Abstract
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) filters are one of the main solutions for dealing with the disturbances generated by power inverters. However, they show series/parallel resonances that introduce variations in the impedance seen from the grid. Consequently, in some cases, these filters have low impedances at resonance frequencies, which can affect Narrowband Power Line Communications (NB-PLC) due to notching effects. For that reason, the potential effects of four EMC filters on NB-PLC have been studied. Laboratory trials in a controlled environment have been carried out, in which the attenuation and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) thresholds that define the communication’s quality have been studied. The results presented in this paper show that, although the variations of the channel frequency response are not selective enough to degrade the communication thresholds, the attenuation measured when the filter is connected near the receiver might be sufficiently high to be critical for the communications in some situations. Therefore, EMC filters might have a negative impact on NB-PLC that had not been previously considered.
Highlights
Power electronics is a key technology for the efficient conversion, control and conditioning of electric energy from the source to the load
For frequencies at hundreds of kHz, the interference is spread the same way as the power supply voltage, i.e., current flows in the loop formed by the phase and neutral conductors
Signal attenuation due to the load under test is obtained. This attenuation is calculated as the difference of the modulus of the channel frequency response when the corresponding Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) filter is connected to the setup and the modulus of the channel frequency response when no filter is connected
Summary
Power electronics is a key technology for the efficient conversion, control and conditioning of electric energy from the source to the load. Typical sources of interference are, for example, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) inverters for motor control and switched power supplies. Both devices generate voltages and currents with steep edges in their operation. For frequencies at hundreds of kHz, the interference is spread the same way as the power supply voltage, i.e., current flows in the loop formed by the phase and neutral conductors. Such noise is called differential-mode noise [3]
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