High accuracy revenue meters bristling with power quality features are being promoted in NZ as the “norm” or industry standard, as manufacturers add more functions in an attempt to differentiate their products. These added extra capabilities are sold to customers on the basis of incremental pricing and “possible” future use of data. Also, by marketing proprietary data management/enterprise – software, vendors attempt to capture all their customer’s future meter purchases.

Frankly speaking, this approach could be costing your organisation thousands of extra dollars per meter especially if you’ve become locked into one Meter supplier.

HV Power offers the Nexus 1262 revenue meter (class 0.2%) for those who want to keep their PQ options open, and make their metering dollars go much further. Manufactured in the USA by Electro Industries, the Nexus 1262 is available for as little as $4000 +GST (which even includes some basic PQ measurements)!

By installing Nexus 1262 Meters at a typical two incomer site, with the money saved, you can also install a dedicated purpose designed PQ Monitoring devices. A dedicated PQ system overcomes some common concerns about combination metering/PQ devices, such as:

• having PQ data locked up in proprietary metering networks and proprietary software
• having limited access to PQ settings due to issues with metering certification
• having engineering staff being reliant upon metering departments to get access to data

HV Power has solutions to these problems, with low cost revenue meters, advanced revenue meters (with PQ) and dedicated PQ Monitoring/recording devices. Contact our team to see how we can:

• Cut the cost of your Revenue metering installations
• Provide access to open PQ data formats

Nexus 1262 Features
HV Power, Power Quality Products

For the ultimate reliability, Tekron now make available the TCG 02-E time clock. Built on the extremely reliable TCG 01, the TCG 02-E features:

• Additional redundancy with dual power supply option
• Master/Slave function allowing two units to provide a fully redundant swappable system
• Remote engineering access via TCP/IP
• IRIG-B, pulse outputs, serial outputs, NTP/SNTP and PTP output options

Power supplies are the most common point of failure for most equipment. Therefore the TCG 02-E features an option for two independent internal power supplies (100-300Vdc / 85-264Vac). With this option, separate IEC320 power supply inputs are provided at the rear of the unit, allowing the TCG 02-E to be connected to independent sources. Should one source (or one internal power supply) fail, the TCG 02-E will continue to operate from the other.

The TCG 02-E supports being mounted together with a second unit, and interconnecting to one GPS antenna to provide a fully redundant system.

The TCG 02-E features many of the specifications and features of the TCG 01, but with expanded outputs similar to the TCG 01 with multiport hub option.

Click here for TCG 02-E data sheet

Question:How does the TCG 02-E compare to the recently introduced TCG 08?

Answer:The TCG 02-E provides one GPS clock with the intention of a fully redundant system being constructed using two separate units. The TCG 08 features the redundancy of two clocks, but within the same enclosure.

It’s easy to see why A-Eberle’s PQ-Box 100 Portable Power Analyser is on the wish list of so many lines companies. It’s a versatile all-in-one measuring instrument that just keeps getting better.

The latest Version 1.515 of WinPQ Mobil software has now been released, giving the ability to export measurement data to Access databases (Excel export already exists). It also provides extended formatted reports, and support for Windows 7 64 bit systems. The upgrade is free to all existing users.

Call us to learn how PQ Box 100 can help you better visualise & understand your network power quality.

Which Power Factor?
The PQ-Box 100 has over 70 different measurement classes, so the choice between similar sounding measurements can be confusing for some, but can also provide valuable insight into network performance for other engineers. Here is a quick review on power factor.

  Power Factor: Ratio of True Power to Apparent Power (W/VA)

  Cosinus Phi (Displacement Power Factor): Cosine of the phase angle between fundamental voltage and current

A difference between these two values will occur in systems with harmonic distortion (i.e. non-sinusoidal waveforms). See the notes from last year’s Power Quality Seminar for more information.

The 7SR1102 Overcurrent and earth fault protection relay has been developed to enhance the Argus family of compact relays by providing an overcurrent function package suitable for basic feeder applications. Communication access to the relay is via a front USB port for local PC connection for programming, and a rear electrical RS485 port is provided for SCADA. This new Argus Relay is aimed at reducing engineering time by reducing complexity. For further information download the data sheet

Protection Elements:

• 46BC Broken Conductor / Load Unbalance
• 50 Instantaneous Overcurrent
• 50G/N Instantaneous Earth Fault
• 50BF Circuit Breaker Fail
• 51 Time Delayed Overcurrent/Derived Earth Fault
• 51G/N Time Delayed Measured/Derived Earth Fault
• 64H High Impedance REF

Supervision Elements:

• 60CTS CT Supervision
• 74T/CCS Trip & Close Circuit Supervision

Control elements:

• 86 Lockout

HV Power has a full range of solutions for virtually every line differential protection application: from the simple, yet reliable, copper pilot wire current differential protection, to full numerical line differential protection using digital communications. 1) Solkor R/Rf relays for copper pilot wires Simple, reliable, no auxiliary DC required

• Adds pilot wire supervision and inter-trip capability

• Numerical diff relay with pilot wire supervision and backup over-current protection

• Numerical relay with support for copper, fibre or digital communication networks
• Pilot communications is via external converter, meaning that when the communication bearer is upgraded – usually to fibre –there’s no need to replace the protection relays
• Backup overcurrent protection, fully phase selective, inter-trips, auto reclose, breaker fail, and transformer in zone capability
• DNP 3.0,ModBus or IEC 61850 support

• Multi terminal line differential protection – up to 6 line ends
• Backup distance protection
• Dual communication ports for back up and security

Early bird registration is now open for EEA conference in Christchurch this year. Don’t forget that this year conference is being held Thursday & Friday, 17/18th June 2010.

Early bird discounted delegate registration closes March 16th.

HV Power will be in attendance at the EEA Trade Exhibition. The suppliers we represent epitomise technology leadership and innovation, the theme of this year’s EEA conference. We hope you will drop by to see for yourself!

EEA Conference Website

Ever wondered what the actual meaning is of the term Siemens use for their part numbers?

MLFB = Maschinen(L)esbaren Fabriziert Bezeichnung

which directly translates to Machine-Readable Fabricated Designation, but as we would read it, Machine Readable Product Designator or in other words the Product Code.

With the Northern spring just weeks away, the annual Hannover Fair is a world show case of technology and innovations. For any customers planning to visit Europe soon… on 20th April at the fair, A.Eberle will be running an “HMI” day consisting of 90 minute lectures on their key application areas:

• Short Circuit and Earth fault detection on compensated networks
• Voltage regulation
• Monitoring of Power system dynamics/stability
• Power Quality & Disturbance recording

Please contact HV Power if you’d like an invitation to attend.