Mobile computing based technique for harmonics measurements in electrical network and analysis

This paper illustrates a novice method of measurement of harmonics from numeric meters installed at substations and consumers situated at remote end and its processing on smart phone. The main benefit of this method is saving in time required for visiting electrical installations for measurement of harmonics. Harmonics are the integer multiple of the fundamental frequency of mainly current and voltage. In India the fundamental frequency is 50 Hz. High order harmonics are generated by the non-linear loads such as computers, ac drives, dc drives, inverters, home protectors etc. In short, harmonics are generated when electricity is controlled by electronics. The high order harmonics have detrimental effects such as overheating and failure of electrical equipments, erroneous meter readings, failure of capacitor banks, undue tripping of transformers and transmission lines etc. The problem of harmonics can be tackled by installing harmonic filters for which the detailed analysis of harmonics is required to be carried out. In order to conduct harmonic analysis, it is required to measure harmonics of current, voltage and power in the system. The numeric meter sends data to the web server of Central Monitoring System either through internet or through PLCC/OFC links. The web server is connected to GSM Network through which the data is received by the smart phone. This data is processed and analyzed by the source code available in smart phone. For this purpose, relevant compilers can be installed in the smart phone.