Nonintrusive load meters (NILMs) with a load identification ability have been developed in several institutes and companies. All load identification algorithms (LIAs) have a common characteristic: load identification is based on the current waveform. A system for calibration and testing of meters with load identification ability is presented in this paper. The system was based on generating arbitrary current waveforms of previously sampled home appliances. A tested NILM should measure the waveform and identify the simulated appliance. The load identification probability was measured for a selected LIA. An NILM was simulated by a common power quality meter and load identification was performed afterward in a computer. Simulations and sensitivity analysis were also performed to determine minimal properties of an NILM with selected LIA. The results showed that the system is able to measure load identification probability of an NILM and even detect various problems of the LIA.

A method for traceability to SI for ac voltage and current based on high performance digitizers is presented. In contrast to the existing thermal-based methods, the proposed method utilizes direct traceability to quantum-based waveforms via the use of Josephson voltage systems. This allows not only a simplification of the traceability chain and reduced measurement times but also offers the potential for analysis of the ac voltage and current waveform spectral content, a feature which is not possible using thermal methods. Scaling of current and voltage is achieved by the use of current shunts and resistive voltage dividers respectively. Target operating ranges are up to 1 A and 100 V with a frequency range up to 1 kHz for both. The corresponding target uncertainty for this traceability route is 1 μV V⁻¹and 2 μA A⁻¹up to frequencies of 1 kHz. The traceability chain is described and various components are characterized to validate their suitability for this task. It is demonstrated that these uncertainty targets can be met under certain conditions. The use of multi-tone calibration waveforms is investigated to further reduce measurement time. An uncertainty analysis method based on simulation using real component performance data is demonstrated.

The energy efficiency of transportation is a crucial point for the rail and metro system today. The optimized recovery of the energy provided by the electrical braking can lead to savings of about 10% to 30%. Such figures can be reached by infrastructure measures which allow the recovery of the breaking energy that is not directly consumed by the rail system and dissipated in rheostat resistors. A methodology for the accurate estimate of such energy is valuable for a reliable evaluation of the cost–benefit ratio associated with the infrastructural investment. The energy can be estimated by measuring a braking current flowing in the rheostats. The varying duty-cycle associated with the high dynamic variation, from zero to thousands of amperes, makes the current measurement very challenging. Moreover, the digitization of such waveforms introduces systematic errors that affect the energy estimation. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a technique to measure the power and energy dissipated by the rheostat of a DC operated train with high accuracy. By means of an accurate model of the electrical braking circuit (chopper and rheostat) and the frequency characterization of the current transducer, a correction coefficient as a function of the duty-cycle is estimated. The method is then applied to data recorded during a measurement campaign performed on-board a 1.5 kV train of Metro de Madrid during normal operation. Using the proposed technique, the estimation of the dissipated braking energy is improved by 20%.

Current standard EN 50463-2 indicates the tests and the requirements to be satisfied for an energy measurement system of a traction unit for railway applications. Some of these tests are to be done with several harmonics superposed on the rated voltage, respectively current. However, no calibration systems satisfying the standard requirements were available few years ago. The work performed in the EURAMET project “MyRailS” leads to the development of fictive power sources and reference measurement systems described in this paper. Therefore, it is possible to generate distorted 25 kV-50 Hz voltages with harmonics up to 5 kHz and 90° phase-fired currents up to 500 A with harmonics up to 5 kHz. The generated power is measured by developed traceable reference systems with accuracy better than 0.5%.