Diagnostic Technology: Take a Closer Look
Part 1: IAQ Monitors Help Create Healthy Indoor Environments
Part 2: Temperature Monitors and Thermal Imagers Identify Hot Spots
Part 3: Portable Equipment Detects Power Sags and Spikes
Part 4: Test Equipment Helps Develop Preventive Maintenance Programs
Portable Equipment Detects Power Sags and Spikes
By James Piper, P.E. - December 2008
As more facilities use electronic and computer-based systems to monitor operations, they will require greater amounts of high-quality, stable power. Problems such as sags, spikes, transients and harmonics can easily disrupt the operation of this equipment.
Traditionally, it was difficult to track the causes of these problems. New-generation, portable equipment has improved to the point where technicians can use it to measure and log current, voltage, power factor and energy, while watching for voltage transients and other related problems.
Units offer cycle-by-cycle power analysis and can identify transients depending on the sampling rate, with the more sensitive units offering up to 512 samples per cycle. Most units offer eight sampling channels — four for voltage, four for current. Built-in memory allows users to collect and store data over an extended period.
