A study of active power filters using quad-series voltage-source PWM converters for harmonic compensation

An active power filter using quad-series voltage-source pulse-width-modulated (PWM) converters to suppress AC harmonics by injecting compensating currents into the AC system is described. The circuit used to calculate the compensating current references, the compensation characteristics, and the capability of the DC capacitor are discussed theoretically and experimentally. A control circuit for the DC capacitor voltage is proposed. The discussions focus on transient states, based on the instantaneous reactive power theory. A passive LC filter is designed to remove the switching voltage and current ripples caused by the PWM converters at the AC side. Some experimental results that illustrate the details of the study are shown