| Power Quality is a measure of how well a system supports reliable operation of its loads. A power disturbance or event can involve voltage, current, or frequency. Power disturbances can originate in consumer power systems, consumer loads, or the utility.
Application Notes6 simple ways to reduce costs »
How adjustable speed drives affect power distribution »
Basic power quality methodology and common culprits »
Basic predictive power quality measurements »
The costs of poor power quality »
More articles »
Hidden Power Problems
Uncover everything your electrical system is hiding. Ensure uptime and reduce costs in your facility.
Uncover everything your electrical system is hiding. Strengthen your business by offering power quality solutions.
Build the power quality expertise you need to get ahead.
Why Should I Monitor Power?With the proliferation of computers and other sensitive devices in our professional and personal lives, awareness and addressing of power quality issues is becoming increasingly important. Poor quality of power causes not only physical damage to equipment but also results in downtime (which, in turn, lowers productivity) and a substantial increase in energy costs. Hence, power monitoring is critical to extracting optimal performance out of your devices.
Power monitoring is an important process in identifying current and potential power quality issues and addressing them before they get out of hand. Good power monitoring equipment can provide reliable information about power quality, demand and flow.
What is a Power Disturbance?Power disturbances are defined in terms of magnitude and duration. Disturbances range from transients that last for microseconds to outages that continue for hours. When a power disturbance falls outside operating limits, equipment may be disrupted or damaged. | |
Lost production: Each time production is interrupted, your business loses profit on product that is not manufactured and sold.
Damaged product: Interruptions can damage a partially complete product, causing the material to be re-run or scrapped.
Energy cost: Electric utilities may charge penalties on poor power factor or high peak demands.
Power Monitoring EquipmentBasic power monitoring equipment consists of the following components:
- Computers
- Internet or intranet
- A power meter that measures Watts, Amps, power factor, AC power, etc.
- Data storage facilities
Power Quality Tools From FlukeFluke offers an extensive range of power quality test tools for troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and long-term recording and analysis in industrial applications and utilities.
Power Quality Troubleshooters Dedicated power and power quality clamp meters for frontline troubleshooting. Single-phase and three-phase power quality analyzers for predictive maintenance, quality of service compliance testing and load studies.
Power Quality Loggers: Power loggers for characterizing power quality, conducting load studies and capturing hard-to-find voltage events over a user-defined period of time.
Power Quality Recorders: Advanced power quality recorders for capturing comprehensive details of power disturbances, trend analysis and Class-A 'quality-of-service' compliance testing over a user-defined period of time.
Why Should I Use Fluke Power Meters?The reason is simple—unlike the single-functional products of other brands, Fluke’s power meter is a power monitor, an AC power meter and a power factor meter – all rolled in one. Its applications are many, including motor start-up analysis, detection of hotspots for effective wiring of equipment, verification of power distribution circuits and measurement and recording of power quality. Fluke’s power meter meets the new IEC Class A standards for flicker and power quality. The product range includes meters to monitor both single-phase and balanced three-phase power systems.
So, whether you want to measure power factor or investigate disturbance, observe electric trends or enhance productivity, the Fluke power meter is a flexible, portable, must-have for your toolkit. | |