OFFICE BUILDING CASE STUDY
The Fluke Corporation
Everett, Washington

Subject – In late 1992, the Information Systems Group at The Fluke Corporation was concerned with ‘power quality’ in an office full of computers, printers and copying machines. It was suspected that line voltage transients or common mode noise were causing program interruptions at PCs in the area.

Full case study.

DATA CENTER CASE STUDY
Jacksonville Electric Authority
Jacksonville, Florida

Subject – “Our oversized UPS system was continuously switching to bypass and high levels of Total harmonic Distortion were two obvious indicators that we had a serious Power Quality Problem.

Full case study.

AIRCRAFT HANGER CASE STUDY
Federal Express Corporation
Memphis Tennessee

Subject – In the summer of 1996, FedEx called on Power Quality International, Inc. for assistance. They were experiencing dangerous airframe-to-ground arcing, when supplying their aircraft from their hanger’s 400Hz electrical power system. Inside a hanger is considered a potentially explosive environment. Arcing is an unacceptable hazard.

Full case study.

A TV PRODUCTION STUDIO CASE STUDY
MTI / The Image Group, Inc.
New York, New York

Subject – The MTI / Image Group, Inc. has studios for production of TV shows in eight locations in the greater New York City area. Maintaining the quality of audio and video recordings requires stable and noise free power to the recording equipment. Symptoms of possible problems included overheating of the wiring, voltage instability and common mode noise problems in the video and audio recording equipment.

Full case study.

A CALL CENTER CASE STUDY
LYNX / Pittsburg Glass Company
North Fort Myers, Florida

Subject – In June 1997, an independent NETA testing company was retained by a facility owner to complete a series of electrical measurements at their Call Center in North Fort Myers, Florida. Their purpose in taking these measurements was to confirm the benefits, which had been predicted by PQI, in applying small zero sequence harmonic filters at the load-end of the three-phase, four-wire ‘shared neutral’ branch circuits that supply their office partition workstations.

Full case study.

POWER FACTOR IMPROVEMENT CASE STUDY
Edgecomb Metals
Cincinnati, Ohio

Subject – In July 1999, Edgecomb Metals Co. contacted PQI regarding a Power Factor problem at their heavy steel plate sheering plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their first attempt at Power Factor correction was based on their utility’s recommendation. They installed a new capacitor bank with a rating based on the plant’s True Power. Unfortunately the capacitor bank failed shortly after its installation. The loads at this facility included fourteen regenerative electronic motor drives (15HP – 250HP), twelve induction motors (15HP – 50HP) and twelve large cranes, each with multiple large induction motors.

Full case study.

MOVIE STUDIO CASE STUDY
Capa Roma Studio
Rome, Italy

Subject – In the summer of 2002, PQI received an urgent call from Thelma Schoonmaker, film editor extraordinaire, who was involved in the production of a Martin Scorsese movie – Gangs of New York, at the Capa Studio in Rome, Italy. PQI had successfully resolved a number of serious power quality issues at two of her New York City studios on earlier occasions.

Thelma described her current problem as follows: The editing equipment, which she was using at the Capa Roma studio, had been brought over from her New York studio. In order to use the equipment, a studio electrician provided a single-phase isolation transformer to reduce the facility’s higher utilization voltage down to 120-volts. The 120/240-volt ‘center-tap’ transformer is shown in the photograph. The alternate 50Hz frequency was not a problem since her equipment had a dual frequency rating.

Initially, this setup seemed to provide a satisfactory solution; the equipment functioned normally. However, within a short period of time, her equipment’s switch-mode power supplies began to fail. Thelma’s crew noticed that the power supplies were running ‘very hot’. This problem essentially stopped production, since Scorsese requires that each day’s filming be digitized, over night, before starting the next day’s work.

Full case study.

A TRANSFORMER EFFICIENCY CASE STUDY
The Principal Financial Group
Des Moines, Iowa

Subject – The Principal Financial Group recently found a distribution transformer with unacceptably high operating temperatures in one of their head office campus buildings. They also found that the overheated transformer was causing high electrical room temperatures. In addition to these temperature problems, the transformer was producing unacceptably high noise levels. Our local representative suspected these temperature and noise problems were the result of load-generated harmonic currents.

Full case study.

A HOTEL & CASINO CASE STUDY
The Bellagio Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

Subject – In 1998, Power Quality International, Inc. was asked to investigate the cause of several serious operational problems at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. These problems included corruption of data in the computer and slot machine networks, and poor video quality at the surveillance system monitors. Our investigation uncovered two significant power quality issues, which we believed were the cause of these network and picture quality problems. The issues included high levels of voltage distortion and neutral-to-ground voltage at these sensitive electronic loads. Power system and load incompatibility problems are common when the loads are non-linear.

Full case study.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY CASE STUDY
Capital Building
Washington, DC

Subject – In 2000, the Architects of the Capital, a federal government agency, contacted PQI regarding the replacement of all distribution transformers in the Capital Building, in Washington, DC. Their motivation for doing so was based on:

• The age of the existing transformers,

• The suitability of conventional transformers, as a power source for nonlinear electronic loads and

• An initiative to reduce electrical distribution system losses and improve energy efficiency.

In response, PQI proposed the application of Type DV, Distribution TransFilters™ for high K-Factor loads. This selection was based on The PQI Solution™, our engineered harmonic mitigation study.

Full case study.

MISSION-CRITICAL FACILITY CASE STUDY
GTECH Corporation
Austin, Texas

Subject – Phase-to-phase connected linear switch-mode power supplies, as typically found in blade-servers, are currently being supplied at 208-volts by conventional or K-Rated distribution transformers. However, virtually all switch-mode power supplies have nominal voltage ratings of 120V and 240V, with automatic switching to accommodate either possibility. Supplying switch-mode power supplies at less than their nominal voltage will normally increase their losses, reduce their efficiency, contribute to heating within the rack and increase operating costs. This is corroborated by manufacturers’ published specifications, which include their efficiencies at various voltages, within their products’ bandwidths, and at various loadings. To confirm our calculations and preliminary ‘in-house’ test results, we were able to arrange for a ‘beta site’ at a GTECH Corporation facility in Austin, Texas.

Full case study.