discussion with those people that "are used to" the PP. That's why I have many different instruments.I also use a FLUKE 41, which is a single phase analyzer. Voltage and current. Handheld. Rather old now, but very useful for a quick look.There are also some PicoTechnology data acquisitions units on my shelves. I use them for long-term measurements where only a few channels are needed. Can be left for months and save data to disk when something happens. The do tie up a computer, though.To conclude. There are many possible ways of doing a power quality analysis. I would look for these features:1 Can it withstand the voltage levels? European 690 V grids can be a problem.2 Does it have enough channels? A PE-N channel is very good to have. That means at least four (not three) voltage channels. There shall also be at least three current channels - with calibrated current clamps.3 Does it have battery operation. If it hasn't, you will not be able to see what happens when power returns after an outage.4 Does it have the triggering possibilities needed? You should have at least voltage level (hi and lo), transients (settable to at least twice the nominal voltage level). There are many other trigger functions that may be useful, like harmonics level, current cunsumption, var consumption and so on. The more you have the better.5 Can it save the results? A printer is good, but often a problem generator. Better to save to disk, PC card or USB stick. An internet connection can be good, but I do not trust it - nor the fax connection. Too many factors out of your control.6 Is it accepted by your customer? This is an important point. If you do a measurement and if it is questioned by the utility company or the machine manufacturer, then using a calibrated and universally regognised instrument makes things a lot easier.7 Can you afford it? If not - wait until you can. Or hire an instrument. In my opinion, owning is much better than hiring. It allows you to "make friends" with the instrument and become a real expert - not just a "Messknecht" (a German expression meaning "measurement infantry man" - or "measurement GI")8 Do you feel happy with the instrument? Life is so much easier if you do.Gunnar Englund

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