PowerLogic

Solutions
Volume 5, Issue 2
Waveform Captures: The
Key to PQ Solutions
In This Issue The Problem
we discuss how you
can use waveform Like the lines on the EKG at your last checkup, those squiggly
captures to diagnose lines recorded by your POWERLOGIC ® Circuit Monitor mean
problems in your something. We call those lines waveform capture, and, in the
power system. hands of an expert, they provide important information about the
health of your power system. This issue of PowerLogic Solutions
shows some typical waveform captures associated with distur-
bance events and provides their interpretation. By following a few
guidelines, you can learn to interpret more information from your
circuit monitors; using this information, you can decrease power
system costs in your facility.

The customer who captured the waveform in figure 1 was trying to

diagnose a problem associated with an air compressor. The
compressor would periodically shut down, often with catastrophic
results to the plant, when nothing else in the plant was affected.
The facilities engineer configured the POWERLOGIC CM-2350
Circuit Monitor on the circuit to capture waveforms during voltage
sag events. The problem soon recurred, and, sure enough, the
circuit monitor recorded the event in a 24-cycle waveform capture.

The waveform proved that the contactor serving the motor was overly
sensitive to voltage sag events. The sag shown in figure 1 is mild; it
has only about 10% reduction in voltage for about five cycles on
phase C. The current confirmed, however, that the contactor opened
and the motor stopped. Note also that the contactor poles did not
separate at the same time, as one might expect them to do. Phase A
pole separated about four cycles before phases B and C. The plant
replaced the contactor, and the nuisance compressor trips ceased.

Phase A-N Voltage Phase A Current

386
735
193
0
0
-735
-193
-1469
-386

Phase B-N Voltage Phase B Current

386
193 1078
0 0
-193 -1078
-386 -2157

Phase C-N Voltage Phase C Current

387 2526

Figure 1: This waveform capture 193

0
1263
0
helped prove that a motor -193 -1263
-387 -2526
contactor needed to be replaced.
PowerLogic
Solutions

Coordination Error on Electric caused by a fault on the 23-kV overhead

Utility System: Waveform circuit, but the circuit monitor is connected
at the 600V circuit. Between the fault and
Capture Nirvana
monitoring point is a step-down power
Another example of the power of the transformer connected delta-delta. For
POWERLOGIC system is shown in figure 2. delta-delta or wye-wye connected transform-
This event was captured by a CM-2350 at ers, a single-phase event on the primary side
the 600V service entrance of a manufactur- affects only one phase voltage. Figure 3
ing facility served from an electric utility shows an extreme example of a single line-
overhead distribution circuit. The event lasted to-ground fault—single-phasing —seen
less than one-quarter of a second, (about 15 through a wye-wye transformer connection.
cycles). It damaged silicon-controlled rectifi-
ers in the plant’s plating process, shutting But most service-entrance transformers
down the facility for four hours. are connected delta-wye. For these trans-
formers, a single line-to-ground fault
on the primary side causes a drop in
Phase A-N Voltage Phase A Current
750
500
5000
4000
3000
voltage on two phases on the
secondary. Transformer connections
250 2000
0 1000
0
-250 -1000
-500 -2000
-750 -3000

between the circuit monitor monitor-

Phase B-N Voltage Phase B Current
750
500
4000
3000
2000
1000
ing point and the event are an
250
0
-250
-500
-750
0
-1000
-2000
-3000
-4000
important consideration when
-5000

diagnosing voltage sag events.

Phase C-N Voltage Phase C Current
750 2500

Event 2. Looking back at figure 2:

500
250 0
0
-250 -2500
-500
-750 -5000
the first event lasts three cycles and
resembles the usual single line-to-
Figure 2: This waveform capture exposed a coordination ground fault on the utility system.
problem on the electric utility circuit.
The second event is the killer. It
The Square D Power Quality/Energy involves all three phases and shows that
Management (PQ/EM) team engineer the utility source voltage was removed
proved that the event should not have been about four cycles after the three-cycle fault
2 had cleared. The voltage after that four-
so severe, and that it exposed a coordina-
tion problem on the electric utility circuit cycle respite gradually decreases in
serving the plant! magnitude, and, if you look carefully, in
frequency. This effect is also common. It
On careful inspection, the event in figure 2 happens when source voltage is suddenly
is actually two events: removed from three-phase induction
motors. They instantly become induction
Event 1. The first affects phase A-N more generators, supplying a gradually decreas-
than the other phases, obviously the result ing voltage to the plant power system
of a single-phase event on the utility while the rotors coast to a stop.
system. Most sags in facility power are
caused by single line-to-ground faults on the In this case, the problem is that they were
electric utility overhead system. Because the not allowed to stop. The utility voltage
PowerLogic Solutions
events involve only one phase on the over- returned just as suddenly as it left. The
is a publication of head circuit, the waveform capture shows a voltage produced by the induction motors/
Square D Company’s drop in voltage on one or two phases. generators was out of phase with the
Power Management returning voltage. There was a brief “battle
Operation. Each issue One phase affected seems straightforward, of electrons,” but the overwhelming short-
presents a common but why would two phases drop during an circuit power of the utility electrons won out
power system event that involved only one phase? That and quickly snatched the motors back to
problem, and offers phenomenon has to do with transformers normal speed. This struggle created a large
guidance on how to between the monitoring point and the voltage surge, however, that damaged
solve it.
actual fault. The event in figure 2 was
 60 cycles of waveform capture are
Phase A-N Voltage Phase A Current
460
230
681
341
available, you may decide that
0
-230
0
-341 fewer cycles are acceptable.
-460 -681

Phase B-N Voltage Phase B Current

385
192
383
191
Why limit the cycles? Memory, for
0
0
-192 -191
-383
one thing. Your circuit monitor can
-385

Phase C-N Voltage Phase C Current

be equipped with over one mega-
492
246
802
401 byte of memory, but you may have
0 0
-246
-492
-401
-802
purchased less. And you may
want to share that memory
Figure 3: This single-phasing event lasted for two hours. The between on-board data logs, four-
resulting 24% phase-to-phase voltage imbalance caused cycle waveforms, and event logs,
damage to the facility’s three-phase induction motors. in addition to high-speed wave-
form captures.
plant equipment and resulted in the four-
hour shutdown. Additionally, more than 60 cycles may be
unnecessary because you may rarely
So what caused the twin events? The experience events that long. Many custom-
electric utility had two pieces of evidence. ers served from an electric utility transmis-
First, they had to dispatch a service sion system experience events that last
person to replace a fuse in an overhead, fewer than eight cycles. A 24-cycle, or even
single-phase circuit served by the same 12-cycle, waveform capture setting is
three-phase circuit that served the enough to capture the event.
affected plant. Second, they determined
that the substation circuit recloser had Your electric utility representative may
operated once since the last time its provide some guidance in determining how
counter was read. many cycles to select. The representative
can determine the protective device settings
Both pieces of evidence confirmed the on the electric utility distribution system
Square D PQ/EM engineer’s suspicion: serving your facility. Many utilities use
one fault had occurred, yet two over-
current devices operated. The fuse 3
replacement showed that a short circuit
The Square D
had occurred beyond the fuse, on the
Power
single-phase “branch” circuit. The substa-
Management
tion circuit breaker had operated also —
Operation offers
unnecessarily so—with catastrophic
complete power
results in the plant. Further investigation
quality consulting services to ensure that power
by the utility confirmed the coordination
problems do not impact your operation. Contact
problem, and they eventually replaced
our power management experts for information
the single-phase fuse with a fuse that
about the following:
coordinated better with the three-phase
• Power Quality Consulting
substation circuit breaker.
• Energy Management Consulting
• Harmonic Filters
Setup Is Important • Power Factor Correction
Circuit monitors (model 2350 or above) • Power Management Training and
can capture up to 60 cycles of instanta- Technical Support
neous voltage and current on all channels • Digital Simulation Studies
simultaneously, based on a high-speed • Remote Monitoring Services
event on any channel. High-speed events • Data Collection and Analysis
need to be set up in advance, however, to
ensure that the right amount of informa- Our number is 1-888-PWR-MGMT.
tion is captured for your facility. Although
PowerLogic
Solutions

substation circuit breakers that 800

Phase A-N Voltage Phase A Current
8000
are set to sense, open, and 600
400
200
6000
4000
2000

reclose in about 15 cycles. For 0

-200
-400
0
-2000
-4000

these circuits, a 24-cycle setting -600

-800
-6000
-8000
Phase B-N Voltage Phase B Current
is usually adequate. 1000
750
1500
1000
500
250 500
0 0
-250 -500
The magnitude of sag and swell -500
-750
-1000
-1000
-1500

pickup and dropout settings is 800

Phase C-N Voltage
8000
Phase C Current
600 6000
important, too. For most facilities, 400
200
4000
2000
0 0
Square D Company’s PQ/EM -200
-400
-2000
-4000
-600 -6000
consulting team recommends a -800 -8000

sag pickup (when the threshold is

Figure 4. This waveform shows a downstream fault. The
exceeded) setting of about 418V fault current saturates the current transformer and results
on a 480V system, or 241V if the in an unusual waveform.
nominal voltage is 277.
conditions. A fault (or short circuit) draws
We refer to three-wire systems as system much more current than normal loads, often
30 and four-wire as system 40 or 41. The many times full load current of the circuit.
dropout setting (when the voltage returns Fault current magnitudes can cause strange
to a usable level) is typically 432V or 250 V. current waveforms, like the one in figure 4.
See PowerLogic Solutions volume 1, The high fault magnitude can saturate the
number 5, for additional information about current transformers in the circuit monitor,
sag and swell setup. thereby distorting the waveform capture for
current. Whenever you see extremely high
current magnitudes, especially if one or
Power Metering vs. Fault Recording more cycles is flat-topped, a downstream
One customer suffered damage to a cable fault has occurred.
lug on a circuit breaker serving a power
factor correction capacitor bank (figure 5).
The waveform capture from the event What About Motor Starting?
4 shows a three-cycle voltage sag, and a Another waveform capture that sometimes
very irregular current waveform. The voltage resembles a downstream fault is associated
waveforms show how the voltage on that with starting an induction motor. An induc-
bus was affected before, during, and after tion motor requires many times its full-load
the event. The current waveform during the current during starting. This event may
brief fault, however, reflects a trade-off resemble a downstream fault, but there is
between accurate power metering and usually a clear distinction: current associ-
fault recording. ated with a motor starting gradually

Your circuit monitor system was designed

to provide highly accurate readings of 200
power system parameters at normal
loads. In order to do this to 0.2% accu-
racy, the circuit monitor usually receives
its voltage and current inputs from instru-
ment transformers sized for normal circuit
loading. In particular, current transformers
for circuit monitor systems are typically
sized to provide a 0-5 ampere output
signal under normal loads.

The circuit monitor was not optimized to

Figure 5: The waveform capture in figure 4 resulted
measure currents associated with fault when the center leg of this cable lug failed.
decreases, while a fault usually changes But there’s more. Note the sudden half-cycle
current magnitude almost instantaneously. drop in voltage followed by a ringing tran-
This abrupt change in current is due either sient that begins the sag. This is the signa-
to the operation of a load-side or source- ture of a lightning strike and the subsequent
side protective device. If the overcurrent response of the distribution system. In
device is load-side of the fault, the current particular, the lighting strike caused a utility
returns to a nominal level quickly. If the silicon-carbide lightning arrestor to conduct.
overcurrent device is source-side of the A silicon-carbide arrestor appears as a
fault (and the circuit monitor), the current short-circuit when a lightning strike flashes
drops to zero. over an insulator. The short-circuit causes a
sudden collapse in voltage that is
restored at the next zero crossing of
178
Phase A-N Voltage
543
Phase A Current voltage. The ringing transient that
89 272 follows the event is the typical response
0 0

-89 -272 of the electrical system to a sudden

-178 -543

change in voltage.
Phase B-N Voltage Phase B Current
171

86 267

0 0 The sag lasts until the utility

-86 -267

-171 -524 overcurrent device, probably a

Phase C-N Voltage
521
Phase C Current substation recloser, senses the fault
178

89 261 current and opens. We also know that

0 0

-89 -261 this lightning strike was located on an

-521
-178
adjacent feeder sharing the same
Figure 6: Starting a 3-phase induction motor results in a utility distribution substation as the
high current similar to a downstream fault. plant where the circuit monitor is
located. This is clear because the
Figure 6 shows a typical motor starting voltage returns to nominal when the breaker
event. In this case, the circuit monitor was opens. Had the fault been on the feeder
located at the motor, on the load side of serving the plant, the voltage would have
the motor starter. When the contactor dropped to zero, much like the second part
closes, voltage is applied. The waveform of the event in figure 2. 5
capture shows this voltage. The current to
the motor quickly increases to about 490
Interpreting Waveform Captures
amperes, then gradually, over about nine
cycles, increases to a nominal full-load Saves Money!
value. Note that the tip about downstream Learning to interpret the waveform captures
faults applies here as well. Any motor from a circuit monitor may require a little time
starting event that exceeds about 7.5 and training, but it is a skill that can save
amperes into the circuit monitor (after money for your facility. It can help you quickly
applying the current transformer ratio) will diagnose a component malfunction, identify
appear flat-topped.
Phase A-N Voltage Phase A Current
469 314

What's That Scratchy Event? 235 157

0 0
-235 -157
-469 -314

The last waveform capture is a bit tougher Phase B-N Voltage Phase B Current
419
to interpret. Sure, figure 7 looks like a 210
0
281
141
0
voltage sag on phase C. It was probably -210
-419
-141
-281

caused by a single-phase fault on the 402

Phase C-N Voltage
255
Phase C Current
electric utility overhead distribution circuit. 201
0
127
0

And the service entrance transformer -201

-402
-127
-255

between the fault and the plant monitoring

Figure 7: The phase C-N voltage shows the character-
location is probably a wye-wye, since the sag istic footprint of a silicon-carbide lightning arrestor.
shows up mostly on one phase. Note the sudden half-cycle voltage drop and ringing
transient on phase C.
PowerLogic
Solutions

a problem in your distribution system, and How can you learn more? Attend a
troubleshoot a motor starting anomaly. PowerLogic University class soon.
Money savings come from: PowerLogic University constantly adds to
• prevention of downtime its database of typical waveform captures.
• repairing problems once, at the root cause The experts at the University can teach
you all the subtleties of capturing and
• reducing equipment damage
interpreting voltage and current distur-
• negotiating price adjustments with your bance events. Then you, too, will be able
power supplier, for problems caused by to maintain and improve the health of your
the supplied power electric power system.

In short, the effort spent learning the

characteristics of waveform capture events
is a good investment.

Test Your PQ—Power Quotient

The following true-or-false questions will test your knowledge of the information in this
issue, as well as previous issues of POWERLOGIC Solutions. Answers are in the right-
hand column.

Volume 5, Number 1.
1. POWERLOGIC Circuit Monitors capture
downtime, and equipment utilization).
only the voltage or current channel
power management costs (energy,
affected by a high-speed alarm like a
monitoring start at about 4% of your total
voltage sag.
True. Savings associated with power 6.
2. Typical voltage sag pickup setting is 418V
memory and its allocation. This issue.
on a 480V circuit (system 30), or 241V on
store depends on circuit monitor on-board
a 277V circuit (system 40 or 41), which
6 False. The amount of information you can 5.
equates to a sag of about 87% of nominal.
Volume 1, Number 5.
3. Circuit monitor waveform captures can
the electric utility distribution system.
give you useful information about the
False. Most sags are caused by faults on 4.
quality of power on the electric utility
distribution system serving your facility. events. This issue.
can provide useful information about utility
4. Voltage sags are usually caused by
electric utility circuit, the waveform capture
equipment inside your plant or facility.
measuring point and a disturbance on the
5. Circuit monitors are limited to one transformer between your circuit monitor’s
60-cycle waveform capture per day. True. Even though there is usually a 3.
6. POWERLOGIC monitoring systems issue.
typically reduce power management affected by sags below 87% voltage. This
costs by at least 4%. events. Most plant equipment will not be
value between too many and too few sag
True. The 87% figure is a good trade-off 2.
triggered. This issue.
neously when a high-speed alarm is
nels of voltage and current simulta-
False. Circuit monitors capture all chan- 1.

Bulletin No. 3000HO9904 10M DL January 2000 © 2000 Schneider Electric All Rights Reserved