--0__=80256982004A65728f9e8a93df938690918c80256982004A6572 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi, Something in my knowledge area-ish......(!) There are several documents pertaining to the measurement of kWh for the domestic environment (UK supply). The metering spec (BS EN61036) gives type tests for the influence of a range of variables - including harmonics, overcurrent, power factor, voltage, frequency, etc. Related is BS EN 50160, 'Voltage characteristics of electricity supplied by public distribution systems' - which attempts to describe what the authorities should be supplying. However, there is no "definative, all encompassing document describing how the measurement is performed etc. Certainly not one that is free and online AKAIK, anyway. Regards, Dan (Embedded Olin Lathrop @MITVMA.MIT.EDU> image moved 24/10/2000 13:20 to file: pic30194.pcx) Please respond to pic microcontroller discussion list Sent by: pic microcontroller discussion list To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU cc: Subject: Re: [EE]: best way to measure KWH Security Level:? Internal > My question is this. Do I have to measure phase, via current and > voltage, in order to get a usable value? And if I do have to have both, > I would prefer to use the CT for current and a galvanic field sense > method to 'see' the voltage. I would not get an accurate absolute > voltage, but I would get an accurate phase lead/lag. And if I have the > phase angle and current, how would one then calculate the KVA's? I once > knew some of this stuff from school, but you know, don't use it and you > loose it. In theory, the electric company charges you for the instantaneous voltage times current integrated over the billing period. This is also the measure of the amount of energy delivered. So, if you wanted to perform the same measurement, you would have to sample voltage and current "often" compared to the 60Hz line frequency, then multiply and filter the result to get live power useage, or accumulate the result to get energy used. However, if you just want a quick idea of where the power is going, you probably don't need to be this sophisticated. Just measuring current will probably give you a pretty good idea what is going on. If the current is low, then the power drain on that line has to be low too. A high current could in theory indicate either high power consumption or a large phase angle. If both current and voltage are sinusoids, then the power drain is the RMS current times the RMS voltage times the cosine of the phase angle. Note that even at a 45 degree phase angle, the power is only 30% less than indicated by measuring the current alone. ***************************************************************** Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Devens Massachusetts (978) 772-3129, olin@cognivis.com, http://www.cognivis.com -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: "[PIC]:","[SX]:","[AVR]:" =uP ONLY! "[EE]:","[OT]:" =Other "[BUY]:","[AD]:" =Ads --0__=80256982004A65728f9e8a93df938690918c80256982004A6572 Content-type: application/octet-stream; name="pic30194.pcx" Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="pic30194.pcx" Content-transfer-encoding: base64 CgUBCAAAAABBADEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAABQgABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA= --0__=80256982004A65728f9e8a93df938690918c80256982004A6572-- -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: "[PIC]:","[SX]:","[AVR]:" =uP ONLY! "[EE]:","[OT]:" =Other "[BUY]:","[AD]:" =Ads