Energy & Power Measurement
Energy and Power Management is critical to any industrial facility that wants to improve the efficiency of energy use while reducing energy waste. Monitoring and measuring power can help to identify quality issues and improve power availability and reliability.
Current transformers are devices that are used when a current is too high to process by electronic equipment or to measure by measuring instruments. A current transformer will “step down" the current from thousands of amperes to a standard output of a known ratio to either 5 Amps or 1 Amp allowing small and accurate instruments to be protected from high currents.
Current transducers are devices that act as an interface between the power system and the measurement system. They convert any non-standard electrical current input into a usable electrical current output, such as an alternating current (AC) input signal into a direct current (DC) output signal. Current transducers operate by magnetically inducing current from the conductor into a proportional electric current that flows through the current transducer’s conductor. This protects measuring devices from high power currents.
More Information about Energy & Power Measurement
Power and Energy Meters produce critical information about how a system is performing, so that immediate improvements can be made. There are two main types of meters that handle different types of data: Energy meters and power meters. Energy meters measure kilowatt-hour (kWh) and feature an optimal communication output. They are used for basic energy measurement. Power meters measure active and reactive energy consumption.
How to Use a Multimeter
Measuring AC Voltage
Set the dial to the AC voltage symbol and plug the red probe into the voltage port. Place the red probe into the hot terminal block and the black probe into the neutral terminal block. Make sure the probes are fully seated to something that can conduct electricity, like the screws on the terminal blocks. The measurement is taken in parallel with the load.
Measuring DC Voltage
Set the dial to the DC voltage symbol and leave the probe in the same port as it was for the AC voltage measurement. Place the red probe to DC positive and the black probe to DC negative. The measurement is taken in parallel with the load.
Measuring Current or Amperage
Set the dial to either milliamps or amps. Move the red probe to the DC amp port. The multimeter is now set to measure DC current. Remove the wire that is sending power to the load and place one probe on one end and the other probe on the other, to complete the circuit, allowing power to bypass the load. The meter will break the circuit and measure the current in series with the voltage source. This allows the meter to measure the current that is going to the load.
Measuring resistance
Make sure that the load is disconnected from the electrical circuit, otherwise, the resistance measurement will not be accurate. Set the dial to the ohm symbol and place the red probe into the voltage port. Place one probe on one conductor and the other probe on the other. Take the reading.
Measuring Continuity
Meter settings stay the same as previous measurements, with the addition of pressing the audible button. Place the probes anywhere on the electrical circuit. An audible tone will sound if there is a continuous, point to point connection. If there is no sound, there is break in the electrical connection, possibly caused by broken or frayed wires.