2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)
Design of Single-Tuned Harmonic Passive Filters
for DC Electric Railway Traction Power Supply
System
Jing En Chin
Electrical & Electronics Engineering Electrical & Electronics Engineering
Department
UCSI University
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
jingenchin1214@gmail.com
2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT) | 978-1-6654-2691-6/21/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/I-PACT52855.2021.9696916
Abstract— The development of the electric railway system in
Malaysia is growing rapidly since 1995. The use of a twelve-
pulse rectifier to convert AC to DC supply in TPSS will generate
the 11th and 13th harmonic current to the distribution lines. In
this paper, a DC urban electric railway system is modeled and
its harmonic analysis is discussed. It was found that the
harmonic current distortion caused by the TPSS has exceeded
the TDD and IHDi limits based on IEEE 519-2014 standard.
Thus, the harmonic filter is chosen to mitigate this harmonic
problem. The single-tuned harmonic passive filters are designed
as they are more cost-effective, simple to design, and have high
flexibility. The three-dimensional perspective of impedance,
quality factor, and reactive power is analyzed to reduce the
harmonic, improve the power factor, and prevent
interharmonics at a low cost. The reactive power and quality
factor selected based on the three-dimensional perspective are
used to determine the capacitance, inductance, and resistance of
the single-tuned harmonic passive filter. In addition, the graph
of impedance against harmonic order and the bode diagram are
plotted to analyze the characteristics of the filters. The results
show that the designed filters can reduce the TDD to 1.97% and
below. Besides, the 11th IHDi is reduced to 1.94% and below
while the 13th IHDi is reduced to 1.97% and below. Therefore,
the harmonic current distortion is complying with the IEEE
519-2014 standard limits with the presented single-tuned
harmonic passive filters.
Keywords— electric railway, traction power supply system,
harmonic analysis, single-tuned harmonic passive filter
I. INTRODUCTION
Locomotives can receive power from different sources
such as steam power, electric power, and diesel power.
Electric railway system uses electric power to drive the motor
of the train. There are many advantages of using electric
power, such as higher acceleration, higher efficiency, less
maintenance cost, less carbon dioxide emissions, and less
weight. Thus, railway electrification has been growing
continually since decades ago.
The development of the electric railway system in
Malaysia traces back to the 20th century. In 1995, KTMB
launched the first electric rail transport in the Klang Valley.
The Seremban Line was in service from Kuala Lumpur to
Rawang on 12 August 1995. In the same year, KTMB
extended the line to Seremban. Since then, the electrified
railway system has developed rapidly in Malaysia. The
Express Rail Link (ERL) opened in 2002. ERL is the first
high-speed train in Malaysia, running from Kuala Lumpur to
978-1-6654-2691-6/21/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE
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Rodney H.G. Tan Jian Teck Hau
Electrical & Electronics Engineering
Department Department
UCSI University UCSI University
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
rodneytan@ieee.org 1001746348@ucsiuniversity.edu.my
KLIA at 150km/hr or higher [1]. Currently, ten railway lines
are operating under the Klang Valley Integrated Public
Transport System. These ten rail lines consist of three KTM
lines, three LRT lines, two ERL lines, one MRT line, and one
KL Monorail Line. However, the electric railway system can
affect the power quality of the transmission lines by injecting
harmonic current. DC train requires a twelve-pulse rectifier to
convert the AC power supply to DC. Thus, 11th and 13th
harmonics are most commonly found in the DC electrified
railways. In this paper, the TPSS that supplies traction power
to a 750V DC electric train system is modeled using
MATLAB/Simulink to identify the harmonic distortion
caused by the electric railway system.
Harmonic filters can mitigate harmonic problems. Lately,
the harmonic filter market has been rapidly growing due to
technological advancements and design improvements in the
semiconductor industry. The harmonic filters are also used in
the communication industry as they are more cost-effective
than series filters. Besides, increasing demand for variable
frequency drives also promotes the growth of the harmonic
filter market.
Harmonic filters can be classified into passive, active, and
hybrid harmonic filters. In this paper, the passive harmonic
filters such as single-tuned, double-tuned, second-order high-
pass, and C-type harmonic passive filters are discussed and the
single-tuned harmonic passive filters are designed. A single-
tuned harmonic passive filter is well-known for its simple
structure, low cost, and high reliability.
There is a myriad of literature published regarding
different types of harmonic passive filter design based on
different aspects such as quality factor, tuning factor, and
reactive power. The quality factor and tuning factor are
focused on when designing a single-tuned passive harmonic
filter [2]. Besides, the double-tuned harmonic passive filter
designing method based on two parallel single-tuned
harmonic passive filters is discussed [3, 4]. In addition, the
high-pass harmonic passive filter is designed with different
orders [5]. However, the reactive power of harmonic passive
filter which will affect both the harmonics and power factor is
not considered in these pieces of literature.
Moreover, a detailed calculation is performed on the RLC
values of the single-tuned harmonic passive filter. In the
calculation, reactive power is obtained based on the power
factor while the quality factor is assumed to be 100 [6].
However, the impedance is not considered when calculating
1
 2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)
the reactive power, and the method to determine the quality
factor is not discussed.
A thorough study on the performance of the single-tuned
harmonic passive filter is conducted from different aspects
such as power factor, THD, and transmission losses [7].
However, the methods of determining reactive power and
quality factor are not discussed. Besides, TDD and IHDi are
not considered. These two parameters are of utmost
importance as the harmonic current limit is based on TDD and
IHDi according to the IEEE Standard 519-2014.
On top of that, the single-tuned harmonic passive filter is
designed to mitigate the harmonic issue in a DC electrified
railway system. A locomotive with six DC traction motors is
used to model the railway system [8]. However, the power
factor which will be affected by the harmonic passive filter is
not considered in this paper. The filter performance is also
analyzed based on THD alone, where TDD and IHD are not
considered. The analysis is also carried out based on fixed
electric trainload.
The harmonic filtering is performed in the DC traction
substation [9]. The harmonic passive filters are designed and
placed at different PCCs. The locomotive used in the model
consists of six DC traction motors. However, the number of
locomotives is not considered in this paper. Thus, the
simulation is carried out using a fixed electric trainload.
Besides, the result is based on THD. TDD and IHD are not
considered.
In addition, single-tuned and high-pass harmonic passive
filters are designed using 2000kvar and 2400kvar of reactive
power respectively to avoid harmonics of TPSS [10].
However, the method of determining the reactive power is not
discussed.
The harmonic in electrified railway system is analyzed
thoroughly based on the harmonic problem, influential
factors, and suppression methods [11]. A detailed study on the
harmonic analysis is carried out but the filter design is not
focused.
In this paper, the harmonics, power factor, interharmonics,
and cost are all considered when designing the single-tuned
harmonic passive filters. Besides, the effects of the quality
factor and reactive power on the harmonic passive filter
performance are analyzed in this paper as well. In addition,
different electric trainload conditions are considered in this
paper to ensure the designed filters can operate under a wide
range of loads. The filters are evaluated based on THD, IHD,
and TDD following the IEEE Standard 519-2014.
II. METHODOLOGY
This section explains the design of single-tuned harmonic
passive filters for 33kV traction power supply system of
electric railway system based on 750V DC train. There are
three sub-sections under methodology, which are the electric
railway system modeling, harmonic analysis, and single-tuned
harmonic passive filters design.
In the first section, the electric railway system is modeled.
TPSS which consists of a rectifier transformer and a twelve-
pulse rectifier is modeled using MATLAB/Simulink. The
function of TPSS is to supply traction power to a 750V DC
electric train system by stepping down the AC supply from
33kV to 585V and converting the 585V AC to 750V DC
supply.
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Then, the harmonic analysis is discussed in the second
sub-section. The harmonic analysis is carried out using
different electric trainloads. The electric trainloads are
determined under different conditions such as during peak
hours and off-peak. The harmonic voltage distortion caused
by TPSS is within the IEEE 519-2014 standard limits.
However, the harmonic current injected by TPSS to the 33kV
bus has exceeded the limit. Thus, the single-tuned harmonic
passive filters are designed.
In the last part of the methodology, single-tuned harmonic
passive filters are designed. The reactive power of the filter is
selected to make sure they can reduce harmonic current
distortion to comply with the IEEE 519-2014 standard, and
prevent power factor deterioration due to excessive capacitive
power. Besides, the reactive power should be low enough to
be cost-effective while the quality factor should be low
enough to prevent interharmonics. In addition, the relationship
between impedance, quality factor, and the reactive power of
the filter is analyzed to determine the reactive power and
quality factor that fit the application most.
A. Electric Railway System Modelling
The traction power supply for 750V DC electric railway
system is modeled as shown in Fig. 1. The 750V DC electric
railway system receives a 33kV power supply from the grid.
Then, the traction power supply system (TPSS) is modeled to
convert 33kV AC supply to 750V DC as the electric train
input. The TPSS consists of a 3300kVA rectifier transformer
and two sets of 6-pulse rectifier connected in parallel. The
function of the rectifier transformer is to step down 33kV AC
to 585V AC while the rectifiers are used to convert 585V AC
voltage to 750V DC voltage. The 750V DC power is supplied
to the electric trainload and a feedback system is used to
control the twelve-pulse rectifiers which maintain the voltage
at 750V. In addition, the power factor, THDi, and TDD are
computed and displayed.
Fig. 1. 750V DC Electric Railway System Modeling
The 33kV grid is used to supply three-phase power at
33kV, 50Hz. It supplies three-phase power with a maximum
demand of 116.5MW to the electric railway system.
Besides, the 3300kVA rectifier transformer is used to step
down voltage from 33kV to 585V. The rectifier transformer is
a three-phase transformer with three windings. The primary
and tertiary winding are both connected in delta while the
secondary winding is connected in wye. The nominal power
and frequency of the rectifier transformer are 3300kVA and
50Hz.
Moreover, two sets of six-pulse rectifier that are connected
in parallel with the rectifier transformer are modeled with two
universal bridge blocks with 3 bridge arms each in Simulink.
 2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)

The thyristor is modeled as the power electronic device as its
output voltage can be controlled. Both sets of the six-pulse
rectifier are controlled by a feedback system to convert 585V
AC voltage to 750V DC voltage as shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2. Twelve-Pulse Rectifier With Feedback Subsystem
The generator type of pulse generator is set as twelve-pulse
as there are two sets of 6-pulse thyristor connected in parallel.
The pulse generator requires three inputs which are the alpha
firing angle in degree, phase angle in radian, and pulse
blocking.
The phase angle at the primary side of the transformer is
obtained by connecting a phase-locked loop from the primary
side of the transformer to the pulse generator. The frequency
output of the PLL is terminated as it is not being used. The
phase angle output is connected to the pulse generator with an
initial input frequency of 50Hz. On top of that, the “block”
input of pulse generator is used to block the pulses. The
ground is connected to the “block” input as the blocking
function is not being used.
e(t ) = VL ( DC ) − VL ( DC _ ref )
NLIMxNTxNC (Total )( PLIM + PAC )
P= (4)
NTPSSxNT (Total )
Each car is equipped with two linear induction motors and
two air conditioners. Each LIM will draw a continuous power
of 155kW while each air conditioner will draw 4.5kW. The
total journey time for one train to travel from one end to the
other end of the line is 104 minutes [12]. During peak hours,
the train frequency is 3 minutes per train. Thus, there will be
35 trains are running on the line. Besides, the number of trains
running on the line during off-peak is 7 when the interval time
between two trains is 14 minutes [13]. Thus, the average
power drawn from one TPSS during peak hours and off-peak
are calculated using (4) where NLIM is the number of LIM per
car, NT is the number of trains running, NC(Total) is the total
number of cars, NTPSS is the number of TPSSs along the line,
NT(Total) is the total number of trains, PLIM is the power drawn
by one unit of linear induction motor and PAC is the power
drawn by one unit of the air conditioner.
During peak hours, the power absorbed from one TPSS is
2674kW and the resistance of the electric trainload is 0.21 Ω.
On top of that, the electric trainload has a resistance of 1.05Ω
during off-peak. The power absorbed by the train during off-
peak is 535kW. The average power is drawn from one TPSS
and electric trainload resistance during peak hours and off-
peak are summarized in Table I.
TABLE I. POWER AND TRAIN LOAD RESISTANCE UNDER DIFFERENT
CONDITIONS
Peak Hours Off-Peak
Power (kW) 2674 535
Train Load
0.21 1.05
Resistance (Ω)
S = P2 + Q2 (5)
P
(1) cos θ = (6)
S

α = Kpe(t ) + Ki  e(t )dt (2) Since the power factor will affect the power quality of the
electrical system, a power factor subsystem is created as
shown in Fig. 3. The subsystem of the power factor is modeled
3 x 3x 2 using Simulink blocks based on (5) and (6). The power factor
VL ( dc ) = VRMS cos(α ) (3)
π subsystem is connected to the 33kV bus.

Besides, the VL(DC) is obtained from a feedback system. PI

controller is used to calculate the error signal by comparing
the load DC voltage to the 750V reference voltage value (1).
The difference between the output voltage and reference
voltage is fed into the PI controller where Kp is set as 0.3 while
Ki is set as 50 to calculate the firing angle using (2), and the Fig. 3. Power Factor Subsystem
firing angle is then fed into the pulse generator to control the
twelve-pulse rectifier. Then, the VL(DC) can be obtained using
(3) where VL(DC) is the load DC voltage, VRMS is the voltage I 2 2 + I 32 + I 4 2 + I 5 2 + ...
THDi = (7)
supply in RMS per phase and α is the firing angle. I1
An electric railway line with 22 sets of two-cars train and
46 sets of four-cars train in operation according to Malaysia I 2 2 + I 32 + I 4 2 + I 5 2 + ...
TDDi = (8)
railway company information is used to calculate the power IL
absorbed during peak hours and off-peak. Besides, power is
supplied to the electric railway line through fourteen traction I1
power supply systems. TDDi = THDi (9)
IL

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 2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)

Besides, the equation represented in (7) is substituted into distorted seriously. In addition, the THDv, 11th and 13th IHDv
(8) to obtain (9) which is used to model the THDi and TDD are 0.8%, 0.52% and 0.33% respectively.
subsystem. The THDi and TDD subsystem is modeled as
shown in Fig. 4 where IL is the maximum demand load
current, which is 70A.

Fig. 4. THDi & TDD Subsystem

B. Harmonic Analysis
During peak hours, the power absorbed by the 750V DC
train is 2674kW. The rectified load produces harmonic
glitches that will deteriorate the power quality [14]. The
harmonic distortion caused by TPSS can be observed using an
FFT analyzer from the powergui block. The measurement
time should be 200ms based on the IEEE 519-2014 standard.
Thus, the number of cycles is set as 10 with a frequency of
50Hz. The spectral components will be produced for every
interval of 5Hz.
The power factor of 0.95, THDi of 4.96%, and TDD of
4.95% are observed at the 33kV bus. In addition, 4.35% of 11th
IHDi and 2.14% of 13th IHDi are produced as shown in Fig. 5.
The TPSS also produced 3.65% of THDv, 1.16% of 11th
IHDv, and 0.67% of 13th IHDv.
Fig. 6. Harmonic Current Distortion during Off-Peak before Filtering
The power factor, THDi, TDD, IHDi, THDv, and IHDv at
33kV bus during peak hours and off-peak are summarized
with IEEE Standard 519-2014 [15] in Table II. Based on IEEE
Standard 519-2014, the limits of TDD, 11th, and 13th IHDi
based on IEEE Standard 519-2014 are 5%, 2%, and 2%
respectively. Besides, the THDv limit is 5% while both the
11th and 13th IHDv limits are 3%.
The harmonic voltage distortions caused by the electric
railway system during peak hours and off-peak are both
acceptable. However, the 11th IHDi and 13th IHDi injected by
the electric railway system to the 33kV bus during peak hours
and off-peak have exceeded the 2% limits. Hence, harmonic
passive filters are designed to reduce the harmonic current
distortion at the MV.

TABLE II. POWER FACTOR AND HARMONIC DISTORTION WITHOUT

HARMONIC PASSIVE FILTERS

Peak Hours Off-Peak Limit

Power Factor 0.95 0.92 >0.85
THDi (%) 4.96 10.91 -
TDD (%) 4.95 2.28 <5
11th IHDi (%) 4.35 9.24 <2
13th IHDi (%) 2.14 4.94 <2
THDv (%) 3.65 0.80 <5
11th IHDv (%) 1.16 0.52 <3
13th IHDv (%) 0.67 0.33 <3

Fig. 5. Harmonic Current Distortion during Peak Hours before Filtering C. Single-Tuned Harmonic Passive Filters Design
There are different types of harmonic passive filter such as
During off-peak, the power absorbed by the train is
single-tuned, double-tuned, high-pass, and C-type harmonic
535kW. The power factor, THDi, and TDD are 0.92, 10.91%,
passive filters, and their topologies are shown in Fig.7. In this
and 2.28% respectively. Besides, 9.24% of 11th IHDi and
paper, single-tuned harmonic passive filters are designed due
4.94% of 13th IHDi are produced as shown in Fig. 6. Due to
to simplicity in design, low cost, high reliability, and high
the high value of THDi and IHDi, the current waveform is
flexibility.

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 2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)
Fig. 7. Topologies of Harmonic Passive Filter
Two single-tuned harmonic passive filters are designed for
each of the 585V distribution lines to absorb the 11th and 13th
harmonic current respectively. Firstly, the impedance required
to reduce the IHDi below 2% is determined. Then, the graphs
of impedance against quality factor against reactive power are
plotted as shown in Fig.8 and Fig.9 to identify the pairs of
reactive power and quality factor which can produce the
impedance required. Next, the reactive power and quality
factor are selected based on their effect on power factor, cost,
and interharmonic distortion. Lastly, the chosen reactive
power and quality factor are used to determine the
capacitance, inductance, and resistance of the single-tuned
harmonic passive filters
The impedance of the single-tuned harmonic passive filter
will affect the filter’s performance in reducing the harmonic
current. Thus, the first step of harmonic passive filter design
is to determine the impedance required to decrease the 11th
IHDi and 13th IHDi below 2%, while reducing the TDD below
5%. The impedance of the harmonic passive filter is
determined by two factors, which are the reactive power and
the quality factor. Thus, the reactive power and quality factor
of the single-tuned harmonic passive filter that is connected to
the 585V bus are tuned until the 11th IHDi and 13th IHDi are
lesser than 2%, while TDD is lesser than 5%.
Then, the graphs of impedance against quality factor
against reactive power for the single-tuned harmonic passive
filter are plotted as shown in Fig. 8 for the 11th harmonic and
Fig. 9 for the 13th harmonic. The pair of reactive power and
quality factor obtained by tuning the single-tuned harmonic
passive filter is used to identify the impedance on the graph.
Then, the other pairs of reactive power and quality factor can
be obtained using the same impedance.
Fig. 8. Graph of Impedance against Quality Factor against Reactive Power
of the 11th Single-Tuned Harmonic Passive Filter
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Fig. 9. Graph of Impedance against Quality Factor against Reactive Power
of the 13th Single-Tuned Harmonic Passive Filter
Then, the reactive power and quality factor are selected
based on power factor, cost, and interharmonic distortion.
Qr = S [sin(cos −1 pf 0 − sin(cos −1 pf 1)] (10)
The minimum reactive power for each of the 585V
distribution lines to maintain the power factor above the 0.85
limits is obtained using (10). Besides, lower reactive power is
preferred as the lower the reactive power, the lower the cost
of a single-tuned harmonic passive filter. Based on the graph,
the lower the reactive power, the higher the quality factor
while the impedance remains constant. However, a high
quality factor may introduce interharmonic current. Thus, a
balance between reactive power and quality factor has to be
determined using the graph.
Qr n2 − 1
C =( )( ) (11)
2π f 0V 2 n2
1
L= (12)
C (2π nf 0) 2
1
R= (13)
2π nf 0CQf
The impedance required to reduce the 11th IHDi below 2%
is 0.07Ω. Based on the graph of impedance against quality
factor against reactive power of the 11th single-tuned harmonic
passive filter, the pairs of reactive power and quality factor to
produce 0.07 Ω of impedance are summarized in Table III.
Since the power factor of the electric railway system without
a harmonic passive filter is already greater than 0.85, which
complies with the limit, there is no minimum reactive power
required. The reactive power of 8kvar with quality factor of
55 is selected as the quality factor has to be increased greatly
to reduce the reactive power for reactive power lower than
8kvar. Using these values, the capacitance, inductance, and
resistance of the 11th single-tuned harmonic passive filter are
obtained as 73.79μF, 1.135mH, and 0.0713 Ω based on (11),
(12), and (13) respectively, where Qr is the reactive power, n
is the harmonic order and Qf is the quality factor.
 2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)

TABLE III. PAIRS OF REACTIVE POWER AND QUALITY FACTOR TO

REDUCE 11TH IHDI LCs 2 + RCs + 1
H (s) = (17)
Reactive
Cs
Power 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
(kvar) In addition, the bode diagram of the transfer function is
Quality
40 45 50 55 65 75 90 110 145 plotted as the frequency of interest cannot be seen clearly in
Factor Fig. 10 due to its linear scale. The transfer function of the
single-tuned harmonic passive filter’s impedance is obtained
Besides, the impedance required to reduce the 13th IHDi using Laplace transform (17). Then, the magnitude of the
below 2% is 0.15Ω. Based on the graph of impedance against transfer functions is plotted in dB as shown in Fig. 11. The
quality factor against reactive power of the 13th single-tuned magnitude is sharply reduced at the 11th and the 13th harmonic
harmonic passive filter, the pairs of reactive power and quality orders, which are equivalent to 550Hz and 650Hz. Besides,
factor to produce 0.15 Ω of impedance are summarized in the bode diagram shows the phase of the impedance as well.
Table IV. The reactive power of 5kvar with a quality factor of The phase of the impedance at individual harmonic of interest
35 is selected as the quality factor has to be increased greatly is 0⁰ as the capacitive impedance is the same as the inductive
to reduce the reactive power for reactive power lower than impedance. Thus, the single-tuned harmonic passive filter is
5kvar. The capacitance, inductance, and resistance of the purely resistive at the individual harmonic of interest and the
5kvar 13th single-tuned harmonic passive filter with a quality phase shift is zero. The phase is -90⁰ at low frequency as the
factor of 35 are obtained as 46.23μF, 1.297mH, and 0.151Ω. lower the frequency, the higher the capacitive impedance.
Moreover, the phase is 90⁰ at high frequency as the higher the
TABLE IV. PAIRS OF REACTIVE POWER AND QUALITY FACTOR TO frequency, the higher the inductive impedance.
REDUCE 13TH IHDI
Bode Diagram
Reactive Power (kvar) 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
40
Quality Factor 25 30 35 45 60 90 180 11th harmonic order
13th harmonic order
20
1
XC = (14)
2π nf 0C 0

-20
XL = 2π nf 0 L (15) 90

Z = R 2 + ( XL − XC ) 2 (16) 0

Using the values of capacitance, inductance, and

resistance, the impedances can be obtained using (14), (15), -90
and (16) respectively. Then, the graph of impedance against 200 400 600 800 1000
Frequency (Hz)
the harmonic order of single-tuned harmonic passive filters is
plotted as shown in Fig. 10. Based on the graph, the
impedances are lowest at the 11th and 13th harmonics. Thus, Fig. 11 Bode Diagram of Single-Tuned Harmonic Passive Filters
the 11th and 13th harmonic current will flow through the single-
tuned harmonic passive filters which in turn will reduce the III. RESULTS & DISCUSSION
11th and 13th IHDi. The impedance at the fundamental The single-tuned harmonic passive filters are connected to
frequency is the highest to prevent the flowing of fundamental the electric railway system model and simulated as shown in
current through the harmonic passive filter. Besides, the Fig. 12. Each of the 585V distribution lines is connected with
single-tuned harmonic passive filter which is designed to two single-tuned harmonic passive filters to remove the 11th
mitigate the 11th harmonic has a lower impedance than the 13th and 13th IHDi respectively.
harmonic single-tuned harmonic passive filter in general. This
is because it is designed with a higher reactive power.

Fig. 12. Implementation of Single-Tuned Harmonic Passive Filters

Fig. 10. Graph of Impedance against Harmonic Order
During peak hours, the power factor, THDi and the TDD
are 0.96, 1.96%, and 1.97% respectively. The 11th and 13th

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 2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)
IHDi are shown in Fig. 13, which are 1.35% and 1.06%
respectively. The current waveform is very similar to a sine
wave, which shows that there is just a very little amount of
distortion.
Fig. 13. Harmonic Current Distortion during Peak Hours after Filtering
During off-peak, the power factor, THDi, and the TDD are
0.94, 4.07%, and 0.84%. The 11th and 13th IHDi are shown in
Fig. 14, which are 1.94% and 1.97% respectively.
Fig. 14. Harmonic Current Distortion during Off-Peak after Filtering
The power factor, THDi, TDD, and IHDi during peak
hours and off-peak are summarized in Table V. After
connecting two single-tuned harmonic passive filters at each
of the 585V distribution lines, all the TDD, 11th IHDi, and 13th
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IHDi under both conditions are complying with the IEEE
Standard 519-2014. On top of that, the power factor during
peak hours and off-peak are above 0.85 as well.
TABLE V. POWER FACTOR AND HARMONIC DISTORTION WITH
SINGLE-TUNED HARMONIC PASSIVE FILTERS
Peak Hours Off-Peak Limit
Power Factor 0.96 0.94 >0.85
THDi (%) 1.96 4.07 -
TDD (%) 1.97 0.84 <5
11th IHDi (%) 1.35 1.94 <2
13th IHDi (%) 1.06 1.97 <2
A single-tuned harmonic passive filter consists of one
capacitor, one inductor, and one resistor connected in series.
The single-tuned harmonic passive filter reduces the harmonic
current distortion by providing a lower impedance path at the
frequency of harmonic of interest for the flow of harmonic
current. One single-tuned harmonic passive filter can only
reduce one IHDi. This is due to its characteristic where its
impedance is the highest at the fundamental frequency. Then,
the higher the frequency, the lower the impedance until it
reaches the individual harmonic of interest. Beyond the
frequency of the individual harmonic of interest, the higher the
frequency, the higher the impedance as shown in Fig. 10 and
Fig. 11. The impedance for a frequency lower than the
individual harmonic of interest is caused by the resistor and
capacitor where the lower the frequency, the higher the
capacitive impedance. At the individual harmonic of interest,
the impedance is equal to the resistance. Besides, the higher
the frequency, the higher the inductive impedance for
frequency above the individual harmonic of interest. Thus, the
lowest impedance is reached at one harmonic order, and only
one IHDi can be reduced. Hence, each of the 585V
distribution lines is connected with two single-tuned harmonic
passive filters to reduce both the 11th and the 13th IHDi. Once
the IHDi is reduced, both the THDi and TDD will be reduced.
Since the current will tend to flow past a lower impedance
path, the lower the impedance of the harmonic passive filter,
the better the IHDi reduction. The maximum impedance
required to reduce the 11th IHDi at 585V distribution line of
the electric railway system below 2% is found to be 0.07Ω.
Besides, the maximum impedance required for the 13th IHDi
reduction is 0.15Ω. The impedance of the harmonic passive
filter is determined by its capacitance, inductance, and
resistance.
Based on the equations (11-16), the higher the reactive
power (Qr), the higher the capacitance (C), and the lower the
capacitive impedance (Xc). Besides, the higher the
capacitance (C), the lower the inductance (L), and the lower
the reactive impedance (XL). Nevertheless, the higher the
capacitance (C), the lower the resistance (R). Thus, the IHDi
can be reduced better using higher reactive power to produce
lower impedance. However, the higher the reactive power, the
higher the cost. The reactive power will also degrade the
power factor of the line when it is too high by introducing
capacitive reactance to the line. The filter capacitive power
can compensate the existing inductive power to improve the
power factor of the system. However, it will degrade the
power factor if the filter reactive power is higher than the
existing reactive power in the system. Thus, the reactive
 2021 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT)
power of the filter must be equal to or lesser than the existing
reactive power.
On top of that, the impedance of the single-tuned harmonic
passive filter is also affected by the quality factor. The
relationship between quality factor and resistance is inversely
proportional based on (13). Thus, the higher the quality factor,
the lower the resistance. Since the impedance at the individual
harmonic of interest is equal to the resistance, the quality
factor will affect the impedance at the individual harmonic of
interest specifically. Thus, the IHDi can be reduced better at
higher quality factor. However, if the quality factor is too high,
interharmonic current will occur.
In summary, both the reactive power and quality factor
must be taken into consideration when designing a single-
tuned harmonic passive filter. Hence, a three-dimensional
graph is plotted to analyze the relationship between reactive
power, quality factor, and impedance. The pairs of reactive
power and quality factor that can produce the impedance
required for the reduction of IHDi are determined. Then, the
reactive power and quality factor are selected by considering
the IHDi reduction, cost, power factor, and interharmonic
distortion.
In this paper, the single-tuned harmonic passive filter that
is used to reduce the 11th IHDi is designed with 8kvar of
reactive power with a quality factor of 55. This pair of values
can produce the impedance required to reduce the 11th IHDi
below 2%. If higher reactive power is used for the design, the
power factor will be degraded and the interharmonic distortion
will occur if higher quality factor is used. Besides, 5kvar of
reactive power with a quality factor of 35 is used for the 13th
harmonic single-tuned harmonic passive filter design. This
pair of values can reduce the 13th IHDi below 2% while
maintaining the power factor above 0.85, as well as can
prevent interharmonic distortion.
The single-tuned harmonic passive filter for electric
railway TPSS Simulink model is fully replicable. With this in
mind, the MATLAB/Simulink model presented in this paper
is made available by the authors for the readers to download
at Mathworks official MATLAB Central File Exchange link
below
https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/98
569-single-tuned-passive-harmonic-filter-4-electric-railway-
tpss
IV. CONCLUSION
In summary, this paper presented the modeling of the
electric railway system, harmonic analysis, the design of
single-tuned harmonic passive filters, and the evaluation of
filter performance during peak hours and off-peak. Multiple
single-tuned harmonic passive filters are connected in parallel
to the distribution lines to reduce multiple IHDi. The
impedance will affect the reduction of IHDi where the lower
the impedance of the harmonic passive filter, the better the
IHDi reduction. In filter design, there are two important
parameters that will affect the impedance significantly,
namely reactive power and quality factor. Thus, the three-
dimensional perspective is used to analyze the relationship
between reactive power, quality factor, and impedance. Based
on the three-dimensional perspective, the pairs of reactive
power and quality factor can be determined and the best pair
of values can be selected by considering the cost, power
factor, and interharmonic distortion. The results show that the
Authorized licensed use limited to: Mississippi State University Libraries. Downloaded on September 17,2022 at 09:41:38 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
single-tuned harmonic passive filters design can reduce the
TDD to 1.97% and below. Moreover, the 11th IHDi can be
reduced to 1.94% and below while the 13th IHDi is reduced to
1.97% and below. Therefore, the harmonics from the TPSS
are complying with the IEEE 519-2014 standard limits.
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