INTRODUCTION
Electric power quality, or simply power quality, involves voltage, frequency, and waveform. Good
power quality can be defined as a steady supply voltage that stays within the prescribed range,
steady a.c. frequency close to the rated value, and smooth voltage curve waveform (resembles a
sine wave). In general, it is useful to consider power quality as the compatibility between what
comes out of an electric outlet and the load that is plugged into it.
The term is used to describe electric power that drives an electrical load and the load's ability to
function properly. Without the proper power, an electrical device (or load) may malfunction, fail
prematurely or not operate at all. There are many ways in which electric power can be of poor
quality and many more causes of such poor quality power.
Power Quality means quality of the normal voltage supplied to facility.
The growing use of microprocessors and electronic equipments has made us to focus on
power supply.
Sometimes equipments and machinery can be damaged or even fails due to bad power
quality.
Voltage provided should be as close as possible to nominal voltage and waveform must be
pure sine wave free from any harmonics and other disturbances.
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DEFINITION
• The IEEE defines POWER QUALITY as the ability of the system or an equipment to
function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment without introducing intolerable
electromagnetic disturbances to anything in that environment.
• PQ mainly deals with-
1. continuity of the supply.
2. “Quality” of the voltage.
CONCEPT OF POWER QUALITY
F
R
V C E
O U Q
L R U
T R E
A E N
G N C
E T Y
POWER
QUALITY
QUALITY
FIG.1 Concept of power quality
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SCOPE
For economic operation of a power system, the level of power quality should be properly
maintained.
The effects due to over-voltages, also the losses incurred due to under-voltages have to be
seriously dealt.
Also, non-linear loads introduce harmonics in the system which have their own effects
including power factor reduction.
Hence, PQ provides a good platform to deal with all these problems.
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POWER QUALITY EVENTS
The major problem in the power sector that a need to treatment of quality up-gradation
are termed as power quality events.
Power quality provides the solutions to all these problems in a very efficient and optimizes way.
FIG.2 solutions for PQ problems
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POWER QUALITY PROBLEMS:
The most common types of Power Quality problems are presented below along with their
description, causes and consequences:
1. Voltage sag (or dip)
2. Very short/micro interruptions
3. Long interruptions
4. Voltage spike
5. Voltage swell
6. Harmonic distortion
7. Voltage fluctuation
8. Noise
9. Voltage Unbalance
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Description, Causes and Consequences
1. Voltage sag (or dip)
FIG.3 Voltage Sag
Description: A decrease of the normal voltage level between 10% and 90% of the nominal
rms voltage at the power frequency, for durations of 0,5 cycle to 1 minute.
Causes: Faults on the transmission or distribution network (most of the times on parallel
feeders). Faults in consumer’s installation. Connection of heavy loads and start-up of large
motors.
Consequences: Malfunction of information technology equipment, namely microprocessor-
based control systems (PCs, PLCs, ASDs, etc) that may lead to a process stoppage. Tripping of
contactors and electromechanical relays. Disconnection and loss of efficiency in electric
rotating machines.
2. Very short interruptions
FIG.4 Very short interruptions
Description: Total interruption of electrical supply for duration from few milliseconds to one
or two seconds.
Causes: Mainly due to the opening and automatic reclosure of protection devices to
decommission a faulty section of the network. The main fault causes are insulation failure,
lightning and insulator flashover.
Consequences: Tripping of protection devices, loss of information and malfunction of data
processing equipment. Stoppage of sensitive equipment, such as ASDs, PCs, PLCs, if they’re
not prepared to deal with this situation.
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3. Long interruptions
FIG.5 Long interruptions
Description: Total interruption of electrical supply for duration greater than 1 to 2 seconds
Causes: Equipment failure in the power system network, storms and objects (trees, cars, etc)
striking lines or poles, fire, human error, bad coordination or failure of protection devices.
Consequences: Stoppage of all equipment.
4. Voltage spike
FIG.6 Voltage spike
Description: Very fast variation of the voltage value for durations from a several
microseconds to few milliseconds. These variations may reach thousands of volts, even in low
voltage.
Causes: Lightning, switching of lines or power factor correction capacitors, disconnection of
heavy loads.
Consequences: Destruction of components (particularly electronic components) and of
insulation materials, data processing errors or data loss, electromagnetic interference.
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5. Voltage swell
FIG.7 Voltage swell
Description: Momentary increase of the voltage, at the power frequency, outside the normal
tolerances, with duration of more than one cycle and typically less than a few seconds.
Causes: Start/stop of heavy loads, badly dimensioned power sources, badly regulated
transformers (mainly during off-peak hours).
Consequences: Data loss, flickering of lighting and screens, stoppage or damage of sensitive
equipment, if the voltage values are too high.
6. Harmonic distortion
FIG.8 Harmonic distortion
Description: Voltage or current waveforms assume non-sinusoidal shape. The waveform
corresponds to the sum of different sine-waves with different magnitude and phase, having
frequencies that are multiples of power-system frequency.
Causes: Classic sources: electric machines working above the knee of the magnetization curve
(magnetic saturation), arc furnaces, welding machines, rectifiers, and DC brush motors.
7. Voltage fluctuation
FIG.9 Voltage fluctuation
Description: Oscillation of voltage value, amplitude modulated by a signal with frequency of
0 to 30 Hz.
Causes: Arc furnaces, frequent start/stop of electric motors (for instance elevators), oscillating
loads.
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Consequences: Most consequences are common to undervoltages. The most perceptible
consequence is the flickering of lighting and screens, giving the impression of unsteadiness of
visual perception.
8. Noise
FIG.10 NOISE
Description: Superimposing of high frequency signals on the waveform of the power-system
frequency.
Causes: Electromagnetic interferences provoked by Hertzian waves such as microwaves,
television diffusion, and radiation due to welding machines, arc furnaces, and electronic
equipment. Improper grounding may also be a cause.
Consequences: Disturbances on sensitive electronic equipment, usually not destructive. May
cause data loss and data processing errors.
9. Voltage Unbalance
FIG.11 VOLTAGE BALANCE
Description: A voltage variation in a three-phase system in which the three voltage
magnitudes or the phase-
angle differences between them are not equal.
Causes: Large single-phase loads (induction furnaces, traction loads), incorrect distribution of
all single-phase loads by the three phases of the system (this may be also due to a fault).
Consequences: Unbalanced systems imply the existence of a negative sequence that is harmful
to all three- phase loads. The most affected loads are three-phase induction
machines.
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IEEE POWER QUALITY STANDARDS
IEEE SCC-22: Power Quality Standards Coordinating Committee
IEEE 1159: Monitoring Electric Power Quality
IEEE 1159.1: Guide For Recorder and Data Acquisition Requirements
IEEE 1159.2: Power Quality Event Characterization
IEEE 1159.3: Data File Format for Power Quality Data Interchange
IEEE P1564: Voltage Sag Indices
IEEE 1346: Power System Compatibility with Process Equipment
IEEE P1100: Power and Grounding Electronic Equipment (Emerald Book)
IEEE 1433: Power Quality Definitions
IEEE P1453: Voltage flicker
IEEE 519: Harmonic Control in Electrical Power Systems
IEEE Harmonics Working Group
Single-phase Harmonics Task Force
IEEE P519A: Guide for Applying Harmonic Limits on Power Systems
Interharmonics Task Force
Harmonics Modeling and Simulation Task Force
Probabilistic Aspects of Harmonics Task Force
Surge Protective Devices Committee
(Seventeen sub-committee links can be found at the “sub-committee pages” link)
IEEE P446: Emergency and standby power
IEEE P1409: Distribution Custom Power
IEEE P1547: Distributed Resources and Electric Power Systems Interconnection
TABLE(1)
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Impacts on environment and society
1. The PQ related issue leads to the economic operation of the power system.
2. Leading to their smooth operation and ensuring a long life for equipments.
3. The elimination of harmonics & other issues lead to the proper operation of the system,
thereby eliminating unwanted vibrations.
4. The power factor is improved; this leads to a heavy savage in the costs of electricity bills.
5. Above all,the problems of power pollution is eliminated.
TRUE AND PERCEIVED POWER QUALITY
FIG.12 TRUE AND PERCEIVED PQ
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Methods for power quality correction
1. Proper designing of load equipments.
2. Applications of passive, active & hybrid harmonic filter.
3. Proper designing of power supply system.
4. Application of voltage compensators.
5. Use of UPSs.
6. Reliability on standby power.
Enhanced interface devices
Some of the enhanced interface devices-
a) Dynamic voltage restorer
A dynamic voltage restorer(DVR) acts like a voltage source connected in series with load.
The o/p voltage of DVR is kept constant at the load terminals.
b) Noise filter
Noise filter are used to avoid unwanted frequency current or voltage signals(noise) from
reaching sensitive equipment.
c) Static VAR compensators
Static VAR compensators are the combination of capacitors and reactors to regulates the
voltage quickly.
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Issues & challenges of RES-Grid integration
Renewable energy resources are intermittent in nature hence, it is therefore a challenging task to
integrate renewable energy resources into power grid.
Further, these challenges are classified into technical and non-technical and described below:
(a) Technical issues: the following are the technical issues are described as
(1) Power quality
Harmonics
Frequency and voltage fluctuation
(2) Power fluctuation
Small time power fluctuations
Long time power fluctuations
(3) Storage
(4) Protection issues
(5) Optimal placement of RES
(6) Islanding
(b) Non technical issues:
(1) Due to scarcity of technical skilled workers.
(2) Less availability of transmission line to accommodate RES.
(3) RES technologies are excluded from the competition which discourges the
installation of new power plant for reserve purpose.
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Effects of power quality problems
Effects of power quality problems in different equipments:
a. Aircraft electrical System
b. Personal computers
c. Controllers
d. Adjustable speed drives
e. Contactors and Relays
a. Aircraft Electrical System
Aircraft requires reliable, redundant, and uninterruptible electrical power systems to supply flight
critical fly-by-wire loads and mission critical loads. But switched loads and other transient
conditions effect the electrical bus power quality.
One problem is the presence of rectifiers supplying such loads as electrically powered flight
control actuators, other speed controlled motor loads, or avionics loads.
The other problem is a load which changes load level most often. An electrical flight control
actuator supplied with dc would cause transient loading on the dc bus, and affect power quality.
A fuel transfer pump, electrically driven compressor, or other non-continuous ac load would
cause applied-load transientson the ac bus.
b. Personal Computers
A personal computer is a device designed to be operated by one person at a time for computing
and many general purposes. The malfunction of PCs incorporated in a real-time system because
of voltage disturbances effects more badly than the malfunction of the PC used offline. The
modes of personal computer malfunction under line voltage sag occur as the DC filter capacitor
voltage of the power supply doesn’t go with time. The software problems creates the problems
which include; Lockup,interruption,(blue screen), Blocking of the operating system, No response
to any command from the keyboard (freeze screen), Hardware misoperation can be identified by
automatic restarting of the system,or a permanent black screen.
c. Controllers
A controller is defined as a device which controls, the electric power delivered to the connected
apparatus. Controllers can operate in three means electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical e.g. speed
regulator of a motor-drive system, voltage regulator, the temperature controller of an industrial
furnace.
When line-voltage sag happened, a controller will be unable to recover if the sensitivity of the
relays is less than the percent sag or the logic circuits supplied from the internal switch-mode
power supply.
d. ASDs
Induction motors (and in ASDs) represent a huge part of the three-phase electrical load in
commercial and industrial facilities. They are affected by line voltage sags and interruptions.
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e. AC Contactors and relays
Contactors and relays are made for all operation in a different range of coil voltage and contact
[Link] a days, most of the places, the contactor function has been displaced by power-
electronics devices such as GTOs, IGBTs. Whereas the control relay functions have been
displaced by PLCs using digital logic. Whether electromagnetic or solid state, the devices are
impacted by line-voltage sags and
interruptions.
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Conclusion
POWER QUALITY maintenance is an important aspect in the economic operation of a
system.
Various PQ problems may lead to another undesirable problems.
Proper mitigation devices can be used to maintain the level of power quality as desired.
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REFERENCES
[1] IEEE, “IEEE Recommended Practices and Requirements for Harmonic Control in Electrical
Power Systems,” IEEE Std. 519-1992, revision of IEEE Std. 519-1981
[2] IEEE, “IEEE Guide for Service to Equipment Sensitive to Momentary Voltage Disturbances,”
IEEE Std.
1250–1995.
[3] IEEE, “IEEE Recommended Practice for Evaluating Electric Power System Compatibility
with Electronic Process Equipment,” IEEE Std. 1346-1998.
[4] IEEE Std 446-1987, “IEEE Recommended Practice for Emergency and Standby Power
Systems for Industrial and Commercial Applications,” (IEEE Orange Book).
[5] IEEE Std 1250-1995, “IEEE Guide for Service to Equipment Sensitive to Momentary Voltage
Disturbances,”
[6] IEEE 100, The Authoritative Dictionary of IEEE Standard Terms, seventh edition, 2000, p.
234.
[7] Bhim Singh, Kamal Al-Haddad, Ambrish Chandra, A review of active filters for power
quality improvement,IEEE Trans. on industrial electronics, Vol.46, No. 5, pp. 960-971, October
1999.
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