International School on Nonsinusoidal Currents and Compensation
Harmonic Digital Simulation Technique
on an Industrial Environment
M. Dumitrescu IEEE Member
* University "Dunarea de Jos" of Galati, Romania
Abstract The paper proposes to study a real industrial
power system and to presents the Digital Harmonic Analysis
using EDSA Technical software. The objectives of the study
are to evaluate the potentially negative impact of non-linear
loads on the system, and to study possible techniques that
will minimize this impact. On this goal, will be presented
eight harmonic interesting analysis cases and will be
considered three different working conditions (alternatives)
of the analyzed power system.
I. INTRODUCTION
Harmonic analysis is required when devices that
generate harmonics, such as rectifiers, arc furnaces,
AC/DC drives etc, are present or anticipated to be added
to the power system. Frequent failure of power system
components [1] may also justify the undertaking of
harmonic studies. Another important reason may be to
arrive at harmonic filter specifications. The response of an
electric power system to harmonics can be studied by any
of the following techniques [2]-[4]:
1. Hand-Calculations restricted to small-size networks
since it is not only very tedious but quite susceptible to
errors as well.
2. Transient Network Analyzer is also restricted to
rather small network sizes because it is, generally found to
be expensive and time consuming.
3. Field measurements are often used to determine the
level of harmonic pollution of the power system. It is
widely recognized, however, that undertaking harmonic
measurements in a systematic fashion, can be quite
expensive and time consuming. Harmonic measurements,
although quite useful in many cases could be of limited
validity because they reflect only the system topology
they have been taken at. Moreover, measurements can be
in error due to inaccuracies of measuring instruments or
erroneous utilization. Field measurements are used
effectively to validate and refine system modelling for
digital simulations.
4. Digital computer simulation is the most convenient,
and perhaps more economical, way of tackling the
problem of harmonic analysis. The reason is that the
advent of computer technology has made available quite
sophisticated computer programs featuring a large array of
system component models to be used in a variety of cases.
Computer simulations are centred on system-wide
approaches utilizing the notions of system impedance and/
or admittance matrices, backed by elegant and powerful
numerical calculation techniques.
Power system networks are modelled as sets of
frequency-dependent models of the various, above
described, system components. For every frequency of
interest, an admittance matrix is built for the whole
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system. Sparse-matrix and vector techniques are used to
solve for the equivalent system impedances at the various
points of interest, for all the frequency range, thus
completing the so called frequency scanning. When
harmonic current sources are included in the network,
harmonic voltages will be calculated. Numerical
techniques, such as the matrix Inversion Lemma are also
used for fast re- calculation of the system impedances,
under single or multiple contingencies.
Section 1 introduces the most important and actual
aspects in harmonics effect on industrial environment.
Section 2 presents the Digital Harmonic Analysis EDSA
procedure for a real industrial power system. Section 3
gives the comparative results of the harmonic and power
flow study for eight analysis cases considered in three
different working conditions (alternatives) of the proposed
real study case.
II. HARMONIC ANALYSIS PROCEDURE
The following summarizes the necessary steps,
normally required for a harmonic study in the industrial
environment:
1. Prepare system one -line diagram;
2. Gather equipment data and rating;
3. Obtain from the utility company the relevant data
and requirements at the point of common coupling. These
must include:
Minimum and maximum fault levels or preferably
system impedances as a function of frequency for
different system conditions;
Permissible limits on harmonics including distortion
factors and IT factor. The criteria and limits vary
considerably from country to country. Typical values
for different voltage levels are given in IEEE 519
standard.
4. Carry out harmonic analysis for the base system
configuration by calculating the system impedances at the
harmonic source bus bars as well as all shunt capacitors
locations.
5. Compute harmonic voltage distortion factors and IT
value at the point of common coupling.
6. Examine the results and, eventually, go back to step 1
or step 4, depending on whether the network data or only
the parameters of the analysis need to be modified.
7. Compare the composite (fundamental plus harmonic)
loading requirements of shunt capacitor banks with the
maximum rating permitted by the standards. There was
defined the following operating limits [5], [6]:
Continuous operating voltage 110% of rated
voltage;
RMS Crest Voltage 1.2-2 times rated RMS
Voltage;
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International School on Nonsinusoidal Currents and Compensation
KVAr 135% of rated KVAr;
8. Relocate the capacitors or change the bank ratings if
they are found to exceed their ratings. Apply a detuning
reactor if a resonance condition is found. Go back to step
4.
9. Add filters if the harmonic distortion factors and IT
values at the point of common coupling exceed the limit
imposed by the utility.
To illustrate the Digital Harmonic Analysis, EDSA
Technical software will be used for a real industrial
system (Fig. 1) consists of the Utility Supply, which feeds
a two-bus system. Bus No.1 is fed via a 10 MVA
transformer TR1 that steps the voltage down to 6 kV, and
supplies power to two AC motors (3000 & 1500 HP), a
780 kVAR power factor correction capacitor bank, and
Bus No.2 via transformer TR2. Transformer TR 2 steps
the voltage down to 400V and feeds a 500 HP AC motor,
and two Variable Frequency AC Drives (VFD) rated at
300 kVAR / 75% PF [7]-[10].
The objectives of the study are:
1. To evaluate the potentially negative impact of both
VFD's on the system, and
2. To study possible techniques that will minimize this
impact.
A suggested procedure to run the study follows:
1. Model the network under study using the EDSA
ECAD interface;
Figure 1. Industrial power system case study.
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2. Run a frequency scan to determine the natural
oscillation response(s) of the network model;
3. Compare the results of the frequency scan with the
harmonic components of the nonlinear loads that are fed
or will be fed from the network. This will give an
indication of what frequencies the potential resonant
conditions lie at;
4. Place the nonlinear loads at the appropriate nodes
(busses) on the mod el;
5. Run Voltage & Current THD analyses at all busses
and branches.
During the procedure we have to pay strict attention to:
Wave -shape Distortion/Oscillations;
Parallel & Series Resonant Conditions.
Total Harmonic Distortion Levels (Voltage &
Current);
True RMS loading of Lines, Transformers,
Capacitors, etc;
Negative Sequence harmonics being absorbed
by AC motors;
Transformer K-Factor Levels.
For frequency scan of the system the program runs a
positive sequence scan starting from the fundamental
frequency 50 Hz up to 1800 Hz (30th harmonic), using
300 points.
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International School on Nonsinusoidal Currents and Compensation agw, Poland, 2008

The frequency scan to the bus of interest is presented in

Fig. 2. The upper scan from Fig. 2 a indicates that the Bus
No.1-6 kV has a parallel resonance condition close to the
11th harmonic, which is being imposed by the presence of
the capacitor bank at this bus. The lower scan indicates the
angle response throughout the scanned spectrum.
The impedance diagram for Bus No.2-400 V from Fig.
2b indicates that a parallel resonance condition also exists
somewhere between the 10.5th and the 11th harmonic
order (10.6 to be precise). This condition is consistent
with Bus No.1 since the capacitor bank located there is
defining this resonance for the system. The lower scan
diagram shows the angle response for the impedance at
this bus.
When we place the nonlinear loads at the appropriate
busses on the model and conduct the Harmonic Analysis,
the program shows the waveform that corresponds to the
source in question (Fig. 3).
Figure 3. Waveform of the harmonic source (VFD).

III. COMPARATIVE HARMONIC ANALYSIS

RESULTS
The above list indicates eight harmonic interesting
results, which will be considered for this network. The
results are described as follows:
Analysis 1: Voltage THD at Bus No.2 - 400 V;
Analysis 2: Current THD at the secondary of
Transformer TRX 2;
Analysis 3: Current THD at the secondary of
Transformer TRX 1;
Analysis 4: Current THD at the 400 V - 500 HP AC
motor fed from Bus No.2;
Analysis 5: Voltage THD at the main Bus No.1;
Analysis 6: Current THD at the Capacitor Bank;
Analysis 7: Current THD at the 110 kV Supply;
Analysis 8: Voltage THD at the 110 kV Supply.
a These eight analyses will assume three alternatives:
1. no capacitor banks;
2. capacitor on line;
3. harmonic filters and capacitor on line.
For Alternative 1, if the breaker feeding the 780 Kvar
capacitor bank is open, his will enable us to study the
effect of the capacitors on the system while supplying
power to the VFD's.
Table 1 presents the bus results for 1, 5, 8 Analysis
cases, meaning the RMS voltage (Vrms), the fundamental
voltage (V(1)), voltage harmonic coefficient (VTHD) for
the three proposed alternatives. Table 2 presents the
branch results in 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 Analysis cases, meaning the
RMS current (Irms), the fundamental current (I(1)),
current harmonic coefficient (ITHD) for the three
proposed alternatives.
The voltage waveform at Buses 1, 2 and at Power
Supply result of the harmonic currents injected by both
Variable Frequency Drives.
The secondary current being demanded from
transformer TRX 2 is the result of the two VFD load
b currents, plus the load current demanded by the 500 HP
AC motor fed from the same bus.
Figure 2. Frequency response of the system to Bus 1 (a), Bus 2 (b).

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TABLE I.
BUS HARMONIC ANALYSIS COMPARATIVE RESULTS

Alternative 1 Alternative 2 Alternative 3

NO CAPACITOR CAPACITOR ON LINE FILTERS AND CAPACITOR
Vrms V(1) VTHD Vrms V(1) VTHD Vrms V(1) VTHD
[KV] [KV] % [V] [V] % [V] [V] %
Analysis 1 0.385 0,378 4,94 0,395 0,383 8,47 0,395 0,389 3,27
Analysis 5 5,9 5,87 1,33 6,07 5,92 9,17 6,04 5, 92 1,28
Analysis 8 110 110 0,52 115 110 3,61 110 110 0,5

TABLE II.
BRANCH HARMONIC ANALYSIS COMPARATIVE RESULTS

Alternative 1 Alternative 2 Alternative 3

NO CAPACITOR CAPACITOR ON LINE FILTERS AND CAPACITOR
Irms I(1) ITHD Irms I(1) ITHD Irms I(1) ITHD
[A] [A] % [A] [A] % [A] [A] %
Analysis 2 1376 1361,68 14,91 1372,86 1356,84 15,42 1352,1 1347,45 3,25
Analysis 3 765,52 765,34 2,13 720,68 717,18 9,9 716,54 716,43 2,42
Analysis 4 646,31 645,85 3,78 641,71 640,82 5,26 639,35 639,77 1,35
Analysis 7 230,76 230,71 2,13 217,2 216,1 9,9 215,9 215,8 2,42
Irms In ITHD Irms In ITHD
[A] [A] % [A] [A] %
Analysis 6 - - - 149,85 108,4 100,91 106,21 102,46 4,06

In addition of the current harmonic regime, there is also
the heating effect imposed by the harmonics by means of
the K-Factor=1,95.
For Alternative 2, with the 780 kVAR capacitor bank
connected to Bus No.1, in Analysis 1 case the voltage
THD has increased from 4.94% (already unacceptable) to
8.47%. The spectrum gives the 11th harmonic as the
predominant component of the distortion. In Analysis 5
case the voltage THD has suffered a more dramatic
increase than for Bus No.2. The distortion increased from
1.33% to 9.17%.
For Analysis 6 case (capacitor bank current), to better
appreciate the effect of the harmonics on this capacitor
bank, let's consider its nominal RMS current value (In),
and compare it with the current it is drawing under the
resonant conditions Irms.
The capacitor bank would be operating at a load
condition of 138% of its rated current capacity. Obviously
it could not sustain this duty, and would either fail or its
supply breaker would trip it off-line. The harmonic
spectrum shows the 11th harmonic as the predominant
component of the capacitor current (Fig. 4).
Analysis 7 case presents the Power Supply total load
current and reflects the distortion of the capacitor bank
current. Since this is the current seen by the utility supply,
it may affect adjacent customers fed from the same
supply. References [5], [8] limit this current distortion
based on the Short Circuit to Load ratio (Isc/IL). The
distortion at this point increased from 2.13% to 9.90%. the
harmonic spectrum gives the 11th harmonic as the
predominant component of the distortion.
The results of Analysis 8 case (Power Supply) present
the voltage THD who has reached a value of 3.61. The
harmonic spectrum gives the 11th harmonic as the
predominant component of the distortion.
Alternative 3 imposes the condition of the tuned filters
addition. We will attempt to filter the harmonic conditions
studied (capacitors on-line), by adding 3 single tuned
filters, one tuned for the 11th harmonic, one tuned for the
7th harmonic, and one for the 5th harmonic to our case-
study network. We will place the filters directly at the
400V Bus No.2.
Fig. 5 shows the 5th harmonic filter impedance-
response characteristics. The upper graph represents the
magnitude of the impedance in ohms, and the lower graph
shows the angle response characteristic. Fig. 6 shows the
results of Analyze 5 for Bus No.1, notice the remarkable
voltage THD reduction from 9.17% down to 1.28%.
Also to Bus No.2 notice the voltage THD reduction from
8,47% down to 3.27% (Analysis 1).

Figure 4. The harmonic spectrum of the capacitor current.

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International School on Nonsinusoidal Currents and Compensation agw, Poland, 2008

Figure 5. The 5th harmonics filter impedance-response characteristics. Figure 7. Harmonic Analyze 6 (Capacitor Bank Current) after tuned
filters addition.

Figure 6. Harmonic Analyze 5 for Bus No.1 after tuned filters Figure 8. Impedance Response of Bus No.1.
addition.
Fig. 9 shows the Impedance Response of Bus No.2,
In Alternative 3 conditions, for Analysis 6 case which reflects the additional series and parallel resonance
(Capacitor Bank Current) RMS current has been reduced introduced by the filters
to 106.21A, down from the 138% overload condition
arrived at Alternative 2 case (Fig. 7). The 11th harmonic
has been practically eliminated from the current spectrum.
The ripple riding on the current waveform corresponds
mainly to a combination of the unfiltered 13th & 17th
harmonic components. Since the capacitor's reactance is
inversely proportional to the frequency, it acts a sink for
these higher frequency components
In Analysis 7 case (Power Supply current) notice the
remarkable current THD reduction from 9.90 down to
2.42 %. Also for Analysis 8 case (Bus No.1) notice the
remarkable voltage THD reduction from 3.61% down to
0.50%. This result is well within the IEEE 519 Voltage
THD limits at the Point of Common Coupling.
The final step in this study is to re-evaluate the
frequency response at Bus No.1 and Bus No.2 with the
filters on -line. Fig. 8 shows the Impedance Response of
Bus No.1 which reflects the additional series and parallel
resonance introduced by the filters.

Figure 9. Impedance Response of Bus No.2.

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International School on Nonsinusoidal Currents and Compensation
IV. CONCLUSION
Today we must take into account the technological
developments and energy saving devices that have been
developed in the last years. The new generation of
electrical equipments has brought the need to include one
additional dimension to traditional power analysis: The
Harmonic Frequency Dimension. With a high density of
these nonlinear devices, phenomena such as overloaded
neutrals in spite of perfectly balanced phases are common
occurrences that require a different approach in order to be
understood. Utilities should consider the harmonic content
of the AC wave as a factor in determining the quality of
their service. Reference [5], suggests the values as
maximum recommended limits for voltage distortion and
limits to the maximum harmonic current injection from
individual customers, so as to maintain the voltage
distortion levels within acceptable guidelines. The
harmonic voltage distortion is a function of the harmonic
currents and the magnitude of the system's impedance at
these harmonic frequencies. These limits divide in a fair
manner between the customers, the utility's capability to
absorb harmonics.
Harmonic modelling differs somewhat from the system
modelling as far as short -circuit, load flow and transient
stability studies are concerned. The reason is that the
behaviour of the system equipment must be predicted for
frequencies well above the fundamental. So it becomes
more and more an important task of the digital computer
to make complex simulation of the harmonic regime.
EDSA software is able to give adequate electric
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equipments modelling. The harmonic and power flow
simulation conducts to viable results, we could implement
into the real industrial environment.
REFERENCES
[1] R. C. Dugan, H. W. Beaty and M. F. McGranagham, Electrical power
systems quality , New York: Mc.Graw-Hill, 1996, pag. 39-80..
[2] IEC 61000-3-7, Part 3: Limits - Section 7: Assessment of emission
limits for fluctuating power in MV and HV power systems.
[3] IEEE P1366, Trial Use Guide for Electric Power Distribution
Reliability Indices, Working Group on System Design, Draft 5, Ian. 2001.
[4] IEC 61400-21, Measurement and assessment of power quality
characteristics of grids.
[5] IEEE Standard 519-1992 Power Grids Distortion Limits.
[6] Voltage characteristics of electricity supplied by public distribution
systems, European Norm EN 50160 , Nov. 1999.
[7] M. Dumitrescu, Power Systems, edited on Didactica and
Pedagogica Bucuresti 2002, ISBN 973-30-2139-3, pp. 270-295.
[8] M. Dumitrescu, Efficiency and Reliability on Power Systems,
edited on Didactica and Pedagogica Bucuresti 2003, ISBN 973-
30-2187-3, pp. 150-161.
[9] M.M. Saied, Measures for the supply efficiency in distribution
network, INT.J.Elect. Power Energy Systems, vol 23, pp. 427-
434, 2001.
[10] N. Mohan; T. M. Undeland, and W.P. Robbins: "Power electronics:
Converters, applications and design, 2nd Edition New York, Wiley &
Sons, 2005, pag. 102-152.
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