Harmonic distortions

Waveform distortion
Presence of non-linear loads drawing non-sinusoidal
current
Distorted current waveform
 Comprises of multitude of harmonic components (integer
multiples of fundamental frequency)
 Half-wave symmetry – only odd harmonics present
Harmonic current flows through system impedance
producing harmonic voltage distortions
 Magnitude of harmonic currents
 Size of the system impedance at harmonic frequency
 Typically more distorted nearer to non-linear loads (if there is no
resonance condition)

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 2

 Single phase converters
Uncontrolled rectifier input with DC bus capacitor
 Discontinuous current
 Half-wave symmetry
 Odd harmonics

+ High
Frequency
Vac Switching Vdc
and Voltage
Control
-

50
40
30
20
10
0
y

-10
-20
-30
-40
-50

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 3

 PWM ASD (Adjustable speed drive)
Diode Transistor
Uncontrolled input rectifier L inverter

DC bus capacitor
High frequency Va
Vb C M
output Vc

6-pulse converter -
6k1 harmonic orders
200
150
100
50
0
y

-50
-100
-150
-200

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 4

 Three-phase VSI (voltage source inverter)
Controlled input and Thyristor Thyristor
rectifier L inverter
output (low frequency)
Narrower pulses
Va

Higher percentage of Vb C M
Vc
harmonics
e.g. with 60 
250
200
150
100
50
0
y

-50
-100
-150
-200
-250

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 5

 Three-phase CSI (current source inverter)
Thyristor Thyristor
Good acceleration / rectifier L inverter

deceleration
Fairly rectangular in Va
Vb M
shape Vc

Lower harmonics

60
IsaH
40
50.0
20

0
y

-20

-40

-60

0.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
A [5] 9.0994
Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 6
 Partially loaded CSI
Large firing angle under light load condition or when
drive is overrated
Current waveform becomes less rectangular
Harmonics largely unchanged even fundamental
component is significantly lower

60

40
IsaH
20
50.0
0
y

-20

-40

-60

0.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
A [5] 8.1950

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 7

 Harmonics in three-phase systems
For balanced condition (both system and loads
are balanced), harmonics are of certain
symmetrical components only
 Fundamental, 7th, 13th, 19th, … - positive sequence
 5th, 11th, 17th, … - negative sequence
 3rd, 9th, 15th, 21st, … (triplens) – zero sequence
System where symmetrical impedances differ,
would respond to each harmonic differently
For unbalanced system or, harmonics comprise
of all sequences
 Predominantly, still of the specific sequences

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 8

 Triplen harmonics
Zero sequence triplens sum up at neutral
 Neutral overloading
 Transformer overheating
 Distorted star point (neutral) voltage

Circulating triplen Star point

harmonics cause voltage
over-heating distorted by
triplen
harmonics

Neutral overloaded by
3x triplen harmonics
Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 9
 60
40

20
0

y
-20

-40
-60

Iphase A, star

50

25

y
-25

-50

Ineutral

1.50
1.25
1.00
0.75
0.50
0.25
y

0.00
-0.25
-0.50
-0.75

Iphase A, delta
Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 10
 Transformer winding effect on triplen

Zero sequences trapped

circulating in delta
winding
Do not propagate into
supply system
Overloading/overheating
not obvious from line
side measurements
Wye-ground connection
allows zero-sequence to
flow into ac system

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 11

 Solving neutral / transformer overloading

Separate neutrals
Shunt filter / zigzag
transformer with low zero
sequence impedance
Series blocking filter Separate neutral for each phase, avoiding
the summation of triplen at shared neutral

Reduced triplen Reduced triplen

harmonic current in harmonic current in
wye transformer wye transformer

Zig-zag transformer
provides alternative Blocking filter at neutral reduces
path of triplen triplen harmonic currents
harmonic current

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 12

 50
40
30
20
10
0

y
-10
-20
-30
-40
-50

Original without filtering

50
40
30
20
10
0

y
-10
-20
-30
-40

Neutral blocking filter

IsaH
20.0 40
30
20
10
0
y

-10
-20
-30
-40

0.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Shunt zig-zag transformer
[3] 0.3480

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 13

 Harmonic current flows
Low frequency harmonics flow towards inductive system
or ac source
High frequency harmonics are drawn or attracted by low
impedance of capacitors
Depends on the impedance at the harmonic frequency
and for three-phase system, the sequence impedance

Lower frequencies flow

towards supply system /
sources (inductive) High
frequencies
flow towards
capacitors

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 14

 Harmonic voltage distortions
+ Voltage drop (distorted) -

Distorted load current

Fund., 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, ... Fund., 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, ...

Flow of distorted currents cause distorted voltage drop

across system impedances
Magnitude of harmonic voltages
 Size of harmonic currents – load characteristics
 Size of harmonic impedances – length of the current flow path
Effects of sequences and transformer connections
 No triplen (predominantly zero sequence) in supply system

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 15

 Main : Graphs
I2a
150

100
V1H
50
500.0
0

y
-50

-100

-150

0.400 0.420 0.440 0.460 0.480 0.500 ...

...
...
0.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
A [11] 339.329

Main : Graphs
I1a
6.0 I2H
4.0 50.0

2.0

0.0
y

-2.0

-4.0

-6.0

0.380 0.400 0.420 0.440 0.460 0.480 ...

... 0.0
... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
A [11] 21.8819

Main : Graphs
I3a
150

100

50

y
-50

-100

-150

0.400 0.420 0.440 0.460 0.480 0.500 ...

...
...

I3H
50.0

0.0
Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
16
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
[11] 18.6707
 Parallel and series resonances
Resonance occurs when inductive reactance equal to
capacitive reactance at or near a characteristic harmonic
frequency
Parallel resonance involving supply system and
substation capacitors
Series resonance made up of distribution transformer
and PF improvement capacitors
Xsys

Potential series Xtrans

Potential parallel
resonance formed
resonance formed by
by Xtrans and Xc
Xsys and Xc-sys

Xc-sys
Xc

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 17

 Solving harmonic distortion problems

Underlying concerns
 Large harmonic currents
 Harmonic current flow path is too long
 System resonance magnifies one or more harmonics
 Result in over-loading, high voltage distortion and interferences
Solution working principles
 Reduce harmonic currents from the source
 Shorten the path of harmonic current flow by introducing
alternative path that is shorter (lower impedance)
 Modify system response frequency to be away from typical
(characteristic) harmonic frequencies
 Divert harmonic current from over-loaded equipment

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 18

 Passive shunt filters
Series tuned filters presenting low impedances at the
tune frequencies
Provide alternate paths for harmonic currents, preventing
them flowing into supply system
Filter’s components are sized to withstand harmonic
currents and voltages
4000

3500

3000

2500
|Ztotal| ()
2000

1500
Harmonic currents
trapped by shunt filters
1000

500

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 19

 Active filters
VSI injects specially-shaped current / voltage to cancel
harmonics in distorted load current / system voltage
 Shunt-connected: compensate for current distortion
 Series-connected: compensate for voltage distortion
Used with passive shunt filters in hybrid operation
Sinusoidal currents
flowing through system

Distorted current drawn

Purposely shaped currents by non-linear loads
injected by active filter
PWM VSI

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 20

 Shunt active filter
0.150

0.100

0.050

0.150 0.000

kA
0.100 -0.050
0.050 -0.100

0.000 -0.150
kA

Ndc
-0.050
ComBus
-0.100
AM
-0.150

2.5
1 3 5 GM
A A A A A
0.02 [MVA]
0.002 Va PI / 180
B B B B B Pi by 180
#1 #2

0.035
Vb
C C C 0.2 0.2 C C AO *
Vc
4 6 2 KB

Idc
#1
ISa
0.2

0.02 [MVA]
ISa
Ia Ia
ISb ISb
0.2

Ib Ib
#2

ISc ISc
Ic
C

A
Ic

system
C

currents A P
0.002

0.002

0.002

RealPower load VFdc VFdc

Power currents
B Q
ReactivePower IFdc IFdc
C

VFdc

0.1 1 3 5
0.001
IFa 2 2 2

0.001
G1 G3 G5
0.1
0.001 Simplification:
IFb a dc source has been put in the
0.1 0.001 place of dc capacitor, it has
simplified a control system of
IFc
4 6 2 active filter
0.060 2 2 2
G4 G6 G2
0.040

0.020 IFa IFa

0.000
kA

IFb IFb
-0.020

-0.040
IFc IFc
-0.060

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 21

 Series active filter with passive shunt filters
Source impedance affects effectiveness of
passive shunt filters
Small-rated active filter introduces an active
impedance to enhance shunt filtering
 Avoid resonance between shunt filter and source
Sinusoidal currents
flowing through system

Active
impedance PWM VSI

Distorted current drawn

by non-linear loads

Passive filter traps

harmonic currents

Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis 22

 0.150 Reference:
F.Z. Peng, H. Akagi and A.Nabe,
0.100

Passive shunt filters

0.00026300.0

0.00026300.0

0.00026300.0
'A New Approach to Harmonic Compensation Graph Page

0.0012 340.0

0.0012 340.0

0.0012 340.0

0.0012 170.0

0.0012 170.0

0.0012 170.0

3.0

3.0

3.0
0.050 in Power Systems - A Combined System of Shunt
0.000 Passive and Series Active Filters', IEEE Trans. on Ind.Applications,
kA

vol.26, No.6, Nov/Dec 1990, pp. 983-990.

-0.050
-0.100
-0.150 active filter Load:
voltage a 6 pulse rectifier as VLdc Vdc_load
a source of harmonics
Idc Idc_load
system
ISa currents VAFa
ISa VAFa VAFb VAFb VAFc VAFc
VLdc

IFa

IFb

IFc
ISb ISb ComBus Ndc

#1
AM
ISc ISc

2.5
#2
Na 1 3 5 GM
A A A A A
0.02 [MVA]
0.0001 Va
B Nb B B B B
#1 #2

0.035
Isrc

Vb

#1

VAFa
C Nc C C 0.2 0.2 C C AO 0.01745329
*
Vc

#2
4 6 2 KB

0.001

Idc
Itg
#1

Simplification: 0.150
VAFb a dc source has been put in the
0.100
#2

place of dc capacitor, it has

simplified a control system of 0.050
VFdc
IaAF active filter
0.000

kA
IFdc -0.050 Ia Ia
-0.100
VAFc

-0.150 Ib Ib control system of active filter:

0.33
calculations of firing pulses
VFdc
0.001

Ic Ic

0.001
1 3
2 2
g1 g4 load VaRef
currents

VcRef
Iaf *

0.001
-1.0
1
VbRef
2

VaRef
4 2 * 3
-1.0
IbAF

2 2 4
g4 g1 VcRef
5

VbRef
* 6
0.33 -1.0
control system of active filter: H_on
generation of triangular waveforms
synchronized with system ac voltage

VaRef
*
0.001

-1.0
VcRef

Series active filter 1 3 1

VbRef
2 2 Va *
2
g3 g6 Va -1.0
Phase- Modulo 3
theta VaRef
Vb Locked * 4

VcRef
Vb 360.0 *
Loop 5
-1.0
Vc 300.0 6
Vc VbRef H_off
4 2
IcAF

2 2
g6 g3

0.33 1
2
3
4
0.001

Dblck 2 g1
5 (1)
1 3 6
2 2 TrgOn H_on 6 2 g2
H (2)
g5 g2
ON
TrgOn 6 2 g3
1 L (3)
2
H_off 6 2 g4
3 H (4)
4 2 4 OFF
2 2 TrgOff 6 2 g5
g2 g5 5 L (5)
6
Nov 2004 PSCAD Transient Simulation for Power Quality Analysis TrgOff
(6)
2 g6
23