POWER QUALITY

(HARMONICS & REDUCTION)

PRESENTED
BY

K.CHANDRA SEKHAR.
III YEAR E.E.E (B.E.)
SIR C.R.REDDY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING.
ELURU-534007. (WEST GODAVARI)
EMAIL ID : chandu_chand@takemail.com

P.PAUL STEPHEN
III YEAR E.E.E (B.Tech.)
GODAVARI INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
RAJAHMUNERY-533294 (EAST GODAVARI )
EMAIL ID: paul_stephen_rjy@yahoo.co.in
Paul.kissy@gmail.com
ABSTRACT:-

The proliferation of electronic equipment in modern workplace raises the

potential interactions with the electric distribution system, and this requires a more
sophisticated approach to prevent these interactions. Common power disturbances like
voltage sag and surges have led to the use of additional equipment like UPS system and
battery supported systems, in order to increase the electrical reliability. In addition, the
signal disturbances are very difficult to locate and neutralize. Thus energy managers can
employ a number of practices to provide overall quality power and reduce the
disturbances due to harmonic currents in the load activities. In the present e-era, with the
IT and TC revolution the loads are nonlinear in nature and injects considerable amount of
harmonics into the power supply systems.

The power quality is a term used to broadly encompass the entire scope of
interaction among electrical suppliers, the environment, the system and products
energized, and the uses of those systems and products. It is more than the delivery of
clean electric power that compile with industry standards. It involves the
maintainability of that power, the design, the selection, and the installation every piece of
hardware and software in the electrical energy system. Stretching from the generation
plant to the utility customer, power quality is a measure of how the elements affect
system as a whole.

This paper presents an overview of electric power quality with special emphasis on
power quality problems by harmonics and its adverse impacts on utilities and customers
and the mitigation techniques.
INTRODUCTION:

Power Quality is the degree to which both utilization and delivery of electric
power affect the performance of electrical equipment. Any deviation to the magnitude or
frequency of the ideal sinusoidal voltage waveform can be regarded as a Power Quality
disturbance. The quality of the power supply of an ideal electric power system means to
supply energy with perfect sinusoidal waveform at a constant frequency of specified
constant voltage with least amount of interruptions.

Fig: Perfect sinusoidal Waveform

However, harmonic is the one of the major effects due to which none of the
conditions is fulfilled in practice. The harmonics are defined as the content of the signal
whose frequency is an integral multiple of the system fundamental frequency. The
presence harmonics distorts the waveform shape of the voltage, current levels and
changes the power factor of the supply, which in turn creates so many disturbances.

There are two major categories of harmonic effects of equipment. The first is
heating effect in power handling equipment such as motors, capacitors and transformers,
which most often reduces equipment operating life. The second category is disruption of
operation of equipment that includes for the most parts electronically controlled
equipment.

In order to attain good power quality to provide surplus power to the customers
more efficiently, harmonics must be reduced. Hence to mitigate Harmonic distortion &
to attain good power quality the Harmonic effect must be analyzed and suitable
mitigation techniques is employed.
 SOURCES OF HARMONIC PRODUCTION:

Harmonic distortion:

Electricity is produced and delivered in its fundamental form as a 50 cycles per second
sine wave in India. Usually, certain types of equipment can superimpose harmonics on
the basic sine wave.

Fig: Effect of third harmonic on fundamental Voltage distortion

Harmonics are multiples of the fundamental frequency wave. Because harmonics are
super imposed on the fundamental waveform, the frequency of the electricity no longer
follows a smooth frequency sine as shown.

EFFECTS OF HARMONICS:

In many case, harmonics will not have detrimental effects on equipment operation. If the
harmonics are very severe, however, or if loads are highly sensitive, a number of problems may
arise. The addition of power factor correction capacitors to harmonic-producing loads can
worsen the situation, if they have parallel resonance with the inductance of the power system.
This results in amplifying the harmonic currents producing high harmonic voltages.
 In below table list the major problems associated with harmonics flowing in the power
system:-

HARMONICS ANALYSIS FOR POWER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Harmonic analyses are usually conducted by obtaining and interpreting measurements of

waveforms.

Some of the reasons for taking harmonic measurements include:-

Confirmation the presence of harmonics.

Locating a harmonic source.
Evaluating the severity of the problem relative to acceptable harmonic limits.
Setting standards and guidelines.
Providing input data for harmonic software analysis program.
Harmonic filter design.
 Designing analytical model of the problem.

MITIGATION TECHNIQUE FOR ACHIEVING GOOD POWER QUALITY:-

The key elements to mitigate power quality problems are:

Proper grounding and wiring.

Effective mitigating equipment.

GROUNDING:-

Grounding is one of the most important aspects of an electrical distribution

system but often the least understood.

Grounding is required efficiently to serve the following purposes:

To protect life from the danger of electric shock, and property from damage;
To limit the voltage upon a circuit when exposed to higher voltages than that for
which the circuit is designed.

Hence, earth grounding establishes the zero voltage reference for an electrical distribution
system and provides protection to the electrical system and equipment from
superimposed voltages from harmonic effect or any other electrical disturbances.

EFFECTIVE MITGATION EQUIPMENT:-

HARMONIC FILTERS:-

The filters are used to block or trap the offending currents, lessening the harmonic
loads on the wiring. But the filter design is dependent on the equipment on which it is
installed, and may be ineffective if the particular piece of equipment is changed. Filtering
characteristics need to be carefully designed for a given installation and seeking
professional design advice is recommended.
Two important types of filters are Active filters and Passive parallel filters.

Following are the different techniques used to eliminate harmonics of

different orders to keep harmonic distortion within permissible limit.

PASSIVE FILTERS:

These are LC resonating or parallel resonating circuits which offer very high or
low impedance at tuning frequency. These filters are resistive at tuned frequency,
capacitive at below tuned frequencies and inductive beyond tuned frequency.

TYPES OF PASSIVE FILTERS:

1.Series passive filters: These are connected in series and offers very high
impedance to different harmonics at tuned frequency, because of its very high cost
such type of filters are not used.

Fig: Series Passive Filter

2.Shunt passive filters: These are connected between line and earth and offer
very low impedance at resonant frequency. Hence particular harmonic or harmonics
directed to earth and prevented from passing further. The high pass shunt filters are
connected to the point of common coupling block all over the harmonic frequency
and passes all higher frequency.
 Fig Shunt Passive Filter

ADVANTAGES OF PASSIVE FILTERS:-

1. Simple in construction, less costly and efficient

2. Serves dual purpose harmonic filtration and power factor correction of load.

DISADVANTAGES OF PASSIVE FILTERS:-

1. Cannot function under saturated condition.

2. Number of passive filters installed must be equal to the number of harmonic

levels to be compensated.

3. Connection of passive filters necessities a specific analysis of each installation.

4. Non adaptability to system variations.

5. Tendency to resonate with the other load.

2. ACTIVE FILTERS:

When the number of harmonics to be filtered, large no of branches of

passive filters will be required. The actual number of branches will depend upon no of
harmonic level of branches will depend upon no of harmonic level to be compensated.
Hence, because of passive filter use for filtration of large no of harmonics results in large
size &more cost. Introduction of self commutated devices e.g. MOSFETS, IGBT etc.
Accelerated the research in design of active filter & resulted low cost, high performance
active filter suitable to eliminate the harmonics of different orders to overcome the
drawbacks of passive filters.
 Active filters compensate voltage of current harmonic signal measured. The
injected voltage or current harmonic signal measured. The injected voltage or current
harmonic signals in to the power system network is of same magnitude and opposite in
phase of the measured harmonic signal. It comprises power converter and control loop
which controls the harmonics injection of the filter as the function of harmonic signal
measure.

TYPES OF ACTIVE FILTERS:-

1. SHUNT TYPE ACTIVE FILTER:

These devises are designed to constantly monitor the harmonics in the load current and
same harmonic equal in magnitude and opposite in phase thus cancel the original
harmonics. These are connected in parallel with harmonic generating non-linear load.

2. SERIES TYPE ACTIVE FILTER:-

These are connected in series with network and non-linear load. It introduces a suitable
voltage through a matching transformer, voltage introduce by series filter is in such a way
that the supply sees a very high impedance for harmonic and low impedance for
fundamental.

3. HYBRID FILTERS:

These are combination of passive and active filter to improve performance similar to
active filter with reduction in cost.

DISADVANTAGE OF ACTIVE FILTER:-

Complex and costlier.

Special designs are used to attenuate harmonics. A shunt-connected tuned filter, which consists
of an inductor, a capacitor and a resistor, is tuned to eliminate a specific harmonic order by
providing a low impedance to the harmonic frequency and shunting the harmonic energy to
ground. A number of these filters may be arranged in stages, with each stage selectively filtering
a given harmonic frequency.

Fig Examples of Harmonic Filters

 Lower order harmonics, can be effectively mitigated by using multistage shunt
filters.

SHIELDED ISOLATION TRANSFORMERS:-

Shielded isolation transformers are filtering devices that lessen feed-through of

harmonic frequencies from the source or the load. They are a plausible retrofit technique
where power problems have already been encountered, but also quite expensive.

USES:-

Isolation transformers are used to attenuate common mode noise.

They provide a new neutral to ground reference point.
Isolation transformers may be combined with other equipment such as transient
suppressors and circuit breakers to form complex circuits know as Power Distribution
Units (PDUs).
Isolation transformers can reduce higher order harmonics, but will not eliminate
harmonic distortion completely.
Only high quality shielded isolation transformers should be used in critical
applications.

DISADVANTAGES:-

The ability of an isolation transformer to attenuate normal mode noise varies,

depending on the load.

K-FACTOR TRANSFORMERS:-

The k-factor transformers have beefed-up conductors and sometimes cooling to

safely handle harmonic loads. Alternatively, standard transformers are sometimes derated
to allow for the extra heating due to harmonics.

K-FACTOR:-k-factor is defined as the sum of all the eddy-currents losses occurring due
to individual harmonic currents over the harmonic interval h1 t h.

P (h)EL = P (1)EL ( Ih (p.u.) )2 h2

 h=1

P (h) EL = ( Ih (p.u.) )2 h2 =k-factor

h=1
P (1)EL

Where P (h) EL Eddy current loss due to harmonic currents

P (1) EL - Eddy current loss due to fundamental current.

Hence by using the near k-factor transformer relating to the harmonic content the
harmonics effected can be mitigated.

CONCLUSIONS:-

Nonlinear loads have come to stay. On certain feeders, the harmonic currents
do dominate. Even as electronic devices overpower all the other loads, the domination
will spread over the supply network accentuating the nonlinearity. Hence, the distribution
system will have to be installed to cope-up with the load. The best measure of power
quality is the ability of electrical equipment to operate in a satisfactory manner, given
proper care and maintenance. The load should be designed for compatibility with the
electrical system. Performance measures and operating guidelines for electrical
equipment must be followed according to the standards, policies and procedures. This
paper has focused broadly on the power quality issues, the implications on the utilities
and customers in the power system. At the same time, the paper has discussed in brief the
assessment of power quality. The effective means of compensation through various
techniques have also been highlighted.

REFERENCES:-

1. Power quality issues standards &guide lines, IEEE, Vol-32,

May96

2. IEEE recommended practices and requirements for harmonic control in electric power system
standard 519-1992.
 3. Power quality and Harmonics: JOHN H. WAGGONER.

4. Harmonic analysis for industrial customers

IEEE transaction on industry application

5. Understanding the power quality problems - Math J Bollen.