PQ & Transfer Switches? - 12/28/12 06:16 PM
We've just had our first taste of winter, and with it came a good eight hours without power. It was the last two hours of this outage that brings up the question:
How easily are automatic transfer switches 'fooled?'
During the last two hours, I was treated to all manner of blinking lights, dim lights, surges as power was imperfectly restored. Usually several minutes of uneven power would be followed by a period of complete power loss.
This made me speculate as to how an automatic transfer switch would react to such a restoration of power. I can imagine the controls stopping, and starting, the generator several times in rapid succession. I can imagine the controls being fooled when only one 'leg' has good power.
Does this happen? Or, am I too imaginative?
How easily are automatic transfer switches 'fooled?'
During the last two hours, I was treated to all manner of blinking lights, dim lights, surges as power was imperfectly restored. Usually several minutes of uneven power would be followed by a period of complete power loss.
This made me speculate as to how an automatic transfer switch would react to such a restoration of power. I can imagine the controls stopping, and starting, the generator several times in rapid succession. I can imagine the controls being fooled when only one 'leg' has good power.
Does this happen? Or, am I too imaginative?