Loose/open neutrals can present a dangerous and even life-threatening situation in a residential service. The classic voltage symptoms suggesting this condition are one single-phase leg rising in voltage, the other…
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PQ Recording Templates
This whitepaper describes the use and customization of PQ recording templates in PQ Canvass, iPowerPad, and in the ProVision software. PMI recording devices can be initialized with many different configurable…
Spotting Loose Neutrals with Waveform Capture
A "loose neutral" in a residential location can cause equipment damage and even a house fire. An open neutral may start as a high resistance connection that shows subtle signs…
Wireless Power Quality
The time and cost of deploying PQ instrumentation only to return later in order to retrieve it (without the guarantee that the PQ anomaly has occurred) is often times exorbitant.…
A Simplified Approach to IEEE 519 Harmonics
IEEE 519-2014 specifies measurements, analysis methods, and limits for harmonic voltage and current. A full IEEE 519 study is a straightforward, but rigorous analysis that can require multiple recordings and…
Understanding IEEE 1159 Definitions
It is very important to have recommended guidelines and practices in place regarding power quality monitoring with the use of consistent terminology and definitions of power quality phenomena. This is…
Cybersecurity and Cell Communications with the Guardian, Revolution, & Boomerang
Cybersecurity is an important component for any electric utility network device. PMI devices such as the Cell Guardian, Revolution, and Boomerang (Figure 1) generate data from raw voltage and current…
Quantifying Residential Voltage Sags
Voltage sag complaints are one of the most common in residential applications. Despite complaints, many residential voltage sags are not actually troublesome, or caused by the utility. Quantifying sag events…
Using Cycle Stripcharts
Stripchart recording is an important tool for analyzing complex data. It provides a visual means to easily digest extensive quantities of recorded information over long time periods. In most cases,…
Boomerang Configuration for SCADA Systems
PMI's Boomerang family of products (as shown in Figure 1) is available in multiple form factors and channel configurations. All Boomerangs are capable of communication over either a cellular data…
Catching VFD Failures
Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) present unique challenges as both a source of PQ problems as well as being sensitive to incoming voltage quality. A frequent complaint with a troublesome VFD…
Understanding How Harmonics Affect Power Factor
Power Factor (PF) is a measure of the efficiency of electric power delivery to a load. Traditionally the phase shift from inductive loads was the major cause of poor PF…