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Description
The quality of electric power varies. The quality of the power from the utility company is adequate for most motorized equipment. However, it may need to be filtered or conditioned to meet the requirements of sensitive electronic equipment.
Similar to Tap Water: Water straight out of the tap meets many needs such as irrigating and bathing. For other uses, it may be desirable or necessary to filter or condition the water; for example, drinking water may be filtered, and water for laboratories may be distilled.
Utility Grade Power is Not Digital Grade Power
Utility Grade Power Standards defining the quality of utility grade power include:
Evenness of the average pressure (voltage)
Regularity (frequency)
Reliability
However, rules provide several exceptions to the standards. These exceptions are conditions that arise from:
Adverse weather conditions
Utility equipment failures
Circuit switching equipment during emergencies are causes beyond the control of the utility
Operation of customer’s equipment
A variety of problems might be present in a building's electrical system that effect the quality of the power. For example, variable speed drives which are a popular energy savings method employed today can add significant harmonics to the system. HVAC systems typically do not run at full load which leads to a lower power factor. Power quality will also be degraded if there is not adequate separation of equipment that causes electrical disturbances (motors, printers, copiers) from equipment sensitive to electrical disturbances (computers, electronic ballasts).
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View symptoms of poor power quality. |
Product Information
Power Patriots offers a full line of products for Surge Protection, Power Factor Correction, and Harmonic Mitigation including Capacitor Banks, Harmonic Filters, Harmonic Correction Units, and Harmonic Mitigating Transformers for Low and Medium Voltage Systems. These products are an essential part of modern electric power systems.
Free Power Factor Evaluation
Power Patriots offers a free evaluation of your utility bill. Power factor penalties are often difficult to discern in a utility bill appearing as part of an inflated “Billed KW”. Power Patriots will analyze your utility bill to determine if you are being penalized for a low power factor and can design a solution that is specific to your facility, utility billing practices, with an ROI that meets corporate needs. In most cases, the payback is less than two years and many times, less than six months, making it one of the best investments in power quality.
Benefits
Dollar savings - Low power factor penalites appear in many ways on utility bills depending on the state and specific utility company.
Equipment performance - Motors perform better and run cooler, extending their life. Computers and other electronic equipment perform better and are less subject to crashes and data loss.
Reduce line losses - Less current means lower losses in the distribution system of the building since losses are proportional to the square of the current.
Increase system capacity - allows additonal loads to be added without overloading the system.
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More detail on benefits. |
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