DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY – DASMARINAS

Dasmarinas, Cavite
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE, AND TECHNOLOGY

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Name : _Noah R. Sibulo Date Started : __________

Course-Year &Section : ECE22 Date Completed: __________
No. of Hours Required : ____2.5___ Date Due : __________
Rating : __________

Experiment 6

DC POWER MEASUREMENT

OBJECTIVE:

 To study the difference between the readings of the arnrneter and voltrneter
method, and wattmeter in determining the d-c power of a particular resistive load.

BASIC CONCEPTS:

Power is the rate at which energy is converted. Power rmay also be difined as the rate of
doing work (Schuler and Fowler, 1993: 54). Power is often in conjunction with the word
dissipation. power dissipation usually refers to the rate at which electric energy is converted to
heat energy. A resistor in an active circuit may feel the warm to the touch. This is due to the
conversion of electric energy. The resistor dissipates the heat energy by transferring it to
surrounding structures and to the atmosphere. It takes time to transfer (dissipate) the heat
energy. High power means a rapid conversion of electric energy to heat energy, and the resistor
will reach a high temperature. (Schuler and Fowler, 1993: 57)

Direct current power is usually measured by means of a voltmeter and an ammeter.

Since the power is the product of volts and amperes (P=VI), it is rnerely necessary to multiply the
volts by the amperes to obtain power in watts. (Dawes,1975: 189)

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 A wattmeter is a device which measures the average power that is delivered to a load. It
contains a rotating high-resistance voltage, or potential, coil, connected in parallel with load and a
fixed low-resistance current coil which is connected in series with the load. The device has four
terminals, a pair to accommodate each coil. A typical connection is shown in fig 1. We see that
the current coil responds. to the bad current, whereas the voltage coil responds to the load
voltage.

One terminal each of the coils is marked ± so that if the current enters the ± terminal of
the current coil and the ± terminal of the voltage coil is positive with respect to its other terminal,
then the meter gives a positive, or upscale, reading. In fig. 1, this corresponds to the load
absorbing power. If the terminal connections of either current coil or voltage coil (but not both) are
reversed, a negative or downscale, reading is indicated. Most meters cannot read downscale —
the pointer simply rests on the downscale stop.

Thus such a reading requires reversing the connections of one of the coils, usually the
voltage coil. Reversing connections of both coils does not affect the reading. (Johnson, Hilburn
and Johnson, 1990:392-393)

INSTRUMENT AND MATERIALS NEEDED:

 fixed DC source
 ammeters
 voltmeter
 wattmeter
 known resistors
 DPST switch
 connecting wires

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PROCEDURE:

Part 1: Ammeter-Voltmeter Method

1. Connect the apparatus shown in Fig 6.1. Have your instructor check the connections before
closing the switch. Use a low value of resistive load.
2. Measure the voltmeter and ammeter readings. Make in two trials.
3. For the next trial, use a larger value of resistor.
4. After obtaining the required values, rearrange the apparatus as in Fig. 6.2. Repeat
procedures 2 and 3.
5. Compute and compare power absorbed by the resistive load from the values obtained in
procedures I and 4.

Part 2: Wattmeter Method

1. Arranged the apparatus shown in Fig. 6.3. Have the instructor check the connections before
closing the switch. Use the same values of resistors as Part I.
2. Close the switch. Read the value indicated by the wattmeter.
3. Compare the values obtained from procedures Part I — 1 and 4.

Questions and Problems:

1. Compare the movement of the voltmeter with that of the ammeter. In what important respect
does the voltmeter differ from the ammeter? How is the current in the coil of a voltmeter limited
when the voltmeter is connected across the line?

The movement of the voltmeter is proportional to the voltage applied and it is used to
detect the potential differences of a component, while the ammeter’s current has a directly
proportional movement that passes through the circuit.

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2. What instruments are generally used in measuring power in a dc circuit? Show that these
instruments themselves take power. What should be the relative positions of the voltmeter and
ammeter when power delivered to a high resistance is being measured? When that delivered
to a low resistance is being measured? Show the methods by means of which correction for
power taken by the instruments being made?

A wattmeter is usually used to measure power in a DC circuit; occasionally, a voltmeter

and an ammeter are also used. The accuracy of power measurements is impacted by the power
consumption of these instruments. The voltmeter and ammeter are linked in parallel for
measuring power given to a high resistance and in series for low resistance, respectively. To
determine the actual power delivered to the circuit, the power spent by the instruments must be
subtracted from the total measured power.

3. Describe the construction of a wattrneter, and show the principle of its operation. In what way
do the fixed and moving coils differ in construction? In their manner in connecting to the
circuit? Why are the instrument deflections a function of power? What care is necessary in
using this type of instrument with direct current?

An instrument for measuring the power of an electrical current in watts. The most
common wattmeters are the dynamometer type, in which the mechanism consists of an
immovable coil connected in series to a load (the current circuit) and then to a movable coil,
which is connected through a large auxiliary resistor (the resistor circuit) parallel to the load. The
operation of the dynamometer wattmeter is based on the interaction of the magnetic fields of the
movable and fixed coils as an electrical current passes through them. In the case of direct current
the torque, which causes a deviation in the movable part of the device and in the needle
(indicator) connected to the device, is proportional to the product of the current intensity and the
voltage potential; in the case of alternating current, it is also proportional to the cosine of the
angle of displacement of the phases between the current and the voltage potential. Ferrodynamic
and, less frequently, induction, thermoelectrical, and electrostatic wattmeters are also used.

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 4. The power to a 25-watt tungsten lamp is being measured with a voltmeter and an ammeter.
The voltmeter, the resistance of which is 15,000 ohms, is connected directly across the lamp
terminals. When the ammeter reads 0.217 amp, the voltmeter reads 120 volts; determine: (a)
true power to lamp; (b) percentage error introduced if voltmeter power is neglected.

a. true power to lamp

V 120
I= =
R 15 kΩ
I =8 mA
By KCL,
Iin=Σlout
0.217 A=0.008 A + Ilamp=0.209 A

A Plamp=Vlamp Plamp=(120 v )(0.209 A )=25.08 W

b. percentage error

Percentage Error= (|MeasuredTrue

Power −True Power|
Power ) 100 %=(
25.08 )
|25 − 25.08|
100 %=0.3190 %

5. The resistance of the ammeter of Problem 3 is 0.05 ohm. The voltmeter is now connected
directly across the line. With the line voltage remains unchanged, (a) voltmeter reading; (b)
true power now taken by the lamp; and (c) power given by the product of the voltmeter and
ammeter readings; (d) percentage error is the product in (c) is used.

a. 120V
b. 26.04W
c. 26.04
d. 0%
Nothing changed.

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6. Determine the power absorbed by a resistor that takes a charge of 3.5 coulombs flows in 2
seconds from a 220V source?

3.5C
I= =1.75 A
2s
P=VI =( 220 V ) ( 1.75 A )=385 W

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SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM:

Fig. 6.1 Ammeter-Voltmeter Method

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 Fig. 6.2 Ammeter-Voltmeter Method

Fig. 6.3 Wattmeter Method

Table 6A

Table 6B

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OBSERVATIONS/RESULTS:

- THE POWER IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE PRODUCT OF THE CURRENT AND

VOLTAGE, ACCORDING TO THESE DATA ONLY. ADDITIONALLY, BECAUSE RESISTANCE
DIRECTLY RELATES TO VOLTAGE BUT INVERSELY TO CURRENT. AN INVERSE AND DIRECT
SQUARE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POWER AND EACH OF THE VOLTAGE AND CURRENT
SEPARATELY MAY ALSO BE SHOWN WHEN THE POWER IS EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF
RESISTANCE AND VOLTAGE OR RESISTANCE AND CURRENT (P=V2/R; P=I2R).

CONCLUSION:

- IN THIS EXPERIMENT, I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE ELECTRICAL DC POWER
IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE PRODUCT OF CURRENT AND VOLTAGE, BUT ONLY IF THE
POWER IN QUESTION IS A RESISTOR COMPONENT WITH A TIME-INVARIANT VOLTAGE AND
CURRENT RATIO. THIS EXPERIMENT, WHICH CONSISTS OF TWO TRIALS TO REDUCE
POTENTIAL ERRORS, ONCE AGAIN DEMONSTRATED THE THEOREM.

RECOMMENDATION:

- USE PRECISE DEVICES WITH MINIMAL INTERNAL RESISTANCE TO MEASURE DC POWER

ACCURATELY. FOR EFFICIENT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OPERATION AND TROUBLESHOOTING,
REGULAR CALIBRATION GUARANTEES ACCURACY AND DEPENDABILITY OF DATA.

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