High-precision Power Quality Analyzer and Meter | Dewesoft

Power quality analyzer, meter and logger ideal for quick and easy power quality measurement, analysis, troubleshooting, monitoring, and raw data logging.

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High-precision Power Quality Analyzer and Meter

The Dewesoft power quality analyzer can measure all the power quality parameters according to IEC 61000-4-30 Class A. In comparison to other power quality meters ours are able to do more detailed power quality analysis. Raw data storing, behavior at faults, calculation of additional parameters, etc.

Voltage

High Voltage

Current

Velocity

Torque

RPM

Video

High-speed video

Thermal video

Digital IO

CAN bus

XCP/CCP

FlexRay

OBDII

J1939

GPS/GLONASS

Main Features

HARMONICS UP TO 150 kHz: Measure and analyze harmonics for voltage, current, and total harmonic distortion (THD) with frequencies up to 150 kHz. All measurements are carried out according to the IEC-61000-4-7 standards.
THD CALCULATION: The calculation of THD (overall harmonic content) for voltage and current up to the 3000th order.
INTERHARMONICS & HIGHER FREQUENCIES: Measure and analyze interharmonics and higher frequencies. The higher frequency elements can be grouped in 200 Hz bands up to 150 kHz.
FLICKER, FLICKER EMISSIONS & RVCs: Automatic flicker and flicker emission parameters calculation according to the IEC-61400-4-15 and IEC-61400-21 standards.
GREAT REAL-TIME VISUALS: Fast and customizable visual displays are available for FFT, Harmonic FFT, Waterfall FFT with real-time visual feedback making this solution a great power quality monitor.
HIGH-SPEED RAW DATA STORING: Hardware and software provide a powerful storing engine with a continuous stream rate of more than 500 MB per second. Raw data is always stored no matter what. This is to ensure that offline post-processing functions seamlessly whenever it is needed.
ADVANCED ONLINE AND OFFLINE MATH PROCESSING: Dewesoft X data acquisition software offers an easy-to-use mathematics engine. Math can be applied in real-time during measurement or added in post-processing.
FAST REVIEW OF DATA: Datafiles, even if they are gigabytes large, can be opened and reviewed in mere seconds.
HIGH-CHANNEL COUNT SOLUTIONS: We offer large channel count DAQ system configurations with thousands of channels using network configuration as well as more compact portable power quality analyzers for field use.
NO HIDDEN COST SOFTWARE LICENSING: Our software licensing is very flexible and has no renewal or upgrade fees. Upgrades for Dewesoft X DAQ software are FREE forever. You also don't require any additional license to view/analyze the data. Once the data file is stored it can be reviewed and analyzed on unlimited computers without the need for additional software licenses.

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Power Quality Overview

The different power quality parameters describe the deviation of the voltage from its ideal sinusoidal waveform at a certain frequency. These deviations can lead to disturbances, outages, lower power factor, or damages of electrical equipment connected to the grid.

It is essential to permanently track these parameters: starting during the development phase (of the electrical equipment), up until the live operation and beyond: e.g. continuous monitoring of a couple of points in the electrical grid in order to prevent and correct quality disturbances.

The Dewesoft solution can measure all these parameters according to the IEC 61000-4-30 Class A standard. In comparison to conventional power quality analyzers it’s possible to do more detailed analyses (e.g. raw data storing, behavior at faults, calculation of additional parameters, etc.).

Dewesoft Power Quality Analyzer Highlights

The Dewesoft Power Quality Analyzer is a very flexible DAQ solution that combines power and energy loggers as well as several other measurement instruments into a single device. This has multiple advantages for the measurement process:

Data synchronization: data is fully synchronized and compatible for comparison.
Raw data logging: raw data is always stored and can, therefore, be analyzed at any time in post-processing.
Easy to use: intuitive software that can perform all the measurement and analysis tasks, meaning the learning curve is much easier to master.
Low cost: a single instrument that can measure and analyze power parameters that would usually require multiple instruments will save space, time, and money.

All of this combined makes the Dewesoft power quality analyzer an indispensable piece of equipment that acts as an arsenal of devices able to measure among others:

Harmonics and THD up to 150 kHz
Interharmonics & higher frequencies
Flicker, Flicker Emissions, RVCs
FFT, Harmonic FFT, Waterfall FFT
Symmetrical components

Dewesoft Power Quality Analyzer Highlights

Power Quality Standards Overview

Our power quality meters fulfill all the requirements of power quality standards and can be used in a wide range of testing applications. The table below sums up the supported power quality standards:

IEC 61000-4-30 IEC 61000-4-7 IEC 61000-4-15	Requirements for Power Quality Analyzers, Calculation of Harmonics, Flicker, etc.
EN 50160 EN 50163 IEEE-519 IEC 61000-2-4 etc.	Power Quality limits of the public grid, industries, and railway applications.
IEC 61400-21 IEC 61400-12 FGW-TR3 BDEW VDE-AR4105 etc.	Power quality analysis of renewable energy sources.
IEC 61000-3-3 IEC 61000-3-11	Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of voltage changes and Flicker.
IEC 61000-3-2 IEC 61000-3-12	Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of harmonics current.

FFT Harmonics Analysis

Harmonics are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency (e.g. 50 Hz) and cause a distortion in voltage and current of the original waveform. Harmonic voltages and currents caused by non-sinusoidal loads can affect the operation and lifetime of electrical equipment and devices.

Harmonic frequencies in motors and generators can lead to increased heating (iron & copper losses), can affect torque (pulsating or reduced torque), create mechanical oscillations, and higher audible noise, which can cause aging of shaft, insulation and mechanical parts and reduce the efficiency.

Current harmonics in transformers increase copper and stray flux losses. Voltage harmonics increase iron losses. The losses are directly proportional to the frequency and, therefore, higher frequency harmonic components are more important than lower frequency components. Harmonics can also cause vibrations and higher noise. The effects of other electrical equipment and devices are very similar and are mainly reduced efficiency and lifetime, increased heating, malfunction or even unpredictable behavior.

Harmonics, Interharmonics and THD

The Dewesoft solution can measure harmonics for voltage, current and additional active and reactive power up to the 3000th order. All calculations are implemented according to IEC 61000-4-7 standards.

You can define the number of sidebands and half-bands for the harmonic order calculation. The higher frequency parts can be grouped in 200 Hz bands up to 150 kHz.

The calculation of THD (overall harmonic content) for voltage and current up to 3000th order and the interharmonics complete the analysis functionalities.

These powerful harmonic calculation functions offer analysis for all types of electrical equipment and devices.

Harmonics calculations

U, I, P, Q, and impedance
Individual setup of the number of harmonics including DC component (Example: 20 kHz sampling rate = 200 harmonics @ 50 Hz)
Harmonics up to 3000th order (@50 Hz)
Variable sidebands and half sidebands for Harmonics
Higher Frequencies up to 150 kHz in 200 Hz bands
Interharmonics, groups or single values
According to EN 61000-4-7
Calculation corrected to the actual real frequency
THD, THD even, THD odd
Trigger on each parameter
Background harmonics substraction

Full FFT Frequency Spectrum Analysis

In addition to the FFT harmonics, a full frequency-based FFT analysis is available. All frequencies can be analyzed with this function Trigger on FFT patterns and offer definable filters:

hanning,
haming,
flat top,
rectangle,
etc.

You can find more information about Dewesoft FFT analyzer:

FFT Waterfall Analysis

Besides the FFT and the harmonic FFT analysis, the Power Quality Analyzer also offers a 2D and 3D FFT waterfall analysis option.

This type of data visualization is especially useful for the analysis of variable drives. For example, looking at a run-up of an inverter, it is clearly visible how the harmonic sidebands originate as the frequency increases. The image depicts the runup of an inverter of a traction drive from 0 to 150 Hz.

The FFT waterfall visual display can be linear or logarithmic, 2D, or 3D and sorted by harmonic order or frequency.

Flicker Test and Flicker Emission Test

Flicker is a term used to describe fluctuations (repetitive variations) of the RMS voltage between two steady-state conditions. Flashing light bulbs are indicators for high flicker exposure. Flicker is especially present in grids with a low short-circuit resistance and is caused by the frequent connection and disconnection (e.g. heat pumps, rolling mills, etc.) of loads that affect the voltage.

A high level of flicker is perceived as psychologically irritating and can be harmful to humans.

The Dewesoft Power Quality analyzers offer the following features for flicker measurement:

Measure all flicker parameters according to the IEC 61000-4-15 standard.
Flicker emission calculation according to the IEC 61400-21 standard and allows the evaluation of flicker emission into the grid caused by wind power plants or other generation units.
PST and PLT with flexible intervals.
Individual recalculation intervals.
P_inst, d_U, d_Umax, d_Uduration

Rapid Voltage Changes

Rapid Voltage Changes (RVCs) are parameters which are added as a supplement to the flicker standard. Dewesoft X data acquisition software calculates these parameters according to the IEC 61000-4-15 standard.

Rapid Voltage Changes describe any voltage fluctuations which change the voltage amplitude between two steady states more than 3% for a certain time interval. These voltage changes can be analyzed in post-processing using various parameters:

the depth of voltage change,
d_u, d_max, d_uduration,
steady-state deviation,
Etc.

Unbalance - Symmetrical Components

A balanced system has a 120° phase shift between the voltages and currents, and the voltages and currents have the same amplitude respectively. Unbalance happens when the 3 phase system is loaded unevenly, and the phases and magnitudes no longer correlate.

To analyze an unbalanced system, the symmetrical components calculation method is used. This method splits the original unbalanced 3 phase power system into a positive system (rotation like the original system), the negative system (rotation in the reverse direction), and a zero system.

An unbalanced system could cause current to flow in the neutral line, overheating electrical components, mechanical stress, increased vibration, and torque pulsation, low power quality, and energy losses among others.

Dewesoft’s Power Meters can measure over 50 parameters for a comprehensive analysis of an unbalanced system. These parameters include various calculations for voltage, current, active-, reactive-, apparent power as well as harmonics.

Frequency Deviations

The Dewesoft Power Analyzer can be used for frequency monitoring and testing frequency behavior of power generation units in the developmental stage (please see renewable energy testing).

High-frequency deviations from the fundamental frequency in public grids can have severe consequences. If the frequency drops or rises excessively there is a chance that the whole power system could collapse causing a blackout.

Frequency deviations in power grids are caused by the connection and disconnection of power generation plants or big loads. The grid becomes unstable if there is a deviation from the nominal frequency at which the grid operates. If the frequency is too high, there is too much power in the grid due to power oversupply. If the frequency is too low, there is too little power in the grid due to power undersupply. As renewable energies especially, wind and solar become more popular, grid stability is more at risk than ever. This is due to the fact that wind does not always blow at constant speeds and that sun energy gets impacted by clouds, shadows, and fluctuations in radiation intensity. This leads to abrupt deviations in the frequency at which power is delivered to the grid.

Online Power Quality and Related Resources

Additional information about how to measure voltage, current, and perform power analysis can be found on our FREE online PRO training:

FAQ

What is Power Quality?

The different Power Quality parameters describe the deviation of the voltage from its ideal sinusoidal waveform at a certain frequency. These deviations can lead to disturbances, outages or damages of electrical equipment connected to the grid. The main parameters that power quality focuses on are: harmonics, unbalance in electrical systems, flicker, Voltage changes, Voltage peaks, transient recording and frequency behaviour.

What the Dewesoft Power Quality analyzer measures?

The Dewesoft Power Quality Analyzer can measure all these parameters according to the IEC 61000-4-30 Class A Standard. In comparison to conventional Power Quality Analyzers it’s possible to do more detailed analyses (e.g. raw data storing, behavior at faults, calculation of additional parameters etc.).

What are the Harmonics?

Harmonics are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency (e.g. 50 Hz for the grid in Europe) and cause a distortion in voltage and current of the original sinusoidal waveform. Harmonic voltages and currents caused by non-sinusoidal loads can affect the operation and lifetime of electrical equipment and devices. Harmonic frequencies in motors and generators can increase heating (iron & copper losses), can affect torque (pulsating or reduced torque), can create mechanical oscillations, and higher audible noise, it also causes aging of the shaft, insulation and mechanical parts and reduce the efficiency of the motor.

What is Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)?

The term THD stands for the ratio of the effective value of the sum of all harmonic components up to a specified order to the effective value of the fundamental component. In general, it is defined as the sum of all harmonics relative to the fundamental frequency. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) for voltage and current can be calculated up to the 3000th order. The most important origins of harmonics are loads that are controlled by converters (diodes, thyristors, transistors).

What is Total Harmonic Current (THC) and what current Total Demand Distortion (TDD)?

Total Harmonic Current (THC) is the accumulated currents of the orders 2 to 40 that contribute to the distortion of the current waveform, and the current Total Demand Distortion (TDD) is defined as the ratio of the root-sum-square values of the harmonic current to the maximum demand load current times 100 to get the result in a percentage.

What is Flicker?

Flicker is a term used to describe fluctuations (repetitive variations) of voltage. Flashing light bulbs are indicators of high flicker exposure. Flicker is especially present in grids with a low short-circuit resistance and is caused by the frequent connection and disconnection (e.g. heat pumps, rolling mills, etc.) of loads that affect the voltage. A high level of flicker is perceived as psychologically irritating and can be harmful to humans.

What are the Rapid Voltage Changes?

Rapid Voltage Changes are parameters which are added as a supplement to the flicker standard. Rapid Voltage Changes describe all voltage changes that change the voltage for more than 3% at a certain time interval. These voltage changes can afterward be analyzed with different parameters (depth of voltage change, duration, steady-state deviation, etc.).