Hilbert–Huang Transform Based Approach for Measurement of Voltage Flicker Magnitude and Frequency

Abstract

Voltage flicker is a non-stationary waveform for which direct spectral analysis is not appropriate. To overcome this difficulty, a Hilbert–Huang transform based technique is proposed here. Hilbert–Huang transform is a new signal processing method that can be used in the analysis of non-linear and non-stationary signals. In the suggested method, the recorded voltage signal is decomposed into Hilbert–Huang transform components, namely the empirical mode decomposition and intrinsic mode function components. These components are used in the calculation of the frequency and amplitude of voltage flicker. The clear success of empirical mode decomposition in depicting envelope variations of a sinusoidal waveform has been the main motivation for the adoption of Hilbert–Huang transform in flicker analysis. Simulations are performed over waveforms, including single- and multiple-flicker frequencies and flicker with harmonic, voltage sag, and voltage swell. The waveforms are selected as pure sinusoids, as well as harmonically rich voltage waveforms. Simulation results show that the proposed methodology constitutes a plausible way to analyze voltage flickers, making it an alternative to the available flicker analysis tools.