The growing complexity of electrical infrastructure is increasing the risks that arise from problems related to power quality. Monitoring voltage and current in their systems allows businesses to identify and take steps to prevent potentially damaging disturbances.
When electricity flows, it’s easy to take it for granted. Power is distributed smoothly through a factory, data center, or other facility, allowing a business to carry out its essential tasks and continue providing the products or services that are crucial to its success. But of course, electricity is a complex matter – reliant on large-scale infrastructure both within and outside the organization using it.
Each part of these systems depends on consistent and predictable levels of current and voltage. And if these get disrupted, it’s likely to have a significant impact on the quality of the power provided. Common issues include sags, swells or fluctuations in voltage, as well as harmonic distortions, when ideal or stable flow patterns become imbalanced. Problems like this can occur at any stage of the process, from generation through to distribution networks.
A factory where large machinery starts up or turns off suddenly, or applies a varying load on the power system, for example, can cause this kind of disruption to ripple through electrical equipment. Alternatively, power quality issues may have their roots in poorly maintained transmission cables, faults or short circuits in the electrical network within or outside the facility, or problems with a generator. Weather events, and increasing pressure on grids from rapidly-growing industries such as AI, can also play a considerable role.
Serious consequences for energy efficiency
However they arise, power quality issues can have serious consequences – both in the short and longer term. A harmonic distortion can significantly increase costs, for instance, because the frequency variations lead to energy leaking out of the system as excess heat. Over time, this can have a big impact on electricity bills. What’s more, when electrical equipment consistently overheats, it’s likely to deteriorate more quickly. Other power quality issues can lead to more immediate problems. One example is a transient – a very short, often large spike in voltage – which can cause equipment to fail instantly when it encounters a charge it wasn’t designed to handle.
Depending on the nature of the business, the effects of these problems can vary. In an electricity-sensitive industry such as healthcare, the fluctuations might lead to the loss of important data or to medical devices giving inaccurate readings. In heavy industry, meanwhile, the disturbances can cause equipment to malfunction or overheat, creating additional challenges for engineers and potentially contributing to a major accident such as a fire. All of these have a financial impact – through greater inefficiency, increased energy use, higher maintenance costs or more downtime – as well as adding to safety and reputational risks.
As electricity grows in global importance, then, and electrical distribution networks become more complex, businesses will increasingly need to be concerned not just with the quantity of electric power they can access, but also its quality. The scale of the challenge is underlined by recent power quality problems in India – such as when five districts in Gujarat experienced an outage for more than four hours due to an issue thought to originate with a generator or transmission line. Within the US, meanwhile, the total annual monetary cost of power quality events across all industrial sectors has been estimated at between $145bn and $230bn.
Understanding your network to improve power quality
How can electrical asset managers respond to these challenges? Research indicates that the majority of power quality disturbances arise within an organization’s own infrastructure, with studies putting the figure at around 70 per cent or higher. That means that with a better understanding of power quality within their own system, businesses have a lot of scope to improve their network’s efficiency and resilience.
To develop this understanding, organizations will need to systematically monitor their power quality. This is likely to involve using meters to measure the current and voltage at appropriate points. Electrical experts can then analyze this data to detect ongoing issues such as harmonic disturbances, voltage fluctuations, voltage variations, or flicker. Once a problem is identified, it’s possible to begin implementing a solution. A manufacturer could realise that a factory’s welding machinery was creating large, intermittent loads that led to these issues in its electrical power system. By using the right compensation method, it could regain control of these issues and reduce theassociated costs, risks and inefficiencies. This could mean suppressing transient from the network, handling sag or swell, correcting voltage levels to remove flickering, or correcting harmonics, for instance.
A proactive approach to electrical asset management
Some power quality issues can be addressed effectively through this kind of one-off intervention. But at many facilities, the problems are more complex. These sites may require a more in-depth analysis to determine the reasons why, for example, circuit breakers tend to trip, or drives shut down. Electrical systems with persistent challenges like these may benefit from gathering data over a longer period, or using more sophisticated equipment, to build a more comprehensive picture of power quality and how it is affecting performance.
Often, the best way to assess disturbances to voltage and current is through the continuous monitoring of power quality using permanently connected meters. As well as allowing sites to detect potential problems early, this creates a comprehensive data resource on how the situation changes over time. But many businesses currently fall well short of this ideal. A review of 400 Schneider Electric audits found that more than three quarters (76%) of sites had no or only partial digital monitoring systems (such as power meters). And many were seeking to manage power quality using inadequate equipment: over a quarter (29%) had capacitor banks that were damaged or poorly maintained.
Not only are organizations like these probably losing considerable sums through inefficiencies – they’re also increasing their risk of future accidents and unplanned shutdowns. To help you avoid such situations, Schneider Electric experts can visit your site to carry out a power quality audit – identifying weaknesses and risks that you may not have known about, and making recommendations on how to address these. With more than 260 consultants and 6000 electrical experts across the world, we have deep experience in advising businesses on how to improve their systems. We understand that responding to power quality challenges is not just a matter of troubleshooting problems – it’s also about finding better ways of building and managing infrastructure so you avoid them in the first place.
With our support, you can move from a reactive to a proactive approach to electrical asset management – tackling emerging issues promptly and decisively to support reliable operations and continuous improvements. When you adopt this way of working, the significant time and cost savings you’re likely to make are just the start. Just as importantly, you’ll gain peace of mind from knowing that your infrastructure is working as hard for you as it can – and the confidence that it’s ready for whatever the future holds.
If you’re ready to explore how a proactive asset management strategy can yield quick benefits and a strong ROI, we invite you to connect with us, Sujoy Kumar Roy and Praween Kumar, on LinkedIn or complete this form for a complimentary 30-minute consultation. Let’s work together to secure a more reliable and efficient future for your electrical assets!
Add a comment