PRODUCT REVIEW: RM-18 WATTHOUR PORTABLE METER TEST SYSTEM

PRODUCT REVIEW: RM-18 WATTHOUR PORTABLE METER TEST SYSTEM
Review on RM-18: Product for ensuring kilowatt-hour meter accuracy

Non-technical loss in an electric utility in the form of pilferage can be in many forms. Many ways of stealing electric power can be done in the current technology today. Direct tapping, installation of jumpers, and meter tampering are just a few of those methods used to pilfer energy. Among the methods mentioned, the most rampant method would be through tampering of meter. Likewise, meter tampering can also have number of methods in doing so; the most common would be adjusting the accuracy of the meter.

As we all know, meter accuracy is very important not only to the utility but also to the consumer since this is the one responsible for reflecting the actual consumption of the user. Unfortunately, criminal minds use this knowledge for their own benefit by opening the meter and adjusting its accuracy.

Reports are usually given to the utility regarding a possible violator where they send their apprehending crew to attend such report. Using a sophisticated portable watt-hour meter test device enables them to know whether the meter to be tested is within or outside the tolerance for meter accuracy.

The Radian Research RM-18 Portable Test System offers the accuracy and legitimacy of true ANSI C12 meter testing in a light, compact test kit that is both simple and safe to operate. The RM-18 incorporates a true Radian Research watt-hour standard as its measurement reference. The RM-17 provides a guaranteed accuracy of +/- 0.10% which is traceable to NIST.  This inherent Radian watt-hour accuracy allows for the meter’s accuracy to be actually tested and not merely verified. These key attributes of the RM-18 make it ideal for performing customer complaint testing on residential billing meters.

The RM-18 offers unprecedented ease of operation. The operator simply removes the watt-hour meter from the socket and replaces it with the RM-18 Socket Adapter. The meter under test is then set in the Socket Adapter. Test parameters are selected and the test initiated from the RM-18 Hand Controller. The RM-18 remembers the last set of test parameters entered increasing efficiency when testing multiple meters of the same type. Testing is facilitated automatically by the RM-18 with little or no operator involvement depending on the testing method used. Results are calculated and displayed on the RM-18 Hand Controller in either % error or % registration format. One set of results is stored in the hand controller for later recall.

This meter test set is relatively light (5.7 lbs) for its purpose thus giving the apprehending crew extra convenience in doing their tasks. RM-18 is useful for verification of accuracy purpose only and should not be used as an official reference for meter accuracy since this is usually the responsibility of the energy regulatory body.

RM-18 is limited only for testing form 1s and 2s meters thus higher form of meter can no longer be applicable for this test set. To view the whole specification of RM-18, you can click the link below which will route you to their official site.