Power Quality problems in the mould industry

The main goal of this work is the characterization of the power quality (PQ) in the mould industry in the centre region of Portugal and the effects of the PQ disturbances in their production processes and their worldwide competitiveness. First a panorama of the mould industry in Portugal is described pointing key figures of the sector, some history and present needs. Then the classification of voltage dips registered in some points of the transmission and distribution networks in Portugal is studied and presented, allowing to compare with measured values during monitoring campaigns and to help to characterize the expected scenario in terms of dip occurrence. Finally, the key results of a monitoring campaign in a mould industry unit are presented and analyzed.