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What are the Sources of Voltage Sags?

Voltage sags can also originate on your utility's electric power system. The most common
types of utility-sourced voltage sags are:

1. Faults on distant circuits, which cause a corresponding reduction in voltage on your

circuit. Typically, these faults are removed by "reclosers", or self-resetting circuit
breakers. These reclosers typically delay 1 to 5 seconds before self-resetting. If the fault
is still present when the recloser resets, you may see a series of voltage sags, spaced 1
to 5 seconds apart. Faults on utility systems may be phase-to-phase, or phase-to-earth;
depending on the transformers between you and the fault, you will see different levels
of voltage reduction.
2. Voltage regulator failures are far less common. Utilities have automated systems to
adjust voltage (typically using power factor correction capacitors, or tap switching
transformers), and these systems do occasionally fail.
It is important to understand the source of the voltage sags before trying to eliminate them,
because the wrong solution can actually make the problem worse. For example, if you install a
ferro-resonant transformer as a voltage regulator, or a battery-operated UPS (a reasonable and
common approach), but inadvertently install it upstream from the motor that is causing your
voltage sags, the voltage sags will get worse, not better. In most cases, the correct solution is to
adjust the equipment so that it is less sensitive to voltage sags.

Sag sensitivity - Five ways equipment fails during voltage sags

CBEMA curve - voltage sag depth and duration at world-wide semiconductor plants
Sag immunity - Inexpensive, simple ways to increase sag immunity
Semiconductor sag standards - Industry standards F47, F42

Starting Induction Motors: Induction Motors can usually be started by simply connecting them to the
supply line voltage. This can, however, cause power system problems. Start currents (or "in-rush"
currents) are high, often about 6 times rated current. Starting a motor directly from the supply line can
cause the supply voltage to dip, or "sag", due to the higher than normal voltage drop across supply line
and transformer impedances. In severe cases, this voltage sag can cause supply instability or the failure of
sensitive power electronics connected to the system.
Wound Rotor Motors: Start behavior of wound rotor machines can be controlled by adding resistance
to the rotor circuit, as shown below:

In the circuit model above, the actual resistance RE has been referred to the rotor as R′E. It
can be seen from the circuit model that the increased impedance will reduce the start current. In
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addition, the extra rotor resistance will increase the motor torque during starting, reducing the
start time and overall impact of the in-rush current.

Cage Machines: Cage motors cannot have additional resistance added to the rotor circuit. A
number of options are available for cage motor starts:

 Full Voltage, or direct-on-line start

 Wyes-Delta Start
 Adding additional circuitry to the stator, including
o Autotransformer
o Additional resistance
o Electronic soft-start or variable speed start

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