Voltage Quality Challenges and Solutions with Power Quality Analyzers (FT - DN2)

What is voltage? Voltage, also known as potential difference or electric potential difference, is a physical quantity that measures the energy difference of unit charge in an electrostatic field due to different electric potentials. We can use water pressure to analogize voltage for better understanding. In a water system, the difference in water level leads to a pressure difference in water, causing water to flow from a place with a high water level to a place with a low water level. Similarly, in an electric circuit, voltage is the "driving force" that makes charges flow from a high potential to a low potential. The greater the voltage, just like the greater the water level difference, the stronger the ability to drive the movement of charges, and the greater the resulting current may be.

Voltage quality refers to the degree of approximation between the actual voltage and the ideal voltage, and it is an important indicator for measuring the power supply quality of the power system. There are several parameters to measure it.

For example, voltage deviation.

It refers to the difference between the actual voltage and the rated voltage, usually expressed as a percentage of the rated voltage.

Excessive voltage deviation may cause electrical equipment to malfunction. For example, when the voltage is too low, the output power of the motor will decrease, the rotation speed will slow down, and it may even fail to start; when the voltage is too high, it will accelerate the aging of the insulation of electrical equipment, shorten the service life of the equipment, and may also cause the equipment to overheat and even be damaged.

For example, voltage fluctuation and flicker.

Voltage fluctuation refers to the rapid, regular or irregular changes in voltage in a short period of time; flicker refers to the visual discomfort effect on the human eye caused by the flickering of lights due to voltage fluctuations.

Voltage fluctuation and flicker will affect the lighting quality, making the human eye feel fatigued and uncomfortable, and may also interfere with some equipment with high requirements for voltage stability, such as electronic computers, precision instruments, etc., causing their unstable operation or even malfunctions.

For example, three - phase unbalance.

In a three - phase power system, when the amplitudes of the three - phase voltages are not equal or the phase difference is not 120°, it is called three - phase unbalance.

Three - phase unbalance will cause additional losses and vibrations in three - phase motors, reducing the efficiency and service life of the motors; it may also cause local overheating of transformers, affecting the normal operation and service life of transformers, and at the same time increase the line losses.

For example, voltage harmonics.

It refers to the sine - wave components of other frequencies in the voltage waveform except the fundamental wave (the sine wave with a frequency of 50Hz or 60Hz when the power system is operating normally).

Harmonics will cause additional heating and losses in electrical equipment, reducing the equipment efficiency; it may also cause resonance in the power system, leading to overvoltage and overcurrent, endangering the safe operation of the power system. In addition, harmonics will also interfere with the communication system, affecting the communication quality.

The "invisible harm" caused by poor voltage quality:

Equipment wear and tear

When the voltage is too high, the insulation of electrical equipment is prone to aging and breakdown. For example, the insulation life of the motor winding is shortened; when the voltage is too low, the current of the equipment increases and it heats up. The compressor of a refrigerator is prone to overheating due to frequent starts caused by unstable voltage. Both will accelerate the aging of the equipment and reduce its performance. Electronic devices will experience abnormal operation and crashes, and the detection results of precision medical equipment will be affected.

Production disruption

Industrial production is greatly impacted. In semiconductor manufacturing, voltage fluctuations cause deviations in chip processes and reduce the yield rate; in the textile industry, uneven mechanical rotation speeds cause defects in textiles. Equipment will also malfunction and stop due to abnormal voltage, affecting the progress of automated production lines. Continuously - producing enterprises such as chemical and steel industries may even interrupt production due to voltage problems, resulting in huge losses.

Safety hazards

Unstable voltage makes the electromagnetic radiation of electrical equipment increase. Long - term exposure may affect the human nervous and immune systems, causing headaches and insomnia. At the same time, the outer shell of the equipment is prone to being charged, increasing the risk of electric shock, and may also trigger electrical fires, threatening life and property safety.

Therefore, power industry practitioners should regularly monitor voltage quality and ensure that the power supply quality meets national standards and equipment operation requirements through scientific and standardized monitoring methods.

In daily operation and maintenance, Power Quality Analyzers (such as FT - DN2) can be used to conduct regular "physical examinations" on key nodes. This device can accurately record voltage fluctuation data and automatically generate compliance analysis reports. The test should be carried out when the power grid is operating normally, that is, there are no faults in the system and the load fluctuation is within a reasonable range. Monitoring points should be selected at key positions such as the user's electric energy metering device (such as the meter access end).

The quality of voltage directly affects various fields from residential life to industrial production. It is not only related to the service life of equipment but also to production safety and economic benefits. Therefore, regular monitoring of power quality can detect potential problems in a timely manner, take effective measures, and eliminate potential hazards in the bud, avoiding serious accidents due to neglecting small issues.

The Power Quality Analyzers (FT - DN2) is equipped with 4 voltage and 4 current channels for simultaneous multi - channel measurement. It can accurately measure numerous electrical parameters, the voltage and current harmonic content from the 2nd to the 64th order and the total harmonic distortion rate. It can measure short - term flicker, long - term flicker, voltage fluctuations, positive - sequence, negative - sequence and zero - sequence voltage and current and unbalance degrees, and has the functions of transient parameter measurement and waveform recording. It has a variety of display functions such as oscilloscope and hexagon diagram display, and can perform vector analysis, wrong wiring inspection and supplementary electricity calculation. A large clamp meter can be optionally equipped to measure the transformation ratio and angular difference of low - voltage current transformers. This tester has a 10 - inch large screen and supports capacitive touch screen and mouse operation. It has a wide frequency measurement range. Data can be stored in a USB flash drive, and it has a built - in large - capacity memory. It can also be equipped with professional analysis software to generate reports. Moreover, it is small in size, light in weight, and the built - in lithium - ion battery can work for more than 10 hours.