23 May 2016 |

c 0MPRCR-1

ONE
OPTIMISED
NETWORK
EQUIPMENT Reactors and shunt capacitor banks

Introduction External grid

Shunt capacitor banks are installed for a variety of T1

reasons in industrial, distribution and transmission 20 MVA Dyn11
systems. A common thread to all installations is the
11 kV bus
question of what, if any series reactor should be in- Skss = 181 MVA
stalled with the capacitor bank.

Series reactors are used with capacitor banks for two

L1
main reasons: P = 18 MW
Q = 12 Mvar
ITHD = 6% C1, C2
4 Mvar at 11 kV

To dampen the effect of transients during capaci-

tor switching, and to

If the only impedance between the two banks is that

Control the natural frequency of the capacitor in the busbar and cabling between the banks, a very
bank and system impedance to avoid resonance large, high frequency inrush current will flow between
or to sink harmonic current. the banks, as shown in the figure below.

This note is based on a realistic example and dis-

100
cusses the effect and consequences of different types
of reactor.
Current (pu)

1 Capacitor switching transients 100

When a capacitor bank is energised, the bank and the 0 5 10 15 20

Time (ms)
network are subject to transient voltage and current.
The severity of the effect is determined by the size of
the capacitor and the network impedance.

The worst case occurs when a capacitor bank is ener-
gised close to a bank that is already connected. The
inrush current into the newly connected bank (and out
of the connected bank) is determined by the size of
the capacitor bank and the inductance between the
two banks. The larger the banks, and the smaller
the inductance between banks, the higher will be the
inrush current.
The frequency of the inrush current is determined
by the ratio of capacitor bank reactance and the
impedance between the banks. The smaller the
impedance, the higher will be the frequency.
Consider the case shown in the following simplified
single line diagram. An 11 kV substation is supplied
via a 132 kV/11 kV transformer. At 11 kV, a load
with moderately poor power factor is overloading the
supply transformer. It is decided to compensate the
load by means of 8 Mvar of reactive power, in two
steps of 4 Mvar.
In this case, with only some micro-henrys between the
banks, a peak current of more than 120 times nominal
current, at a frequency of more than 8 kHz can be
expected.
Capacitor standards such as IEC 60871 state that
capacitors should be able to withstand inrush currents
up to 100 times nominal. The standards suggest a
lower value if banks are switched frequently.
Large and high frequency inrush current can dam-
age capacitors, circuit breakers and contactors. All
connected equipment, and even remote substations
are subject to voltage transients and may result in
sporadic equipment malfunction or failure.
To avoid this problem, it is common practice to insert
inrush limiting reactors in series with the capacitor
banks.
In the diagram below, 150 H reactors have been
inserted in series with each bank.

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 External grid When the first step is connected, the impedance trace
above predicts that resonance will occur at the seventh
harmonic. This is clearly seen in the chart below, with
total voltage distortion of 25%, mainly at the seventh
T1
20 MVA Dyn11 harmonic.
Similarly, when the second step is connected reso-
11 kV bus
Skss = 181 MVA
nance occurs at the fifth harmonic, resulting in voltage
distortion of more than 30%.

40
L1
P = 18 MW No PFC

Voltage distortion (%)

Q = 12 Mvar 30 One step
ITHD = 6% Two steps

C1, C2 20
4 Mvar at 11 kV
0.150 mH reactors
10

The peak inrush current is now almost an order of 0

magnitude smaller, at a much lower frequency, as can THD 5 7 11 13 17 19
be seen from the trace below. Harmonic order

From an inrush limiting perspective, this should be suf-

ficient protection for the capacitor bank and associated Such high levels of voltage distortion are beyond limits
equipment. of practical electricity distribution, and far exceed per-
missible power quality levels. Protection equipment
will disconnect equipment in such circumstances due
2 Voltage distortion to the high currents experienced, but before such pro-
tection operates capacitor life will be dramatically re-
Even if switching can be arranged in such a manner duced, cables, busbars, transformers and switchgear
that no transient current occurs (such as promised by will be thermally stressed, and connected equipment
point of wave switching) due consideration must be such as control systems can malfunction or fail.
given to the natural frequency of the network, and the
effect of harmonic resonance.
3 Avoiding resonance
The following traces indicate the impedance of the
network above, as seen from the 11 kV busbar.
This problem with harmonic resonance can be avoided
by selecting a different reactor in series with the capac-
1000 itor bank. The purpose of such reactors is specifically
One bank
Two banks to avoid tuning to any frequency where harmonic cur-
100 rent may be present. For this reason these reactors
Impedance ()

350 Hz are termed detuning reactors and the capacitor bank

250 Hz as a whole is referred to as a detuned bank.
10

External grid
1

0.1 T1
0 500 1000 20 MVA Dyn11
Frequency (Hz)
11 kV bus
Skss = 181 MVA

It can be seen that the network presents high

impedance at 250 Hz and 350 Hz, depending on
whether one or both capacitor banks are energised. L1
P = 18 MW
Even if the current distortion is low, very high voltage Q = 12 Mvar
distortion can be expected as a result of harmonic ITHD = 6%
currents flowing into this high impedance.
C1, C2
In the chart below, it is seen that the voltage distortion 4 Mvar at 11 kV
(VTHD ) at the 11 kV busbar without any power factor 7% reactors
correction is expected to be 4.3%.

2
In the single line diagram the series reactors have system impedance changes in network configura-
been described as 7% reactors. This shorthand ter- tion will not influence the performance of the bank
minology infers that the reactor reactance is 7% of itself.
the capacitor reactance at the fundamental frequency.
The resulting tuned frequency of the bank is 189 Hz The effect of the detuned bank on harmonic distortion
at this frequency, the reactor and capacitor have equal is indicated in the chart below. As before, the voltage
reactance. distortion with no capacitors connected is 4.3%.

Other detuning types commonly used are 6%, 5%

or 14% in cases where third harmonic distortion is
expected.
4 No PFC

Voltage distortion (%)

A 7% reactor in this case equates to an inductance
One step
of 7.25 mH. This is very significantly higher than the 3 Two steps
150 H of the inrush limiting reactors. These reac-
tors therefore also take up more physical space, are
2
heavier and cost more.
The effect of the higher series inductance can be seen 1
in the inrush transient below. It is clear that the peak
inrush current is limited to less than four times the 0
nominal current, and that the frequency of the tran-
sient is much lower than in the case of inrush limiting THD 5 7 11 13 17 19
Harmonic order
reactors.

4 With one step connected, the voltage distortion falls

somewhat, due to some absorption of harmonic cur-
Current (pu)

2 rent by the capacitor bank. The resulting voltage dis-

tortion is 2.8%. With two steps connected, the voltage
0 distortion is slightly more than 2%.

The purpose of detuned banks is not to significantly

2
reduce harmonic distortion but rather to ensure that
the capacitor bank does not resonate with the network
4
impedance, irrespective of the number of connected
0 0.5 1.0 steps, network configuration or load conditions.
Time (s)
In all cases thus far, the current distortion of the load
was taken to be a low 6%. If the total load has a
The frequency dependent impedance of the two steps large proportion of non-linear loads, for example in
are shown in the chart below. The natural frequency of an industrial application with many variable speed
the network is moved to below any of the frequencies drives or rectifier loads, the current distortion will be
where significant current harmonic distortion occurs. significantly higher, as shown in the chart below.

100
One bank
Two banks
10 20
Impedance ()

Low distortion
Current distortion (%)

High distortion
15
1
189 Hz
10
0.1
5

0 500 1000 0
Frequency (Hz)
THD 5 7 11 13 17 19
Harmonic order
It is also clear that the natural frequency is not in-
fluenced by the number of capacitor steps that are
connected.
Given a total current distortion of 19%, the same net-
Not shown in this chart, but important to note is the work with 7% detuned capacitor banks would have
fact that the detuning frequency is independent of the voltage distortion as indicated in the chart below.

3
 100
15 One bank
Voltage distortion (%) No PFC Two banks
One step Three banks

Impedance ()
Two steps 10
10

1
350 Hz
5
550 Hz
0.1

0 250 Hz

THD 5 7 11 13 17 19 0 500 1000

Harmonic order Frequency (Hz)

The network as seen from the 11 kV busbar now has

Even with the reduction in voltage distortion resulting
from the detuned bank, it is clear that the distortion
level at the 11 kV busbar exceeds the permissible
contribution of a single load at a point of common
coupling. If compliance with voltage quality regulations
is required, alternative measures are required.
very low impedance at these harmonic frequencies,
exactly where most harmonic generation takes place.
The capacitor banks will therefore by design absorb
most of the current at these frequencies.
The effect of the harmonic filter is clear from the har-
monic spectra below. With all three steps connected,
the voltage distortion on the 11 kV busbar is just over
1%.

15
4 Reducing harmonic distortion No PFC
Voltage distortion (%)

One step
Two steps
10 Three steps
In the network below, the configuration of the capacitor
bank has been modified with the specific purpose of
reducing the amount of harmonic distortion at the 11
5
kV busbar.

0
THD 5 7 11 13 17 19
External grid Harmonic order

T1
20 MVA Dyn11 5 Conclusion
11 kV bus
Skss = 181 MVA
This application note describes in simple terms the
benefits of installing reactors in series with capacitor
banks.

L1 It is shown that for some applications, current limiting

P = 18 MW reactors may be all that is required for safe operation
Q = 12 Mvar of the network and capacitor banks.
ITHD = 6%
It is always necessary to understand the interaction
C1, C2, C3 between the capacitor banks and the network, and in
5,3,2 Mvar at 11 kV
4.2, 2.2, 0.87% reactors
some case detuned or even tuned harmonic filters are
required.
Optimised Network Equipment can assist you in select-
ing the correct reactor and design appropriate reactive
power compensation to suit your requirements. Find
us at www.onegrid.com.au
The bank is somewhat bigger and has an additional
step. The series-connected reactors have been se-
lected to tune the capacitor steps to the fifth, seventh
and eleventh harmonic, as shown in the chart below.