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Whether or not youre likely to suffer from power quality problems depends on:
the quality of the voltage supplied by your utility
the types of loads in your installation
the sensitivity of your equipment to various kinds of disturbances There is no single, generic solution.
An optimum techno-economic solution has to be custom designed for each site,
taking into account the above three inter-related factors. |
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An ideal power
supply would be
one that offers
uninterrupted
availability, is
always within
voltage and
frequency
tolerances, and
has a pure noise
free sinusoidal
wave shape. Just
how much deviation
from perfection
can be tolerated
depends on the
users
application, the
type of equipment
installed and of
his requirements.
The shortcomings
of power quality
fall under five
categories:
Harmonic
distortion
Blackouts
Under
or over voltage
Dips (or sags) and
surges
Transients |
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Electrical power
one of the most
essential raw
material used by
industries today.
It is an unusual
commodity because
it is required as
a continuous flow,
yet it cannot be
conveniently
stored in
quantity. Also, no
quality assurance
can be claimed
before it is used.
The various
problems faced by
the industry today
are:
Improper
functioning of
process control
equipment
Overheating and
reduced efficiency
of Induction
motors
Overheating of
conductors due to
skin effect
Flickering screens
Overheating of
transformers at
moderate load
Flickering lights
Computer lockups
Data network congestion
Problems with
power factor
correction
equipment
Problems with
specific (long)
lines or when
switching heavy
loads
Overloaded
neutrals
Nuisance tripping
of protective
devices
Utility
claims resulting
from harmonics
affecting supply |
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Each power quality
problem has a
different cause.
Although the
supplier is blamed
for these
problems, most of
them arise within
the installation
and can be taken
care of there
itself. The list
of potential Power Quality
problems is
surprisingly long.
Power Quality problems are
complex, and often
an expert team
needs to be
assembled for
their diagnosis
and solution. Same
symptoms, such as
equipment
overheating, can
have different
causes (harmonics,
unbalance,
overloading etc.).
Some of the main
causes for the
problems stated
above are:
Harmonics
Huge
Reactive power
requirement
Unbalance in load
distribution
Overloading
High
neutral current |
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Steel mills,
because of arc
furnace operation
and rolling mill
loads, are
particularly
plagued with
harmonics and Power Factor
problems.
A
typical variable
speed drive load
at part load has
very high fifth
and seventh
components of
current harmonics
which can cause
serious problems
in the
installation, such
as transformer
overheating, and
can be a serious
problem in meeting
the suppliers
harmonic current
limits.
PC type
loads are
characterized by
being rich in all
the low order odd
harmonics, with
very high levels
of thirds, fifths,
sevenths and
ninths. This type
of load causes
many problems,
including
overloaded
neutrals,
overheating in
transformers and
heating due to
skin effect. |
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We at P2 Power
Solutions Pvt.
Ltd. help you
assess your
current power
quality through
our advanced
equipments. We
also provide
detailed report on
your request,
which contains
details of your
current power
quality status.
Depending on this
report, you will
be provided advice
about how to
decrease costs and
increase
efficiency at your
plant.
Some examples of
sensitive industry
operations are: |
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Continuous process
operations, where
short
interruptions can
disrupt the
synchronisation of
the machinery and
result in large
volumes of
semi-processed
product. |
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Multi-stage batch
operations, where
an interruption
during one process
can destroy the
value of previous
operations. An
example of this
type is the
semiconductor
industry, where
the production of
a wafer requires a
few dozen
processes over
several days and
the failure of a
single process is
catastrophic. |
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Data processing,
where the value of
the transaction is
high but the cost
of processing is
low, such as share
and foreign
exchange dealing.
The inability to
trade can result
in large losses
that far exceed
the cost of the
operation. |
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| (IGBT
based Active power
conditioner) |
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I-Con series is capable of
handling most of
your power quality
related issues
under a single
unit. These devices
are based on a
feedback system
controlled by a
microprocessor.
The response time
is unimaginable of
the order of
microseconds. This
makes it
compatible for
even the worst
kind of loads like
arc furnaces. |
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The active power
conditioner is
connected in
parallel with the
supply, and
constantly injects
harmonic and
reactive currents
that precisely
correspond to the
requirements of
the load. The
result is that the
current supplied
by the power
source remains
sinusoidal. |
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The entire
low-frequency
harmonic spectrum,
from the second to
the twenty fifth
harmonic, is
supported. If the
harmonic currents
drawn by the load
are greater than
the installed
capacity of i-Con,
the conditioner
automatically
limits its output
current to its
maximum rating;
the conditioner
cannot be
overloaded and
will continue to
correct up to the
maximum current
rating. Any excess
harmonic current
will be drawn from
the supply; i-Con
can run
permanently in
this state without
damage. |
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Reduces current
THD (Total
Harmonic
Distortion) within
IEEE 519
standards. |
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Reduced trips
increased
production |
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Increases life of
sensitive
equipments |
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Reduced line as
well as
transformer losses |
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Improves power
factor to unity |
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There is no risk
of resonance with
any harmonic
frequency |
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Cannot be
overloaded |
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Flexible to use |
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Easily upgradeable
for future
expansion |
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User programmable |
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| i-Con
provides a simply
applied solution to what
can be a very complex
problem. It is a very
flexible solution,
making it is easy to
cope with changes of
building layout and use. |
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There are various
configurations in which
the connections can be
done depending on the
type of load
requirements:
Centrally, at the point
of common coupling (PCC),
for global compensation
for the whole unit.
Partial compensation for
specific feeders within
a unit.
Close to the
polluting loads to
ensure local
compensation.
Ideally,
compensation of
harmonics should take
place at their point of
origin. In order to
optimise the harmonic
compensation, several
conditioners may be
connected in various
configurations. These
configurations can be
used at any point in the
distribution system,
offering a total
flexibility and a wide
choice of compensation
strategies. |
