Rapid voltage change explained

A rapid voltage change or RVC is one of the power-quality (PQ) issue related to voltage disturbance. "According to IEC 61000-4-30, Ed. 3 standard, RVC is defined as "a quick transition in root means square (r.m.s.) voltage occurring between two steady-state conditions, and during which the r.m.s. voltage does not exceed the dip/swell thresholds."^[1] Switching processes such as motor starting, capacitor bank on/off, load switching, or transformer tap-changer operations can all create RVCs. Moreover, they can also be induced by sudden load variations or by disturbance in power output from distributed energy sources such as solar or wind power system. The main known effect of rapid voltage changes is light flicker, but other non-flicker effects also have been reported.^{[2] [3]}

Rapid voltage change effect

The RVC voltage disturbance level is not as big as sag / dip and swell. While RVC events generally are not destructive for electronic equipment, it can be annoying for final users as they may influence light flicker.^{[4] [5]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Barros. J.. de Apráiz. M.. Diego. R.I.. Gutiérrez. J.J.. Saiz. P.. Azcarate. I.. 2017 IEEE International Workshop on Applied Measurements for Power Systems (AMPS) . Minimum requirements for rapid voltage changes regulation based on their effect on flicker . https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8078346. 2017 . 1–5. 10.1109/AMPS.2017.8078346. 978-1-5386-0343-7 . 22581598 .
2. Book: de Apraiz. M.. Barros. J.. Diego. R. I.. Gutiérrez. J. J.. Redondo. K.. Azcarate. I.. 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Applied Measurements for Power Systems Proceedings (AMPS) . Detection and analysis of rapid voltage changes in power system networks . https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6947712. 2014 . 1–6. 10.1109/AMPS.2014.6947712. 978-1-4799-5643-2 . 13007424 .
3. Book: Schlabbach. J.. Voltage Quality in Electrical Power Systems. Blume. D.. Stephanblome. T.. 2001-01-01. IET Digital Library. 978-0-86341-982-9. en. 10.1049/pbpo036e.
4. Barros. Julio. Gutiérrez. Jose Julio. de Apráiz. Matilde. Saiz. Purificación. Diego. Ramón I.. Lazkano. Andoni. Rapid Voltage Changes in Power System Networks and Their Effect on Flicker. IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery. 2016 . 31. 1. 262–270. 10.1109/TPWRD.2015.2452967. 1937-4208. 10902/13664. 11804026 . free.
5. Book: Macii. David. Petri. Dario. 2017 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC) . On the detection of Rapid Voltage Change (RVC) events for power quality monitoring . https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7969783. 2017 . 1–6. 10.1109/I2MTC.2017.7969783. 978-1-5090-3596-0 . 24278710 .