Abstract
Power system harmonics may cause several problems, such as malfunctions of electrical equipment, premature equipment failures and plant shutdowns. Accordingly, mitigation of these harmonics is considered an important target especially for industrial applications where any short downtime period may lead to great economic losses. Harmonic analysis studies are necessary to analyze the current and voltage harmonic levels and check if these levels comply with the contractual or international standard limits. If the studies reveal that the preset limits are exceeded, then a suitable harmonic mitigation technique should be installed. Harmonic analysis studies in the industrial electrical systems are discussed in many references. However, a comprehensive procedure for the steps required to perform a harmonic study is rarely found in the literature even though it is strongly needed for design engineers. This paper provides a comprehensive procedure for the steps required to perform a harmonic study in the form of a flowchart, based on industrial research and experience. Hence, this paper may be considered as a helpful guide for design engineers and consultants of the industrial sector.
Highlights
Due to the dramatic increase in the usage of nonlinear loads in industrial applications, the power system harmonics problems has gain in significance, representing a big obstacle against the wide application of variable frequency drive (VFD) they enhance system efficiency and provide great energy saving
The mitigation of the power system harmonics is of great importance in industrial electrical systems in order to increase system reliability, enhance operation economics, avoid unwanted equipment failure and process downtimes [1]
The following cases may necessitate performing a harmonic study [3]: 1. During the design stage of a project, if the amount of the nonlinear loads exceeds 25% of the total loads on a bus or a system, a harmonic analysis study is required to check the compliance with the contractual/ international harmonic limits 2
Summary
Due to the dramatic increase in the usage of nonlinear loads in industrial applications (mainly regarding Variable Frequency Drives or VFDs), the power system harmonics problems has gain in significance, representing a big obstacle against the wide application of VFDs they enhance system efficiency and provide great energy saving. 4. If a capacitor bank is installed in any electrical networks that contain many nonlinear loads, a harmonic analysis is required to check the possibility of resonance occurrence III. The nonlinear load acts as a source of harmonic currents in power system, causing voltage distortions at the various system buses due to the harmonic voltage drops across the system impedances. The harmful effect of the series resonance may be the flow of excessive harmonic currents through the network elements These excessive currents cause nuisance tripping to the protection relays, overheating of cables, motors, and transformers and premature failure to the electrical equipment. The harmful effect of the parallel resonance may be the presence of excessive harmonic voltages across the network elements These excessive harmonic voltages cause dielectric breakdown of the electrical equipment’s insulation [3].
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