Power Quality
The Power Quality analysis shows the quality of AC power. Some AC current may flow into and
back out of the load without delivering energy. This current, called reactive or harmonic current,
gives rise to an "apparent" power that is larger than the actual power consumed. Power quality
is gauged by power factor, apparent power, true power, reactive power, crest factor, and phase
angle of the current and voltage of the AC line.
Power Factor
— Ratio of the actual power to the apparent power.
Real (Actual) Power
— The portion of power flow that, averaged over a complete cycle of the
AC waveform, results in net transfer of energy in one direction.
Apparent Power
— The portion of power flow due to stored energy, which returns to the source
in each cycle.
Reactive Power
— The difference between apparent power and real power due to reactance.
Crest Factor
— Crest factor is the ratio between the instantaneous peak current/voltage
required by the load and the RMS current/voltage.
Phase Angle
— In the power triangle (apparent_power
2
= real_power
2
+ reactive_power
2
),
phase angle is the angle between the apparent and real power, indicating the amount of
reactive power.
After selecting the Power Quality analysis, choose the Source (Channel 1 or Channel 2) to
measure, and then configure CWA as usual. Note that you can also modify the CWA
measurement window from either the main Power Quality menu or under the CWA Setup menu.
Keysight IntegraVision PA2200 Series Power Analyzers Operating and Service Guide 123
