It doesn’t take out
the garbage... yet
Introducing the Fluke 430 Series
Three-Phase Power Quality Analyzer
Application Note
It’s about time.
For the last several years, tool
users have told Fluke they
needed a three phase Power
Quality Analyzer to audit and
troubleshoot critical power applications in the facility, starting at
the service entrance.
No matter whether they were
a consultant or a facility technicians, the story was the same:
They needed to pinpoint power
quality problems quickly, and for
that, they needed detailed information. In particularly candid
moments, some admitted that if
the available monitoring devices
weren’t so hard to use, so expensive, or so heavy to lug around,
they would probably conduct
preventive maintenance more
.
often
Fluke’s answer is the 430
series handheld power quality
zer.
analy
Three-phases and four
•
channels
Rated for use at the service
•
entrance: CAT IV 600 V/
CAT III 1000 V
Sets up in less than one
•
minute
Simple, menu-driven interface
•
Automated recording and
•
analysis
Weighs just over three pounds
•
Includes analyzer, case, 4
•
dual-range clamps and 5
voltage clips and leads
Troubleshooting and
preventive maintenance
for all
Designed for power quality
specialists as well as electricians
and plant technicians working in
industrial, healthcare, business,
and public services settings,
the Fluke 430 Series is ideal for
troubleshooting and preventive
maintenance.
The Fluke 430 Series can
measure all phases, neutral and
ground on virtually every connection in a low voltage electrical
distribution system. The analyzer’s
measurement capabilities encompass all power system parameters
including true-rms voltage and
current, frequency, power, power
consumption (energy), unbalance
and flicker. They also automatically capture events like transients
(as fast as 5 microseconds and as
high as 6 kV), interruptions, rapid
voltage changes and dips and
swells.
Optimized for mobile
applications, these ruggedized
instruments operate up to seven
hours on a single battery charge
— no more searching for an
outlet! The large data memory
stores up to 50 screens and up to
10 measurements each comprising
32 parameters — including setups
and trend data — recorded for
more than a year, all of which
can be transferred to a PC via
FlukeView
or use in reports.
® software for analysis
From the Fluke Digital Library @ www.fluke.com/library
Fluke 430 series features
The two most unique features are
AutoTrend, which records everything on the screen automatically
without setting a trigger, and
System-Monitor, a quick diagnosis of system performance against
user defined limits. Other features
include:
Viewing stored data while
•
continuing to record.
Switching back and forth from
•
digital display to trend without
interrupting the recording.
Optically isolated so you can
•
record while downloading
information to your PC.
High resolution, color LCD
•
for viewing multiple parameters and multiple phases
simultaneously.
Waveform capture lets you
•
test for interaction between
phases or between voltage
and current.
Triggering on envelope — or —
•
trigger on rms voltage or
current.
Screen cursors allow you to
•
pinpoint problems, quickly.
Capturing transients and
•
waveform disturbances with
5 µs resolution.
Toggling to phase or display at
•
any time for a quick check of
phase sequence.
Together these features help to
quickly diagnose problems and
enchmark
build b
maintenanc
study provides one such example.
s for predictive
e. The follow
ing case
Case study: Three-phase
motor failure
or three years in a row, a partic
F
ularly large three-phase motor
would fail twice a year. The facility maintenanc
in both the electrical contractor
and the motor manufacturer, who
pointed fingers at each other but
failed to resolve anything on site.
The facility was left in the mid-
ith no c
dle, w
cyclical motor repair costs, and
lost production from the repeated
ntimes
dow
e manager called
orrective action,
.
Tired of what was clearly a
pattern failure, the facility
manager hired an independent
consultant. The consultant told
the facility manager he would
perform a complete power quality
survey of the electrical distribution system feeding the motor,
determine its operating characteristics and work from there to
solve the problem.
Measurements
The consultant connected his
Fluke 434 Three-Phase Handheld
ower Quality Analyzer to the
P
ircuit supplying energy to the
c
motor and pushed the View
Config button
firmed that his connections were
proper and that the power type
was three-phase Delta.
From there, he pushed the
Scope button and looked at
waveforms and numeric values for
all three phases. Judging by the
differences between the magnitudes at the top of the screen,
there appeared to b
problem between the phases.
-
. The diagram con-
e a balanc
To gather more information, he
switched to the numeric readout
on the Voltz/Amps/Hertz screen.
The current reading there was
even higher and still unbalanced.
Switching to the Unbalance
screen, he checked the voltage
and current values as well as the
phase diagram, to see if the
motor was operating within
acceptable limits.
e
2 Fluke Corporation Logging and analyzing events with FlukeView® Forms Software
Lastly, to cover his bases,
he selected Harmonics from the
menu to make sure frequencies
weren’t contributing to the
problem.
Analysis
From his unbalance measurements, he could see that an
unbalance was causing an
excessively large phase current
value. He checked the motor
specifications and confirmed that
phase current exceeded the
motor’s FLA (Full Load Amperage)
rating. Looking at the data for all
three phases, he traced the
current unbalance to excessive
loading on one voltage phase.
The consultant traced the
voltage unbalance to a set of
equipment installed three years
ago. It turned out that all of the
internal single-phase loads were
connected to the same phase.
That last new equipment installation caused such a significant
power system voltage unbalance
that it created a current unbalance at the motor, increasing
the operating temperature of the
conductors and motor windings
to beyond the limits.
Conclusion
To resolve the situation, the
consultant balanced the internal
single-phase loads between
the three phases, reducing the
overall voltage unbalance and
consequently, the current unbalance at the motor. This also
reduced the elevated phase
current value and operating
temperature at the motor.
He took new benchmark
measurements for future monitoring, transferred all of his saved
screens to his computer and
printed a before-and-after report
for the facility maintenance
manager.
While not a power quality
expert, the manager could see the
difference between the screens.
Now he understood why power
quality measurements needed to
be taken before and after new
equipment installation. All of the
motor repair and downtime costs
had been un-necessary. When the
consultant suggested setting up a
regular preventive maintenance
schedule, the manager agreed.
3 Fluke Corporation Logging and analyzing events with FlukeView® Forms Software
Fluke. Keeping your world
up and running
Fluke Corporation
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA USA 98206
Fluke Europe B.V.
PO Box 1186, 5602 BD
Eindhoven, The N
For more information call:
In the U.S.A. (800) 443-5853 or
ax (425) 446-5116
F
In Europe/M-East/Africa (31 40) 2 675 200 or
Fax (31 40) 2 675 222
In Canada (8
Fax (905) 890-6866
From other c
ax +1 (425) 446-5
F
Web access: http://www.fluke.com
©2004 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved.
Printed in U
etherlands
LU
F
00) 36-
ountries +1 (425) 446-5500 or
6
1
1
. 9/2004 2394
.A
.S
.
E or
K
162 A-US-N Rev A
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