Prediction of Power System Harmonics Due to Gaseous Discharge Lighting

A harmonic power flow algorithm which predicts the levels of low audio range frequency harmonics in a power system produced by several types of nonlinear loads has been recently developed. Specifically, the new method solves for the truncated Fourier series of bus voltages and line Currents in a balanced three phase network with line commutated converters and nonlinear resistive loads. The objective of this paper is to describe the method by which the harmonics due to gaseous discharge lighting may be determined using the nonlinear resistive load Model and harmonic power flow computer program. While no attempt is made to describe the physics of a gaseous discharge process, available measured data for fluorescent lamps are used to determine model coefficients. Simulation results for an example distribution feeder are presented.