Working Principles of Power Quality Analysis in Canada

power quality analysis

Care Labs is an authorized provider of electrical installation study, analysis, inspection, and certification services and also offers power quality analysis services. Trained professionals will examine the power quality, training programs, documentation, and PPE to ensure the electrical safety program is up to date, compliant, and comprehensive. Document safety measures comply with Canada’s safety regulations and standards. Care Labs are capable of identifying potential risks associated with power quality like harmonic distortion, short circuits, voltage variations, etc., and can adopt appropriate mitigation methods to eliminate the hazards associated with poor power quality. 

Work Process of Care Labs:

  • Obtaining the correct one-line diagram of the electrical system 
  • Connection of analyzer at the distribution system end of the main breaker to regulate incident energy levels 
  • Drill down into the distribution system following one-line diagram 
  • Data is obtained from each source using digital cameras 
  • There is a chance of harmonics if any of the following occurs 

1.Overheating of neutrals 

2.Overheating of transformers or motors 

3.Unnecessary tripping of circuit breakers 

4.Blown up fuses 

5.Unusual noise in distribution equipment 

6.If distorted voltage sine waves are found 

  • Determine the magnitude of various harmonics and the amount of total harmonic distortion caused by the harmonics 
  • Record the data of unusual insulation failure which may be due to switching of loads 
  • Keep note of voltage drops or rise for analysis of power quality 
  • Keep note of unbalance at panelboards and switchboards throughout the plant 

Service Benefits of Care Labs:

  • Aid in preventive and predictive maintenance 
  • Pinpoint source and frequency of events 
  • Maintenance schedules are developed 
  • Look out for trends and conditions 
  • Flicker, harmonics, voltage variations, transient frequency variation, etc. are analyzed and studied 
  • Update equipment performance 
  • Study the sensitivity of equipment towards disturbances 
  • Evaluate performances vs specifications 

Power Quality Analysis in Canada:

Inappropriate wiring, improper grounding, unbalanced loads can reduce power quality. Power quality analysis plays a vital role in industrial facilities leading to improved productivity and expense reduction in the business. The increasing necessity for guidance and monitoring of power systems has made power quality analysis essential for industries. 

According to studies by the Canadian Electrical Association, voltage sags and surges, transients, and harmonics problems are estimated to cost Canadian businesses about $1.2 billion annually in lost production, and about $140 million a year in British Columbia.

Consequences of Poor Power Quality:

  • Power failures  
  • Malfunction or destruction of machines 
  • Overheating of equipment 
  • Produce damage to sensitive equipment 
  • Interference in electronic communications 
  • Distribution system losses increase 
  • This leads to higher installation and operational costs 
  • Luminosity flickering 

Importance of Power Quality Study in Canada:

High-quality power is more efficient as it runs the equipment in optimal energy consumption. This leads to saving money on electricity bills and reduces overall energy consumptions and carbon footprint. 

Optimized power quality reduces the risk of equipment breakdown, overheating, and frequency of maintenance work thereby reducing wear and tear on machinery. 

Higher power quality increases productivity and allows plants to maximize distribution capacities. So, power quality analysis is an important aspect for the companies in Canada. 

Power quality study aims at: 

  • Study of inconsistencies between load and system 
  • Improving the electrical environment to build a power quality reference 
  • Prediction of future functioning of load equipment  
  • Enhance power factor and system efficiency 
  • Elimination of breakdowns, production interruptions, and excess energy consumption 
  • Eliminates harmonics, surges, and transients from the electrical system 
  • Reduce voltage fluctuations, transformer overheat, capacitor burst, etc. 
  • Saving energy bills due to reduced losses and KVA demands 
  • Improved production quality due to reduced interference 
  • The enhanced life cycle of the electrical system 
  • Maximizing plant distribution capacity 

Canadian Standards for Power Quality Study:

IEC technical committee TC77 charged its subcommittee with the new developments of the new standard on the measurement of power quality standards. 

The scope of this standard is to facilitate and make sure of obtaining reliable, and comparable results of power quality parameters regardless of the environmental conditions or instrument being used. 

The main objectives of this standard are: 

  • Bringing order to the present chaos in uncoordinated methods of monitoring power quality 
  • Suggest classification of power quality levels describing what users can expect 
  • Providing a connection between producers and users of electric power and equipment manufacturer 

Care Labs have their crew members deployed in various locations, so our specialists are nearby in case of a routine or emergency. In a very short period, Care Labs have been established as an ISO 9001:2008 certified organization and have acquired a reputed client base with excellent feedbacks.    

Safeguard your facility, employees, system and business operations by availing our services. Contact us now!