Sizing of active power filters using some optimization strategies

Abstract

Purpose

The change in the way of active power filters (APF) location can lead to overall cost reduction due to less number or less power of APFs required. The goal of this paper was to minimize the APF currents what is equivalent to solution with less apparent power of installed devices. The next step consists in development of new methods of APF optimal location.

Design/methodology/approach

Some scripts integrating optimization and harmonic analysis methods in Matlab and PCFLO software environments have been developed in order to achieve the goal.

Findings

Solution to the minimization problem determines the current spectrum of an APF connected to a selected system bus in accordance with some optimization strategies which among others enable minimization of THDV coefficients.

Research limitations/implications

The APF control algorithm defined in the frequency domain and based on given current spectrum could lead to some problems with synchronization between APF instantaneous current and compensated current waveforms.

Originality/value

There are many papers on APFs but usually systems in which an APF is connected near a nonlinear load are analyzed. Some attempts to solve the more complex problems of synchronized multipoint compensation have been already made but there is still no generally accepted and commonly used solution.

Citation

Grabowski, D., Maciążek, M. and Pasko, M. (2013), "Sizing of active power filters using some optimization strategies", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 32 No. 4, pp. 1326-1336. https://doi.org/10.1108/03321641311317130