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Electronics Forum / Design / July 2009



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Energy  - Power Meters

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HardySpicer - 28 Jun 2009 22:22 GMT
Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
harmonics in the current waveform?

Hardy
John Larkin - 28 Jun 2009 22:31 GMT
>Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>harmonics in the current waveform?

Most electronic meters are fairly wideband gadgets. But usually
there's little or no real power in the harmonics.

If the line voltage is an undistorted sine wave, there will be no
power created by any current component but the fundamental, and that
includes the DC term.

John
HardySpicer - 28 Jun 2009 22:40 GMT
On Jun 29, 9:31 am, John Larkin
<jjlar...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:22:20 -0700 (PDT), HardySpicer
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> John

Ok but let us suppose that we have a machine that deliberatly
generates higher current harmonics.
(I believe I am testing such a machine). Will the meter read low?

Hardy
John Larkin - 28 Jun 2009 23:27 GMT
>On Jun 29, 9:31 am, John Larkin
><jjlar...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote:
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>generates higher current harmonics.
>(I believe I am testing such a machine). Will the meter read low?

Like downstream from something that makes non-sine waveforms? Then the
current harmonics matter. You'll have to read the specs on any
specific electronic meters and see what their bandwidth is. Most
electronic meters will be fairly wideband, just because that's the
easiest way to do it.

I think classic rotating-disk meters will read low. Not sure.

John
Joerg - 28 Jun 2009 22:55 GMT
>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>> harmonics in the current waveform?
>
> Most electronic meters are fairly wideband gadgets. But usually
> there's little or no real power in the harmonics.

Then you haven't seen a powerline plot from an "installation" like this yet:

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1464873706054091547EpKQBV

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Jan Panteltje - 28 Jun 2009 22:58 GMT
>>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>>> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1464873706054091547EpKQBV

Looks like it is tuned somewhere between MW and shortwave radio.
John Larkin - 28 Jun 2009 23:29 GMT
>>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>>> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1464873706054091547EpKQBV

Do all those wires generate harmonics?

John
Fred Bartoli - 29 Jun 2009 06:22 GMT
John Larkin a écrit :

>>>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>>>> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> John

Yup, they're definitely not OFHC.
Monstrous cabling should use Monster cable.

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Thanks,
Fred.

HardySpicer - 29 Jun 2009 10:25 GMT
> John Larkin a écrit :
>
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> Thanks,
> Fred.

So how the hell can this work?

http://plugandsave.com/

There is a youtube video of it working as well. The power company
charge you for VI don't they so it is best to have unity power factor.
I would have thought most PFs in homes are near unity anyway.
Nobody - 29 Jun 2009 15:51 GMT
> So how the hell can this work?
>
> http://plugandsave.com/

It can't.

> There is a youtube video of it working as well. The power company
> charge you for VI don't they so it is best to have unity power factor.
> I would have thought most PFs in homes are near unity anyway.

Domestic consumers are only charged for real power, so power factor
doesn't matter (rather, it only matters to the extent that it affects
copper losses within the premises, which is negligible).

The above device wouldn't save the average consumer 0.1% of their bill,
let alone 15%.
David Lesher - 01 Jul 2009 00:19 GMT
>> So how the hell can this work?
>>
>> http://plugandsave.com/

>It can't.

So when I was at NASA-LeRC, some labs had several fridges, microwaves,
blenders, etc. I knew enough re: procurement that there HAD to be a
backstory... and asked.

[The lab techs in my area had a cornpopper, but I think they chipped
in themselves...]

Seems they'd been handed a mandate to test the last appearance of the
above alleged energy saver in residence use. [Per the ad claims...]

And tested they did, with enthusiusm. They needed household appliances,
of course.

Here is where they found it is possible to save:  If you improve the power
factor, you reduce the current through an induction motor, but not the
power, except.... [After all, power out must equal power in, or some
basic laws of phizzies get upset...] And you pay for true power.

What you DO save with that reduced current is the *slightly* reduced I^R
losses in the motor windings. But those losses are such a small fraction
of the whole picture; it matters only if you are a pitchman of the Billy
Mayes ilk. You'll do better to close the fridge 5 seconds earlier so the
light goes off faster...

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Tim Williams - 01 Jul 2009 04:01 GMT
> Here is where they found it is possible to save:  If you improve the power
> factor, you reduce the current through an induction motor, but not the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> What you DO save with that reduced current is the *slightly* reduced I^R
> losses in the motor windings.

Wow, I wish I could do that -- I wouldn't have to water-cool my induction
coil anymore!

Tim

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JosephKK - 03 Jul 2009 12:29 GMT
>> So how the hell can this work?
>>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>The above device wouldn't save the average consumer 0.1% of their bill,
>let alone 15%.

So you do not have central HVAC, refrigerators/freezers, clothes
washers, dish washers, or any other motor loads in your house?
Jasen Betts - 03 Jul 2009 13:57 GMT
>>> So how the hell can this work?
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> So you do not have central HVAC, refrigerators/freezers, clothes
> washers, dish washers, or any other motor loads in your house?

The device will not reduce the losses in the motors only the losses in
the conductors between it and the meter. (and maybe not even that)

how these devices work is they are advertised at the beginning of a
seasonal decrease in power usage so the customer sees a decreasikng
usage.
Nobody - 04 Jul 2009 00:17 GMT
>>Domestic consumers are only charged for real power, so power factor
>>doesn't matter (rather, it only matters to the extent that it affects
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> So you do not have central HVAC, refrigerators/freezers, clothes
> washers, dish washers, or any other motor loads in your house?

I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it). I
have the others, but they don't account for a major part of the electricty
bill, and the copper losses caused by any reactive component of the
current draw (which is all that PFC would save) certaintly isn't
significant.

Or do Americans wire their homes with NiChrome?
Michael A. Terrell - 04 Jul 2009 00:28 GMT
> I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).

  'Central Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning'

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Jim Thompson - 04 Jul 2009 01:52 GMT
>>>Domestic consumers are only charged for real power, so power factor
>>>doesn't matter (rather, it only matters to the extent that it affects
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).

You don't have air conditioning ?:-)

>I
>have the others, but they don't account for a major part of the electricty
>bill, and the copper losses caused by any reactive component of the
>current draw (which is all that PFC would save) certaintly isn't
>significant.

WHAT IS your significant consumer.

>Or do Americans wire their homes with NiChrome?

                                       ...Jim Thompson
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Nobody - 04 Jul 2009 14:43 GMT
>>> So you do not have central HVAC, refrigerators/freezers, clothes
>>> washers, dish washers, or any other motor loads in your house?
>>
>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).
>
> You don't have air conditioning ?:-)

Nope. If I did, it would only get switched on for about 5 days a year.

[BTW, over here, "HVAC" just means "High Voltage AC"; as opposed to
240V residential/office supplies.]

>>I
>>have the others, but they don't account for a major part of the electricty
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> WHAT IS your significant consumer.

The computers, followed by the kettle. Heating and the cooker are gas, the
washing machine does one load per week, I don't need to use a dishwasher
for one plate, the microwave only runs for five minutes a day.
JosephKK - 04 Jul 2009 23:35 GMT
>>>> So you do not have central HVAC, refrigerators/freezers, clothes
>>>> washers, dish washers, or any other motor loads in your house?
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>washing machine does one load per week, I don't need to use a dishwasher
>for one plate, the microwave only runs for five minutes a day.

Do you have a refrigerator?  They are a notorious 0.8 PF (or worse)
motor load as they run from 33 % of the time to 50% of the time.
Nobody - 05 Jul 2009 04:12 GMT
>>> WHAT IS your significant consumer.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Do you have a refrigerator?  They are a notorious 0.8 PF (or worse)
> motor load as they run from 33 % of the time to 50% of the time.

I don't think the duty cycle is that high. I haven't measured it, but
a typical rating for a fridge/freezer is 200-300 kWh/year, which is 25-35W.

And even with a 0.8PF, it's not like you're actually paying for the
other 0.2, only for the extra copper losses which would arise. What's the
resistance of a typical 30A ring?
David Lesher - 04 Jul 2009 19:13 GMT
>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).

>You don't have air conditioning ?:-)

Jim; not everyone lives in the middle of the desert...

>WHAT IS your significant consumer.

I'd suspect his fridge.

BTW, another poster commented:

> The device will not reduce the losses in the motors only the losses in
> the conductors between it and the meter. (and maybe not even that)

Not quite true; it will cut the I^2R losses in the motor by reducing the
current.

I realize I forgot part of the spiel re: the NASA story...

So power needed is a function of load. Ask the water pump to raise 6
gallons per minute 8 feet, and it needs mumble_out watts. Make that 12
gallons & 10 feet; it's bigger mumble watts...true?

Each of the output power needs will be reflected in an input power need of
(mumble_out+the losses). And that is I*E*pf, integrated over time.

And:
An induction motor's power factor varies with load. The closer it is to
full load, the better its power factor.

Mumble_out is fixed *by the load* in everyday apps. Changing a variable
must change others so you still get the output.

Say:

Ia * Ea * .8 pf = Ib * Eb * .9 pf

If you improve the PF, and the E is fixed, Ib > Ia.
Ergo, Ia^2R > Ib^2R... lower losses in b.

But the alleged way to lower the pf is to lower the pf and you do that by
loading the motor to full{er} load. But that's fixed, so you lower the E
to improve the PF...but wait, won't that raise I? [Let's not always see
the same hands, class...]

And here's the hype.... when demo'ed at county fairs and flea markets;
the carnie's display ALWAYS showed an unloaded, free-spinning shaft
motor. THAT case could be helped by the Magic box. But in any consumer
fridge, or dishwasher, you know Frigidaire or Kenmore or whoever had
carefully designed the motor to be fully loaded; they are hardly going to
give you more copper and iron than needed, are they? In real uses, as LeRC
tested them, it's no better than a wash.
Jim Thompson - 04 Jul 2009 20:05 GMT
>>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).
>
>>You don't have air conditioning ?:-)
>
>Jim; not everyone lives in the middle of the desert...

Thankfully ;-)

Remember folks, it's hell-on-wheels out here in Arizona and, with
global warming, it'll get worse... so stay away !-)

>>WHAT IS your significant consumer.
>
>I'd suspect his fridge.

Probably rents, has steam heat provided.  Has no clue that part of his
rent pays for that.


>BTW, another poster commented:
>
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>give you more copper and iron than needed, are they? In real uses, as LeRC
>tested them, it's no better than a wash.

I vaguely remember some hype about an AC motor controller that varied
its consumption according to load?

Here's one for you... my electric consumption (in kWh) is about 15%
lower so far this year than last... looks like global _cooling_ to me
;-)

                                       ...Jim Thompson
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
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Michael A. Terrell - 04 Jul 2009 21:02 GMT
> >>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).
> >
[quoted text clipped - 64 lines]
> lower so far this year than last... looks like global _cooling_ to me
> ;-)

  Mine have been dropping for several years.  Last month was still
under $100.

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krw - 04 Jul 2009 21:09 GMT
>> >>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).
>> >
[quoted text clipped - 67 lines]
>   Mine have been dropping for several years.  Last month was still
>under $100.

Just got my water bill.  $205, for June.  <ouch>
Jim Thompson - 04 Jul 2009 21:53 GMT
>>> >>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).
>>> >
[quoted text clipped - 69 lines]
>
>Just got my water bill.  $205, for June.  <ouch>

How much is actually water?  Probably lots of "fees" for garbage,
etc... taxation without vote :-(

Here in Arizona, my bill is just over 1/2 that.

But my electric bill was $600.73 :-(

                                       ...Jim Thompson
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
           
I love to cook with wine     Sometimes I even put it in the food
Paul Hovnanian P.E. - 04 Jul 2009 22:39 GMT
[snip]

> >Just got my water bill.  $205, for June.  <ouch>
>
> How much is actually water?  Probably lots of "fees" for garbage,
> etc... taxation without vote :-(

Well, we're catching up with you. In the Pacific Northwet, no less.

It seems that our water utilities 'bought' a new supply which is turning
out to be a real white elephant.

Many years (decades) ago, the power local company built a generating
plant and, to feed it, a diversion dam to take water out of a local
river, store it in a lake and then run it through the plant. Well now
they've got a brand new lake where there was none before. So the real
estate folks went nuts selling waterfront property. Which, then the
power company throttled up the plant, turned back into a large mud flat.
So the (rich) people screamed and extracted an agreement from the power
company not to run the plant at any more than stream flow. Which made it
uneconomical and a few years ago, they said, "Screw it. We're outa
here". Which left the diversion system unmaintained, which will result
in the lake drying up in a couple of years. So the rich folks talked the
water utilities into buying the lake (and picking up a couple of million
dollar a year tab to maintain and operate the diversion dam) as a
potential water supply. But part of that agreement is that we can't
actually _use_ the water, or some rich folks will have docks over a mud
flat. So part of my bill consists of a charge to subsidize water skiers.

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JosephKK - 06 Jul 2009 11:32 GMT
>[snip]
>> >
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>actually _use_ the water, or some rich folks will have docks over a mud
>flat. So part of my bill consists of a charge to subsidize water skiers.

And with all the well verified stories like this, there are still
people that try to tell me that a moderate bit of money does not get
you better response from local government.
krw - 04 Jul 2009 22:48 GMT
>>>> >>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).
>>>> >
[quoted text clipped - 72 lines]
>How much is actually water?  Probably lots of "fees" for garbage,
>etc... taxation without vote :-(

$141.63.  The rest is sewer.  Garbage collection fees are on the power
bill, yet to come.

>Here in Arizona, my bill is just over 1/2 that.
>
>But my electric bill was $600.73 :-(

I'll be interested to see what that is.  It'll be the first one with a
full month of AC.  I'm hoping AC isn't any more expensive than heat.
Can't see why it should be; smaller temperature differential.
Michael A. Terrell - 04 Jul 2009 22:30 GMT
> >> >>>I don't know what "central HVAC" is (so I'd guess that I don't have it).
> >> >
[quoted text clipped - 69 lines]
>
> Just got my water bill.  $205, for June.  <ouch>

  I have my own well, so the electric bill covers both.

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Michael A. Terrell - 04 Jul 2009 21:01 GMT
> Jim; not everyone lives in the middle of the desert...

  You don't have to leve in a desert to need AC.

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Paul Hovnanian P.E. - 04 Jul 2009 22:17 GMT
[snip]

> And here's the hype.... when demo'ed at county fairs and flea markets;
> the carnie's display ALWAYS showed an unloaded, free-spinning shaft
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> give you more copper and iron than needed, are they? In real uses, as LeRC
> tested them, it's no better than a wash.

Right. Because here, the motor's consumption is basically windage
(friction). If you can save just a little of the circuit I^2R losses,
that's a big gain in efficiency.

If you save that same number of watts, but the power output is higher,
the percent improvement is much smaller.

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Rich Grise - 06 Jul 2009 21:52 GMT
> I don't know what "central HVAC" is ...

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.

Hope This Helps!
Rich
Joerg - 29 Jun 2009 15:45 GMT
>>>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>>>> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Do all those wires generate harmonics?

No, but the stuff that is connected to them. In countries like this
there are no regs related to power factor. Or pretty much anything else
for that matter.

The worst I have seen was a 13.56MHz high power RF source for materials
processing. Kilowatt range. Size of the capacitors after the rectifier:
Zero uF. There were none ...

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John Larkin - 29 Jun 2009 16:12 GMT
>>>>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>>>>> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>there are no regs related to power factor. Or pretty much anything else
>for that matter.

I designed a household meter that was intended for manufacture and
sales in India, by a division of Niagra Mohawk that turned out to be
run by lunatics. It used an 85-cent HC05 uP with an on-board 8 bit
ADC, and inductive-coupled ASK meter reading. The readout wand had to
transfer enough energy into the meter to read it when power was off,
which happens a lot there.

It had a lot of anti-tamper hooks. Stealing power is more popular in
India than cricket. Anybody who has ever been a military officer
expects to get power free for some reason, too. And the meter readers
are easily bribed.

Our BOM cost was something silly like $11.

>The worst I have seen was a 13.56MHz high power RF source for materials
>processing. Kilowatt range. Size of the capacitors after the rectifier:
>Zero uF. There were none ...

Caps would probably have made the harmonics worse. SCR phase controls
are pretty bad.

Are computer power supplies PFC yet these days? Our power line
waveform is still flat on top.

John
Joerg - 29 Jun 2009 16:22 GMT
>>>>>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>>>>>> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> Caps would probably have made the harmonics worse. SCR phase controls
> are pretty bad.

Well, there were to big fat tubes in there and the current waveform was
really ugly.

> Are computer power supplies PFC yet these days? Our power line
> waveform is still flat on top.

Most of them would probably have to be because AFAIK Europe has
instituted a PFC mandate for anything above a certain level and that
level ain't high. Somewhere around 70W I believe. Of course it is
possible that they scrape off all the PFC stuff for markets currently
not yet regulated in that respect, to save a few pennies.

Naturally, CFLs and such are allowed to fly under the radar screen.

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David Lesher - 01 Jul 2009 00:32 GMT
>I designed a household meter that was intended for manufacture and
>sales in India, by a division of Niagra Mohawk that turned out to be
>run by lunatics. It used an 85-cent HC05 uP with an on-board 8 bit
>ADC, and inductive-coupled ASK meter reading. The readout wand had to
>transfer enough energy into the meter to read it when power was off,
>which happens a lot there.

I'm not sure what an ASK is here...

I assume the voltage sampling needed direct connection to
the line. Also lots of transient/overvoltage protection.
Sounds ..interesting... to achieve at low parts cost..

>It had a lot of anti-tamper hooks. Stealing power is more popular in
>India than cricket. Anybody who has ever been a military officer
>expects to get power free for some reason, too. And the meter readers
>are easily bribed.

Oh yes... Were you asked to build in a back door for the
important folks?

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John Larkin - 01 Jul 2009 01:21 GMT
>>I designed a household meter that was intended for manufacture and
>>sales in India, by a division of Niagra Mohawk that turned out to be
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
>I'm not sure what an ASK is here...

Amplitude shift keying.

>I assume the voltage sampling needed direct connection to
>the line. Also lots of transient/overvoltage protection.
>Sounds ..interesting... to achieve at low parts cost..

We plunked the electronics on the neutral line, and used a current
shunt there. Voltage pickoff was a resistive divider from the hot
side. There was a common-mode current transformer, a cheap ferrite
like in a GFD; that was one way to catch cheaters who might try to
sneak around the neutral path through the meter.

John
David Lesher - 01 Jul 2009 04:39 GMT
>>I assume the voltage sampling needed direct connection to
>>the line. Also lots of transient/overvoltage protection.
>>Sounds ..interesting... to achieve at low parts cost..

>We plunked the electronics on the neutral line, and used a current
>shunt there. Voltage pickoff was a resistive divider from the hot
>side. There was a common-mode current transformer, a cheap ferrite
>like in a GFD; that was one way to catch cheaters who might try to
>sneak around the neutral path through the meter.

So it was 2-wire, err single hot? (In the US, all the big stuph
would be unmetered if you only looked at neutral...)

The voltage pickoff also powered it?

Did it write to flash periodically, or...?

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John Larkin - 01 Jul 2009 04:47 GMT
>>>I assume the voltage sampling needed direct connection to
>>>the line. Also lots of transient/overvoltage protection.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>So it was 2-wire, err single hot? (In the US, all the big stuph
>would be unmetered if you only looked at neutral...)

Yup, the one we did was 240 single-phase.

>The voltage pickoff also powered it?

Small power transformer for that. Nowadays I'd use a switcher.

>Did it write to flash periodically, or...?

On powerfail, from capacitive stored power.

John
René - 01 Jul 2009 11:28 GMT
>Amplitude shift keying.

I came to know it as Audio Shift Keying, related to AFSK (Audio
frequent..)

Simple amplitude keying is commonly referred to as "OOK" (On Off
Keying) - check Car keyfob IC vendors.

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Paul Hovnanian P.E. - 29 Jun 2009 00:01 GMT
> >> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
> >> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1464873706054091547EpKQBV

I'd imagine that the local power company could cut their distribution
losses simply by having a few crews dedicated to 'cleaning up' poles
like this. Just snip anything that isn't properly spliced or otherwise
attached and move to the next pole. Make sure to take enough wire out so
the thiefs will have to scrounge for more to make it reach the lines.

In fact, the best way to reduce this nonsense is to distribute power at
4 or 12kV and then meter one point feeding a distribution transformer.
Then, along the lines of third world telephone rentals, you sell this
power to a local businessperson that resells it to other people on the
block. They can drag their extension cords or whatever up to the local
vendor and he can work out the billing. So much per extension cord,
install sub-metering, or whatever.

People are much less likely to steal from a local resident than the big,
faceless corporation, there's a guy on site with an interest in keeping
an eye on splices, and it opens up a business opportunity for poor
people in the slums.

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Martin Riddle - 29 Jun 2009 02:06 GMT
>>> Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>>> harmonics in the current waveform?
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1464873706054091547EpKQBV

If you get a chance, watch the PBS documentary 'Power Trip' about AES in
Georgia.
Very interesting. Nobody pays their bills.

Cheers
Jan Panteltje - 28 Jun 2009 22:47 GMT
>Can an energy meter measure true kwhr or will it ignore higher
>harmonics in the current waveform?
>
>Hardy

There was a recent discussion about this.
I think if you take samples of current and voltage every x microseconds,
on a 50 - or 60 Hz mains, and multiply those, and then add those,
then you get true power per unit of time.
The samples need to be smaller then the higest frequency - say shortest
pulse - present.

Wanted to do the PIC thing, but too much work, as Larkin already did all that
I think, but probably with a 68000 ;-)
HardySpicer - 29 Jun 2009 00:48 GMT
> On a sunny day (Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:22:20 -0700 (PDT)) it happened HardySpicer
> <gyansor...@gmail.com> wrote in
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> Wanted to do the PIC thing, but too much work, as Larkin already did all that
> I think, but probably with a 68000 ;-)

Yes that's right but with a normal Watt meter you would get a false
reading.
Suppose the current was a train of pulses for example.

Hardy
Paul Hovnanian P.E. - 29 Jun 2009 03:41 GMT
> > On a sunny day (Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:22:20 -0700 (PDT)) it happened HardySpicer
> > <gyansor...@gmail.com> wrote in
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> reading.
> Suppose the current was a train of pulses for example.

Nyquist limit.

Sample fast enough to capture the highest harmonic for which you
anticipate significant power.

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Systems Engineering is like looking for a black cat in a dark room
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