A real-time system for power quality testing

This paper presents a real-time system that can be used for quick and relia ble po,ver quality testing. The system is based on a dual-processor archite cture with a digital signal processor (DSP) interfaced to a personal comput er (PC), Realtime tasks are delegated to run on the optimized hardware of t he DSP board, while system-level requirements are handled by the PC. The re al-time processing (RTP) kernel implemented an the DSP supports multitaskin g to handle tasks associated with data collection, data analysis, and inter processor communication. The results of real-time analysis are presented in the PC through a menu-driven, graphical interface. Tests show that the sys tem complies with IEC standards for power quality monitoring. This system o ffers many significant advantages. Real-time analysis of acquired data sign ificantly reduces storage requirements, Data analysis algorithms can be mod ified to suit specific testing needs, Test results available in the PC can be exported to other computer analysis tools. The system is portable and ho lds promise as a powerful, low-cost tool for practicing power quality engin eers.