Case Studies

ManualsBrandsFluke ManualsPower Quality AnalyzersFluke 437 Series

Application Note

F r o m t h e F l u k e D i g i t a l L i b r a r y @ w w w . f l u k e . c o m / l i b r a r y

Operator: Stan Benoit, CRES

Radiology/Oncology Maintenance

Supervisor at Geisinger Health System

Measuring tools: Fluke 434 Power

Quality Analyzer

Functions used: Three-phase

scope, dips and swells, autotrend,

system monitor and transients

Power

Quality

Case

Study

Hospital Technician Develops

His Power Quality Knowledge

with the Fluke 434

Stan Benoit often finds himself

engaged in politics, even

though his expertise is in

electronics and medical imag-

ing. A CRES Radiology/Oncol-

ogy Maintenance Supervisor

at Geisinger Health System,

Benoit is responsible for keep-

ing dozens of complex imaging

systems at peak performance

for five hospital campuses and

31 satellite facilities. Suspected

PQ issues can put him between

equipment manufacturers and

in-house electricians.

Downtime is costly, both

in terms of patient wellbe-

ing and monetary costs—the

X-Ray, mammography, and

other systems themselves cost

millions and a failure can also

idle technicians or surgical

teams. Most of the facilities

have motor/generators and

can maintain operations inde-

pendent of the utility, making

the power system robust but

also complex. In addition, the

facilities are constantly being

improved to accommodate

the best medical technol-

ogy available. Engineers and

electricians have to work with

power systems that are always

changing. For Benoit and the

people he works with, talking

about power quality is part of

everyday life.

When complex CAT Scan-

ners, MRI, and cardiac cath-

eterization systems experience

problems, the first question

is: “Is it the electronics or is it

the power?” To answer this

question, and ultimately fix the

problem, Benoit has to work

with several different orga-

nizations. Equipment vendors

support the imaging electron-

ics under contract. An in-house

facilities department maintains

electrical systems, often with

support from outside electri-

cal contractors. This situation

naturally turns “is it electron-

ics or power?” into “whose

problem is it?”

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
Hospital Technician Develops His Power Quality Knowledge with the Fluke 434 Application Note Power Quality Case Study Measuring tools: Fluke 434 Power Quality Analyzer Operator: Stan Benoit, CRES Radiology/Oncology Maintenance Supervisor at Geisinger Health System Functions used: Three-phase scope, dips and swells, autotrend, system monitor and transients Stan Benoit often finds himself engaged in politics, even though his expertise is in electronics and medical imaging.
PAGE 2
How Stan Benoit uses the Fluke 434 Benoit can view the events using the cursors and zoom tools while background recordSince he got his 434 last ing continues. year he has used it almost If he doesn’t turn up constantly. He has applied it anything in dips and swells on X-Ray, CAT, MRI, and linear mode, he works the system accelerators. In addition to over with the 434 in Transient troubleshooting, he also uses mode.
PAGE 3
The system monitor function Most power quality problems can be detected by taking detailed voltage measurements and tracking how they vary over time. A power system that consistently delivers strong, stable voltage is a healthy system. The system monitor function in the Fluke 434 analyzes dozens of voltage characteristics against preset limits for up to a week, and presents this wealth of data in a single pass/fail display.
PAGE 4
Delta correctly connected. Check your connections on a three-phase system One of the most common mistakes people make in checking three-phase systems is incorrectly connecting their instrument. It can take nine connections to measure a wye system, so it can be easy to swap leads or forget to make a connection. The 434 uses color coding on leads and on the display. This will help, but it’s best to check the phasor display to confirm your connections.