Traceability Routes for Electrical Power Quality Measurement

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About the project

With the diversification of electric power generation to include sources with fluctuating output power such as solar and wind, and with the growing number of appliances employing switched-mode power supplies, the measurement of electrical power and power quality (PQ) has become even more important. This has led to increased demands for traceable, accurate measurements of power and PQ parameters. Conventional power measurements based on thermal converters only provide information about the root-mean-square (RMS) value which is not sufficient for PQ measurements as this must address complex waveforms.

New measurement setups based on alternative measurement techniques are required and whilst a few national metrology institutes (NMIs) have developed metrology grade power and PQ measurement systems based on sampling techniques, these systems are not generally available and no laboratories can offer calibration services for all the required PQ tests.

This project will help to address this issue by developing and validating a modular metrology grade system for the measurement of power and PQ parameters using digital sampling techniques.

The specific scientific and technical objectives of the project are:

  1. To design a modular, metrology grade measurement setup for sampled electrical power and PQ parameters measurements, including a review of existing measurement and calibration methods, associated hardware and software, investigation of the optimum use of equipment already available within the NMIs/DIs and extension of traceability for power and PQ measurements up to 1 MHz.
  2. To develop and validate a modular measurement setup for sampled electrical power and PQ parameters measurements, which can be easily established at NMIs/DIs and at other organisations. The target uncertainties of the modular measurement setup are at least four times smaller than the tolerances specified in documentary standards for PQ meters, e.g. the target expanded uncertainties for the amplitude of voltage harmonics of the modular measurement setup are 1.25 % of the measured voltage harmonic for measured values higher or equal to 1 % of the nominal voltage and 0.012 % of the nominal voltage for measured values lower than 1 % of the nominal voltage.
  3. To develop an open software tool for instrumentation control, data acquisition and the calculation of electrical power and PQ parameters with full uncertainty estimation.
  4. To develop and make available a good practice guide for the assembly and operation of the modular measurement setup including the calibration of all components so as to establish full traceability to the SI of the electrical power and PQ parameters measured. The guide will include the manual for the open software tool to assist users in the extension and modification of the modular measurement setup.
  5. For each partner to develop an individual strategy for the long-term operation of the research capability developed during the project, including regulatory support, research collaborations, quality schemes and accreditation, together with a strategy for offering calibration services from the facilities established to customers in their own country and neighbouring countries. The individual strategies will be discussed within the consortium and with other EURAMET NMIs/DIs, to ensure that a coordinated and optimised approach to the development of traceability in this field will be implemented for Europe as a whole.

The publishable summary of the project

The third publishable summary (midterm review, 12.03.2018) of the project is available to download.
The second publishable summary (M9) of the project is available to download.
The first publishable summary (M1) of the project is available to download.