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I he increased number of mini-mills producing steel correction purposes and/or harmonic mitigation,
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has generated a renewed awareness of the impact of results in a parallel resonance point, based on the
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electric furnaces on the power system. The popular- system tuning, somewhere in the frequency spec-
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ity of DC furnaces has also contributed to the trum. This parallel resonance may amplify the har-
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I evaluation of their effects on the power system monic voltages produced by the arc furnace,
I compared to the traditional AC furnaces. Electric resulting in observable voltage flicker on the sys-
I utilities are faced with the challenge of providing tem The effects of the tuning of the harmonic filter
I high-quality power to all customers as well as high could also aggravate exlsting voltage flicker on the
I short-circuit capabilities to minimize the effects of utility power system
I large arc furnace loads. On-site field tests are useful after an arc furnace
I One main concern in operating an arc furnace, is installed to verifjr that voltage flicker is within
I acceptable limits during the operation of the fur-
which is a rapidly varying load, is voltage flicker on
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the power system. The problem becomes complicated nace. The interaction of other components in the
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with the use of multiple furnaces. In the planning system, such as tuned harmonic filters and static var
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I stage, various methods are utilized to estimate the systems, can also be observed with field tests.
I capacity of the power system required to operate the
I furnace and avoid voltage flicker problems.
I As a general r u l e of thumb, the ratio of the arc V o h g e Flicker Considerations
I furnace MVA to the utility available short-circuit One type of voltage fluctuation is commonly
I MVA can yield some insight into the likelihood of termed “voltage flicker” due to the associationwith
I potential problems. In general, the higher the ratio the effect on lighting The flicker phenomena can
I the better, but a ratio of 80 or larger is sometimes be divided into two general categories, cyclic flicker
I used as a guideline to determine if serious study
I
and non-cyclic flicker [I].
efforts are required. Where voltage flicker is aprob- Cychc acker results from periodlc voltage fluctua-
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lem, or the likelihood of a problem caused by an uom such as may be caused by the operation of a
I electric arc furnace addition is high, the solutions reuprocaung compressor Non-cychc flicker corresponds
I are normally difficult and/or expensive. to occasional voltage fluctuations such as may be caused
I Upgrading the utility service to provide a higher by the startlng of a large motor The operation of a
I short-circuit MVA may or may not be a viable me-varymg load, such as an electric arc furnace, may
I option and is normally an expensive alternative.The cause voltage fhcker that can be categormd as a mtui-e
I installation of static var systems is an alternative, of cy& and non-cychc flicker
I but that too is quite expensive. The beginning of an arc furnace hearing cycle
I There is also evidence of interactions between involves boring the electrodes into the scrap steel to
I harmonic filters/capacitor banks and the voltage
I start the melting process The arc established at this
flicker phenomena. The application of a capacitor tune is very unstable, and the electrodes are short-
I
bank or a harmonic filter, mainly for power factor circuited by the scrap metal at times The power
I
I into the furnace is mostly reactive, with large swings
I This urticle uppeured in its original firmat 1994 IAS in furnace current between short-circuit levels to
I Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo. The uuthors ure with near zero This can cause visible voltage flicker in
I Cooper Power Systems, Systems Engineering Group, the connected utility power system The application
I Frunksville, Wis. Mendis und Witte ure IEEE Members; of a static var system will provide the reactive

a
I Bishop is un IEEE Senior Member. current required by the furnace during these ex-

IEEE IndosfryApplications Maguzine Junuury/February 1996 1077-2618/96/$5 OOO19961EEE

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frequencies. There have been many tests over the I
I
years to determine the magnitude and frequency of
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perceptible flicker on power systems. Voltage I
flicker is usually expressed as the RMS value of the I
modulating waveform divided by the RMS value of I
the fundamental voltage. It is also expressed as the I
change in voltage divided by the voltage. It has been I
found in tests that the human eye is most sensitive I
to modulating frequencies in the 8-10 Hz range, I
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with voltage variations in the 0.3%-0.4% magni-
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tude range at these frequencies.
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The mathematical relationships and definitions I
for cyclic voltage flicker are shown in Fig. 1, along I
with a sample flicker voltage waveform. In the actual I
operations of the multiple furnaces studied, cyclic I
flicker appears as short bursts or somewhat ran- I
domly in time and appears to be somewherebetween I
cyclic and non-cyclic in nature, considering the gen- I
I
eral definitions of flicker. Multiple frequencies are
Fig. I . Sampleflicker voltage wavefoomz with mathematical I
also present, yielding a waveform similar to Fig. 7. I
relationships.
In the field tests, the measurement system used I
extracts a D V R number for each frequency present. I
treme periods to minimize voltage flicker. Electric There are no established standards defining ac- I
utility companies generally have limits on voltage ceptable voltage flicker levels that are used consis- I
flicker for an individual customer, such as large tently and uniformly in the power industry today in I
fluctuating industrial loads (steel plants), due to the the United States. Each utility has its own standard I
I
effects upon other customers. or guideline based on their individual experiences
I
The measurement of voltage flicker involves the with the voltage flicker phenomena. A variety of I
derivation of system RMS voltage variation and the perceptible/limit curves are available in published I
frequency at which the variation occurs. The fre- literature which can be used as general guidelines I
quency may be a single frequency or a band of to verify whether the amount of flicker is a problem. I
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Fig. 2. Comparison of ddta from various sources on voltage flicker [l). I
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/€Elndusfry Applications Magazine January/February 1996

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I The establishment of a tolerance threshold is sub-
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jective, since it is influenced by many variables.
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Factors effecting the determination of a limit for
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flicker can include ambient lighting levels, size and
I type of lamp, room decor, length in time and the
I abruptness of the voltage variation, and the inten-
I sity and immediate occupation or interest of the
I observer. Fig. 2 shows a comparison of data from
I various sources for perceptible flicker {I}.
I Of the available industry standards, the IEEE
I Std 5 19-1992, IEEE Recommended Practices and Re-
I
quirements for Harmonic Control in Electrical Power
I
Systems [2} addresses flicker. The curves published
I
are derived from empirical studies made by several
I
I sources. Two curves are given as borderline of irri-
tation and visibility in this standard. Another indus- Fig. 3. Short-circuit voltuge depresston (SCVD) us u function of
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try standard, ANSI/IEEE Std 141-1986(“The Red j’krnae MWmx rutzng
I
I Book”), IEEE Recommend& Practice fm Electric Pwer
I Distribution f i r Indzlstrial Plants [3} also discusses
I voltage flicker with ranges of observable and objec-
I tionable voltage flicker.
I Plant#? (161 kV1
I
€stirnation of the Voltuge Flicker Impslrt Due fo
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Electric Arc Furnaces
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The impact of electric arc furnaces on the power
I system can be estimated based on various methods.
(77 MW)
I Using one technique, the severity of voltage flicker
can be estimated based on the maximum furnace At Plant#? - - 0.100 0.114
I
I rating (MW) and the available short circuit MVA (96 MW)
I at the point-of-common-coupling (PCQ. The fol-
I lowing method is outlined as an overview of pre- SCVD. The method is used in this article for both
I dicting voltage flicker at a given point in the power AC and DC arc furnaces, although it is generally
I system {4]. accepted that the voltage fluctuations for DC arc
I
furnaces are approximately one-half to one-third of
I
Short Circuit Voltage Depression (SCVD) that of eqmvalent AC arc furnaces 151.
I
I
Calculations The industrial power system with multiple elec-
I The data required for this method is the short circuit tric arc furnaces shown in Fig. 4 is used to illustrate
I capacity (MVAsc) at the PCC in the power system this method. The expected voltage flicker at the 161
I and the size (MW rating) of the arc furnaces. A kV level is calculated. The short circuit MVA at the
I quantity to measure voltage flicker is defined as 161 kV level is 2,407 MVA at Plant #1 and 1913
I Short Circuit Voltage Depression (SCVD) and is MVA at Plant #2 with three transmission lines in
I calculated as follows:
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service from the utility source.
I Since the system serves multiple AC and DC
I furnaces, they are analyzed with a single equivalent
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/ELL hdusfryApplicufions Muguzine rn lunuory/Fehrumy 1996

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furnace size in order to use the curves shown in Fig. the effect of the DC arc furnaces is identical to that I
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3. A method for deriving the equivalent furnace size of the AC arc furnaces for the analysis purposes of
I
is also described in Reference [4].It is assumed that this article. This assumption will yield a conserva-
I
tive result, since DC arc furnaces will produce less I
voltage flicker compared to AC arc furnaces. In I
addition, the static var systems should further re- I
duce the voltage flicker from expected levels. There- I
fore the SCVD calculations should yield pessimistic I
results. I
A sample calculation was performed for the I
condition with all furnaces operating to determine I
the impact on the 161 kV power system based on I
I
this method. The calculation methodology results
I
in an equivalent furnace size of 77 M W (combining I
2 x 65 M W and 2 x 16 M W furnaces) for Plant #1 I
and 96 M W (combining 2 x 80 M W and 2 x 16 I
M W furnaces) for Plant #2. Substituting into I
Equation (l),the SCVD can be calculated as: I
I
2 77MW I
Plant #1: SCVD = ____ = 0.064 I
2407MVA
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Fig. 5. Flicker curvesfor Plant #2 (161 kV bus). 2 96MW
Plant #2: SCVD = - = 0.100 I
1913MVA I
I
From these calculations the estimated voltage I
flicker at the 161 kV level is expected to be objec- I
tionable for both Plants #1 and #2. This method I
can also be used to check the operating condition I
when only two of the three incoming transmission I
lines are in service, thus reducing the short-circuit I
I
capacities. Voltage flicker can be expected to in-
I
crease due to this weaker source condition. Table 1
I
summarizes the results of all calculations. I
With only Plant #1 in operation, the estimated I
SCVD at the 161 kV level is estimated to be 0.064 I
with all three transmission lines in service and 0.075 I
with only two transmission lines in service. The 161 I
kV level SCVD for both these conditions is consid- I
ered objectionable. With only Plant #2 in opera- I
tion the estimated SCVD at the 161 kV level is I
I
estimated to be 0.100 with all three transmission
I
lines in service and 0.1 14 with only two transmis-
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Fig. 6. 3-D plot of voltage Jicker for all samples recorded at sion lines in service. The 161 kV level SCVD for
I
Plant #2 (161 kV bus). both these conditions is considered objectionable. I
The SCVD at the 161 kV level at both plants is I
increased by 14-17% when one of the three trans- I
mission lines is out of service, thus reducing the I
short-circuit duty at the 161 kV buses. This should I
result in increased flicker magnitudes and more I
frequent occurrences at the 161 kV buses. I
I
I
Voltage Flicker Field Tests I
The estimated calculations performed in the pre- I
vious section can be compared directly with actual I
field tests. The data obrained from the field t e s t s I
included maximum and average flicker level curves, I
along with a flicker perceptible/limit curve for each I
I
case. This plot shows the change in voltage (AV/V)
Ftg. 7. Actual voltage wavefomz of 161 kV bus (line-to-line I
in percent for each flicker frequency, from 0 to 30 I
voltage ofphases A-B). Hz. I

I€€€Industry Applicafions Magazine January/February I996

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I The “Perceptible” flicker curve was developed
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from laboratory tests. It also follows the various
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industry published curves in general. This curve has
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I a minimum value of 0.35% AV/V at 7 Hz. The
I “Max” curve is the cumulative flicker curve for the
I duration of the case. This curve shows the maxi-
I mum AV/V at all the flicker frequencies up to 30
I Hz. The “Ave” curve shows the average flicker level
I for all frequencies up to 30 Hz. The average fkcker
I
is much lower than the maximum flicker due to the
I
fact that extreme flicker is mainly in the furnace
I
I
boring-in period after a charge.
I The worst flicker occurs during the first 5-10
I minutes of each heat. Voltage flicker continually
I decreases as the ratio of solid metal to liquid metal
I decreases {67. A three-dimensional (3-D) plot of
I flicker with the total number ofsamples, AVN, and Fig. 8. Flicher curuesfor Plant #2 (I 61 kV bus) wzth two of
I the frequency is developed for each measurement thee franmzssion lznes m servzce.
I
session.
I
The 161 kV voltage flicker measurements at the duced short circuit duty at the 161 kV bus This
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entrance to each plant were performed for approxi- was also predicted by the SCVD calculations.
I
mately 48 hours. The tests at the 161 kV voltage
I level at Plant #2 are highlighted in this article. Harmonic Filter Tuning Effects on Voltage Flicker
I These tests show that there were violations of the In order to apply power factor correction to a
I flicker perceptiblehnit curve at the 161 kV level. furnace circuit, capacitor banks are normally ap-
I This is expected since the 161 kV bus is closer to plied in a tuned filter configuration. Single-tuned
I the source (AC and DC arc furnaces) and the SCVD passive fdters are common, where a reactor is added
I calculations predicted objectionable flicker levels.
I
in series with the capacitor bank, producing a tuned
It was also observed during the field tests that circuit at one frequency. This allows the application
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there is some effect on voltage flicker at each 161 of the capacitor bank on the same circuit as a
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kV bus due to the remote plant, since the two 161 harmonic-rich source It also provides a low-imped-
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kV plant entrance buses are separated by only a few ance path for a selection of the harmonics, resulting
I miles of transmission line. The perceptible, maxi- in a reduction of the overall circuit harmonic distor-
I mum, and average curves for this test is shown in tion and a reduction in the distortion of the load
I Fig. 5 . current at the electric utility metering point.
I Again, it should be noted that the number of Fllters can be designed and applied in a number
I samples that resulted in flicker perceptible/limit of configurations. Individual scrap metal furnaces
I curve violations was quite small compared to the typically have filters tuned to remove the third
I total number of samples. This can be examined by
I
harmomc, and ladle furnaces typically have filters
evaluating the 3-D plot shown in Fig. 6. tuned to minmize the fifth harmonic This is a
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The 3-D plot also shows that there were some resdt of the typical harmonic generation charac-
I
violations of the perceptible/limit flicker curve. A teristics of each furnace type Furnace circuits that
I
I
sample of the actual voltage waveform measured at require static var systems normally involve multiple
I the 161 kV bus is shown in Fig. 7, with only the filter units tuned to remove the second, third,
I positive half cycles shown.
I The modulation of the
I voltage is clearly visible in
I this waveform, indicating
I flicker. This modulation
I
does not indicate one clear
I
frequency as in Fig. 1,indi-
I
I
cating that in actual field
I conditions multiple fre-
I quencies are present.
I The system condition
I when one of the three 161
I kV transmission lines was
I out of service is shown in
I
Fig. 8. The voltage flicker
I
I
increased due to the re- Fig. 9. Simplz3ed one-line diagram offirnace S U P circuit
~ ~ with a single arcj%rnace

I€€€ Industry Applicutions Magazine lanuary/Februury 1996

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or the C-type filters, are other options available I
depending on the objectives of the design. I
I
A modulation in the fundamental voltage can I
occur in a variety of ways such as the case in electric I
arc furnace power systems. The introduction of I
higher frequency components of voltage that are I
superimposed on the fundamental can cause a I
modulation effect as well. If there are two frequen- I
cies that are close to each other in magnitude and I
frequency, they wilI reinforce and cancel each other I
in a periodic manner, normally called a beat fre- I
I
quency in acoustics and other applications 171. The
I
application of a tuned filter, through the amplifica-
I
tion effect of the parallel resonance impedance, may I
result in visible flicker when it would not otherwise I
be expected. I
Consider the industrial system shown in the I
one-line diagram in Fig. 9. Due to harmonic con- I
cerns, the capacitor bank is replaced with a tuned I
Fig. 10. Impedance scan of the@mace supply circuit with a filter circuit. If this filter is tuned to the fourth I
I
single tuned fourth harmonicfilter. harmonic, then the resulting parallel resonance is
I
neat the third harmonic. The arc in scrap-metal
I
furnaces generates a strong third harmonic compo-
I
nent on the system voltage, resulting in the flow of I
third harmonic currents as well. The arc, however, I
is something of a white noise generator, superim- I
posing a band of higher frequencies on the system, I
especially during times of extteme arc instability, I
such as in the early melting period. This means that I
the arc can generate frequencies that are directly in I
the highest amplification band of the filter circuit. I
I
The likelihood of two or more frequencies being
I
amplified and causing a beat effect is high in this
I
situation. Fig. 10 shows a resonance scan for this I
situation, displaying the parallel resonance point I
slightly above the third harmonic. I
Fig. 11 shows a display screen from a voltage I
flicker analysis system capturing data from a 115 I
Fig. I I. Display of measured voltage flicker on the I 1 5 kV kV utility power system serving an arc furnace and I
system with the filter bank in service. a single tuned harmonic filter. The parallel teso- I
I
nance of this filter was in the vicinity of the third
I
harmonic. A frequency analysis of a captured wave-
fourth, fifth, and perhaps higher-order harmonics I
form as shown in Fig. 12 displays the strong com-
such as seventh and eleventh as well. As an example, I
ponents in the vicinity of the parallel resonance near I
the capacitor unit in Fig. 9 might be replaced with
the third harmonic (180 Hz). These components, I
a shunt filter tuned to the third harmonic. A higher through the action of the plant substation trans- I
voltage is imposed on the capacitors by the voltage formers, can be reflected into the transmission sys- I
rise through the reactor as well as the added har- tem serving the plant. I
monic duty. In general, existing capacitor units may Operation of the furnace with the filter out of I
not have sufficient voltage ratings to be converted service eliminated the amplification of the frequen- I
to a harmonic filter by simply adding a series teac- I
cies neat the third harmonic, as shown in the fre-
tor. I
quency analysis plot in Fig. 13. Power levels into
I
The application of a filter bank results in a low the furnace were also reduced, however, due to the I
impedance at the tuned frequency and a higher loss of the reactive support at the furnace trans- I
impedance at a lower, parallel resonant frequency. former primary terminals. I
The installation must be carefully engineered to The voltage flicker levels also decreased when I
place the parallel resonance at a point that does not the harmonic filter was taken out of service. This I
result in harmonic overvoltages during energization can be seen from Fig. 14. I
I
of the furnace transformer or the steady-state op- Filter banks are normally applied on scrap-metal
I
eration of the furnace. Second- or third-order filters, furnaces tuned close to the third harmonic. Since I

IFF€ /ndustryApp/icotbns Mogozine Jonuory/f.ebruory 1996

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I Fig. 12. Frequency analysis of the 115 kl’system voltage with on the 115 kV
Fig. 14. Dispiky of measuredvo1tage~ick:er
I the filter bank in service. qstern wzth the filter bank out ofsewzce

I
I
I Conclusions
I Operation of rapidly varying loads such as AC and
I DC arc furnaces in large industrial power systems
I will cause voltage flicker on the utility system.
I System planning wdl help in determining the avail-
I able short-circuit duty at the PCC to keep the
I voltage flicker within acceptable limits. Perceptible
I
flicker limit curves are useful in determining the
I
amount of flicker in a system Short-circuit voltage
I
I
depression calculation is one technique to estimate
I the amount of expected flicker in a system. On-site
I field tests with equipment that will accurately cap-
I ture multiple frequencies will aid in measuring the
I existing voltage flicker.
I The ultimate determination whether unaccept-
I able voItage flicker exists in a system will be com-
I Fig. 13. Frequenry analyiis ofthe 1 15 RV system voltage witb plaints from customers served by the utility system
I thefilter bank: out ofsewice. actually experiencing objectionable or noticeable
I
flicker.
I
I this is a strong component in the scrap-metal fur-
I nace arc, a filter tuned to this level reduces the References
I11 M K Walker, ‘ Electric Utility Flicker Limitations,’ IEEE
I resulting harmonic distortion effectively, and re- Trumacizom on Indutty Applicutzons, vol IA-15, no 6, No-
I sults in a parallel resonance that is in an area where vemberDecember 1979
I no strong components are generated. Care must be 12) IEEE Standard 5 19-1992, “IEEE Recommended Practices
I and Requuements for Harmonic Control in Electrical Power
taken to make sure that the parallel resonance is not
I Systems, ’ Aprd 12, 1993
too close to the second harmonic (120 Hz), which 131 IEEE Standard 141-1986, “IEEE Recommended Practice for
I
I
could be troublesome for furnace transformer ener- Electric Power Distribution for Industrial Plants
I gizations. Ladle furnace systems generate a strong 1986
fifth harmonic component. Therefore, filters ap- 141 A R Oltrogge, “Arc Furnace Voltage Can Be Critical,”
I
Electrzcul World,December 1974
I plied on LMF systems are typically tuned near the [51 M. Mdsu, L A Kmilstad, and J P Ratajczyk, “Voltage
I fifth harmonic. Again, care must be taken to avoid Fhcker Calculations for a 35 M w DC Electric Arc Furnace
I placing the parallel resonance too close to the fourth Supphed by a 12 Pulse Rectifier,” American P w w Conjrence
I harmonic which is present in the energization in- Procdzngs, 1990
I rush currents. An ideal condition or a design goal E61 S R Mends, M T Bishop, A V Do, D M Boyd, “Investi-
I gation of Transmission System Voltage Flicker Due to Mul-
from the voltage flicker standpoint would be to tiple AC and DC Furnace Operations,’ IEEE PES 1994
I
place the parallel resonance approximately 30 Hz Transmission& Distribution Conference, Chicago, I11 ,Aprd
I
I
from a predominant harmonic existing in the sys- 1994
tem. For example, it will be desirable to place a E71 B Bhargava, “Arc Furnace Flicker Measurements and Con-
I trol,” IEEE Transactions on Poww Delivery, vol 8, January
I parallel resonance around 150 H z for a 3rd hat-
1993, pp 400-409
I monk (180 Hz) filter.
I

/FEE Industry ApplicafionsMagazine January/February I996

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