Zoned Power Quality
Tech Tip
Zoned Approach to Power Quality
A Power Quality Solutions focus ensures continued performance and less maintenance on your microprocessor-based equipment.
Power Line Irregularities Happen! Problems such as surges, noise, overvoltage, brown-outs, harmonics and blackouts can, at a minimum cause data disruptions and in some cases can even cause damage to sensitive equipment. Conducting a power quality check-up on your facility and providing a power quality solution for continued performance of microprocessor type equipment using the zoned approach is explained here.
Why a Zoned Approach? A zoned power/data quality systems approach should be applied for multiple systems or problems.
Zones are Defined as:
Zone 1: Main Service
Zone 2: Branch Panels
Zone 3+: Point of Use
Before we begin with a general analysis, think for a minute about the solution you desire. At zone 1 where main service enters your facility you desire high energy handling. At zone 3, point of use or workstation, you’re looking for a tight waveform shape to nominal sine wave.
Follow These Steps
1. Analyze your environment for its effect on electronic equipment.
• Have you experienced nuisance failures, brownouts or other problems?
2. Review the mechanical integrity of all systems.
• Check for proper grounding, floating grounds or multiple grounds.
• Use thermal scanning equipment to locate troubled areas.
3. Identify the problem.
4. Evaluate what systems need to be protected in each zone.
Select power/data quality equipment to address the specific problems.
Zone 0: If experiencing lightning related spikes, strong RF signals, under-voltages, brownouts or blackouts, provide first level of transient control on all cables (power, voice, data) entering the building.
Zone 1: Surge voltage and currents from outside the building can appear on all conductive paths. Install hard-wired surge protection devices -- all incoming conductors, connect all system ground conductors to a common ground point, and connect all surge protection devices to the same common ground.
Zone 2: Residual spikes from service entrance and surges/noise originating within the building can be solved by providing supplemental layers of power/data quality protection in the form of surge protection devices or line conditioners.
Zone 3 thru end: Additional surges and noise surrounding point-of-use equipment can be solved by protecting distinct pieces of equipment via surge protection devices, line conditioners, isolation transformers, line/load reactors, stand-by power systems, or uninterruptible power supplies.
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