Characteristics of voltage fluctuations induced by household devices and the impact on LED lamps

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to describe the characteristics of voltage fluctuations induced by household devices in low voltage (LV) networks as well as the impact produced in the LED lamps’ flicker. A number of devices commonly found in households or offices have been studied and the results are described in terms of magnitude of resulting voltage fluctuation, rate of change and frequency of occurrence. The state of operation of the various devices have been linked to the resulting voltage fluctuations and a number of types or patterns of fluctuations with distinct characteristics have been defined. Measurements have been performed in a controlled environment using a source impedance representing a weak grid. Additional measurements were performed in a residential area where the source impedance is considered low. The flicker impact of the voltage fluctuations from the devices connected to the weak grid has been evaluated using the light flickermeter. The results show that there is a link between operation mode of the device and pattern of resulting voltage fluctuation, however it is not the case for all the operation modes in all devices. Several of the devices included in the study caused voltage fluctuations that produced flicker in LED lamps where the rate of change of the fluctuation is seen to have a significant impact.© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.