Harmonic Filters

Series filters are also known as single‐tuned or notch filters, and it is the type most used in industry. High‐pass
filters are used to suppress a wider range of frequencies than the single tuned filter, reducing the size of the
components and avoiding capacitive power factor when the system is not loaded. Band‐pass filters are not
common in the industry, but the component can be used to model high‐order filters or double‐tuned filters.
The c‐type filter is a second‐order filter, which is designed to have an impedance characteristic similar to the
single‐tuned filter, with the advantage of having lower power losses.

Filter Configurations. a) Series, b) High‐Pass, c) Band‐Pass, d) C‐Type
Series (Single‐Tuned) Filter

h Tuning point of the filter (harmonic order)

Qc Reactive power of the filter [MVAr]

Q Quality factor

f System frequency [Hz]

V System voltage [kV]
The quality factor is a quantity that defines the bandwidth of the filter and, in this case, is expressed as the ratio between the reactance and 
the resistance of the filter. A typical range for Q is between 30 and 60. The following equations can be applied for designing the filter: 
Example:

the filter tuned to the 11th harmonic can be represented by the following quantities:
the impedance characteristic for a combination of 11th and 13th harmonic series filters.  Values for these two filters are:

C11 =13,26 µF , L11 = 4.38 mH, R11 = 0.366 Ω

C13 =13,26 µF, L13 = 3.14 mH, R13 = 0.308 Ω
Current Waveform Comparisons
High‐Pass Filter

This filter is designed to have an impedance characteristic that is flat for high frequencies. Looking at the equation that
represents the variation of the impedance with the frequency,

The wide bandwidth that can be measured by the quality factor, which is the inverse of that for the series filter, and it 
is designed to have values between 0.5 and 2.
Example
The reactive power capacity at the fundamental frequency was selected as 1.0 MVAr at 10 kV and a Q of 1. The parameters of
the filter are:

C = 26.31 µF L = 2.21 mH R = 9.17 

Band‐Pass Filter

This component can be used in to model high‐order filters. Probably the most popular is the double‐tuned filter (depicted in
Figure F‐10), which is a combination of a band‐pass filter in series with an inductor and a capacitor. This type of filter works by
combining the parallel resonance of the band‐pass filter, with the series‐resonance of the inductor and capacitor combination.
Two new resonant frequencies are optioned, as shown in the graph. This configuration makes the filter less expensive to build
than the parallel combination of two independent series filters.
C‐Type Filter

C‐type filters are second‐order filters that have the capacity of suppressing harmonic currents with lower losses than the
series filter or the band‐pass filter. The reason for this capability is the L and C elements, which are parallel with the resistor,
resonate at the fundamental frequency. Thus, the fundamental current that circulates through the damping resistor is
reduced to a minimum. Another advantage is that c‐type filters perform well in suppressing high frequency harmonics, due to
their inherently flat impedance characteristic above the tuned frequency.

The design input parameters for the C‐type filter are the same as they are for the series filter, and its impedance can be
expressed on the basis of R, L, C, C1:
the parameters of this filter can be calculated using the model of the series filter. Using Qc, Q, V and h as inputs, the first step
is to calculate the parameters of the series filter elements Ls and Cs. Considering that the inductance L is equal to Ls, the
second step is to calculate C to be resonant with L at the fundamental frequency. The capacitor C1 is calculated considering
that C and C1 are connected in series and equal to Cs.
Example
The C‐type filter, tuned for the 3rd harmonic, was implemented, working in a 60 Hz system with reactive power
capacity at fundamental frequency of 49 MVAr at 315 kV and a quality factor of 2.

The C‐type filter parameter calculations give the following results:

R = 1349 W     

L = 671 mH

C = 10.48 µF  

Cs = 1.164 µF and 

C1 = 1.31 µF