Common power problems

There are various common power problems that UPS units are used to correct: 1. Power failure 2. Voltage spike 3. Over-voltage 4. Line noise 5. Harmonic distortion UPS units are divided into categories based on which of the above problems they address, and some manufacturers categorize their products in accordance with the number of power related problems they address. They are explained as follows:-

. Power failure:Tree limbs create a short circuit in electrical lines during a storm. This will typically result in a power outage to the area supplied by these lines. A power outage (also known as a power cut, power failure, power loss, or blackout) refers to the short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.
There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network. Examples of these causes include, faults at power stations, damage to power lines, substations or other parts of the distribution system, a short circuit, or the overloading of electricity mains.

Power outages are categorized into three different phenomena, relating to the duration and effect of the outage: A dropout is a momentary (milliseconds to seconds) loss of power typically caused by a temporary fault on a power line. Power is quickly (and sometimes automatically) restored once the fault is cleared. A brownout is a drop in voltage in an electrical power supply, so named because it typically causes lights to dim. Systems supplied with three-phase electric power also suffer brownouts if one or more phases are absent, at reduced voltage, or incorrectly phased. Such malfunctions are

particularly

damaging

to

electric

motors.

A blackout refers to the total loss of power to an area and is the most severe form of power outage that can occur. Blackouts which result from or result in power

stations
quickly.

tripping are particularly difficult to recover from

Outages may last from a few hours to a few weeks depending on the nature of the blackout and the configuration of the electrical network.

. Voltage spike:In electrical engineering, spikes are fast, short duration electrical transients in voltage (voltage spikes), current (current spike), or transferred energy (energy spikes) in an electrical circuit. Fast, short duration electrical transients (over voltages) in the electric potential of a circuit are typically caused by lightning strikes power outages tripped circuit breakers short circuits power transitions in other large equipment on the same power line malfunctions caused by the power company electromagnetic pulses (EMP) with electromagnetic energy distributed typically up to the 100 kHz and 1 MHz frequency range. Inductive spikes

In the design of critical infrastructure and military hardware, one concern is of pulses produced by nuclear explosions , whose nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) distribute large energies in frequencies from 1 kHz into the Gigahertz range through the atmosphere. The effect of a voltage spike is to produce a corresponding increase in current (current spike). However some voltage spikes may be created by current sources. Voltage would increase as necessary so that a constant current will flow. Current from a discharging inductor is one example. For sensitive electronics, excessive current can flow if this voltage spike exceeds a material's breakdown voltage, or if it causes avalanche breakdown. In semiconductor junctions, excessive electrical current may destroy or severely weaken that device. An avalanche diode, transient voltage suppression diode, transil, varistor, overvoltage crowbar, or a range of other overvoltage protective devices can divert (shunt) this transient current thereby minimizing voltage. While generally referred to as a voltage spike, the phenomenon in question is actually an energy spike, in that it is measured not in volts but in joules; a transient response defined by a mathematical product of voltage, current, and time. Voltage spike may be created by a rapid buildup or decay of a magnetic field, which may induce energy into the associated circuit. However voltage spikes can also have more mundane causes such as a fault in a transformer or higher-voltage (primary circuit) power wires falling onto lower-voltage (secondary circuit) power wires as a result of accident or storm damage. Voltage spikes may be longitudinal (common) mode or metallic (normal or differential) mode. Some equipment damage from surges and spikes can be prevented by use of surge protection equipment. Each type of spike requires selective use of protective equipment. For example a longitudinal mode voltage spike may not even be detected by a protector installed for normal mode transients.

Over voltage:-

When the voltage in a circuit or part of it is raised above its upper design limit, this is known as over voltage. The conditions may be hazardous. Depending on its duration, the over voltage event can be permanent or transient, the latter case also being known as a voltage spike. Electronic and electrical devices are designed to operate at a certain maximum supply voltage, and considerable damage can be caused by voltage that is higher than that for which the devices are rated.

Outages may last from a few hours to a few weeks depending on the nature of the blackout and the configuration of the electrical network.

Voltage spike:In electrical engineering, spikes are fast, short duration electrical transients in voltage (voltage spikes), current (current spike), or transferred energy (energy spikes) in an electrical circuit. Fast, short duration electrical transients (over voltalightning strikes For example an electric light bulb has a wire in it that at the given rated voltage will carry a current just large enough for the wire to get very hot (giving off light and heat), but not hot enough for it to melt. The amount of current in a circuit depends on the voltage supplied: if the voltage is too high, then the wire may melt and the light bulb would have "burned out". Similarly other electrical devices may stop working, or may even burst into flames if an over voltage is delivered to the circuit of which these devices are part.ges) in the electric potential of a circuit are typically caused by transients.

Signal noise:-

In science, and especially in physics and telecommunication, noise is fluctuations in and the addition of external factors to the stream of target information (signal) being received at a detector. In communications, it may be deliberate as for instance jamming of a radio or TV signal, but in most cases it is assumed to be merely undesired interference with intended operations. Natural and deliberate noise sources can provide both or either of random interference or patterned interference. Only the latter can be cancelled effectively in analog systems; however, digital systems are usually constructed in such a way that their quantized signals can be reconstructed perfectly, as long as the noise level remains below a defined maximum, which varies from application to application. More specifically, in physics, the term noise has the following meanings: 1. An undesired disturbance within the frequency band of interest; the summation of unwanted or disturbing energy. 2. A disturbance that affects a signal and that may distort the information carried by the signal. 3. Random variations of one or more characteristics of any entity such as voltage, current, or data. 4. A random signal of known statistical properties of amplitude, distribution, and spectral density. 5. Loosely, any disturbance tending to interfere with the normal operation of a device or system. Noise and what can be done about it has long been studied. Claude Shannon established information theory and in so doing clarified the essential nature of noise and the limits it places on the operation of electronic equipment. In some cases a little noise may be considered advantageous, allowing a dithered representation of signals below the minimum strength, or between two quantization levels. This is especially true for signals intended for human appreciation, since the brain seems to expect signals to contain a degree of "neural noise", or the phenomenon of stochastic resonance, where small amount of noise improves the detection of signals in non-linear sensors.

Distortion
A distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted. In some fields, distortion is desirable, such as electric guitar (where distortion is often induced purposely with the amplifier or an electronic effect to achieve an aggressive sound where desired). The slight distortion of analog tapes and vacuum tubes is considered pleasing in certain situations. The addition of noise or other extraneous signals (hum, interference) is not considered to be distortion, though the effects of distortion are sometimes considered noise.

Correction of distortion
As the system output is given by y(t) = F(x(t)), then if the inverse function F-1 can be found, and used intentionally to distort either the input or the output of the system, then the distortion will be corrected. An example of such correction is where LP/Vinyl recordings or FM audio transmissions are deliberately preemphasized by a linear filter, the reproducing system applies an inverse filter to make the overall system undistorted.