Vikram Kumar
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
This manuscript investigates harmonic reduction in three-phase power systems using active power filters (APFs), focusing exclusively on techniques, control strategies, and component choices available up to 2018. Harmonics generated by nonlinear loads degrade power quality, increase losses, and accelerate equipment aging. Traditional passive filters are limited by fixed compensation characteristics and resonance issues. Active filters, based on power electronic converters and real-time control, offer adaptive harmonic mitigation across varying load conditions. This study reviews the design of voltage-source converter (VSC) based shunt APFs employing hysteresis and proportional-integral (PI) current controllers, the selection of passive components for DC bus and output filters, and digital signal processor (DSP) hardware available before 2018. Two industrial case studies are presented: one in a medium-voltage industrial plant with highly distorted loads and another in a low-voltage commercial facility. Experimental results demonstrate total harmonic distortion (THD) reduction from 18.7% to below 3% under balanced and unbalanced loading. The methodology, including reference current extraction by synchronous reference frame theory and PI current control tuned via Ziegler–Nichols method, is detailed. Conclusions highlight implementation challenges and practical guidelines for engineering practice circa 2018. Ten references from the literature up to 2018 are provided.
Keywords
Active power filters, harmonic reduction, voltage-source converter, synchronous reference frame, PI control, DSP implementation, total harmonic distortion, power quality
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