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IEC61000-4-30 is an IEC standard that explains how power quality instruments should make measurements. The standard defines the precise measurement algorithms and methods for power quality parameters such as Power Supply Voltage, Voltage Fluctuations (Flicker), Voltage Unbalance, Voltage and Current Harmonic. This standard has allows customers to easily compare the devices from different manufacturers and their results.
The latest version of the standard is IEC61000-4-30:Edition 3 which was published in 2015. The third edition replaces and makes the second edition published in 2008 obsolete.
The parameters defined in IEC61000-4-30:Edition 3 include
- Power frequency
- Magnitude of supply voltage
- Flicker
- Supply dips/swells
- Voltage Interruptions
- Unbalance
- Harmonics
- Interharmonics
- Mains signalling
- Under- and over-deviation
New additions in Edition 3 include
- Rapid voltage changes
- Flicker class F1
- Measurements in the 2 kHz-150 kHz frequency band
- Magnitude of the current
- Current unbalance
- Current harmonics
- Current interharmonics
- Recording of current along with voltage during events
Other changes in Edition 3 include
- Class B is no longer listed in the standard as a performance class. An advisory warning that Class B might be removed in future versions of the standard was added in Edition 2 which was published in 2008. This advisory note was included to discourage test equipment manufacturers and designers of new instruments from using Class B methods. The original inclusion of the Class B performance class was to avoid making many instruments at the time the standard was published obsolete and to allow their measurements to still be useful.
There are two classes of performance defined in IEC61000-4-30:Edition 3
- Class A
Instruments that meet Class A performance requirements of this standard, when connected to the same signals will produce the same results. Class A instruments must meet the highest performance and accuracy requirements in the standard. - Class S
Instruments that meet Class S performance requirements are useful for statistical surveys and contractual applications where there are no disputes. Accuracy and performance requirements for Class S are not as strict as Class A.