Electrical Measurement
The great majority of industrial processes and instruments rely on electrical measurements of one form or another. Whether, the high power electrical measurements that support the multi-billion pound UK electricity market, or measurements of the atto-Farad capacitance levels which exist between individual cells sufficient to quantify DNA, traceable applied electrical measurements are key to their success.
In support of such technology and industries, NPL develops and applies standards and methodologies to provided traceable electrical measurements from DC to 1MHz and beyond covering voltage, current, impedance and power.
Electrical Measurement products & services
- The measurement of power at NPL is based on a digital sampling technique.
- As industry has expanded the frequency range of their AC sources / measuring systems, NPL has a UKAS accredited service that can calibrate customers measuring systems, e.g. 5790's, 4920's up to 100 MHz, currently at voltages from 0.5 to 1V.
- AC/DC transfer links quantum DC voltage traceability to a wide range of ac frequencies using the heating effect of electrical current.
- Over the last ten years NPL has been developing new measurement techniques that have enabled a reduction in uncertainties for specific types of capacitance standards in the 0.001 pF to 10 mF range at frequencies up to 1 MHz.
- NPL is able to measure a wide range of capacitance standards of around 80 different types of capacitors, from more than 20 leading manufacturers, over the range 0.001 pF to 10 mF.
- NPL has developed a number of Coaxial AC Bridge Systems suitable for national standards laboratories for precision impedance and AC voltage ratio measurements at the highest accuracy levels.
- NPL carries out UKAS accredited measurements of current transformers for customers including the Electricity Supply Industry and transformer manufacturers.
- Infomation on harmonics and flicker research areas at NPL, including the NPL Power Quality Waveform Library.
- NPL provides UKAS-accredited calibration of IVDs at specified discrete frequencies within the range 40 Hz to 120 kHz.
- A portable and rugged, yet high precision, Power Analyser for laboratory and on-site electrical measurements. Designed for high granularity three phase power and power quality measurements at the 0.01% level.
Electrical Measurement case studies
NPL carried out a measurement survey to determine the impact of photovoltaic solar panels on the electricity supply.