PowerSight

Power Quality and Energy Analyzers for Safety, Speed, & Success

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A Dive into Harmonics and Why They Matter

harmonics

 

Plain and simple, harmonics are frequencies produced by a standing wave pattern. Harmonics, as far as we are concerned, are multiples of the fundamental frequency. The fundamental frequency is the lowest frequency produced by an object or machine and also signifies the first harmonic. The average fundamental frequency in the United States is 60Hz, and in most other countries, 50Hz. Technically, harmonics go on forever since they are just multiples of the fundamental frequency. However, most electrical issues can only be attributed to distortion in the first 15 harmonics. PowerSight PS2500 and PS3550 analyzers measure up to the 50th harmonic, and the PS4550 and PS5000 Analyzers measure up to the 65th harmonic.

 

Due to the symmetry of the wave form, the even-numbered harmonics are not displayed. They are simply negative reflections of the positive (odd-numbered) harmonics, so we consider them insignificant. Consequently, only odd-numbered harmonics are shown in power analysis, as it is inferred that even harmonics are the symmetrical inverse.

 

To understand the importance of harmonics, one must be familiar with total harmonic distortion (THD). THD is a measurement of how distorted a wave form is, percentage-wise. High THD is bad news and can result in safety hazards if not addressed. Fortunately, not every kind of equipment is overly sensitive to harmonics. An example of something that may have high THD is energy-efficient lighting, so those powerful bulbs don’t come without risk!

 

Harmonics are a higher-level measurement and does not need to be measured in every power analysis scenario. Nonetheless, we equip our meters with a wide range of capabilities in order to detect almost all power events. High harmonics create more temperature for the same current. High harmonics paired with high THD can be a safety hazard, with the threat of fires and other heat-related dangers. If huge transformers and conductors overheat, their useful life could be cut short due to premature breakdown induced by high temperatures.

 

Generally, the goal is to keep THD for voltage under 5%. The third and fifth harmonics are usual suspects for distortion and big problems. A simple solution may be to install a filter that rids of strong harmonics.

 

Whatever the case may be, PowerSight analyzers can provide all the data necessary to fix an issue with frequency and overheating. Our PS3550, PS4550, and PS5000 all measure harmonics and THD, and the PowerSight Manager – Advanced Software can display these in graphical form or in a data table.

 

9/28/20

RG

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What is Medium Voltage?

medium-voltage

 

In a previous article, What is Voltage?, we discussed the basics of voltage, its applications, and how measuring it can be beneficial. There are a few classifications of voltage, though, based on amount distributed. Most buildings you see day-to-day use “low voltage” because they do not demand enough power to reach what is called “medium voltage.” Traditionally, power distribution 600 volts or higher is seen as dangerous and requires special personnel and safety equipment to work with. Medium voltage, however, is northern of 1,000 volts, all the way up to 35,000 volts, so that may give you an idea of how much power we’re talking about.

A kilovolt (kV) is equal to one thousand volts.

“kVac” refers to a thousand volts of AC current. When defining voltage sizes (like the guide below), AC current is assumed.

 

Definitions vary but a general guide to the voltage categories is as follows:

Low Voltage (utility level) up to 1 kVac
Medium Voltage (distribution level) Between 1 kVac and 35 kVac
High Voltage (transmission level) 35kVac and up

 

Facilities that use medium voltage demand very high amounts of power, which is why there are very few compared to low voltage facilities. Two usual examples are industrial plants and data centers. Other examples, which may or may not have medium voltage, are universities, skyscrapers, and select warehouses. If you have a huge motor that needs lots of power, you may want a medium voltage system that lowers current, making the motor smaller and less hot. These motors, typically running around 4,160 volts, can be monitored with a PowerSight analyzer and 5 kV probe. If you have your own distribution transformer, you may want to test that directly instead of a potential transformer for faster, more accurate data. These transformers, typically running around 12,500 volts, can be monitored with a PowerSight analyzer and 15 kV probe. We have the only portable power analyzers that connect directly to medium voltage! Medium Voltage Solutions

 

Here are a few advantages to medium voltage distribution (besides higher voltage):

  • Reduces voltage drop: wastes less power throughout the facility
  • Metering on the transformation’s primary side: saves energy and money
  • Requires better transformers, which elevates many facets of power distribution
  • Allows for motors to be smaller in size and give off less heat (energy loss)
  • Reduces the need for expensive copper wire: fewer/smaller conductors
  • And more!

 

There is a reason that PowerSight is the number one choice for power monitoring devices. If you have further questions about medium voltage or anything else, reach out to one of our experts. PowerSight offers you start-to-finish solutions! One way we do this is by offering the only direct connection to medium voltage. From the initial planning stage to carrying out your test to analyzing your findings, we have the tools, software, and solutions you need to be successful. Get your free power monitoring quote today!

We are devoted to your success. If you just have a question, give us a call at 1 (925) 944-1212. Our unmatched sales and technical support is a key benefit we offer our customers. Call us to ask about your medium voltage needs today, you won’t get these answers from anyone else!

 

8/28/20

RG

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Summit Technology COVID Safety Measures

covid-19

Disclaimer: As of 6/21/2021, our policies have changed due to the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Some precautions may not be still in practice.

The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caught nearly everyone by surprise and our team at Summit Technology is no exception. Fortunately, we were successful in transitioning to safer business practices quickly and effectively. As an essential business, we made it a top priority to not just meet county standards, but to provide our customers with a comfortable sense of safety. That is why we continue to remain open during this time, with a few changes set in place. (see our Shipping Policy for details on order fulfillment)

We sanitize every order (we concluded this practice as of 6/21/2021)*

Before being sent out, every analyzer, accessory, and carrying case is wiped down and cleaned with sanitizer. We also sanitize each incoming order, so we never handle products around the office that could be carrying COVID. In addition, when our staff enters the building at any point, they immediately wash or sanitize their hands. Ample soap and hand sanitizer can be found throughout the office.

We restrict facility access

The only people allowed in our offices are essential employees, scheduled package delivery personnel, and customers who have made pickup arrangements. Moreover, we have limited staff in the office, and telecommuting is utilized when appropriate. Limiting in-person engagement is a new challenge for us, but we have adapted well.

We wear facial coverings

Everyone who steps foot in the building must wear a mask. Employees handling products and greeting customers at the door must be wearing their face coverings, even outside social distance. They may choose to use their own masks, but each employee has been offered a mask with an air filter.

We can only put an end to the pandemic if we all work together to be safe. At Summit Technology, we are doing are part to keep customers and staff healthy and safe by implementing these new protocols. When schools, hospitals, office buildings, and manufacturing facilities all rely on our products for power monitoring, we have no choice but to deliver the same great products and services with a health-conscious approach.

6/21/21

RG

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The Complete Power Monitoring Process

 

You have a job to do, and that job involves power. If your equipment is not functioning properly or you want to measure how much power your equipment is using, you may want to use a power analyzer. A power analyzer, or power monitor, is a device that measures power consumption in order to support energy-saving activities. A power analyzer does all this and reveals problems with the quality of the power. Power is not visible to the naked eye, but it is detected and everything about it is measured by these incredibly helpful devices. However, the analyzer is just one part of the full process of power monitoring. Over time, the analyzer is less costly than the labor, analysis, and reporting aspects of the total process. PowerSight analyzers lower the costs and eliminate errors at EVERY stage of the monitoring process.

The power monitoring process includes these six steps:

 

Step 1: Develop a test plan

First, you need to know what you are going to do. If there is only one point to monitor, it’s not a problem. But if there are many points that you need to monitor (a multi-point power study), this can be a source of error and inefficiency. PowerSight’s unique TestPlan Manager™ technology is the best solution for planning multi-point power studies. 

 

Step 2: Configure the analyzer

Get the data you want, exactly how you want it. PowerSight’s DataSetup Wizard™ helps you to configure your meter to get the data you need for success. Simply tell the Wizard what you need to do and let it make an expert decision for you.

 

Step 3: Connect the analyzer

The patented SureStart™ Expert System increases your success and improves your efficiency by embedding an “expert” in your meter, verifying that connections and settings are correct before you begin your test. This makes it easy to eliminate mistakes in connection and setup.

 

Step 4: Perform the test

It’s time to run the test! Our PS5000, PS4550, PS3550, and PS2500 power analyzers have powerful Bluetooth capabilities built into them, so you can communicate live with your meter comfortably at a safe distance. Rest assured that they are logging all common power-related measurements for as long as you need to.

 

Step 5: Collect the data

Getting the data is the most important step and PowerSight protects you by having multiple ways to get the data out of the analyzer.  You can use Bluetooth for safety while it is still connected, USB at your desk, or the SD card for fast transfer. For multi-point power studies, our unique TestPlan Manager eliminates most errors and dramatically increases efficiency. TestPlan Manager retrieves the results of all tests in a single step, named and organized the way you want them (in step one).

 

Step 6: Create the report

The final step is to generate quick, easy, and accurate reports. Our ReportWriter Wizard™ allows you to create professional reports that combine tables and graphs in just a few clicks. Summary reports and Comparison reports can be created with ease.

 

PowerSight offers you the Start-to-Finish solution! From the planning stage to analyzing your findings, we have the tools, software, and solutions you need to be successful. Get your free power monitoring quote today! We both sell and rent!

 

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What is Current?

current

 

For most of us, we use electricity in many products throughout the day but really don’t know how it works. You probably don’t even think about it that much! You just assume when you flick a switch, the electricity will flow to the item you’re using and it’ll work just fine. Then, one day it doesn’t. Maybe you’re not getting enough juice flowing through or maybe you’re experiencing damaging surges. Especially in a commercial setting, you need to understand why you’re experiencing power and electricity trouble. This means reading a power quality analyzer. It also means understanding some basics about electricity, including the concept of a “current.”

What is current?

An electric current is an electric charge in motion. This charge can take the form of a sudden discharge of static electricity, such as a lightning bolt. A spark between your finger and a ground light switch plate is another good example of a quick discharge of static electricity. More commonly, an electric current is the more controlled form of electricity from batteries, generators, solar cells, or fuel cells.

Most electric charge is carried by the electrons and protons within an atom. Protons have a positive charge, while electrons have a negative charge. However, protons are mostly immobilized inside atomic nuclei, so the job of carrying charge from one place to another is handled by electrons. The actual speed of an electron in a wire is about a few million meters per second! Wow!

 

Direct Current

The electrochemical battery, invented in 1800 by Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, gives off Direct Current (DC). Other DC sources include fuel cells, which combine oxygen and hydrogen into water and produce electrical energy in the process. Oxygen and hydrogen can be supplied as pure gasses or from the air and a chemical fuel such as alcohol. Another source of DC current is the photovoltaic, or solar, cell. In these devices, valuable photonic energy from sunlight is absorbed by electrons and converted into electrical energy.

 

Alternating current

Most often, we use electricity from an Alternating Current (AC) source. The electricity from the electric power grid is in the form. Generators have rotating coils of wire that pass through magnetic fields as they turn. Since power equals voltage times amperage, you can send more power down the line at the same amperage by using higher voltage. Generators can be powered by steam turbines heated by coal, natural gas, oil or a nuclear reactor, as well as wind turbines, or water turbines in hydroelectric dams.

Once the current gets to the end of the line, most of it is used one of two ways: either to provide heat and light through electrical resistance, or mechanical motion through electrical induction. That’s the electricity you recognize and use every day! This brings us to the most important feature of electric current: it can do work! An AC current lights your office, keep powerful machines moving and even keeps your sandwich cold in the break room fridge.

You need your electricity to move freely and work efficiently. You need your AC currents going strong! But maybe, yours are not right now. If you’re having trouble, a power quality analyzer will tell you exactly what the problem is. It’s time to order a current probe from Power Sight, an industry leader you can trust!

 

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Maximize Your Success with a High-Quality Power Analzyer

When you have a job to do, you want it to be done successfully. Success in power analysis is maximized by collecting and retaining the right data.  At each stage of the power analysis process, PowerSight maximizes your chances of success and minimizes/eliminates errors in the power monitoring process. We are one hundred percent committed to your success! That’s our commitment to you!

This all begins with PowerSight providing you and your company with the industry’s best accessories, options, and operating modes for power analyzers. You don’t need to settle! We are committed to providing Start-to-Finish solutions to measure and analyze almost any electric power system of any size anywhere in the world. Here’s what you need to know about us:

 

  1. We are the only major manufacturer to provide a direct connection to medium voltages. Why do we do it? Because our customers needed it!
  2. We were the first manufacturer to provide a Line-to-DC Converter, in order for our customers to power their meter off.
  3. We are the only manufacturer to provide power-line noise analysis up to 100 kHz. Again, we did this because our customers requested it.
  4. We offer the broadest range of AC current measurement, of DC current measurement, and of AC/DC voltage direct measurement of any manufacturer. You’d be hard-pressed to find power you cannot measure with one of our power quality analyzers!

 

And we aren’t done yet! We are working to expand our measurement capabilities because we believe there is always room for improvement.

 

We do more than just offer you a lot of options. We offer peace of mind for the most important element of any test: the data. Every meter has a generous amount of internal memory and SD card memory to provide redundant data storage. If the data in the meter is lost, the SD card is still available and vice versa.

 

Additionally, our built-in wizards and PSM-A software are designed to be hard to make a mistake. SureStart Expert System is a rules-based knowledge system that advises you in the plain language of any possible errors in the connections and setup of your meter before you start your test. The last thing you want to happen is to return in a month and not have the data you need!

 

If you have any further questions, remember that the experts at PowerSight are always here to help. If you need a new power quality analyzer but are not an industry expert, that’s okay because we are! We are here to support you every step of the way.

Just call (925)-944-1212 or email us at support@powersight.com with any further questions you have. You may also find what you’re looking for in our FAQs .

 

You need the right tools for the job to be successful. That’s what you’ll get by purchasing a power quality analyzer through PowerSight!