Voltage quality enhancement with power electronics based devices

Concerns over process disruptions in sensitive load centres caused by short duration electrical disturbances have prompted the development of many power electronics based devices to enhance voltage quality. Effectively these devices can be grouped into two classes, namely custom power devices and power line conditioners. This paper presents the operational principles of four of these devices (solid state transfer switch, solid state fault current limiter, dynamic voltage restorer, and uninterruptible power supply) and examines their effectiveness in mitigating voltage dips and its associated phase-angle jumps through simulations. A comparison of these four devices is also presented to study the advantages and disadvantages of these devices under different situations