Requirements and Evaluation of an Active Harmonic Filter Application in an Actual Industrial Installation

Industrial installations require high reliability and performance, especially when the power system has a low short- circuit level and non-linear loads injecting harmonics which can generate electromagnetic interferences EMC/EMI threatening functionality and safety related with control and protection systems. Conventional passive harmonic filters compensate reactive power, and reduce parallel resonances for steady operation of nonlinear loads, but they are not effective enough when the loads have nonlinear nature with strong dynamical fluctuations. This paper presents the analysis and discussion of an actual industrial application with a shunt active harmonic filter for a load with high harmonic distortion. Issues concerning power quality, reliability of industrial installation will be discussed, showing the general requirements, engineering stages, simulated and measured behavior of the actual industrial application.