Power Reliability Measurement Through a Very Low Cost Strategy.

Abstract

Power Reliability (PR) and Power Quality (PQ) related issues are of great concern nowadays. In order to improve the quality of service supplied to the customer, organizations involved in the electrical sector have been adopting strategies and producing regulations. The main reason for these initiatives is to mitigate the impact of the electrical power disturbances over the customers’ processes. However, this new context requires a new category of measuring equipment that supports monitoring and recording relevant parameters relating to electrical power received from the utility so as to supervise and control compliance with existing regulations. The device with these capabilities is designated by Power Quality and Reliability Meter and Recorder (PQMeter).

In this paper a brief description of some PR and PQ issues is presented. We also explain the implementation of a PQMeter, characterized by a great simplicity, supported in the use of the capabilities integrated by the modern Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS). This will constitute a very low cost solution with some limitations in functionalities but sufficient for many situations and consequently with wide application. We will also present the performance of our solution applied to a case study where the electrical power supplied from the Portuguese utility to an educational institution, in a specific region of the country, was monitored and recorded throughout the year of 2004.