Harmonic Compensation in Power System using Active Power Filters

Abstract

The advent of power electronics and computerized equipment in recent decades has brought enhanced efficiency and improved system but at the same time also created harmonics and waveform distortion to the power system network. With high harmonic contents present in the supply network, a higher equipment component failure rate or undesirable tripping of sensitive device might be experienced.  This paper presents a combined system of active and passive filters. Passive filters have been most commonly used to limit the flow of harmonic currents in distribution systems. Their performance is limited to a few harmonics, and they can introduce resonance in the power system. Active filter introduces current or voltage components, which cancel the harmonic components of the nonlinear loads or supply lines, respectively.