Impact of Capacitor Bank on Total harmonics distortion (THD)

What is the reason for connecting a capacitor in parallel with a load?

➢ Improving the power factor can be achieved by connecting a parallel capacitor with the load.

However, there may be other impacts on the network which we will discuss below.

How does a capacitor affect THD?

➢ The presence of a capacitor can worsen the effect of harmonics by increasing the THD.
➢ A capacitor can function as an amplifier for harmonics that are introduced by the load.
➢ We have taken six pulses, and as a result, the most prominent harmonics introduced by the
load are the 5th, 7th, 11th, and 13th order harmonics. These harmonics can create resonances
that can be significantly amplified by the capacitor.

How to make a capacitor act as a filter?

By adding a reactor with the appropriate value in series with the capacitor, not only is the THD
disaster prevented but also the THD is suppressed.

Example:

F=50 HZ

XC =0.1333 Ohms for fundamental

frequency has taken by capacitor.

find XL

For the 5th order harmonics F=250 HZ

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𝑋𝐶 = 2𝜋𝐹𝐶

XC=0.1333/5 (Divided by 5 for find XC Value

on 250hz)

XC=0.0266 for 250 HZ

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 XL=0.0266 for 250 HZ

"We offer zero impedance at 250 Hz, where XL

(inductive reactance) equals XL (capacitive
reactance) at that frequency."

𝑿𝑳 = 𝟐𝝅𝑭𝑳

XL =0.0266/5 (Divided by 5 for find XL Value

on 50hz)

XL= 0.00533 for 50 HZ

✓ Without a series reactor, the 5th order harmonic current can flow towards the capacitor,
which can increase the THD.
✓ The harmonic current can flow in two directions: towards the capacitor or towards the source.
✓ If only the capacitor is used, it can increase the impedance at the corresponding injected
harmonics. As a result, the harmonic current flows to the grid, leading to an increase in Total
Harmonic Distortion (THD) which can cause problems.
✓ To mitigate this issue, we have added a series reactor with an appropriate value to the
capacitor. This has reduced the impedance at the 5th order harmonic to zero, which means
that the entire 5th order current is likely flowing towards the reactors and capacitors. A
comparison is presented below:

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Conclusion:

The presence of a capacitor can worsen the effect of harmonics by increasing the THD. By adding
a reactor with the appropriate value in series with the capacitor, not only is the THD disaster prevented
but also suppressed the THD