Introduction to Power Quality

There are four major reasons for the increased concern of power quality:
1. A newer-generation of load equipment, with microprocessor-based controls which
are increasingly sensitive to power quality variations than in the past.

2. The increasing emphasis on overall power system efficiency to reduce costs which
has resulted in continued growth in the application of devices such as variable speed
drives (VFD), programmable logic controls (PLC) and power factor correction to reduce
losses and improve production.

3. End users have an increased awareness of power quality issues. Utility customers are
becoming better informed about such issues such as interruptions, sags, and switching
transients.

4. Many things are now interconnected in a network. Integrated processes mean that
the failure of any component has much more important consequences.
 What Causes Power Quality issues?

There are many misunderstandings regarding the causes of power quality problems.

The charts below show the results of one survey conducted by the Georgia Power in which both utility
personnel and customers were polled about what causes power quality problems.

While surveys of other market sectors might indicate different splits between the categories, these charts
clearly illustrate one common theme that arises repeatedly in such surveys: The utility’s and customers
perspectives are often much different.

While both tend to blame about two-thirds of the events on natural phenomena (e.g., lightning), customers,
much more frequently than utility personnel, think that the utility is at fault.
Customer Perception Utility Perception

Natural Natural
Utility Utility
Customer Customer
Neighbor Neighbor
Other Other
 What is Power Quality?
There can be completely different definitions for power quality, depending on your frame of
reference.
For example:
A utility may define power quality as reliability and show statistics demonstrating that
there system is 99.98 % reliable.
A criteria established by regulatory agencies. “An assumption”.

An equipment manufacturer may define power quality as those characteristics of the

power supply that enable their equipment to work properly and/or within their
performance specifications.

Power quality is ultimately a consumer-driven issue, and the end user’s point of reference
takes precedence.
 What is a power quality problem?

Any power problem manifested in voltage, current, or frequency deviations that result in failure or
misoperation of customer equipment.

Some common symptoms are:

• Unexplained equipment trips or shutdowns.
• Occasional equipment damage or component failures.
• Erratic control of process performance.
• System crashes and equipment failures
• Random lockups and data errors.
• Power system component overheating

These problems can be complicated

 Power Quality

Power Quality issues cause businesses problems.

• Equipment downtime resulting in loss of productivity

• Material waste, idle people & equipment.
• System crashes and equipment failures
• Lost orders and good will,
• Lost customers and profits
• Lost transactions and orders not being processed
• Revenue and accounting problems
• Overtime required to make up for lost work time
• Customer and/or management dissatisfaction.
Power Quality
Can be Expensive
• Berkeley Lab Study Estimates $80 Billion Annual Cost of Power Interruptions …
Research News, Berkeley Lab, February 2, 2005

• $50 billon per year in the USA is lost as a results of power quality breakdowns …. Bank
of America Report

• A manufacturing company lost more than $3 million one day last summer in Silicon
Valley when the “lights went out.” … New York Times January 2000

• “A voltage sag in a paper mill can waste a whole day of production - $250,000 loss” …
Business Week, June 17,, 1996

• Half of all computer problems and one-third of all data loss can be traced back to the
power line … Contingency Planning Research, LAN Times
Ideal Voltage Waveforms
Single Phase

Ideal power quality for the source of energy to an electrical load.

Ideal Waveforms
Three (3) Phase
Ideal & Non-ideal Waveforms
Linear & Nonlinear Loads

When voltages are applied to electrical loads, the load currents will have frequency and
amplitudes dependent on the impedance or other characteristics of the load.
A linear load is one where voltage (a sine wave) is applied across a constant
resistance resulting in sinusoidal load current (another sine wave).
A nonlinear load is one where voltage (a sine wave) is applied across a changing
impedance resulting in distorted load current (distorted waveform).
The load current with distorted waveforms can produce distortion of the voltage in the
supply system, which is an indication of poor power quality.
Devices that are converting alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), is the most
common nonlinear load found in electrical systems. It is used in equipment that ranges
from 100-W personal computers to 10,000-kW adjustable speed drives.
Sources of Power Quality Problems
Utility Sources Internal Sources
• Lightning • Individual Loads – Lighting, Elevators, Coolers,
• Power Factor Correction HVAC
Equipment • Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS)
• Variable Frequency Drives (VFD)
• Faults
• Battery Chargers
• Switching • Large Motors During Start up
• Electronic Dimming Systems
• Electronic Ballasts/Drivers
• Arc Welders, other Arc Devices
• Medial Equipment, e.g. MRI’s and X-Ray
Equipment
• Office Equipment and Computers
• Wiring
 The Definition of Power Quality

General: “ Any power problem manifested in voltage, current, or frequency deviations

that result in failure or mis operation of customer equipment”

• IEEE: “Power quality is the concept of powering and grounding sensitive electronic
equipment in a manner that is suitable for the equipment's operation”

• IEC: Power Quality or Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is defined as: "the ability
of an equipment or system to function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic (EM)
environment (immunity) without introducing intolerable electromagnetic
disturbances to anything in that environment (emission)“.

Standard Handbook of Electrical Engineers: Good power quality, however, is not easy
to define because what is good power to a refrigerator may not be good enough for
today’s personal computers and other sensitive loads. For example, a short outage
would not noticeably affect motors, lights, etc. but could cause a major nuisance to
digital clocks, computers, etc.
Power Quality Terms

Some ambiguous terms: IEEE Defined power quality disturbances:

• Blackout/Brownout • Transients
• Bump • Interruptions
• Sag/Undervoltage
• Power Surge • Swell/Overvoltage
• Clean Power • Waveform distortion
• Surge • Voltage Fluctuations
• Outage • Frequency Variations
• Blink
• Dirty Power
• Spike/Wink
• Raw Power
• Glitch
Examples of Poor Power Quality
Impulse & Oscillatory Transients: are a brief, unidirectional (impulse) and bidirectional (Oscillatory) variation in
voltage, current or both on a power line.
The most common causes:
• Impulsive transients is lightning strikes, poor grounding, electrostatic discharge (ESD), switching inductive
loads, or switching in power distribution system.
• Oscillatory transients can occur due to the switching of power factor correction capacitors, or etc. These
occur when you turn off an inductive or capacitive load, such as a motor or capacitor bank.

The #1 reason out of 13 for motor failures.

Potential effects: Loss or corruption of data, possible damage, system halts.
 Examples of Poor Power Quality

Interruption: is defined as a reduction in line-voltage or current to less than 10% of the nominal, not
exceeding 60 seconds in length.

The most common causes:

power grid damage, lightning strikes, animals, trees, vehicle accidents, destructive weather, equipment
failure, or circuit breaker tripping.
• Momentary 30 cycles – 3 seconds
• Temporary 3 seconds – 1 minute
• Sustained > 1 minute
Potential effects: loss of data, system damage and /or shutdown
Examples of Poor Power Quality
Voltage Sag/Undervoltage: a brief decrease in the rms line voltage of 10 to 90% of nominal line voltage.
The most Common causes: The starting of large induction motors and/or the -initial starting of large air
conditioning systems.
• Instantaneous 0.5 – 30 cycles
• Momentary 30 cycles – 3 seconds
• Temporary 3 seconds – 1 minute

Potential effects: System halts, loss of data, system damage and /or shutdown
 Examples of Poor Power Quality
Voltage Swell/Overvoltage: is the converse to the swag. A swell is a brief increase in rms line-voltage of 110
to 180% of nominal line voltage.
The common causes: are line faults and incorrect tap settings in tap changers in substations due to
reduction of loads.
• Instantaneous 0.5 – 30 cycles
• Momentary 30 cycles – 3 seconds
• Temporary 3 seconds – 1 minute

Potential effects: Nuisance tripping, equipment damage/reduced life

 Examples of Poor Power Quality
Voltage distortion – defined as a steady-state deviation from an ideal sine wave of power frequency principally
characterized by the spectral content of the deviation.

There are five (5) primary waveform distortions: DC offset, Notching, Harmonics, Inter-harmonics, and Noise

The #3 reason out of 13 for motor failures.

DC Offset

Notching
Examples of Poor Power Quality
Voltage Distortion (Cont.)
Harmonics: the corruption of the fundamental sine wave at frequencies that are
multiples of the fundamental frequency (50 Hz.). This is due to nonlinear
characteristics of devices and loads on the power system.

Symptoms include: overheated transformers, neutrals conductors, and other

electrical equipment as well as circuit breaker & nuisance tripping
Examples of Poor Power Quality
Voltage Distortions (Cont.)
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is the sum of the contributing harmonics. Harmonic distortion is a
normal consequence of a power system supplying electronic loads such as computers, electronic
ballast/drivers, adjustable speed drives, and other control systems.
Symptoms include:
• High current to flow in neutral conductors
• Motors and transformers to run hot, shortening their lives
• Increased susceptibility to voltage sags/undervoltage
• Reduced efficiency of transformers
• Audible noise

Harmonics are a
mathematical way of
describing distortion
to a voltage or
current waveform.
 Examples of Poor Power Quality
Voltage imbalance: is a variation in the amplitudes of three-phase voltages, relative to one
another. This can be caused by different loads on the phases, resulting in different voltage drops
through the phase-line impedances.
The #2 reason out of 13 for motor failures.
Examples of Poor Power Quality
Voltage Imbalance (Cont.)

In a balanced three (3) phase system, the phase voltages should be

equal or very close to equal. Imbalance is the measurement of the
inequality of the phase voltages.
Voltage imbalance can cause three (3) phase motors and other 3 phase
loads to experience poor performance or premature failure because of
the following:
• Mechanical stresses in motors due to lower than normal torque
output.
• Higher than normal current in motors and 3 phase rectifiers.
• Imbalance current will flow in neutral conductors in 3 phase wye
systems.
 Power Quality Fun Facts
The 13 common causes of motor failures.
1. Transient voltages: can come from a number of sources either inside or outside of the plant.
The impact: motor winding insulation breakdown which leads to early motor failure and
unplanned downtime.

2. Voltage imbalance: Three (3) phase distribution systems often serve single-phase loads. An
imbalance in impedance or load distribution can contribute to imbalance across all three of the
phases.
The impact: creates excessive current flow in one or more phases that then increases
operating temperatures-leading to insulation breakdown and overloading of the neutral
conductor.

3. Harmonic distortion: are any unwanted additional source of high frequency AC

voltages or currents supplying energy to the motor windings. This additional energy is not used to
turn the motor shaft but circulates in the windings and ultimately contributes to internal energy losses
such as heat.
The impact: Decreases in motor efficiency results in added cost and an increase in
operating temperatures.

4-6. Variable Frequency Drives – (PWM Signals, Sigma currents, Operational overloads)
7-13. Mechanical – (Misalignment, shaft imbalance, shaft looseness, bearing wear, soft foot,
pipe strain, shaft voltage).
 Power Quality standards

International Electrotechnical Commission ------ IEC

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)--- EN
Power Quality Standards
IEEE Standards 519 and 1159

Standards are needed so all end users (industrial, commercial, and residential) and transmission and
distribution suppliers (the utilities) speak the same language when discussing power-quality issues.

Standards also define recommended limits for events that degrade power quality.

IEEE Standards are publications that provide acceptable design practices as well as a common
language.

IEEE Standard 519: Recommended Practice and Requirements for Harmonic Control in Electrical
Power Systems. Establishes goals for the design of electrical systems that include both linear and
nonlinear loads.
IEEE Standard 519 is twofold.
1. The utility has the responsibility to produce good quality voltage sine waves.
2. The end user customers have the responsibility to limit the harmonic currents their circuits draw
from the line.

IEEE Standard 1159: Recommended Practice for Monitoring Electric Power Quality. Covers the
monitoring of electrical characteristics of single-phase and polyphase (three-phase) AC power
systems.
Computer Business Equipment Manufacturers Association
Information Technology Industry Council
IEEE 519 -2022
EN50160
EN50160
EN50160
Medium Voltage levels
High Voltage levels
PQ problem mitigation Techniques

• Constant power supply

• Filters
• Static var compensators
• Thyristor based static switch
• Energy storage system
• Flexible ac transmission system
• Transformers Connection
EMC (Electro Magnetic Compatibility)

“The ability of equipment or a system to function satisfactorily in its

electromagnetic environment without introducing intolerable
electromagnetic disturbances to anything in that environment”