Help! What is, "clean power"?

[necnotevenclose]

Help please! I have come accross a term "clean power" what is it and how is it different from normal building power?

 

[ron]

The term is not defined anywhere that I know of.
It can mean anything from double conversion UPS output all the way to .... well just about anything less than that.

 

[Jraef]

Line power with low electrical noise, maybe even harmonics. It isn't a definitive term beyond that. If it was used in reference to a requirement, whoever used it needs to define what they mean. Usually though, they will mean power that has been filtered through some sort of line conditioner or UPS.

 

[W6SJK]

Help please! I have come accross a term "clean power" what is it and how is it different from normal building power?

This term is usually used by "laymen" because it sounds like a good thing to have and they want it. But it is rarely defined. Theoretically, it would mean a perfect 60Hz sine wave at 120V RMS or other applicable voltage. But the specifier or manufacturer should define what parameters are acceptable, such as voltage regulation and total harmonic distortion.

 

[steve66]

People usually want clean power for computers. It's odd that computers are one of the major sources of distortion on the line voltage.

Why computers would ever need clean power is beyond me. They all have a power supply in them that regulates and filters the power.

 

[dereckbc]

I agree 100% with Ron, there is no definition of the term. I have done a lot of PQ work over 27 years and as of yet not found a lot guidelines. You certainly will not find anything in the NEC, but you can find some reccomended values in IEEE.

 

[Bob NH]

Clean Power - Environmental

Clean Power - Environmental

Clean Power has also become a term for power generated in "environmentally friendly" ways. It is a way to charge suckers more for the kWHr that comes into their facilities.

Of course there is no way to separate the power from the wind turbine and the coal fired power plant so the suckers pay more for "feel good" and it makes not a bit of difference because all of the power gets sold to the grid whether or not they agree to pay more for what they use.

 

[tallgirl]

It's a meaningless term. It's like those little earbud headphones that are marked "Digital Ready!", as if the sound coming out of an MP3 player were somehow different from sound coming out of an old Walkman.

And while some people seem to think computers require "clean power" (whatever that means ...) many computers will run on some really bad stuff, including cheap-o inverters and not-so-clean UPSes. I love this one --

APC BACK-UPS ES 8 Outlet 650VA 120V

The waveform is "Stepped approximation to a sine wave". What the heck is that?!?

 

[Jraef]

Clean Power has also become a term for power generated in "environmentally friendly" ways. It is a way to charge suckers more for the kWHr that comes into their facilities.

Of course there is no way to separate the power from the wind turbine and the coal fired power plant so the suckers pay more for "feel good" and it makes not a bit of difference because all of the power gets sold to the grid whether or not they agree to pay more for what they use.

No, I think that is refered to as "Green Power". Clean power usually has to do with power quality.

 

[necnotevenclose]

Thanks for the replies. I'm looking at a large office building where there are a lot of computers (stations). The G.C. mentioned they wanted clean power to the station outlets. So my imediate response was to install a high k-factor transformer to a UPS then feed a dedicated electronics panel.

Does anyone feel that this will not suffice? Please let me know.

 

[Jraef]

The UPS may be overkill since he didn't ask for uninterruptable clean power. You can get an electronic power conditioner for a lot less money.

 

[W6SJK]

So my imediate response was to install a high k-factor transformer to a UPS then feed a dedicated electronics panel.

Does anyone feel that this will not suffice? Please let me know.

Ask the UPS vendor about harmonic current on the UPS input. The K13 xfmr may be overkill. In fact, why not use a 480-208Y/120V UPS and forget about external xfmr.

 

[Bob NH]

"No, I think that is refered to as "Green Power". Clean power usually has to do with power quality."

Google "clean power" and 9 of the first 10 come up related to environmental feel-good stuff. The other one is related to the "clean and jerk" in power lifting.

What it means clearly depends on the context and who you are talking to.

 

[peter d]

"Clean power" is any branch circuit that feeds a dishwasher or washing machine.