Power quality analyzer
Updated 2026-10-27
Data records
- An alternative design records every cycle of voltage and current continuously with a compression algorithm, so that no trigger threshold needs to be set in advance and an event is located afterward in the complete record.
- Alongside the trend record the analyzer captures events: voltage dips (sags), swells, interruptions, rapid voltage changes, inrush current and transient overvoltages, so that an anomaly is logged together with the trend in which it occurred.
- Harmonic measurement reports the individual harmonic and interharmonic orders of voltage and current with their phase angles and the total harmonic distortion, which is used to assess a facility's distortion against the limits of the applicable standard.
- IEC 61000-4-30:2015 defines the measurement methods for power quality parameters and the performance classes of the instruments that apply them, class A and class S, which differ in how strictly the methods and accuracy are specified; a maker states which class an analyzer meets.
- A power quality analyzer records, on a three-phase four-wire or simpler circuit, voltage, current, power, energy, harmonics, interharmonics, flicker and unbalance along a single time axis, so that an anomaly can be related to the trend at the moment it occurred.
- A connection check detects a reversed current sensor or a wrong phase order from the measured values before recording begins, since a wiring error invalidates a whole survey.
- Recorded data is transferred to analysis software that produces the report, and the analyzer can be reached remotely over a network to download event files and change event settings during a long survey.
- Transient capture samples the voltage far faster than the power frequency so that short impulses are recorded with their peak value; models of a family differ in the shortest transient they resolve and in how many cycles before and after the trigger they keep.
- On an event the instrument stores the waveforms from before and after the trigger, so that the shape of the disturbance and not only its summary values is available for analysis.
Elsewhere in the family
- Power Quality and Harmonic Survey related entry on Power Quality Reference
- IEEE Standard for Harmonic Control in Electric Power Systems related entry on Power Quality Reference
- IEEE Recommended Practice for Monitoring Electric Power Quality related entry on Power Quality Reference
Sources
- Dranetz product page, Dranetz HDPQ Plus family of power quality analyzers, web page edition, Dranetz. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- Elspec product page, G4500 portable power quality analyzer, web page edition, Elspec. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- Hioki product page, Power Quality Analyzer PQ3100, web page edition, Hioki. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
Changelog (21 entries)
| Date | Revision | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.continuous-recording) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.continuous-recording) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.events) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.power-quality-analyzer.events) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.events) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.harmonics-reporting) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.harmonics-reporting) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.instrument-class) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.power-quality-analyzer.instrument-class) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.instrument-class) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.measurand) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.measurand) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.setup-check) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.setup-check) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.software) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.software) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.transients) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.power-quality-analyzer.transients) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.transients) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.power-quality-analyzer.waveform-capture) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.power-quality-analyzer.waveform-capture) |
Cite this page
Cite the governing standard for the fact itself; cite this page as the finding aid.
"Power quality analyzer." Test Instrument Reference. 2026-10-27. https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/power-quality-analyzer/.
Test Instrument Reference, Power quality analyzer (Oct. 27, 2026), https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/power-quality-analyzer/.
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organization = {Test Instrument Reference},
publisher = {Test Instrument Reference},
year = {2026},
note = {last substantive change 2026-10-27}
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