There are several reasons why power quality and energy use monitoring may not be included in your facility’s overall schedule. It can seem impossible to add one more thing to your present list of maintenance duties, yet it is both required and achievable. Finding the time and money to maintain your equipment functioning efficiently and evaluate your present monitoring efforts can be challenging.
Check out these basics and benefits of implementing monitoring and energy monitoring:
Why you should care about the quality of power and energy?
Energy and power are intertwined, therefore managing your property successfully requires monitoring energy usage and addressing quality issues because it’s challenging to manage what you can’t measure. While many businesses monitor the price of oil and gas, shrewd businesses also keep tabs on the caliber of their electricity and energy usage.
You may learn the rhythm of your plant by keeping an eye on energy and power quality. This will save you from acting haphazardly and having to put out fires all the time. Utilize this information to keep your plant operating smoothly and effectively.
What’s the difference between energy and power?
Although they are not the same thing, energy and power are frequently used interchangeably. Power is the rate at which work is done, whereas energy is the capacity to accomplish work.
Power is typically measured in order to assess its quality, which may be impacted by:
- Human factors
- Operational factors
- Time
Quantity and Quality
Voltage, current, power, and power factor are all measurements you make when you need to know how much something is. You would perform a load analysis to see whether it is safe to increase the number of machines in your workspace. Quality is correlated with traits like a harmonic filter, dips and swells, transients, flicker, and unbalance.
By increasing your power factor, quality improvement practices like troubleshooting and identifying reoccurring problems can help you avoid utility charges. If your power factor is low, you’re not using your energy as effectively as you could be and you’re burdening the electric grid more than necessary. You will be charged by the utility company for the entire billing cycle.
LEDs are frequently to blame for the rising frequency of power problems of poor quality. Attempts to conserve energy are causing some issues. Circuit breaker tripping, blown fuses, and overheating can all have an impact on the machinery’s power heath. You should choose the monitoring tools you need after thinking about what they will be used for.
Energy Waste Possible Causes
Energy waste can have many different potential causes, including inefficient machinery or processes, improper operating loads, and low-quality power. There is equipment that can assist you to examine an old motor’s electrical power consumption or measuring a motor’s torque and efficiency to make sure it is sized correctly based on NEMA rating criteria.
Issues in Power Quality
The best technique to increase power quality is to utilize a harmonic filter to correct any Harmonization issues. Numerous factors, including nonlinear loads like LED light bulbs, motor drives, and electric arc furnaces, can contribute to poor power quality.
Power system harmonics can lead to a variety of issues, including the misfiring of variable-speed motors, overheating of machinery, wires, and connections, and more. Harmonics can lower your power factor, which could lead to a rise in your utility costs. An unbalanced load on your electrical system might also affect the power’s quality.
Where to Take Power Measurements
The quality of electricity and energy can be assessed in several places across a building. The three primary subsystems that can be examined are as follows:
- Product process systems
- Building infrastructure
- Electrical systems
Depending on your comprehension of the issue, you’ll need to measure three-phase electrical power at various locations.