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Eliminating Harmonics From The Facility Power System: Product Focus
Eliminating Harmonics From The Facility Power System: Product Focus
Eliminating harmonics
from the facility power system
KEVIN J. TORY and RICH POPE, Cutler-Hammer, Eaton Corp.
Adjustable-frequency drives and other devices can produce harmonics on a facility’s power system.
These harmonics can corrupt data, damage equipment (usually by excess heat), and cause erratic
equipment performance. But these effects can be controlled by monitoring and analyzing the whole
system, determining safe harmonic levels, and choosing the right attentuation solution.
ower system anomalies that peri- mental frequency and harmonics at that referred to as line-side harmonics. Out-
Harmonic basics
Harmonic currents and voltages are usually A
and the magnitude of each decreases as multiple sinusoidal waveforms that combine to
harmonic number increases. Harmonics form distorted waveforms. Figure A and Figure
above the 25th generally have little effect
and are usually considered insignificant. B waveforms are both pure sine waves, free of
In this waveform, only certain har- distortion, and differing only in frequency and
monic orders are present: 5th, 7th, 11th, amplitude. Figure B has five times the
13th, 17th, 19th, 21st, and 25th. To deter- frequency and one-fifth the amplitude of Figure
mine the number of harmonic orders in a A. The wave in Figure A is called the
wave for a six-diode bridge, solve for:
fundamental. The wave in Figure B is a
h = 6k ± 1,
where k is an integer. harmonic of the wave in Figure A because its B
Almost any three-phase system will frequency is an integral multiple of it. Because
possess a degree of line unbalance, pro- the harmonic has a frequency five times that of
ducing 3rd harmonics. In a balanced the fundamental, it is called the 5th harmonic
three-phase system, however, these har- or 5th order harmonic.
monics are in phase with each other and
their effect is typically small. If both waves are on the same power system
simultaneously, they would add together,
Load-side harmonic effects resulting in the waveform shown in Figure C.
This resultant waveform is still periodic and
As mentioned earlier, load-side har- has the same frequency of Figure A, but it now C
monics are generated by the inverter sec-
deviates from the sine-wave shape of its
tion of an AFC and may effect the motor
and connecting cables. AFCs can de- fundamental frequency.
crease motor life because of the addi- Just as waveforms can be added to produce
tional heating caused by the harmonics distorted waves, distorted waves may be
(see PTD, “Solutions to motor insulation decomposed into fundamental and harmonic
failures,” 8/95, p. 43). High-efficiency
motors with a service factor of 1.15 can
components. ()
f x = Sinx +
Sin5 x
5
help compensate for deleterious effects.
Tr
hr =
Z Cr
1500
hr = = 6.59
( )
0.0575 600
where:
hr = harmonic resonance frequency circuit breaker trip units, and motor
Tr = transformer rating, kVA starters. Data from these devices, passed
Cr = capacitor load, kVA to a control into available software pack-
Z = impedance, % ages, can then be graphically displayed
The harmonic point of this example is on a personal computer or other operator A power analyzer, such as the IQ Analyzer,
the 6.59th harmonic, which can be prob- interface device. can provide data on harmonic distortion,
lematic because the system resonance A harmonic analyzer is another device current and power demands, trending,
may be excited by the 5th and 7th har- that can determine if a harmonics prob- and events and alarms. Information is
monics. Attentuation of these two fre- lem exists within a facility. Available accessable in real time or can be
quencies would likely avoid problems. from several sources, it is essentially a recorded for later analysis.