Electronics Guide

Active Power Filters

Eliminate harmonic distortion and improve power quality using power electronic converters that inject compensating currents or voltages in real time. Coverage includes shunt and series active filter configurations, hybrid filter systems combining active and passive elements, selective harmonic elimination techniques, adaptive filtering algorithms, neural network control, real-time compensation methods, multi-level converters, modular filter designs, parallel filter operation, resonance damping, reactive power compensation, load balancing functions, flicker mitigation, and integration with power factor correction systems.

Power Line Conditioners

Improve overall power quality through comprehensive conditioning solutions. Coverage includes isolation transformers, voltage regulators, transient suppressors, noise filters, ground loop eliminators, phase converters, frequency converters, medical-grade isolation, computer-grade protection, laboratory power conditioners, audio system conditioners, industrial conditioners, data center protection, telecommunications protection, and custom conditioning solutions.

Dynamic Voltage Restorers

Compensate for voltage disturbances instantly through series voltage injection. Coverage includes detection algorithms, control strategies, sag and swell compensation, transformer coupling, and critical load protection for sensitive industrial and commercial applications.

Static VAR Compensators

Manage reactive power dynamically using thyristor-controlled reactors, thyristor-switched capacitors, mechanically switched capacitors, and static synchronous compensators. Coverage encompasses voltage regulation applications, flicker compensation, arc furnace compensation, transmission line compensation, wind farm integration, railway electrification, industrial load compensation, hybrid compensation systems, modular SVC designs, control system architectures, and protection coordination.

Voltage Disturbances

Voltage disturbances are among the most common and damaging power quality problems. Sags, or brief reductions in voltage, can cause equipment to reset or malfunction. Swells, temporary overvoltages, stress insulation and can damage sensitive components. Extended undervoltage or overvoltage conditions outside equipment tolerance ranges cause immediate operational problems and accelerate component aging.

Transient overvoltages, often caused by lightning strikes, utility switching, or load switching within a facility, can reach thousands of volts and last from microseconds to milliseconds. These transients can immediately destroy semiconductor devices, corrupt data, and damage insulation. Even surviving equipment may suffer cumulative degradation from repeated transient exposure.

Harmonic Distortion

Harmonic distortion occurs when loads draw non-sinusoidal current, creating currents at multiples of the fundamental power frequency. Switch-mode power supplies, variable frequency drives, and other power electronic equipment are significant harmonic sources. These harmonic currents flow through the power system, causing additional heating in transformers and conductors, interfering with other equipment, and potentially causing resonance problems.

Total harmonic distortion (THD) quantifies the harmonic content as a percentage of the fundamental. Voltage THD above 5% can cause problems for sensitive equipment, while current THD affects the power system infrastructure. Power quality standards such as IEEE 519 establish limits on harmonic injection to maintain acceptable system-wide power quality.

Electrical Noise

Electrical noise consists of high-frequency disturbances superimposed on the power waveform. Common mode noise appears equally on all conductors relative to ground, while normal mode noise appears between power conductors. Sources include switching power supplies, motor drives, radio frequency interference, and arcing contacts. Noise can disrupt sensitive measurements, cause communication errors, and corrupt digital data.

Power Factor Issues

Power factor represents the ratio of real power performing useful work to apparent power flowing in the circuit. Low power factor, caused by reactive loads such as motors or by harmonic-generating loads, increases current flow for a given amount of useful power. This increased current causes additional losses in conductors and transformers, may result in utility power factor penalties, and reduces available system capacity.

Industry Standards

IEEE 1159 provides comprehensive definitions and measurement procedures for power quality phenomena. This standard establishes common terminology and measurement methods that enable consistent assessment of power quality across different applications and facilities. Understanding these definitions is essential for specifying power quality requirements and evaluating conditioning equipment performance.

IEEE 519 establishes recommended limits for harmonic distortion at the point of common coupling where a facility connects to the utility system. These limits balance the harmonic-generating needs of modern loads with the requirement to maintain acceptable voltage quality for all utility customers. Compliance often requires harmonic mitigation equipment.

Equipment Standards

IEC 61000 series standards address electromagnetic compatibility, including immunity to and emission of power quality disturbances. Equipment certified to these standards demonstrates specified immunity to common disturbances and limits its own emissions that could affect other equipment. These standards help ensure that equipment operates properly in typical power environments.

CBEMA and ITIC curves define voltage tolerance envelopes for information technology equipment, showing the magnitude and duration of voltage deviations that equipment should withstand without malfunction. These curves guide both equipment design and power conditioning specification, ensuring that conditioned power falls within the equipment tolerance envelope.

Power Quality Monitoring

Power quality monitoring uses specialized instruments to capture and analyze power parameters over time. Modern power quality monitors measure voltage, current, power, power factor, harmonics, and disturbances, logging data for trend analysis and capturing detailed waveforms when disturbances occur. This monitoring identifies existing problems and tracks the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

Continuous monitoring provides the most comprehensive picture of power quality conditions. Short-term snapshots may miss intermittent problems that occur infrequently but cause significant impact. Week-long or longer monitoring captures daily and weekly patterns as well as random events.

Site Survey

A thorough power quality assessment begins with a site survey documenting the electrical distribution system, connected loads, and existing problems. Single-line diagrams, grounding system evaluation, and load characterization provide context for interpreting monitoring data. Understanding the electrical environment enables targeted problem identification and appropriate solution selection.

Data Centers and IT Facilities

Data centers house critical computing infrastructure that demands the highest power quality. Servers, storage systems, and network equipment are sensitive to voltage disturbances and can experience data corruption or hardware damage from poor power quality. Comprehensive power conditioning including UPS systems, power distribution units with monitoring, and facility-wide harmonic mitigation addresses these requirements.

Healthcare Facilities

Medical equipment requires clean, reliable power for patient safety and diagnostic accuracy. Imaging equipment, patient monitors, and life support systems cannot tolerate power disturbances. Medical-grade power conditioning provides the isolation, regulation, and protection these critical applications demand, often meeting stringent standards for leakage current and isolation.

Industrial Manufacturing

Modern manufacturing relies heavily on electronic controls, programmable logic controllers, and variable frequency drives. Power quality problems cause production disruptions, quality defects, and equipment damage. Industrial power conditioning addresses the challenging environment of manufacturing facilities where large motors, welding equipment, and other demanding loads share electrical infrastructure with sensitive controls.

Laboratory and Research

Scientific instruments often require exceptionally clean power for accurate measurements. Sensitive analytical equipment, precision measurement systems, and research apparatus can be affected by power disturbances too small to notice in ordinary applications. Laboratory-grade power conditioning provides the voltage stability, low noise, and isolation these demanding applications require.