Power Quality

Training Courses

Introduction into Power Quality

LPQIVES is co-financed by:

LPQIVES is a programme of:

LPQI is part of:

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 Module 0

Introduction into Power Quality

1 INTRODUCTION
The aim of this module is to provide the user a detailed overview of the Power Quality related
problems, by supplying a guidance for definitions, standards, regulations, problems, measuring
systems and procedures, as well as solutions.

1.1 General aims

This module’s general aim is to provide the attendants the basic knowledge about Power Quality
related issues, and some ideas about the importance and relevance of the topic for the operation
of the electric energy system.
The aim is achieved through 6 didactic sections, as follows:
− Section 1: Introduction into the LPQIves- project and partners;
− Section 2: Definitions concerning Power Quality;
− Section 3: Standards and Regulations;
− Section 4: Problems with Power Quality;
− Section 5: Measuring systems and Measuring Procedures;
− Section 6: Solutions for different Power Quality Problems.

1.2 Target groups

This module’s target group includes: electrical engineers and technical staff who works in strategic
and operational planning or is responsible for local power supply including Power Quality issues
and wish to expand their knowledge.

2 SPECIFIC AIMS AND TOPICS

The pathway of learning consists of a 2 days course, subdivided in sections (with different
duration), with these contents and related aims.

1st day
Contents Introduction to Power Quality Issues, Definitions, Standards and Regulations.
Aims The aim of the first day lessons is to introduce the basic knowledge related to
Power Quality (definitions, origin, standards, related problems), and the key
concept of Standards and Regulations.
2nd day
Contents Problems and Tasks, Measuring Systems and Measuring Procedures, Solutions
for different PQ-Problems.
Aims The second day lessons aim is to provide the attendants some practical
information and tools recognizing and identifying Power Qualiy Problems and the
choice of protecting measures. The last section of the course will be dedicated to
the possible solutions.

Below there’s a detailed overview of the course contents.

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2.1 Pathway of learning flow chart

Time progression
(hours)

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3 COURSE DETAILED PROGRAM
General notes:
− each day there will be one Lunch break (90 mins) and on the second day also a coffee break
which will divide the lesson into parts no longer than 2 hours;
− at the beginning of the course the lecturer will explain the course aims;
− the course will be divided into theoretical and practical sections;
− at the end of the lessons, a user satisfaction survey will help the lecturer in monitoring the course
quality.

First day:

30 mins Participants registration and course introduction

30 mins Section 1: Introduction into Power Quality Issures

− overview on related topics
Modality: Lesson

60 mins Section 2: Definitions concerning Power Quality

− harmonics and interharmonics, voltage fluctuations / flicker; voltage dips and
swells; influence of static converters on supply network; overvoltages and
transients, reliability of supply; electromagnetic compatibility; dispersed
energy resources; compensation of reactive power; frequency variation,
voltage changes etc.
Modality: Lesson

90 mins Lunch break

120 mins Section 3: Standards and Regulations

− Comments on different standards and regulations, e.g. : 89/336 EEC; 91/263
EEC; 92/31/EEC; 93/ 68/EEC; 93/97/EEC; IEC 6100-1-1; EN 61000-4-30;
IEEE 100-1996; IEEE 1100-1992; EN 61000-2-5; IEEE Standard 1159-1995;
EN 61000-2-2; IEEE Standard 519-1992 EN 50160; 85/374/EEC; EN 61000-
4-7;
Modality: Lesson

Second day:

120 mins Section 4: Power Quality Problems

− Types of problems, (computer system crash, failure and malfunction of
devices, overload of devices, failure of protection system); cause and effect in
HV, MV, LV system, propagation of harmonics, UPS.
Modality: Lesson and discussion

30 mins Coffee break

120 mins Section 5: Measuring Systems and Procedures

− Types (technologies), reference standards, rated values, Measuring
principles, components, product standards, examples.
Modality: Lesson and practical training

90 mins Lunch break

90 mins Section 6: Power Quality Solutions

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 − Types and technologies, protection against overvoltage, UPS, Measuring
methods, overdimensioning of devices, parallel systems, renewal of cable
system, meshed grounding system, passive filters, active filters; etc.
Modality: Lesson and discussion

30 mins Final discussion; end of the course; user’s questionnaire;

Confirmations of attendance

5 TEACHING METHODS
Teaching methods are summarized in three main moments:
− knowledge transfer (Lesson)
topics exposure by the lecturer with the help of slides and eventually other electronic tools
(animations, data sheets, didactic movies…);
− deepening/learning verification (Discussion)
general discussion stimulated by the lecturer (also during the lesson) to verify the knowledge
transfer and to eventually deepen particular topics;
− practical training (and eventually laboratory activities)
group work (~ 4 persons/group) for topics deepening, practical problems solution and case
studies overview under the supervision of the lecturer.

During all the sections, the lecturer will always attend, with teaching and/or activity coordination
duty.

6 DIDACTIC MATERIAL AND TOOLS

The didactic tools which will be used by the lecturers will be:
− Blackboard
− Overhead projector
− Beamer
− Notebook
− Microphone

The lecture room will be suitable to allow the use of all the above listed didactic tools and to enable
group work for the attendants.

Each user will receive, during the registration, a folder containing:

− course program;
− lecture notes containing all of the lecture slides;
− LPQIVES knowledge database access personal key.

All this didactic material, and eventually some additional electronic tools, will be available also in
electronic format at: http://lpqi.org/custom/1036/
The folder will also include a user satisfaction questionnaire and a knowledge test (which will be
both filled and submitted at the end of the course).

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7 EXISTING KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS
The user’s existing knowledge should include:

Level
Topic
Basic Medium High
Mathematical analysis •
Statistics •
Electrical circuits •
Power systems •
Power quality •

8 ACQUIRED COURSE KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS

At the end of this course the user will have learned the basic aspects related to Power Quality
Issues (definitions, origin, standards, related problems), and the key concept of solutions along
with some practical informations and tools on the measuring systems and procedures.

9 ANNEXES - MIDAS REPORT

Press
1. PR-00001, n /a, PQ Articles, EC&M
Power Quality Magazine: http://ecmweb.com/about/, http://www.powerquality.com/
http://ecmweb.com/powerquality/
2. PR-00002, n /a, Cahier Technique, Schneider Electric - web site
http://wib-prod.schneider-
electric.com/publicprogram/corp/corp_techpub.nsf/0/B64FE480CDE5289B85256EFC00354C98/$file/CT
0%20Bi%20Web%20(Ed06-03).pdf - Cahier Technicque issued in English
General: http://www.schneider-
electric.com/wps/myportal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/7_0_A/.s/7_0_P9/_s.7_0_A/7_0_P9
3. PR-00003, n /a, Electricity and Electronics online Textbook (E-book), All about circuits
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/
4. PR-00004, n /a, Copper Promotion websites - electrical with publications, Copper
Promotion Network
ECI electrical: http://www.eurocopper.org/eci/jsp/index.jsp?idx=35
Leonardo: www.lpqi.org
CDA USA: http://www.copper.org/applications/electrical/pq/
CDA UK: http://www.cda.org.uk/PQP/pqp.htm
Leonardo Energy: http://www.leonardo-energy.org/
5. PR-00006, n /a, Tutorials and Standards for the Power Quality Industry, Power Standards
Lab
Brief power quality tutorials for engineers
Sags, dips, and swells: Introduction to the most common disturbance on AC mains
Transient overvoltages: Introduction to capacitor-switching and high-frequency transients
Harmonics: Introduction to voltage and current harmonics issues
Flicker: Introduction to voltage flicker
Voltage regulation: Introduction to voltage regulation issues
Other disturbances: Frequency variations, noise bursts, and other less common problems
Sag immunity tutorials
Tutorial #1: Common sources of voltage sags / dips
Tutorial #2: Five ways equipment fails due to voltage sags
Tutorial #3: Semiconductor industry voltage sag standards: F47 and F42
Tutorial #4: Quick, inexpensive fixes that increase immunity to voltage sags
Electric power standards

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 IEEE power quality standards
IEC power quality standards
Utility power quality standards
Industry-specific power quality standards
U.S. military power quality standards
Other power quality standards - ANSI, CBEMA, CIGRE, country-specific, etc.
Also special training software under: http://powerstandards.com/download_reg.htm
6. PR-00007, Heydt, G, Power Quality Engineering, JEEE, Sep 2001
Encompassing most areas of electric power engineering, from generation to utilization, power quality
engineering has been a topic of interest from the inception or the power engineering field. Here, the
author describes how some contemporary factors have made it the subject of more focused interest
7. PR-00026, n /a, Power Quality - l'initiative européenne Leonardo, JEEE, April 2004
Short article on the French LPQI program. Description of the power quality application guide, seminars,
partners.

Publication
8. REP-00001, 2004, 1-8 Power Quality Survey methodology, Application note
How to perform PQ survey; prepare, measure, analyse
9. REP-00002, 2004, 1-9 Power Quality Glossary, Application note
The glossary of main technical terms used in PQ
10. REP-00003, 2003, 1-10 Power Quality Standards Road Map
Overview of standardization in PQ
11. REP-00009, 2004, 3-4-1 Understanding Compatibility Levels
EMC - concept; emission, immunity, compatibility levels and limits.
12. REP-00014, 2004, 4-5-4 Effects of transformers (LV) on the user power quality,
Application Note
How different transformer designs (vector gropus) influnece PQ and especially tripping behaviour.
13. REP-00032, 2001, 1-1 Introduction, Application note
Application Note about introduction to PQ and EMC
14. REP-00033, 2002, 1-2 Power Quality Self Assessment Guide, Application Note
PQ problems and solutions. Results of the PQ European survey
15. REP-00034, 2001, 2-1 The costs of Poor Power Quality, Application Note
Typical costs of poor PQ
16. REP-00050, 2004, 5-4-2 EN 50160 Standard- Voltage Characteristics in Public
Distribution Systems, Application note
Overview of EN 50160
17. REP-00056, 2003, Business Model for investing in Power Quality Solutions, Application
note
This paper illustrates how non-financially technical personnel can use their experience to help
communicate to and convince other decision-making departments to invest in upgrading an electrical
installation's resilience and reliability. It is based on some extensive research carried out among a wide
range of commercial and non-commercial industrial sectors in Spain. From the analysis of this study, a
series of formulae have been created to enable managers to qualify the wastage, both in time and
financial terms, to their organizations and to assist in assessing the value of upgrading the power system
to eradicate unnecessary drains on resource and productivity.
18. REP-00091, 2003, Dynamic stability of industrial electrical networks - ect 185,
Application note
Behaviour of industrial electrical networks, causes and effects of instability, necessary precautions,
dynamic stability studies of industrial networks.
19. REP-00093, 2003, Electrical installation dependability studies - ect 184, Application
note
Dependability studies: methodology, tools and examples.

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20. REP-00095, 2003, MV public distribution networks throughout the world - ect 155,
Application note
Various types of distribution networks, the distributor's role, topologies of MV networks, substations,
protection and remote control.
21. REP-00108, 2003, Understanding Power Quality. Application Note no. 1, Application
note
Understanding power quality - subjects:
1. Introduction
2. Types of power-quality disturbances: frequency events, voltage events, waveform events
3. Causes of power-quality problems
4. Some effects of power-quality disturbances: voltage events, waveform events
5. Relative importance of power quality issues
6. What you can do to manage your power-quality problems
22. REP-00134, 2003, Evaluation of the quality of supply requirements specified by existing
standards, national legislation and relevant technical reports inside and outside EU,
Report/study
The aim of the DGFACTS project is to solve the set of quality of supply problems arising from the
integration of Distributed Generation into the electric Distribution networks. This report gives an
overview on Power Quality (PQ) standards applicable in different countries, and also compiles
topics of Power Quality which deserve a special attention in the framework of the project DGFACTS.
General information is presented on the DGFACTS website at http://dgfacts.labein.es/dgfacts/index.jsp
23. REP-00140, 2002, The Process of Designing Appropriate Smart Homes: Including the
User in the Design, Paper
This paper seeks to consider how smart home technology can be incorporated appropriately within the
design process, exploring the difficulties in determining the most appropriate type of technology to meet
the needs of people. The paper concludes with a set of guidelines to inform future designs within this
area.
24. REP-00146, 2000, Understanding power quality problems - Voltage sags and
interruptions: 1. Overview of power quality and power quality standards, Book
Chapter 1 of the book "Understanding power quality problems - Voltage sags and interruptions" (IEEE
Press, ISBN 0-7803-4713-7)
Interest in power quality
Power quality, voltage quality
Overview of PQ phenomena
PQ and EMC standards

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