Traceability of static reactive energy meters in the presence of harmonics: theoretical considerations and a DAQ-based reference meter

This paper deals with some problems related to the measurements traceability with static meters for reactive energy. These problems arise when the meters operate in the presence of harmonics, which can negatively affect their performances, depending on implemented metric. The paper analyzes the problem in the light of both in-force and draft standards, from the viewpoint of the performances of both commercial meters and reference standard instruments. The analysis is supported by some experimental tests, which are carried out by means of a reference meter, based on data acquisition boards, which can be used in both sinusoidal and distorted conditions.