A Method for Testing Instruments for Transient Detection in Electric Power System Voltages

Transient disturbances are, probably, the most dangerous and virtually harmful disturbances in the electric power networks. They are also the most difficult to detect, due to their transient nature and random occurrence, and, in most cases, their extremely short duration. These same reasons make testing and calibrating the instruments employed for their detection a very difficult task, since the test signals and procedures must show a number of different features that cannot be found, altogether, in a single, commercially available instrument. This paper shows how such a testing instrument can be implemented by means of virtual instrument techniques and shows the results of a first application to the calibration of a voltage transient detection instrument