Voltage Dip Testing: How Much Current Must the Dip Generator Deliver ?

Part 1: Experimental Standard Test Load

Alex McEachern, Senior Member, IEEE Alex@PowerStandards.com Power Standards Lab, Emeryville, California, USA
TEL ++1-510-658-9600 FAX ++1-510-658-9688

ABSTRACT Current required by electronic loads during and after voltage dip testing is investigated. A standard test load is constructed. This load requires only 45 amps nominal, but actually requires 700 amps, or more, at the conclusion of a voltage dip. If this peak current is not available, the load falsely appears to meet the testing requirements. For this reason, test equipment for performing voltage sag tests must be capable of providing very high surge currents. Electronic sources, such as amplifiers, are generally not adequate. Transformerbased sag generators with fixed taps (not variable transformers) are generally capable of sufficient surge current. Keywords: sag, dip, immunity, testing, SEMI F47, IEC 61000-4-11, 61000-4-34, mains, power line I. VOLTAGE SAG TESTING AND AVAILABLE CURRENT Several standards, including SEMI F47 [1], IEC 61000-411 [2], and IEC 61000-4-34 [3], require testing electronic equipment with voltage dips. Voltage dips are brief reductions in AC voltage, typically lasting a second or less. It is not widely understood that electronic loads, at the conclusion of a voltage dip, may require far more current than their nominal current draw indeed, they may need more current by a factor of 15 or more. In other words, a load that is rated at 40 amps during normal operation may actually require 600 amps or more for proper dip testing. If the load is tested with a source that cannot provide this increased peak current, failure modes such as blown fuses and open circuit breakers may be missed. For this reason, electronic sources that provide limited current such as amplifiers should be used for dip testing with caution and skepticism about the results. Transformer-based dip generators can generally deliver sufficient current. II. TEST LOAD FOR DEMONSTRATING DIP CURRENT

Fig. 1 Single-phase test load for determining voltage dip waveforms, typical of the power input circuit of single-phase electronic loads such as adjustable speed drives. The bridge rectifiers BR1 are rated for 5 000 amps peak, and the capacitor C1 has an ESR of less than 8 m .

Fig. 2 Test load schematic shown in Fig 1. R1 is a 10-ohm, 10kW air-radiant resistor. Hand-held meter (at left) shows scale. Nominal AC current is 45 Amps RMS, but rises to 750 Amps peak after a voltage dip.

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After many dip tests of real-world equipment, a test load was constructed (Fig 1 and Fig 2). To simplify analysis, the test load was limited to single-phase. To make the results useful throughout the world, a test voltage of 240V was selected. The nominal AC current drawn by the test load is approximately 45 amps RMS. To be conservative, a 150amp fuse (not shown in photos) was selected. However, as will be seen below, even this fuse melted several times during the dip testing. Testing was performed with a commercially-available sag/dip generator [4], modified to deliver up to 1750 amps peak. Typical results from a voltage sag are shown below.
Cur sor :15. 7m s 177. 82 Vol t s 500 300 100 www. Pow er St andar ds. com

As expected, capacitor C1 partially discharged through resistor R1 during the dip. At the conclusion of the dip, capacitor C1 recharged rapidly. The current into the capacitor was limited only by the source impedance of the AC mains, the Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) of the capacitors, and the forward impedance of the rectifiers. The key observations for Fig 3 are as follows: Figure 3B shows that useful voltage remains on capacitor C1, so the equipment may continue to operate during the dip Figure 3D shows that the pre-dip nominal current is 45 amps RMS Figure 3C shows the peak current after the dip is 700 amps. A careful review of the waveforms indicates that the source impedance of the AC mains is the most significant limit on the current. The source impedance, in this case, had a magnitude of approximately 100 m, which includes the impedance of the cabling and the dip generator, in contrast to the ESR of the capacitors (approximately 8 m) and the forward impedance of the bridge rectifiers (approximately 1 m each, or 2 m total). At the conclusion of the sag, the voltage on the capacitor C1 is approximately 175 volts, and the peak AC mains voltage is approximately 241 volts. The difference of 66 volts, with a source impedance magnitude of approximately 100 m, readily explains the 700 amp peak current.

V olts

100 300 500 40 4 48 92 136 180 224 268 312 356 400
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Fig. 3A Typical voltage sag on AC mains 50% for 18 cycles.

Cur sor :15. 7m s 317. 54 Vol t s 500 375 250 125 0 125 40 4 48 92 136 180 224 268 312 356 400
C h 21 (1000V ) - m illis e co n d s 12/22/03 8:15:40 A M

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Fig 3B Voltage on capacitor C1 during sag

Cur sor :15. 7m s .Am ps 1000 600 200 200 600 1000 40 4 48 92 136 180 224 268 312 356 400
L 2 L d (1000A ) - m illis e co n d s 12/22/03 8:15:40 A M

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Of course, if the AC mains source impedance had been lower, the peak current would have been higher. Also, if the capacitor had been more completely discharged, the peak current would have been higher. In other tests, not shown here, with the same load and longer duration sags, at the end of the sag the peak current reached 1650 amps. The load, of course, is rated for 45 amps RMS, so the contrast is somewhat startling. III. FUSE OPERATION AT THE END OF A SAG For test purposes, the test load of Fig 1 was equipped with a 150-amp fuse. This rating seemed more than adequate, as the test load actually draws approximately 45 amps nominal. However, the fuse operated (opened) after a few voltage sags. Fig 4 shows the waveforms.

Fig 3C Current on AC mains reaches 700 amps peak

Cur sor : 0m s 44. 58 Am ps( r m s) 500 375
A mps (rms )

A mps

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250 125 0

125 40 4 48 92 136 180 224 268 312 356 400

L 2 L d (1000A ) (r m s ) - m illis e co n d s 12/22/03 8:15:40 A M

Fig 3D Same as Fig 3C, but expressed as RMS current.

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Cur sor : 20m s 178. 8 Vol t s 500 300 100

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wrong, for a load that requires only 45 amps nominal, the load would not have blown its fuse. It would have been a false passing result.

V olts

100 300 500 40 12 64 116 168 220 272 324 376 428 480
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Fig 4A Voltage sag, with fuse opening at conclusion of sag.

Cur sor : 0m s . 49 Am ps 1000 600 200 200 600 1000 40 12 64 116 168 220 272 324 376 428 480
L 2 L d (1000A ) - m illis e co n d s 12/22/03 8:16:45 A M

CONCLUSION Voltage dip immunity testing is a useful, practical engineering tool. It produces products that are stronger and more reliable. Like any engineering discipline, experience leads to the discovery of pitfalls and incorrect shortcuts. One pitfall is testing using a dip generator that cannot produce sufficient peak current. Sufficient is difficult to define, but in the real-world examples shown in this paper the peak current required was 15 times the rated nominal current. The commercially-available transformer-type dip/swell generator [4] used for the testing in this paper was capable of delivering sufficient peak current. Electronic sources are rarely rated for delivering sufficient peak current for dip testing.

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Fig 4B The 800-amp current surge at the end of the dip was sufficient to open the 150-amp fuse.
Cur sor : 0m s 45. 21 Am ps( r m s) 500 375
A mps (rms )

A mps

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250 125 0

125 40 12 64 116 168 220 272 324 376 428 480

L 2 L d (1000A ) (r m s ) - m illis e co n d s 12/22/03 8:16:45 A M

Fig 4C Same as Fig 4B, but expressed as RMS amps. Note pre-dip current is 45 amps RMS, a reasonable level for a 150-amp fuse.
Cur sor : 0m s 318. 52 Vol t s 500 375 250 125 0 125 40 12 64 116 168 220 272 324 376 428 480
C h 21 (1000V ) - m illis e co n d s 12/22/03 8:16:45 A M

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Fig 4D Voltage on capacitor C1. Note brief increase in voltage at end of dip, followed by continued decrease after fuse opens.

V olts

The key observations for Fig 4 are as follows: Figure 4C shows that the pre-sag nominal current is 45 amps RMS Figure 4A shows that the 150-amp fuse operated at the end of the sag. This load, as designed, clearly cannot handle this voltage dip even with a 150-amp fuse, the fuse opens. However, if this load had been incorrectly tested with a dip generator capable of providing only a few hundred amps peak which seems reasonable, but is in fact

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Edward WINTERBERGER, who constructed the test load described in this paper. MIKE QUINN ELECTRONICS, of Oakland, California, provided as always excellent surplus parts at very low cost for the construction of the test load. I am grateful for their help. Any errors, of course, are solely my own responsibility.

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REFERENCES
[1] SEMI F47-0200, Specification for Semiconductor Processing Equipment, Voltage Sag Immunity. SEMI, Santa Clara, California, USA. 02-2000 [2] IEC 61000-4-11 Ed. 2.0, Testing and Measuring Techniques voltage dips and short interruptions immunity tests. [3] IEC 61000-4-34 DRAFT, Testing and Measuring Techniques voltage dips and short interruptions immunity tests equipment greater than 16 amps. IEC Document 77A/444/CD [4] Power Standards Lab Industrial Power Corruptor Model IPC-480V-200A, http://www.PowerStandards.com/SagGen.htm
Alex McEachern (M 1984, SM 1996) is the President of Power Standards Lab in Emeryville,California. Over the last 20 years he has taught graduate-level power quality courses and/or has supervised the installation of electric equipment in the United States, Canada, Croatia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, South Africa, Germany, France, Singapore, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia.

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