Power Quality

Briefing Paper
www.leonardo-energy.org
February 2007
Power Quality Tutorial
Angelo Baggini, Engineering Consulting & Design

1 Introduction.................................................................................................... 2
2 Power Quality Phenomena.......................................................................... 2
2.1 Harmonics .............................................................................................................. 2
2.2 Short interruptions (< 1min) .............................................................................. 2
2.3 Long interruptions (> 1min) ............................................................................... 3
2.4 Voltage dips and swells...................................................................................... 3
2.5 Transients, surges (switching, lightning) ...................................................... 3
2.6 Flicker ...................................................................................................................... 4
2.7 Unbalance............................................................................................................... 4
2.8 Voltage value (long term undervoltages and overvoltages) ..................... 4
2.9 Earthing and EMC................................................................................................. 5
3 Power Quality problems .............................................................................. 6
3.1 Circuit breakers and RCDs nuisance tripping............................................. 6
3.2 Computers lock up............................................................................................... 6
3.3 Computers or other electronics are damaged.............................................. 6
3.4 Data loss ................................................................................................................. 6
3.5 Lights flicker, blink, or dim................................................................................ 6
3.6 Loss of synchronization of processing equipment..................................... 7
3.7 Motors or other process equipment malfunctions...................................... 7
3.8 Motors or process equipment are damaged ................................................. 7
3.9 Noise interference to telecommunication lines............................................ 7
3.10 Relays and contactors nuisance tripping................................................... 7
3.11 Transformers and cables overheating........................................................ 7
4 Power Quality solutions .............................................................................. 8
4.1 Back-up generator(s)........................................................................................... 8
4.2 Dynamic voltage restorers................................................................................. 8
4.3 Harmonic filter (passive)..................................................................................... 8
4.4 Isolation transformers......................................................................................... 8

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 2

4.5 Line conditioners or active filters .................................................................... 9
4.6 Multiple independent feeder .............................................................................. 9
4.7 Oversizing equipment (transformers, motors) and cables (line and
especially neutral conductors) .................................................................................... 9
4.8 Shielding and grounding.................................................................................. 10
4.9 Static transfer switches .................................................................................... 10
4.10 Static Var Compensator ................................................................................ 12
4.11 Surge protectors on key pieces of equipment........................................ 12
4.12 Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices .......................................... 13
4.13 Voltage stabilisers.......................................................................................... 13
5 PQ phenomena and design issues.......................................................... 14
6 References.................................................................................................... 14

1 I nt r odu c t i o n
A short tutorial to introduce the subject of power quality phenomena, the problems they
cause and their solutions.Power Quality phenomena
2 Powe r Qu a l i t y Phe n ome na
2. 1 Harmoni cs
Harmonic frequencies are integral multiples of the fundamental supply frequency, i.e. for a
fundamental of 50 Hz, the third harmonic would be 150 Hz and the fifth harmonic would be
250 Hz. Harmonic distorted waveform is clearly not a sine wave and that means that normal
measurement equipment, such as averaging reading rms-calibrated multi-meters, will give
inaccurate readings. Note also that there could be also many zero crossing points per cycle
instead of two, so any equipment that uses zero crossing as a reference will malfunction.
The waveform contains non-fundamental frequencies and has to be treated accordingly.
When talking about harmonics in power installations it is the current harmonics that are of
most concern because the harmonics originate as currents and most of the ill effects are due
to these currents. No useful conclusions can be drawn without knowledge of the spectrum of
the current harmonics but it is still common to find only the total harmonic distortion (THD)
figures quoted. When harmonics propagate around a distribution system, that is, to branch
circuits not concerned with carrying the harmonic current, they do so as voltages. It is very
important that both voltage and current values are measured and that quoted values are
explicitly specified as voltage and current values. Conventionally, current distortion
measurements are suffixed with I, e.g. 35% THDI, and voltage distortion figures with V,
e.g. 4% THDV.
Harmonic currents have been present in the electricity supply system for many years. Initially
they were produced by the mercury arc rectifiers used to convert AC to DC current for
railway electrification and for DC variable speed drives in industry. More recently the range
of types and the number of units of equipment causing harmonics have risen sharply, and
will continue to rise, so designers and specifiers must now consider harmonics and their side
effects very carefully.
2. 2 Short i nt errupt i ons ( < 1mi n)
Disappearance of the supply voltage in all phases by some definitions also defined as in
..one or more phases. Usually qualified by an additional term indicating the voltage drop or

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 3

retained voltage and duration of the interruption (e.g. Momentary, Temporary, or Sustained).
Values depend on standard.
Short interruptions:

IEEE = - Un < 90% duration from 20 ms to 1 minute
EN= - Un < 99% duration from 20 ms to 3 minutes

By some definitions short interruption is interpreted as a special kind of voltage dip
2. 3 Long i nt errupt i ons ( > 1mi n)
Disappearance of the supply voltage in all phases by some definitions also defined as in
...one or more phases. Usually qualified by an additional term indicating the voltage drop or
retained voltage and duration of the interruption (e.g., Momentary, Temporary, or Sustained).
Values depend on the source of the interruption.
Long interruptions :

IEEE = - Un < 90% duration > 1 minute
EN= - Un < 99% duration > 3 minutes
2. 4 Vol t age di ps and swel l s
A voltage dip is a short-term reduction in, or complete loss of, RMS voltage. It is specified in
terms of duration and retained voltage, usually expressed as the percentage of nominal RMS
voltage remaining at the lowest point during the dip. A voltage dip means that the required
energy is not being delivered to the load and this can have serious consequences depending
on the type of load involved. Voltage sags - longer-term reductions in voltage are usually
caused by a deliberate reduction of voltage by the supplier to reduce the load at times of
maximum demand or by an unusually weak supply in relation to the load.
Motor drives, including variable speed drives, are particularly susceptible because the load
still requires energy that is no longer available except from the inertia of the drive. In
processes where several drives are involved individual motor control units may sense the
loss of voltage and shut down the drive at a different voltage level from its peers and at a
different rate of deceleration resulting in complete loss of process control. Data processing
and control equipment is also very sensitive to voltage dips and can suffer from data loss
and extended downtime.
There are two main causes of voltage dips; starting of large loads either on the affected site
or by a consumer on the same circuit and faults on other branches of the network.
Voltage swells - temporary increase in RMS value of AC voltage with the magnitude of the
retained voltage between 110% and 180% of the rated voltage.
2. 5 Transi ent s, surges (swi t chi ng, l i ght ni ng)
Pertaining to or designating a phenomenon or a quantity, which varies between two
consecutive steady states during a time interval that is short compared to the time scale of
interest. A transient can be a unidirectional impulse of either polarity or a damped oscillatory
wave with the first peak occurring in either polarity. Causes include switching or lightning
strikes on the network and switching of reactive loads on the consumers site or on sites on
the same circuit. Transients surges can have magnitudes of several thousand volts and so
can cause serious damage to both the installation and the equipment connected to it.
Electricity suppliers and telecommunications companies go to some effort to ensure that
their incoming connections do not allow damaging transients to propagate into the
customers premises. Nevertheless, non-damaging transients can still cause severe
disruption due to data corruption. The generation and influence of transients is greatly
reduced and the efficiency of suppression techniques greatly enhanced where a good high

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 4

integrity earthing system has been provided. Such an earthing system will have multiple
ground connections and multiple paths to earth from any point so ensuring high integrity and
low impedance over a wide frequency band.
2. 6 Fl i cker
Flicker are short duration voltage changes, resulting from switching, short-circuits and load
changing. The permissible magnitude of light flicker is regulated by International Standards,
based on perception criteria. Excessive flicker can cause migraine and is responsible for
some instances of the so-called sick building syndrome.
2. 7 Unbal ance
A three-phase power system is called balanced or symmetrical if the three-phase voltages
and currents have the same amplitude and are phase shifted by 120with respect to each
other. If either or both of these conditions are not met, the system is called unbalanced or
asymmetrical. It is implicitly assumed that the waveforms are sinusoidal and thus do not
contain harmonics.
In most practical cases, the asymmetry of the loads is the main cause of unbalance. At high
and medium voltage level, the loads are usually three-phase and balanced, although large
single- or dual-phase loads can be connected, such as AC rail traction (e.g. high-speed
railways) or induction furnaces (large metal melting systems employing highly irregular
powerful arcs to generate heat).
Low voltage loads are usually single-phase, e.g. PCs or lighting systems, and the balance
between phases is therefore difficult to guarantee. In the layout of an electrical wiring system
feeding these loads, the load circuits are distributed amongst the three-phase systems, for
instance one phase per floor of an apartment or office building or alternating connections in
rows of houses. Still, the balance of the equivalent load at the central transformer fluctuates
because of the statistical spread of the duty cycles of the different individual loads.
Abnormal system conditions also cause phase unbalance. Phase-to-ground, phase-to-phase
and open-conductor faults are typical examples. These faults cause voltage dips in one or
more of the phases involved and may even indirectly cause overvoltages on the other
phases. The system behaviour is then unbalanced by definition, but such phenomena are
usually classified under voltage disturbances, which are discussed in the corresponding
application guides, since the electricity grids protection system should cut off the fault.
2. 8 Vol t age val ue ( l ong t erm undervol t ages and over vol t ages)
Long term voltage variations generally last for periods over several seconds. They are not
the result of system faults. They may be caused by load variations, system switching
operations and general system voltage regulation practices. Long term voltage variations
can be either overvoltages or undervoltages, depending on the cause of the variation. They
can influence voltage value sensitive equipment e.g. this under/overvoltage protected or
voltage controlled equipment e.g. motors, overstress insulation.
2. 8. 1 UNDERVOLTAGES
An undervoltage is a decrease in the rms ac voltage (to less than 90% of rated voltage) at
the power frequency for a duration longer than several seconds (or even 1 minute).
2. 8. 2 OVERVOLTAGES
An overvoltage is an increase in the rms AC voltage (to more than 110% of rated voltage)
at the power frequency for a duration longer than several seconds (or even 1 minute).

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 5

2. 9 Eart hi ng and EMC
Earthing of installations and equipment is an issue that crosses the boundaries of the various
disciplines involved in the construction and equipping of a modern commercial or industrial
building. In general any earthing system needs to satisfy three demands:

Lightning and short circuit: the earthing system must protect the occupants,
prevent direct damage such as fire, flashover or explosions due to a direct
lightning strike and overheating due to a short-circuit current.
Safety: the earthing system must conduct lightning and short-circuit currents
without introducing intolerable step-voltage and touch-voltages.
Equipment protection and functionality: the earthing system must protect
electronics by providing a low impedance path to interconnect equipment.
Proper cable routing, zoning and shielding are important aspects and serve
the purpose of preventing sources of disturbance from interfering with the
operation of electrical equipment.

Although requirements for these three aspects are often specified separately, the
implementation of them requires an integrated systems approach.
Every piece of electrical and electronic equipment produces some electromagnetic radiation.
Similarly, every piece of equipment is also sensitive, to a greater or lesser extent, to
electromagnetic radiation. If everything is going to work, the cumulative level of radiation in
an environment must be rather less than the level that will disrupt the operation of the
equipment working in that environment. To achieve this goal, equipment is designed, built
and tested to standards to reduce the amount of radiation that is emitted and increase the
amount that can be tolerated.
EMC is defined in the IEC 61000 series as:
The ability of an equipment or system to function satisfactorily in its
electromagnetic environment without introducing intolerable electromagnetic
disturbances to anything in that environment.

Maintaining this compatibility in practice requires great care in the design and
implementation of the installation and the earthing system. Detailed guidance will be given in
later sections of this Guide; here a general overview only is presented.
In traditional electrical engineering separate earthing systems were used, for example, signal
earth, computer earth, power earth, lightning earth etc. etc. In todays electrical engineering
new insights have been gained on the aspect of earthing and grounding and its relation to
instrument protection. The concept of separate earthing systems has been abandoned and
the international standards now prescribe one overall earthing system. There is no such
thing as clean and dirty earth.
This single earthing concept means in practice that protective earth (PE) conductors, parallel
earthing conductors, cabinets and the shields and screens of data or power cables are all
interconnected. Also steel construction parts and water and gas pipes are part of this
system. Ideally all cables entering a zone must enter at one point at which all screens and
other earth conductors are connected.
To reduce interference on equipment the earthing loops between cable-screens and other
earthing structures must be kept small. Bonding cables against metal structures makes
these structures act as parallel earthing conductors (PEC). Parallel earthing structures are
used both for data and power cables. Examples are, in ascending order of effectiveness:
earthing wires, cable ladders, flat metal surfaces, cable trays or ultimately metal pipes. The
PEC reduces the impedance of the loop formed by the cable and the earthing network. The
earthing resistance to mother earth is mostly not important for the protection of equipment. A

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 6

very effective form of a PEC is a densely woven or completely closed cable screen with a
large metal cross-section, connected all around at both ends of the cable.
To keep the impedance of bonding connections in the earthing network small for high
frequencies, litz wire (stranded, individually insulated) or metal strips with a length to width
ratio smaller than 5 must be used. For frequencies higher than 10 MHz round wires should
not be used.
A raised floor can serve as a good equipotential plane. The copper grid underneath it must
have a maximum spacing of 1.2 metres and be connected to the common bonding network
via many equipotential bonding conductors. The grid should be connected to a 50 mm2
copper ring placed around the raised floor area, within the boundaries of the floor, at 6 metre
intervals. Power and signal cables should be at least 20 cm apart and where they cross, they
should do so at right angles.
3 Powe r Qu a l i t y p r obl e ms
3. 1 Ci rcui t breakers and RCD s nui sance t ri ppi ng
Inrush currents may trip circuit breakers. Circuit breakers may not correctly sum the current
contained in the fundamental and various harmonics and so trip erroneously, or not at all
when they should. Leakage currents may reach thresholds that cause residual current
devices to trip.
3. 2 Comput ers l ock up
Earth current originating in the equipment results in a voltage drop between the equipment
and true earth. Although small, this noise voltage may be significant compared with the
signal voltages (of a few volts) on which IT equipment operates. PC hardware is designed to
minimise sensitivity to this kind of disturbance but it cannot be eliminated entirely, especially
as the noise frequency rises. Modern communications protocols have error detection and
correction algorithms built in, requiring retransmission of erroneously received data - and
consequently reducing the data throughput. As a result, PCs will often slow down or lock-up,
a frequent phenomenon in todays office environments.
3. 3 Comput ers or ot her el ect roni cs are damaged
Should lightning and switching strikes occur close to computers and other electronic
equipment, they may completely damage the equipment if insufficient surge protection is
available.
3. 4 Dat a l oss
Earth leakage currents cause small voltage drops along the earthing conductor. In a TN-C
network, the combined earth-neutral conductor will constantly carry significant current,
dominated by triple-n harmonics. Due to the increasing use of low-voltage signals in IT
equipment, bit error rate increases up to the point where the entire network locks up or
freezes. How many large and small, privately owned networks experience this phenomenon
almost on a weekly basis? Where this happens, , the network locks up, e-mail services fail
and it is no longer possible to print for no apparent reason.
3. 5 Li ght s f l i cker, bl i nk, or di m
Short duration voltage changes, resulting from switching, short-circuits and load changing
can result in light flicker. The permissible magnitude of light flicker is regulated by
International Standards and is based on perception criteria. The light blinking and dimming
may also be a result of shorter and longer voltage sags, which are the consequence of large
load fluctuation and too low local electrical system short circuit power.

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 7

3. 6 Loss of synchroni zat i on of processi ng equi pment
Severe harmonic distortion can create additional zero-crossings within a cycle of the sine
wave; this can affect sensitive measurement equipment. Synchronisation of process control
equipment in continuous manufacturing may be disturbed and PLC devices may lock up.
3. 7 Mot ors or ot her process equi pment mal f unct i ons
Voltage harmonics cause extra losses in direct line-connected induction motors. The 5th
harmonic creates a counter-rotating field, whereas the 7th harmonic creates a rotating field
beyond the motors synchronous speed. The resulting torque pulsing causes wear and tear
on couplings and bearings. Since the speed is fixed, the energy contained in these
harmonics is dissipated as extra heat, resulting in premature ageing. Harmonic currents are
also induced into the rotor causing further excess heating. The additional heat reduces the
rotor/stator air gap, reducing efficiency even further.
Variable speed devices cause their own range of problems. They tend to be sensitive to
dips, causing disruption of synchronised manufacturing lines. They are often installed some
distance from the motor, and cause different electromagnetic interference and voltage spikes
due to the sharp voltage rise times.
Special care has to be taken at start-up of motors after a voltage dip when the motor is
normally operating at close to full load. The extra heat from the inrush current at start-up may
cause the motor to fail. Optimum sizing of motors should mitigate this phenomenon.
3. 8 Mot ors or process equi pment are damaged
In extreme cases when the motor is operating in a high harmonic content environment it may
be damaged because of overheating.
3. 9 Noi se i nt erf erence t o t el ecommuni cat i on l i nes
If the electrical noise cannot be reduced to a low enough level it will produce interference
signals, which exceed telecommunication immunity level increasing transmission error rates.
3. 10 Rel ays and cont actors nui sance t ri ppi ng
Relays and contactors are sensitive to voltage dips and can often be the weakest link in the
system. It has been established that a device may drop out during a dip even when the
retained voltage is higher than the minimum steady state hold-in voltage.
The resilience of a contactor to dips depends not only on the retained voltage and duration
but also on the point on the waveform where the dip occurs, the effect being less at the
peak.
3. 11 Transf ormers and cabl es overheat i ng
Harmonics produce extra eddy current losses. These losses lead to transformers and cables
overheating. Additionally triple n harmonics add up and flow in neutral conductors and delta
windings of transformers creating additional extra heat.

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 8

4 Powe r Qu a l i t y s ol ut i on s
4. 1 Back- up generat or( s)
Engine generating sets (EGS) usually consist of one or more internal diesel combustion
engines as the source of mechanical energy, a generator to convert mechanical to electric
energy, accelerators, control and regulation systems and switchgear. This type of equipment
may be designed for relatively long-term operation, say up to several hours or days, or may
be designed for continuous operation. EGSs are available in a wide range of power ratings,
usually from a few tens of kW up to few MW. Instead of diesel engine there is sometimes
installed a gas turbine to drive generator of a large power, in the range of few MW or more.
Generator sets driven by gas turbines are often designed as sources of power for peak
lopping or as co-generation plants. The EGSs are also used for special applications where
no power network is available, such as marine applications, or where a short-term, high
demand requirement exists, such as major televised sports events. These kinds of using of
EGSs will not be discussed in this guide. EGSs can operate in two different manners,
distinguished here as group I and group II.
4. 2 Dynami c vol t age rest orers
Where heavy loads or deep dips are concerned a Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) is used.
This device is series coupled to the load and generates the missing part of the supply; if the
voltage dips to 70%, the DVR generates the missing 30%. DVRs are normally expected to
support the load for a short period and may use heavy-duty batteries, super capacitors or
other forms of energy storage such as high-speed flywheels. DVRs cannot be used to
correct long term under and over voltage.
4. 3 Harmoni c f i l t er ( passi ve)
Passive filters are used to provide a low impedance path for harmonic currents so that they
flow in the filter and not the supply. The filter may be designed for a single harmonic or for a
broad band depending on requirements. Sometimes it is necessary to design a more
complex filter to increase the series impedance at harmonic frequencies and so reduce the
proportion of current that flows back onto the supply. Simple series band stop filters are
sometimes proposed, either in the phase or in the neutral. A series filter is intended to block
harmonic currents rather than provide a controlled path for them so there is a large harmonic
voltage drop across it. This harmonic voltage appears across the supply on the load side.
Since the supply voltage is heavily distorted it is no longer within the standards for which
equipment was designed and warranted. Some equipment is relatively insensitive to this
distortion, but some is very sensitive. Series filters can be useful in certain circumstances,
but should be carefully applied; they cannot be recommended as a general purpose solution.
4. 4 I sol at i on t ransf ormers
As mentioned previously, triple-N currents circulate in the delta windings of transformers.
Although this is a problem for transformer manufacturers and specifiers - the extra load has
to be taken into account it is beneficial to systems designers because it isolates triple-N
harmonics from the supply.


Figure 1 - Delta star isolation transformer. S - Supply, L - Load.

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 9

The same effect can be obtained by using a zig-zag wound transformer. Zig-zag
transformers are star configuration auto transformers with a particular phase relationship
between the windings that are connected in shunt with the supply.
4. 5 Li ne condi t i oners or act i ve f i l t ers
The idea of the active harmonic conditioner is relatively old, however the lack of an effective
technique at a competitive price slowed its development for a number of years. Today, the
widespread availability of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) and digital signal
processors (DSP) have made the AHC a practical solution. The concept of the AHC is
simple; power electronics is used to generate the harmonic currents required by the non-
linear loads so that the normal supply is required to provide only the fundamental current.
The load current is measured by a current transformer, the output of which is analysed by a
DSP to determine the harmonic profile. This information is used by the current generator to
produce exactly the harmonic current required by the load on the next cycle of the
fundamental waveform. In practice, the harmonic current required from the supply is reduced
by about 90%.
Because the AHC relies on the measurement from the current transformer, it adapts rapidly
to changes in the load harmonics. Since the analysis and generation processes are
controlled by software it is a simple matter to programme the device to remove only certain
harmonics in order to provide maximum benefit within the rating of the device.
A number of different topologies have been proposed and some of them are described
below. For each topology, there are issues of required components ratings and method of
rating the overall conditioner for the loads to be compensated.
4. 6 Mul t i pl e i ndependent f eeder
Where the power requirement is high and the cost is justified, as in the case of continuously
operating plant such as paper or steel making, two independent connections to the
distribution grid may be provided. This approach is only effective if the two connections are
electrically independent, i.e. a predictable single failure will not cause both network
connections to fail at the same time. It depends on the network structure, and often, this
requirement cannot be met without the use of very long (and expensive) lines. The use of
two independent connections from the distribution network does not mean that other reserve
supplies are unnecessary.
This type of measure is unlikely to reduce the number or severity of voltage disturbances
however, because the networked nature of the distribution system allows dips the effect of
faults - to propagate over very long distances.
4. 7 Oversi zi ng equi pment ( t ransf ormers, motors) and cabl es ( l i ne and
especi al l y neut ral conduct ors)
Transformers are affected in two ways by harmonics. Firstly, the eddy current losses,
normally about 10% of the loss at full load, increase with the square of the harmonic number.
In practice, for a fully loaded transformer supplying a load comprising IT equipment the total
transformer losses would be twice as high as for an equivalent linear load. This results in a
much higher operating temperature and a shorter life. In fact, under these circumstances the
lifetime would reduce from around 40 years to more like 40 days! Fortunately, few
transformers are fully loaded, but the effect must be taken into account when selecting plant.
The second effect concerns the triple-N harmonics. When reflected back to a delta winding
they are all in phase, so the triple-N harmonic currents circulate in the winding. The triple-N
harmonics are effectively absorbed in the winding and do not propagate onto the supply, so
delta wound transformers are useful as isolating transformers. Note that all other, non triple-
N, harmonics pass through. The circulating current has to be taken into account when rating
the transformer.

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 1
0
Harmonic voltage distortion causes increased eddy current losses in motors in the same way
as in transformers. However, additional losses arise due to the generation of harmonic fields
in the stator, each of which is trying to rotate the motor at a different speed either forwards or
backwards. High frequency currents induced in the rotor further increase losses. Where
harmonic voltage distortion is present motors should be de-rated to take account of the
additional losses.
Alternating current tends to flow on the outer surface of a conductor. This is known as skin
effect and is more pronounced at high frequencies. Skin effect is normally ignored because it
has very little effect at power supply frequencies but above about 350 Hz, i.e. the seventh
harmonic and above, skin effect will become significant, causing additional loss and heating.
Where harmonic currents are present, designers should take skin effect into account and de-
rate cables accordingly. Multiple cable cores or laminated busbars can be used to help
overcome this problem. Note also that the mounting systems of busbars must be designed to
avoid mechanical resonance at harmonic frequencies.
4. 8 Shi el di ng and groundi ng
Earthing of installations and equipment is an issue that crosses the boundaries of the various
disciplines involved in the construction and equipping of a modern commercial or industrial
building.
In general any earthing system needs to satisfy three demands:
Lightning and short circuit: the earthing system must protect the occupants,
prevent direct damage such as fire, flashover or explosions due to a direct
lightning strike and overheating due to a short-circuit current.
Safety: the earthing system must conduct lightning and short-circuit currents
without introducing intolerable step-voltage and touch-voltages.
Equipment protection and functionality: the earthing system must protect
electronics by providing a low impedance path to interconnect equipment.
Proper cable routing, zoning and shielding are important aspects and serve
the purpose of preventing sources of disturbance from interfering with the
operation of electrical equipment.
Although requirements for these three aspects are often specified separately, the
implementation of them requires an integrated systems approach.
Shielding is the use of a conducting and/or ferromagnetic barrier between a potentially
disturbing noise source and sensitive circuitry. Shields are used to protect cables (data and
power) and electronic circuits. They may be in the form of metal barriers, enclosures, or
wrappings around source circuits and receiving circuits.
4. 9 St at i c t ransf er swi t ches
AC power supply systems - fast switching in the AC circuits by means of a static-switch.
Apart from the basic component of AC highly reliable power supply systems (UPS), as a next
step fast static switches can be used to increase the reliability of power supply.


European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 1
1
uP
AC(1)
N
AC(2)
N
AC(OUT)
N
PE

Figure 2 - Block diagram of static-switch and the oscillogram of the output voltage AC (Out)

Figure 2 shows a diagram of the static-switch and an example of the oscillogram of power
supply reconnection from AC circuit (1) to AC circuit (2).
The control system of static-switch should provide very quick switching of power networks;
there are switches with switching time below 6ms and return to basic power supply of 0.2ms.
This ensures the uninterrupted operation of the loads even those, which are very sensitive to
short supply voltage decays. Where the standard contactors are used, disruptions in power
supply can last for as long as tens or even hundreds of milliseconds. Another advantage of
static switches is that they do not generate switching overvoltages like standard contactors.
So their application in environments sensitive to overvoltages, like these with inductive loads
is recommended.
Static switches are also used for operation in three-phase networks for currents of a dozen
or so to a few hundred amperes. An important feature of static switches is a very high
instantaneous overload capacity (e.g. 2000%/20ms).

Figure 3 - Fast bypassing of a short circuit by means of the static-switch
If there are several circuits supplied by the UPS and a short circuit occurs in one of them,
then the input terminals of the UPS are earthed and the rest of the circuits is not supplied.
This lasts until the fuses in the shorted circuit are blown. Very quick switching of the bypass
circuit ensures very quick reaction of the fuse and provides much shorter break in power
supply of other circuits. Returning to power supply from the UPS is very quick, too. This
guarantees uninterruptible operation of the correctly operating loads connected to the UPS.
If two UPS systems are used (fig. 4a), the reliability of power supply of lines 1L and 2L can
be significantly increased by installation of two additional static switches (fig.4b).

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 1
2

a) b)
1AC
3AC
1L
2L
1UPS
2UPS
2AC
1AC
3AC
1L
2L
1UPS
2UPS
2AC

Figure 4 - Improvement of power supply reliability by means of the static-switches

In this way we create a system in which each of the UPS units supplies its own loads. In the
event of a failure of one of the UPS, a static switch ensures very quick switching in such a
way that the UPS which is operating at this moment correctly supplies both 1L and 2L
circuits.
Instead of 2AC line, a power generator can be used, which ensures supply of lines 1L and
2L even in case of a long voltage decay in the power network.
The system shown also provides easy maintenance and service, which is important for a
long lasting operation of the power supply system.
4. 10 St at i c Var Compensat or
Finally, special fast-acting power electronic circuits, such as Static Var Compensators can
be configured to limit the unbalance. These behave as if they were rapidly changing
complementary impedances, compensating for changes in impedance of the loads in each
phase. Also, they are capable of compensating unwanted reactive power. However, these
are expensive devices, and are only used for large loads (e.g. arc furnaces) when other
solutions are insufficient.
The impact of cyclic loads, such as spot welders, can be mitigated by the use of a static VAR
compensator that corrects power factor on the fly and reduce the impact on the system.
4. 11 Surge prot ect ors on key pi eces of equi pment
These are nonlinear devices to limit the amplitude of voltage on a power line. The term
implies that the device stops overvoltage problems (i.e. lightning). In actuality, voltage clamp
levels, response times and installation determine how much voltage can be removed by the
operation of an arrester.
To protect power supplies against lightning strikes it is necessary to use lightning current
arresters. For a low residual voltage the lightning current arresters have to be coordinated
with surge voltage arresters.
Lightning arrester spark gaps and varistor arresters that are connected in series, have been
used for lightning and surge voltage protection in low voltage systems for the last two
decades. With relatively low internal energy conversion the spark gaps are capable of
dischargingseveral times non-destructive even in the event of very high lightning energiesy.
After sparkover they enable a low residual voltage level. The sparkover voltage with
generally 4 kV is quite high. Therefore before the spark gap sparkover or upon non-reaching
the sparkover voltage, a varistor arrester has to take over the voltage limitation. On the one
hand, residual voltages that exceed the isolation coordination allowed for the devices in
question to be protected, may not be generated; on the other hand varistors may not be

European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 1
3
overloaded. The values for the isolation coordination can be taken from the IEC 60364-4-
443.
In order to avoid the power overload of the varistor arresters, both arresters the spark gap
as well as the varistor - are coordinated with each other. According to conventional
procedure, an additional voltage is generated to counter the voltage dropping over the
varistor by an inductivity that is switched between both arresters.
4. 12 Uni nt errupt i bl e power suppl y ( UPS) devi ces
UPS systems are now commonly used as standby power supplies for critical loads, where
the transfer time must be very short or zero. Static UPS systems are easily available in
ratings from 200 VA to 50 kVA (single-phase) and from 10 kVA up to about 4000 kVA (three-
phase). As well as providing a standby supply in the event of an outage, UPSs are also used
to locally improve of power quality. The efficiency of UPS devices is very high, with energy
losses ranging from 3% to 10%, depending on number of converters used and type of
secondary battery.
The basic classification of UPS systems is given in the standard IEC 62040-3 published in
1999 and adopted by CENELEC as standard EN-50091-3 [1]. The standard distinguishes
three classes of UPS, indicating the dependence of the output voltage and output frequency
from the input parameters:
VFD (output Voltage and Frequency Dependent from mains supply),
VI (output Voltage Independent from mains supply),
VFI (output Voltage and Frequency Independent from mains supply).

However, in practice this classification closely corresponds to classification by internal
structure:
passive standby,
line interactive,
double conversion.

Classification according to the standard [1] VFD VI VFI
UPS solution Passive
standby
Line interactive Double
conversion
Cost lowest medium highest
Voltage regulation none limited Yes
Frequency regulation none none Yes
Transfer time short zero Zero
Table 1 - Classification and characteristics of standard classes of UPS.CLASSIFICATION
4. 13 Vol t age st abi l i sers
Most voltage dips on the supply system have a significant retained voltage, so that energy is
still available, but at too low a voltage to be useful to the load. This section discusses voltage
dip mitigation equipment that deals with this type of dip. No energy storage mechanism is
required; they rely on generating full voltage from the energy still available at reduced
voltage (and increased current) during the dip. These devices are generally categorised as
automatic voltage stabilisers. Other types of equipment are available to deal with dips where
the retained voltage is zero and are described in another section of this Guide. This section
gives a basic description of each type of automatic voltage stabiliser. The advantages and
disadvantages of each type have been listed to enable the appropriate choice of voltage
stabiliser to be made for the particular application.



European Copper Institute
www. l eonar do- ener gy. or g 1
4
The main types of automatic voltage stabilisers are as follows:
Electro-mechanical
Ferro-resonant or constant voltage transformer (CVT)
Electronic step regulators
Saturable reactors (Transductor)
Electronic voltage stabiliser (EVS).

An important point to note in the selection of an automatic voltage stabiliser is that the
chosen solution must solve the particular problem without creating additional problems. One
example of this would be to connect a ferro-resonant stabiliser to the output of an inferior
generator to reduce voltage variations. The net result would be adversely affected by the
frequency fluctuations of the inferior generator that would produce an AC voltage change of
1.5 % for each 1 % change of frequency.
PQ ph e nome na a n d d e s i g n i s s u e s
PQ phenomena, problems and solutions approached by LPQI have been processed to
define a PQ - design issue table which has been used for interview design and installation
model design.

D
e
s
i
g
n

I
s
s
u
e

#

D
e
s
i
g
n

I
s
s
u
e

n
a
m
e

D
e
s
i
g
n

I
s
s
u
e

T
y
p
e

I
n
t
e
r
r
u
p
t
i
o
n
s

F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y

v
a
r
i
a
t
i
o
n


V
o
l
t
a
g
e

c
h
a
n
g
e
s


V
o
l
t
a
g
e

f
l
u
c
t
u
a
t
i
o
n
/
f
l
i
c
k
e
r


V
o
l
t
a
g
e

d
i
p
s

a
n
d

s
w
e
l
l
s


H
a
r
m
o
n
i
c
s

a
n
d

i
n
t
e
r
h
a
r
m
o
n
i
c
s


U
n
b
a
l
a
n
c
e


O
v
e
r
v
o
l
t
a
g
e
s


a
n
d


t
r
a
n
s
i
e
n
t
s

E
M
C

a
n
d

H
i
g
h

f
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y

d
i
s
t
u
r
b
a
n
c
e
s


DI-01 Power supply PS X X X X X X X X X
DI-02 Scheme SY X X X X X
DI-03 Transformers and reactors EQ X X X
DI-04 Motors EQ X X X X X X X
DI-05 PFC units EQ X X
DI-06 Cables EQ X X X
DI-07 Protection devices EQ X X
DI-08 Ground systems EQ X X X
DI-09 Lighting EQ X X X X
DI-10 Plugs FC -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

5 Re f e r e n c e s
www.lpqi.org