16 December 2015 |

c 0MPRUF-2

ONE
OPTIMISED
NETWORK
EQUIPMENT Zero power harmonic filters

Introduction tuned frequency. The losses due to harmonics are

proportional to the magnitude of harmonic currents
present.
Harmonic filters consisting of capacitors, reactors and
possibly damping resistors remove harmonic current Tuned filters of any configuration produce leading re-
from the network and improve load power factor by active power that can be completely compensated
contributing capacitive reactive power. The capaci- by connecting a shunt reactor of the same reactive
tance of the filter bank is determined in part by the power rating in parallel with the filter. The combination
reactive power compensation required, and the in- will then have a near zero active and reactive power
ductance of the filter reactor is chosen so that the contribution to the network.
combination is tuned to the desired frequency.
Some applications require harmonic mitigation without 2 Harmonic performance
any significant reactive power contribution, for exam-
ple when non-linear loads operate at close to unity
power factor and the network cannot accept leading The damped passive unity power factor harmonic filter
reactive power. Such a situation typically arises when shown in figure 1 has recently been supplied to a min-
the network impedance is low, implying that relatively eral processing plant in Australia. The plant operates
small non-linear loads can cause unacceptable har- in island mode with power supplied from a number
monic distortion, and any leading reactive power may of generators. The number of generators in service
result in excessive voltage variations when filters are changes with the plant load. The plant contains linear
switched. and non-linear loads.

This note reviews harmonic filtering solutions that draw

G
current only at harmonic frequencies. Steady state
and transient performance of a practical installation is
described, illustrating a passive filter circuit that is an 11 kV
effective solution of harmonic distortion yet that draws
almost no fundamental frequency current, and has no
onerous switching requirements.

77 mH
1 Unity power factor filters

10 Ω 3.5 mH
Unity power factor harmonic filters can be active
(based on power electronics) or passive. The suit-
ability of either option depends on a variety of fac-
126 μF
tors, including the frequency dependent impedance of
the network and the range of harmonic frequencies
present.
Figure 1: Simplified single line diagram of plant
Active harmonic filters are most efficient when ap-
plied in networks with a low frequency dependent
impedance (high fault level) and where significant
The non-linear loads have a broad harmonic current
current distortion is only present at relatively low
spectrum. This results in voltage distortion at char-
harmonic orders, for example the fifth and seventh
acteristic frequencies associated with conventional
harmonics. Compensating higher harmonic orders
variable speed drives as well as any number of non-
requires increased switching frequency and hence
integer and non-characteristic frequencies typically
higher losses. The losses of an active harmonic filter
associated with slip energy recovery drives, as is illus-
can therefore depend on the harmonic frequencies
trated in figure 2.
present, as well as their magnitude.
Passive harmonic filters modify the network
Distortion (% of V1)

impedance in such a manner that current from With filter

4 Without filter
harmonic sources is diverted into the filter, resulting
in lower harmonic voltage distortion. Such filters
2
are most effective in networks with high frequency
dependent impedance. Filter configurations are
0
tailored to the application, depending on the nature of
harmonic generation. Damped harmonic filters (filters THD 7 13 19 25 31 37 43 49
Harmonic order
with a damping resistor connected in parallel with
the tuning reactor) can be used to mitigate harmonic
distortion across a wide range of frequencies. Figure 2: Voltage distortion at the plant 11 kV bus with
Such filters will remove harmonic current from the and without the damped filter connected
network and reduce the impedance at and above the

Optimised Network Equipment Pty Ltd 41/ 2 Benson Street Toowong QLD 4059
ABN 56 151 739 374 PO Box 1951 Toowong QLD 4066
www.onegrid.com.au [email protected]
The worst case VTHD was calculated to be 5.3% and
the corresponding spectrum is provided in figure 2
(No filter). The VTHD limit accepted by the power plant 1

Phase current (kA)

is 3%. This limit is exceeded at various load levels,
including low load levels when a small number of gen-
erators are connected. 0

A conventional passive filter solution with its asso-

ciated reactive power contribution would not be ac- −1
ceptable as generators would be required to operate
outside their capability curve. A filter solution was 23 100 200
Time (ms)
required that would not contribute any reactive power
and would absorb a broad range of harmonics.
A 5 Mvar harmonic filter tuned to 240 Hz with a 10 Ω Figure 4: Filter energisation current waveform
damping resistor reduces the worst case VTHD at the recorded at the 11 kV circuit breaker
11 kV bus to 2.8%. The voltage harmonic spectrum
with the 5 Mvar damped filter is shown in figure 2. The
5 Mvar damped filter is connected in parallel with a instantaneously. For example in the “blue" phase the
5 Mvar shunt reactor as shown in figure 1, resulting supply side voltage is at zero when the breaker closes,
in an unity power factor filter with a near zero reactive a point in the waveform that is associated with the
power contribution to the network. peak value of current.
The unity power factor filter has the same effect on The current measurements in Figure 4 shows that
the frequency dependent network impedance as a the unity power factor filter settles to near zero load
5 Mvar damped filter without a parallel shunt reactor, current approximately 300 ms after energisation.
illustrated in figure 3, and hence the same harmonic
performance. Figure 5 displays the filter energisation voltage wave-
form recorded on the plant 11 kV bus, for the period
observed in the magnified portion of figure 4.
Without filter
Impedance (Ohms)

20 With filter
Phase voltage (kV)

10 5

−5
10 20 30 40 50
Harmonic order

23
Time (ms)
Figure 3: Frequency dependent network impedance
at the plant 11 kV bus
Figure 5: Filter energisation voltage waveform
recorded on the plant 11 kV bus
Site measurements confirm that the VTHD with the filter
connected is below the predicted maximum of 2.8%.
The voltage transient is caused by the energisation of
the capacitor bank, and its magnitude and duration is
3 Transient performance determined largely by the tuning reactor.

The transient behaviour of the damped unity power

factor filter during energisation and de-energisation 3.2 Switching off shunt capacitor banks
was investigated through site measurements and mod-
elling. Switching off capacitor banks and shunt reactors indi-
vidually is an onerous task, especially if the neutrals
are isolated from ground.
3.1 Filter energisation When de-energising ungrounded capacitor banks, the
first phase to interrupt will do so when the current
Current and voltage waveforms were recorded at the
reaches zero, hence when the voltage is at its peak.
11 kV circuit breaker panel feeding the filter shown
The charge will remain trapped and the bank will re-
in figure 1 during energisation of the harmonic filter.
tain peak voltage. The instantaneous values of the
The filter energisation current waveform is shown in
currents in the other two phases will be equal and
figure 4.
opposite, and will reach zero simultaneously a quarter
The offset is caused by the energisation of the shunt cycle later. If the other two phases interrupt at this
reactor as the current in the reactor cannot change time then the maximum recovery voltage will appear

2
across the first pole a quarter cycle later, with magni- If a smaller 2.5 Mvar shunt reactor is connected in par-
tude 2.5 times peak phase voltage. This is because allel with the 5 Mvar filter bank then at disconnection
the supply side has reached its maximum value in the the instantaneous values of the filter bank and reactor
opposite polarity to the trapped charge on the capaci- phase currents are equal and opposite (the capacitor
tor bank. This initial maximum recovery voltage occurs and reactor currents decrease and increase respec-
very shortly after the contacts have begun parting and tively). The resonant frequency of the combination is
can lead to restriking or reignition in the breaker with now 35 Hz as the inductance of the shunt reactor has
possibly destructive voltage multiplication. doubled. The source side oscillates at 50 Hz resulting
in the two-frequency voltage waveform illustrated in
figure 7 across the circuit breaker.
3.3 Switching off reactors
20

Phase voltage (kV)

When de-energising ungrounded shunt reactors the
first phase will interrupt at current zero, usually fol-
lowed by the other two phases a quarter cycle later. 0
The difference between capacitor and reactor switch-
ing is that reactor switching results in oscillation on
the load side, and hence a transient recovery voltage
across the breaker. The most severe transient recov- 100 200
Time (ms)
ery voltage will appear across the first pole to clear.
The lower recovery voltages experienced by the other
two poles will be equal and opposite. The frequency
Figure 7: Voltage across the circuit breaker after de-
and amplitude of the load side oscillation determine
energisation (2.5 Mvar reactor)
the rate of rise of the recovery voltage and depend on
the inductance and stray capacitance of the reactor.
These stray capacitances are generally very low re- Similarly, at disconnection of a 5 Mvar shunt reactor
sulting in high natural frequencies and steep recovery connected in parallel with a 2.5 Mvar filter bank the
transients that can be beyond the clearing capabilities instantaneous values of the filter bank and reactor
of many circuit breakers. phase currents are equal and opposite. The natural
frequency of the combination is 71 Hz as the capac-
itance of the filter bank has halved. The resulting
3.4 Switching off a shunt capacitor bank two-frequency voltage waveform across the breaker is
and shunt reactor combination shown in figure 8. The energy on the load side dissi-
pates quickly compared to figure 7 due to the smaller
Switching off a passive unity power factor harmonic filter bank.
filter does not stress the circuit breaker in the same
way as switching off a shunt capacitor bank or shunt 20
Phase voltage (kV)

reactor as described in the previous section. Discon-

nection from the source does not result in trapped
charge or high frequency oscillations on the load side 0
because the capacitor bank still has an inductive load
to supply and the reactor still has a reactive power
source, in other words it is as if no disconnection has
100 200
occurred. Energy will continue to oscillate between the Time (ms)
filter bank and shunt reactor at the resonant frequency
of 50 Hz, gradually dissipating due to the resistance
in the circuit. The resulting voltage across the cir- Figure 8: Voltage across the circuit breaker after de-
cuit breaker gradually increases to phase voltage as energisation (2.5 Mvar filter bank)
presented in figure 6.

5
Phase voltage (kV)

4 Conclusion
0
Passive unity power factor harmonic filters can be a
good solution for networks where little or no reactive
−5
power may be supplied to the network. The addi-
100 200 tion of the shunt reactor does not affect the harmonic
Time (ms) performance of the filter, has negligible effect on the
switching on inrush current, and the combination has a
very smooth switching off load side voltage waveform
Figure 6: Voltage across the circuit breaker after de- that does not stress the circuit breaker.
energisation