Multi-phase power sources provide AC power consisting of more than one phase. AC power comes in sinusoidal form and a sinusoidal waveform can be represented using the following equation, where A is the amplitude of the waveform, f is the frequency of the waveform and φ is the phase of the waveform
y(t) = Asin (2nft+p)
The phase refers to the initial angle of the sinusoidal waveform relative to the origin (0°). Many applications utilize AC power that comes in different phases (different initial angles), the most common being power transmission (3-phase power). Three phase power transmission uses three current waveforms with uniform phase difference (120°). This allows for the total power supplied by all three waveforms to remain constant.
Applications of Multi-Phase Power Sources
One of the industrial applications of multi-phase power sources is electricity meter testing. As previously stated, power transmission is done using three phase power and this includes the electricity supplied by electric utility companies such as Con Edison. In order to charge for electricity, multi-phase meters are used to measure the amount of power consumed. However, the voltage and current used to calculate the power may not be in phase and the meters still need to be able to measure consumed power. With programmable multi-phase power sources, the phases of the output voltage and current can be adjusted to simulate the practical conditions of transmitted power in order to test the power meters.
Another industrial application of the multi-phase power sources is simulating power for power management system testing. Many industries require power management systems to control power consumption of a larger system. With programmable multi-phase power sources, power traveling through the larger system can be simulated in order to test the capabilities of the power management system. This allows for the power management system to be tested in the factory before being employed in the actual work environment.
In the industrial testing environment and the scientific research fields, there are plenty of other applications which require adjustable output frequency, output amplitude and output phase angle. They may require different output power levels and programmable capabilities.
Amp-Line Corp
Amp-Line Corp. manufactures multi-phase programmable (RS232, IEEE-488.2) power sources for industrial applications. Amp-Line’s programmable power sources are frequency, amplitude and phase angle (1° increments) adjustable. They can be made in forms of multiple phase power sources and multiple channel power amplifiers. They can be in constant current mode, constant voltage mode or a combination of these two modes. It’s a much more compact and economical solution than employing several single output power sources to achieve the same purpose. Amp-Line’s high quality, compact and versatile programmable power sources are built for all industrial applications.
