ESIC Seminar Kirkham Oct 15

The Phasor Measurement Unit explained
Nothing is known about the state of the power system except as the result of a measurement. It follows that measurements - especially ones that can claim to be scientific - are important. According to measurement theory, a scientific measurement is one based on a mathematical model that represents the way we think the universe works. The PMU should be in that category, and would be the first truly scientific measurement made in the power system. The talk will explore enough measurement theory - including a refresher on the fundamentals of the sinusoid and the phasor - to show that the PMU is a simple - and even elegant - measurement. However, the simplicity of the PMU has been obscured by a series of documentary standards written since 2005. The talk will also invite students to identify some of the lack of clarity in the thinking behind the documentary standards.