This paper deals with voltage unbalances and how they can be quantified according to the standards. Firstly, a comparison between the different unbalance voltage factors is conducted in order to remark on their divergences. Secondly, according to the standard that better represents the phenomenon, i.e., EN 50160, a new methodology is proposed to quantify the voltage unbalance factor (VUF). In order to do so, it is recommended to measure the voltage unbalance in three-phase installations by means of a new smart sensor based on a single voltage sensor, which measures the direct-current (DC) voltage at the output of a three-phase diode bridge rectifier, while current methods make use of three voltage sensors (which can measure either phase-to-neutral voltages or phase-to-phase voltages). Furthermore, both simulation and experimental results have been carried out to validate the proposed methodology. Finally, a new voltage unbalance factor (and the corresponding methodology to obtain it from the measured DC voltage) is proposed.
Keywords: power quality; smart sensor; voltage measurement; voltage sensor; voltage unbalance.