Sensors & Electronics
Electronics & Systems
Electrical Grid Power Quality Management (441)
"Power Quality" is an aggregate term covering many parameters of grid electrical power*
- Primary parameters
- Line voltage and fundamental frequency (i.e. are the line voltage and frequency within specified tolerances)
- Secondary parameters
- Power factor
- Total harmonic distortion (harmonic frequency content)
- Transient noise spiking
- Three phase imbalance
- Audio and communication frequency interference signals
- Etc.
* G.D. Heydt, Arizona State University, "Contemporary Topics in Electrical Power Quality" (.pdf).
Potential Impacts of Poor Power Quality for Equipment Operating on Line Voltage
- Improper operation and premature failure of equipment
- Unreliable operation of electronic equipment (e.g., computers, sensing and controls systems, communications equipment, etc.)
Power Factor problems can arise from:
- Aggregate system effects (e.g., wide-spread, high-level loads beyond the supply capability [either generation or delivery], etc.)
- Regional effects (e.g., regional demand and/or supply effects that can not be rapidly managed)
- Local facility effects (e.g., operating equipment and systems that degrade power quality and propagate problems out to the external grid, etc.)
Contact: Donald Hammerstrom
