Method of utility-system source-impedance measurement for the industrial power engineer
W.C. Corvin · OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 1982
In general, the power company that delivers energy to an industrial power system will supply, upon request, information describing the utility source impedance at the point of interconnection with the industrial customer. this information is usually expressed as the maximum available short-circuit MVA (megavolt amperes) that the utility can deliver at some nominal voltage. For sizing the interrupting ratings of protective equipment, this number is important. However, better information is required for modeling the utility system under all conditions of system switching, generation, and loading. In this paper a method is described for measuring the utility source impedance that gives a more realistic representation of the utility at the point of interconnection. It is increasingly important that the industrial power engineer accurately view the power company as a power source of variable impedance. Industrial loads may operate and interact differently, depending on the relative stiffness of their power source. Electric utilities increasingly experience planned voltage reductions, brownouts, and temporary line-switching configurations that can leave the industrial customer with a power source far different from the one normally expected.