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Powerguard
 Before we get into how PowerGuard works, it is important to give you some background information and definitions to get a full understanding of the need for PowerGuard. | ||
 Fig 1 Real VS Apparent Power |
 Real Power is measured in Watts (W) or more commonly Kilo Watts (KW). When taken over a period of time, an hour for example, it will be expressed in Kilo Watt Hours (KW/h). KW/h is how electricity is commonly billed, ranging from $0.04 to $0.20 per KW/h. Real Power is the actual or real amount of electricity needed in order to power an electrical motor.  Apparent Power is measured in Volt Amperes (VA) or more commonly Kilo Volt Amperes (KVA). Apparent power is the amount of power that must be generated in order to power a specific motor. Apparent power is different than real power because, when motors start and run, a magnetic field is created. This field causes inefficiencies requiring more power to be generated than is actually needed to power the motor. Apparent Power is billed much differently than real power. Apparent power is only charged to large facilities with high power usage. To bill apparent power, the power utility takes a reading of the highest level of apparent power (KVA) drawn or used in a month. The billing is known as the demand charge. Demand charges can vary depending on time of day, time of year, industry, and jurisdiction. Apparent power can be billed at a low of $3.00 per KVA up to $15.00 per KVA or more.  Power factor is a number, expressed as a percentage, which shows the difference between apparent power and real power. To determine power factor, real power must be divided into apparent power. For example, if a facility is drawing 900 KW of real power and their apparent power draw is 1000 KVA, the power factor is 0.90, or 90%. Therefore, if this facility increased their power factor by 10 % (which is the same as reducing their apparent power by 100 KVA) they would save a significant amount of money every month on their demand charge.  Power Quality can be simply defined as getting the amount of power you need as soon as you need it for as long as you need it. The key here is consistency. When power quality is low, too much power (a power spike) or not enough power (a brownout) is being used to power motors. When these events occur, serious damage can occur in a facility, including motor burnout. This can cause expensive repair and replacement jobs, as well as costly downtime. |
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 Fig 2 How Power is Billed |
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 Fig 3 Erratic Power |
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PowerGuard combines hardware and software components to supply readouts of all of the items listed above.  The PowerGuard hardware attaches directly on to the main power line coming into the facility. From here, it transmits data on a minute by minute basis to the PC where the PowerGuard software is installed.  The software for PowerGuard picks up the data transmitted by the hardware and plots that information in graph form. |
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 Fig 4 Before and After PowerGuard |
 PowerGuard measures several things, including . Volts . Amperes . Apparent Power (KVA) . Real Power (KW) With these measurements, PowerGuard can accurately plot KVA, KW, and Power Factor. This will allow the facility management to see where their inefficiencies are and improve them. From this information, the facility operators can adjust their power usage over a longer period of time, decreasing the KVA used on a monthly basis, saving the facility even more money on an ongoing basis. It also tracks all power entering the facility, to ensure that the highest power quality possible is being received from the utility. |
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Comco specializes as a solution provider of leading-edge electrical control systems for the industrial, mining, and agricultural sectors. We have an international reputation for providing quality products with excellent customer service and support. For more information visit the Comco website. |
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