Six Benefits To Power Quality Monitoring

By Bhavesh S. Patel

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Maintaining high power quality is vital across a variety of facilities, from high-tech environments like data centers and hospitals to low-tech locations such as government buildings and commercial enterprises where even slight electrical disruptions can lead to significant problems.

Poor power quality can have severe consequences, including the premature deterioration of equipment, decreased productivity, and disruptions to daily operations. Factors contributing to power quality variations include voltage sags, spikes, and swells, along with short and long interruptions lasting from milliseconds to several seconds, as well as harmonic disturbances.

Organizations prioritizing power quality can implement power quality monitoring systems that operate around the clock using a combination of hardware devices like sensors and meters, paired with software for data recording and interpretation. These systems use both wired and wireless communications to inform management of any issues affecting power quality and the specific locations within the electrical system where these issues arise. Furthermore, power quality monitoring can oversee a facility’s emergency or backup power systems.

In scenarios where operational continuity and power quality are crucial, facility managers benefit from dedicated Critical Power Management Systems (CPMS) that enhance traditional Building Management Systems (BMS). While a BMS collects data from all engineered systems in a facility, it operates on a limited bandwidth and lacks the necessary speed to detect microsecond changes in electrical systems. Conversely, a high-speed CPMS monitors data from the point of utility power entrance and evaluates the operation of both normal and emergency power systems.

A sophisticated CPMS can rapidly share large volumes of data across devices, necessary for details such as waveform capture and transient harmonic displays. By working in tandem, a BMS and CPMS optimize monitoring functionalities. For instance, a CPMS can send automatic alert notifications about system operations to a BMS via pager, email, or select system alarms.

Monitored components of an advanced CPMS typically include transfer switches, generator paralleling control switchgear, circuit breakers, bus bars, gensets, load banks, and components associated with UPS systems. The system can oversee normal and emergency voltages, frequency, current, power, and power factor while indicating transfer switch status and source availability. Additionally, web-enabled communications allow global access to all information.

Advantages of Power Quality Monitoring

1. Timely Issue Detection: Early identification of potential problems allows for preventive action before they escalate into major issues, minimizing operational disruptions.

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2. Advanced Power Quality Analysis: Continuous waveform recordings facilitate the identification of anomalies like outages and sags, allowing for immediate comparison against manufacturer baselines to spot inefficiencies.

3. Forensic Power Quality Analytics: Management can trace the sequence of events leading to issues, determining root causes like short circuits or electrical spikes.

4. Pre-function Testing Capabilities: Analysis supports testing systems' responses to various conditions, helping establish performance trends for improved maintenance and future power planning.

5. Regulatory Compliance Testing: CPMS may assist in fulfilling regulatory requirements, ensuring emergency systems operate within designed specifications even without periodic testing.

6. Improved Infrastructure Efficiency: Enhancing reliability and efficiency of a facility’s power infrastructure reinforces customer trust and strengthens stakeholder relationships.

Patel is vice president, global marketing for ASCO Power Technologies, a business of Emerson Network Power.

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