A case study in power conditioning the control electronics at an industrial facility

This case study details the events leading to the installation of power conditioning for the control electronics at an industrial facility. Voltage sags, which usually did not affect the plant´s motor load, were affecting the production line control electronics, causing costly shutdowns. A voltage survey at the utility substation found that the voltage sags were due to faults on adjacent feeders sharing the same electrical bus. A test installation of switching battery backup power conditioners demonstrated the viability of conditioning the power solely for the control electronics, but not for all of the production load. After examining other power conditioning options, a centralized magnetic synthesizer was installed to provide conditioned power to these controls. Two additional in-plant voltage surveys were performed, one before and one after the installation of the synthesizer. Actual disturbance data, presented in both tabular and graphic form, indicate a measurable reduction in the plant´s sensitivity to voltage sags after installation of the synthesizer