Impacts of Harmonics on Power System Equipment and Design of Active Power Filter for Their Compensation

Nenceey Jain, Amit Gupta, S. U. Khaparkar

Abstract: This paper presents the analysis and simulation using Matlab/Simulink of a shunt active power filter (APF) for compensating the harmonics current generated by nonlinear loads. Due to increasing the usage of power electronics equipment with linear load; the increase of the harmonics disturbance in the ac mains currents has became a major concern due to the adverse effects on all equipment. In addition; the harmonic currents produced by nonlinear loads can interact adversely with a wide range of power system equipment; mostly capacitors; transformers; and motors; causing additional losses; overloading; malfunctioning and overheating and interferences. Active Power filter eliminates the harmonics which are produced through non-linear loads by generating the opposite phase harmonics which gives pure sinusoidal wave.

Keywords: Harmonic Distortion, Shunt Active Power Filter, Non-Linear Load, Instantaneous Power Theory, Total Harmonic distortion