Single-phase active power filters for multiple nonlinear loads

This paper presents active power filters for single-phase power systems which are comprised of multiple nonlinear loads. The paper provides background on the operation of the filter, the details of the power circuit, the details of the control design, representative waveforms, and spectral performance for a filter which supports a 384 W AC controller and a 900 W uncontrolled bridge rectifier. Experimental data indicate that the active filter typically consumes 3% or less of the average load power, suggesting that a parallel filter is an efficient compensation approach. The spectral performance shows that the active filter brings the system into compliance with IEC-555 for decision frequencies in excess of 30 kHz. A discussion is presented outlining an alternative single-phase active filter which uses two controllable switches and is based on a half-bridge topology