PowerLogic

Volume 6, Issue 2

Solutions Solutions
How the sampling rate of a monitoring device can affect event detection and waveform analysis
How many samples are enough?
To represent an analog signal (such as voltage and current), a monitoring device takes discrete snapshots of the analog signal and converts them to their approximate digital equivalent. Sample rate is the number of samples of the analog signal that are taken per cycle to represent the signal digitally. Obviously, the more samples taken per cycle, the more accurate the digital representation of the signal will be. The concern is that many transient events are missed or not accurately approximated because some meters use fewer samples than are necessary to accurately depict the analog signal. In general, most meters will sample between 64 and 512 samples per cycle. While this may be quick enough to detect the majority of longer duration events, faster events such as transients may either be missed completely or not accurately represented. By definition, transient events last less than one cycle. Because of their short duration and often unpredictable pattern of occurrence, capturing and analyzing transient events requires the use of more sophisticated monitoring devices or meters. These meters sample the analog signal at a much higher frequency than standard meters. The POWERLOGIC Series 4000T Circuit Monitor (CM4000T) will sample at 5 MHz or 83,333 samples per cycle (based on a 60-Hz system) during a high-speed event, compared to 512 samples per cycle (or less) in a standard meter. This results in data that has 162 times more resolution accuracy than the standard available data. While longer duration events may be properly diagnosed using lower sample rates, many transient events cannot.

Transients in Power Systems

(Part 2 in Transient Series)

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Solutions
Examples
To illustrate the benefit of using higher data sampling rates when troubleshooting power disturbances, this section shows CM4000T waveform captures of transient events at different sampling rates. It also demonstrates the operation and effectiveness of transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSSs). An impulsive transient was injected onto the source voltage with a capacitive load. The resulting waveforms were captured, with and without TVSSs, using three different data sampling rates: 64 samples per cycle, 512 samples per cycle, and 83,333 samples per cycle. that energy is being added to the system. An example of this effect may be lightning strikes, switching inductive loads, or, as illustrated in this example, a transient generator.
The transient is out of the voltage signal, which signifies that energy is added to the system.

The two waveform captures also provide information about the TVSS operation. The waveform shows that the TVSS attenuated the transient event, which lowered the amplitude of the event and shortened the ringing period. However, with this lower sampling, it is a mistake to assume the true magnitude of attenuation is reflected in Figures A and B. This is illustrated in the following examples.

Example 1: Transient events captured at 64 samples per cycle

The effects of a lower data sample rate (64 points per cycle) are illustrated in Figure A and Figure B. While the occurrence of a 14-cycle event is apparent, accuracy of the information becomes questionable when the two waveform captures are compared. Notably, both events were caused by the same device at roughly the same point in the waveform, and therefore, should have the same initial voltage polarity. However, Figure A shows the initial polarity of the event to be out of the voltage signal, while Figure B shows the initial polarity to be into the voltage signal. This information can be misleading and costly, should the wrong solution be employed to correct the anomaly. Because the event occurred at slightly different times on the waveform, the poor resolution of the sampling rate could miss the initial polarity of the event. Because the initial polarity is extremely important in ascertaining the source of (and solution to) the transient, it is important to obtain a high enough resolution to correctly determine the initial polarity of the event. In this case, the event was caused by a transient generator, which should have the effect of adding voltage to the original signal. When the polarity of an event is into the voltage signal, the source of the event is taking energy out of the system. An example of this effect is a capacitor switching event: when the capacitor charges, a large inrush current is created. This results in an initial notch into the voltage signal (with subsequent oscillation or ringing). Alternatively, the polarity of an event out of the voltage signal signifies
The transient is into the voltage signal, which signifies that energy is being removed from the system

Figure A: Event captured using the 64 Sample/Cycle Monitor (without a TVSS on the load)

Figure B: Event captured using the 64 sample/cycle monitor (with a TVSS on the load)

Example 2: Transient events captured at 512 samples per cycle

Figure C and Figure D illustrate the same type of event that was described in Example 1, but with a sample rate of 512 samples per cycle. The polarity of the transient event is out of the waveform as expected, but lack of data points in Figure D cause the waveform to barely indicate the correct polarity. Even at 512 samples per cycle, the troubleshooter might erroneously assume that the polarity of the event is accurately shown. Although 512 samples per cycle is one sample every 32.5 microseconds, a meter sampling

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at this rate may not detect many causes of short duration events; and these events may disrupt equipment and processes. Bouncing mechanical contacts, removing inductive loads, and electrostatic discharge (ESD) impulses can all exhibit short duration occurrences with potentially damaging effects to adjacent equipment. Even at 512 samples per cycle, these rapid events may go undetected. The waveforms in Figure C and Figure D illustrate that the TVSS attenuated the transient event. Once again, the sampling rate does not allow conclusions to be made regarding the actual magnitude of attenuation.

This is typical of an RLC (resistive, inductive, capacitive) circuit that has been injected with energy from some source. In this case, the load was later revealed to be a capacitor (with the leads being resistive and inductive). Figure E shows the same event shown in Figures A, B, C, and D. However, Figure E indicates that the transient is much greater magnitude than one would assume from looking at the other figures. The table below illustrates this.

Figure E: Event captured using a CM4000T

Table 1: Transient Magnitude vs. Data Sampling Rate

Figure C: Event captured using the 512 sample/cycle monitor (without a TVSS on the load)

64 samples per cycle

512 samples per cycle 750 volts 200 volts

83,333 samples per cycle >2,500 volts 700 volts

Without TVSS With TVSS

750 volts 200 volts

Figure D: Event captured using the 512 sample/cycle monitor (with a TVSS on the load)

Much more energy was present in the voltage transient than was first indicated by the slower sampling rates. The conclusion to be drawn is that faster sample rates give truer pictures of the magnitude of transients, and thus, the potential damage to equipment.

Summary
By sampling the waveform at 83,333 samples per cycle in the CM4000T (based on a 60 Hz system), a troubleshooter can conclusively determine the magnitude, duration, and initial polarity of an extremely fast voltage event. The higher sampling rate also gives a troubleshooter a detailed profile of an event higher and more accurate level of detail that would not be available at normal sampling rates, allowing better diagnosis of (and solutions to) transient voltage events. In many cases, more damaging energy is behind a transient than can safely be assumed based on normal sampling rates. In this particular case, not only were the characteristics of the transient voltage event accurately shown, but the CM4000T was able to conclusively demonstrate the chosen solution, a TVSS, was effective in mitigating the problem at the load.

Example 3: Transient events captured at 5 MHz

Figure E shows that much more information can be gathered by the higher sampling rate of the CM4000T (83,333 samples per cycle, based on a 60 Hz system). This waveform illustrates a voltage transient event with and without a TVSS. In this case, the polarity of the transient event is clearly shown to be out of the waveform (that is, something is putting energy into the system). Zooming into these waveforms shows that the impulse contains two ringing signals superimposed on each other at approximately 25 kHz and 250k Hz.

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www.powerlogic.com Document # 3000HO0204 September 2002 2002 Schneider Electric All Rights Reserved