Reduction of dc-link capacitance for three-phase three-wire shunt active power filters

Three-phase three-wire shunt active power filters (APFs) usually employ very large electrolytic capacitors in the dc-link to mitigate utility side harmonics. These capacitors are however known to be bulky and of short operating lifetime, particularly for systems where high ripple currents exist. This paper presents the concept of dc-link compensator (DLC) that aims to decouple the harmonic power from the dc-link of APF. With proper system sizing and design, most of the harmonic power can be eliminated by this DLC circuit and very small electrolytic capacitors or even film type capacitors can be used instead. Moreover, DLC itself is constructed with small passive components and features very simple circuit configuration. Experimental results are provided to show its effectiveness.