Electrical Power & Protection


EtherCAT power measurement terminal

February 2025 Electrical Power & Protection

Beckhoff’s EL3453-0090 EtherCAT power measurement terminal has voltage inputs for direct monitoring of powerful generators up to 690 V AC, such as those commonly used in the wind energy industry. No upstream voltage transformer is required, and with TwinSAFE SC technology it is easy to implement safe power monitoring.

The TwinSAFE SC technology (TwinSAFE Single Channel) facilitates the use of standard signals for safety-related tasks in networks or fieldbuses. The EtherCAT I/Os, such as the new power measurement terminal, are expanded to include the TwinSAFE SC function, and will retain their typical signal properties and standard functionalities. The TwinSAFE SC technology facilitates communication by means of a TwinSAFE protocol. These connections can be distinguished from the usual safe communication by means of Safety over EtherCAT. The data of the TwinSAFE SC components are transferred to the TwinSAFE Logic, and available for use in safety-relevant applications, for example safe power monitoring.

The four current inputs of the EL3453-0090 power measurement terminal are electrically isolated from each other. It allows the terminal to be used in all common current transformer configurations such as 2- or 3-transformer configurations with star or delta connections, including neutral conductor current measurement. The grid analysis is carried out up to the 63rd harmonic and is also summarised in the Power Quality Factor for simplified diagnosis. Like all measured terminal data, the harmonic content can be read via the process data. The ExtendedRange feature provides the full technical measuring range, up to 130% of the specified nominal measuring range.


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