Electric and Electronic Measurements

Lecture-4: Measurement Per Unit System

Dr. Omar A. Hafez

Electrical Engineering Department
Faculty of Engineering & Islamic Architecture
Umm Al-Qura University
oahafez@uqu.edu.sa

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Absolute values may not give the full significance of quantities.
Consider the marks scored by a student in three subjects as 10, 40
and 95. Many of you may be tempted to say that he is poor in
subject 1, average in subject 2 and good in subject 3. That is true
only when the base for all the marks is 100. If the bases are 10, 50
and 100 for the three subjects respectively then his marks in
percentage are 100, 80 and 95 and thus the conclusions are
different. Thus, there is a need to specify base quantity for
meaningful interpretation.

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 Per Unit System
The 4 basic electrical quantities are:
Voltage V (volt)
Current I (amp)
P V
Impedance Z (ohm)
Power S (VA) ‫ش‬ R
V I I

For single-phase circuits:

V(volt) = Z(ohm) × I(amp)
S (VA) = V(volt) × I(amp)

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 Per Unit System

In per unit notation, the physical quantity is expressed as a

fraction of the reference value.
per unit value = actual value/base value in the same unit.
For Example:
The same unit V(in per unit) = V(in kV)/V base (in kV),
where the base value is a reference value for magnitude.

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 Per Unit System
In per unit notation we would like to keep the basic
relations:
Vpu = Zpu*Ipu
Spu = Vpu Ipu
Hence the base quantities should be chosen such that
Base voltage (VB) =
Base Impedance (ZB) × base current (IB). P V
Base power (SB) =
Base voltage (VB ) × base current (IB) ‫ش‬ R I
V I

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 Per Unit System

Thus only two of the base quantities can be arbitrarily

chosen, the other two will be calculated.
It is common practice to specify base Power (S base and
base voltage (VB).
Then it follows
base current IB = SB/VB
base impedance ZB = VB/IB =VB2/SB P V

‫ش‬ R I
V I

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Per Unit System

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 Per Unit System
A single

V I base = Pbase/Vbase = 500/ 22= 22.73 KA

Rbase = Vb/Ib = 22/22.73 = 0.968 Ω P
R I
Rp.u.= R actual / R base = 1.065 / 0.968 = 1.1002
V‫ ش‬I
OR,

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 Per Unit System

R p.u = 0.25
Vbase=18 kv
Sbase = 500 MVA
Rbase old = V^2/ Sbase
Or I base old = Sb old / Vb old = 27.78 KA
Rb old = Vb old / I b old = 0.648 Ω
Ractual = Rp.u * Rbase old = 0.25* 0.648= 0.162 Ω

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Rbase new = V^2/ Sbase
Or I base new = Sb new / Vb new = 100/20 = 5 KA
Rb new = Vb new / I b new = 4 Ω
Rp.u new = Ractual / Rbase new
= 0.162 Ω / 4 Ω = 0.0405

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 Example

The current of a substation is given as 0.85 P.U

based on the substation 13.8 KV, 200 MVA.
Find its P.U current on the new based value of
14kV , 100 MVA ?

I base old = Sb old / Vb old = 200/13.8 = 14.49 KA

I actual = Ib old * I p.u old = 14.49* 0.85 = 12.32 KA

I base new = Sb new / Vb new = 100/14 = 7.14 KA

I p.u new = 12.32/7.14 = 1.725
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 Per Unit System
1.05 In Canada
Base value are
12.66 kv and 100 MVA

In Saudi Arabia
13.8 kv and 100 MVA

V p.U = Va /Vb
Vactual = Vb old * Vp.u old
12.66 * 0.97 = 12.28 Kv

V p.U new = Va /Vbnew

V p.u new = ?/ 13.8
=?
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 Advantages of Per Unit System

• Normally we are dealing with numeric near unity

rather than over a wide range.
• Provides a more meaningful comparison of
parameters of machines with different ratings.
• As the per unit values of parameters of a machine of a
given design normally falls within a certain range, a
typical value can be used if such parameters are not
provided.

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on Blackboard

E-mail

oahafez@uqu.edu.sa

No phone call please

Dr. Omar A. Hafez

oahafez@uqu.edu.sa 14